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1990s

In 1991, the World Wide Web gained massive popularity worldwide and CDs replaced cassette tapes as the dominant way to distribute music. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling was released in the UK in June of 1997.

Books that spent time atop The New York Times Best Sellers list

YearFictionNonfiction
1990The Burden of Proof by Scott TurowMen at Work by George F. Will
1991Heartbeat by Danielle SteelMe: Stories of My Life by Katharine Hepburn
1992The Pelican Brief by John GrishamRevolution from Within by Gloria Steinem
1993The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James WallerThe Way Things Ought to Be by Rush H. Limbaugh
1994The Chamber by John GrishamEmbraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie with Curtis Taylor
1995The Celestine Prophecy by James RedfieldMy American Journey by Colin L. Powell with Joseph E. Persico
1996The Runaway Jury by John GrishamThe Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams
1997The Partner by John GrishamAngela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
1998The Bonfires of the Vanities by Tom WolfeTalking to Heaven by James Van Praagh
1999Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. RowlingThe Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

Interesting items (items of local interest)

1990

  • Philadelphia Flyer Don Saleski’s son, Adam, and his Media Little League team were District 19 champions
  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Mexican poet Octavio Paz
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer won another Pulitzer Prize
  • East and West Germany were reunified on October 3rd
  • Milk cost $.50/gal, ground beef $1.47/lb

1991

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Nadine Gordimer
  • Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens won his 3rd Cy Young award
  • Tonya Harding became the first American woman to land a triple Axel
  • The Three Tenors, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and José Carreras won a Grammy for Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti in Concert
  • Billy Crystal got an Emmy for hosting the 63rd Annual Academy Awards

1992

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Saint Lucian poet Derek Walcott
  • Category 5 Hurricane Andrew hit the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation was the most watched TV show
  • Salsa became the best-selling condiment in the U.S.
  • 2 Michelin tires cost $90-$180, Idaho potatoes $1.69 for a 5 lb. bag

1993

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Toni Morrison
  • The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography was awarded to David McCullough for Truman
  • The Phillies lost to the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series
  • Bill Clinton negotiated the peace agreement signed September 13th by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Prime Minister Yasser Arafat
  • The Bodyguard soundtrack by Whitney Houston was the best-selling album

1994

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Japanese author Kenzaburo Oe
  • In June, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 31st home run of the season breaking Babe Ruth’s record for the most home runs before the end of June
  • In September, Major League Baseball player’s labor strike ended the season and cancelled the World Series for the first time since 1904
  • IBM’s Simon Personal Communicator (SPC), the world’s first smartphone, was released
  • Frasier won Outstanding Comedy Series and NYPD Blue won for drama

1995

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Irish poet Seamus Heaney
  • The Pulitzer Prize in History was awarded to Doris Kearns Goodwin for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
  • The Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed
  • The first full-length computer-animated film Toy Story was released
  • The annual inflation rate was 2.81%

1996

  • Kobe Bryant led Lower Merion to a PA state title and was the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft
  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Polish author Wisława Szymborska
  • The Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore becoming the Baltimore Ravens
  • Dolly the sheep (1st cloned mammal) was born on July 5
  • Mobile phones with emojis were introduced

1997

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Italian writer Dario Fo
  • The Pulitzer Prize for Biography went to Frank McCourt for Angela’s Ashes​
  • Michael Vitez, April Saul and Ron Cortes of The Philadelphia Inquirer won Pulitzer Prizes​
  • Tiger Woods won his first major, the Masters, on April 13th
  • Eggs were $1.06/dozen, and gas was $1.23/gallon​

1998

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to José Saramago
  • Mark McGwire (70) and Sammy Sosa (66) broke Roger Maris’ home run (61) record ​
  • Titanic became the became the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide and won 11 Oscars​
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released in the US in September
  • Sucralose (aka Splenda) was approved for use in the U.S.

1999

  • The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Günter Grass ​
  • Albert Einstein was named Time’s ‘Person of the Century’
  • Tiger Woods won his first PGA championship
  • The Mars Polar Lander was launched by NASA
  • The euro was created, and the European Central Bank took power