1990s Calendar: Every Year, Events, TV And Music

The 1990s in order, one year at a time.

Each year below gives the headline event, what people were watching and what they were listening to, with a link to the full page for that year.

Good for a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what to put in a milestone birthday card.

1990

• 1990 - Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it.
• News: Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in November after eleven years, and John Major replaced her.
• Screen: Ghost, Home Alone and Pretty Woman were the films of the year.
• Music: The Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody', re-released after the film Ghost, was the best-selling single of the year in the UK.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1990

1991

• 1991 - Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died.
• News: The Gulf War began in January and ended in February.
• Screen: Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Silence of the Lambs were the films of the year.
• Music: Bryan Adams spent sixteen consecutive weeks at number one with '(Everything I Do) I Do It for You', from the Robin Hood film - still the longest unbroken run in UK chart history.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1991

1992

• 1992 - Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived.
• News: John Major won the April general election, a result almost every poll had got wrong.
• Screen: Wayne's World, Basic Instinct and Reservoir Dogs were the films people talked about.
• Music: Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You', from The Bodyguard, was Christmas number one and went on to be the best-selling single of 1992 and much of 1993.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1992

1993

• 1993 - Mr Blobby was Christmas number one, which is somehow not the strangest thing about the year.
• News: James Bulger was murdered in Liverpool in February, and the case dominated the year.
• Screen: Jurassic Park and Schindler's List were both released - the same director, in the same year.
• Music: Meat Loaf's 'I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)' spent seven weeks at number one and was the best-selling single of the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1993

1994

• 1994 - The Lottery started, the Channel Tunnel opened, and Wet Wet Wet would not leave the number one spot.
• News: The National Lottery launched in November, with the first draw watched by over twenty million people.
• Screen: Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Lion King, Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump all came out in the same year.
• Music: Wet Wet Wet's 'Love Is All Around', from Four Weddings and a Funeral, spent fifteen weeks at number one. The band eventually deleted it themselves to stop it.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1994

1995

• 1995 - Blur against Oasis on the Six O'Clock News, and Toy Story changed films for good.
• News: Barings Bank collapsed in February after losses run up by a single trader, Nick Leeson.
• Screen: Toy Story was released - the first fully computer-animated feature film.
• Music: The Britpop chart battle: Blur's 'Country House' against Oasis's 'Roll With It' in the week of 20 August. Blur won, and it led the national news.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1995

1996

• 1996 - Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them.
• News: The Dunblane primary school shooting in March led to the near-total ban on handguns in Britain.
• Screen: Trainspotting was released in February and became the British film of the decade.
• Music: The Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly' was the best-selling single of the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1996

1997

• 1997 - A landslide in May, a death in August, and the best-selling single in British history.
• News: Tony Blair won a landslide general election on 1 May, ending eighteen years of Conservative government.
• Screen: The Full Monty was the British film of the year and one of the most successful ever made here.
• Music: 'Candle in the Wind 1997' by Elton John, released after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, became the best-selling single in UK chart history.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1997

1998

• 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement, a World Cup sending off nobody forgave, and Furby.
• News: The Good Friday Agreement was signed on 10 April.
• Screen: Titanic dominated cinemas and the Oscars.
• Music: Cher's 'Believe' was Christmas number one and the best-selling single of the year, built on the vocal effect that defined the next decade of pop.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1998

1999

• 1999 - An eclipse over Cornwall, a millennium everybody was quietly worried about, and boy bands everywhere.
• News: The total solar eclipse of 11 August crossed Cornwall, and a large part of the country travelled south west to see it, mostly through cloud.
• Screen: The Matrix, Star Wars: Episode I, Notting Hill and The Sixth Sense were the films of the year.
• Music: Britney Spears' '...Baby One More Time' was the best-selling single of the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1999

Pop culture milestones of the 1990s

• 1990 - Ghost, Home Alone and Pretty Woman were the films of the year. The Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody', re-released after the film Ghost, was the best-selling single of the year in the UK.
• 1991 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Silence of the Lambs were the films of the year. Bryan Adams spent sixteen consecutive weeks at number one with '(Everything I Do) I Do It for You', from the Robin Hood film - still the longest unbroken run in UK chart history.
• 1992 - Wayne's World, Basic Instinct and Reservoir Dogs were the films people talked about. Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You', from The Bodyguard, was Christmas number one and went on to be the best-selling single of 1992 and much of 1993.
• 1993 - Jurassic Park and Schindler's List were both released - the same director, in the same year. Meat Loaf's 'I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)' spent seven weeks at number one and was the best-selling single of the year.
• 1994 - Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Lion King, Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump all came out in the same year. Wet Wet Wet's 'Love Is All Around', from Four Weddings and a Funeral, spent fifteen weeks at number one. The band eventually deleted it themselves to stop it.
• 1995 - Toy Story was released - the first fully computer-animated feature film. The Britpop chart battle: Blur's 'Country House' against Oasis's 'Roll With It' in the week of 20 August. Blur won, and it led the national news.
• 1996 - Trainspotting was released in February and became the British film of the decade. The Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly' was the best-selling single of the year.
• 1997 - The Full Monty was the British film of the year and one of the most successful ever made here. 'Candle in the Wind 1997' by Elton John, released after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, became the best-selling single in UK chart history.
• 1998 - Titanic dominated cinemas and the Oscars. Cher's 'Believe' was Christmas number one and the best-selling single of the year, built on the vocal effect that defined the next decade of pop.
• 1999 - The Matrix, Star Wars: Episode I, Notting Hill and The Sixth Sense were the films of the year. Britney Spears' '...Baby One More Time' was the best-selling single of the year.

Holidays and annual dates

• 1 January - New Year's Day, a bank holiday across the UK (2 January too in Scotland).
• 25 January - Burns Night.
• 14 February - Valentine's Day.
• 1 March - St David's Day.
• 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
• Mothering Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it moves with Easter (March, sometimes late February).
• Good Friday and Easter Monday - the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March sets the date.
• 23 April - St George's Day.
• First Monday in May - the early May bank holiday (added in 1978).
• Last Monday in May - the spring bank holiday (fixed to that Monday in 1971).
• Third Sunday in June - Father's Day.
• 12 July - a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
• First Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in Scotland.
• Last Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• 31 October - Halloween.
• 5 November - Bonfire Night.
• 11 November - Armistice Day, with Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of the month.
• 30 November - St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
• 25 and 26 December - Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
• 31 December - New Year's Eve, Hogmanay in Scotland.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• For a guess-the-year round, read the three lines for a year and hide the date.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
• In a reminiscence session, stop on whatever gets a reaction rather than finishing the list.

Where to shop next

• 1990s history: events, politics and culture
• 1990s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1990s films and directors
• 1990s books, films and TV
• 1990s books: novels and authors
• 1990s art: artists and styles
• 1990s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1990s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1990s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1990s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1990s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1990s games: board, card and video
• 1990s trivia: fun facts
• 1990s quiz: questions and answers
• 1990s party playlist
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1990s
• The decade before: the 1980s
• The decade after: the 2000s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
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• Look back to 1990
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1996
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1999
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
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• Sympathy and bereavement cards
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• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1990s?

Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it. The calendar above runs through every year from 1990 to 1999, with the main event, the television and film, and the music for each one.

What was on television in the 1990s?

Each year on this page lists what people were watching that year. For the full television and film picture, open the year page itself.

Where do these facts come from?

They are the same checked facts used on our year pages - real, dateable events only. The official UK singles chart begins in November 1952, so earlier years list popular songs rather than chart positions.

Do you sell anything to do with this decade?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page is free to read and free to copy.