Look Back To 1990: What Happened That Year

Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it.

Here's 1990 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 1990

• The Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody', re-released after the film Ghost, was the best-selling single of the year in the UK.
• Sinead O'Connor spent four weeks at number one with 'Nothing Compares 2 U', a Prince song she made entirely her own.
• New Order recorded 'World in Motion' as the official England World Cup song, and it went to number one - the only England song most people will admit to liking.
• Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby' topped the chart, built on a Queen and Bowie bassline.
• Cliff Richard was Christmas number one with 'Saviour's Day'.
• Madchester was at its peak: the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays had made Manchester the centre of British music.

In the news in 1990

• Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in November after eleven years, and John Major replaced her.
• The poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square in March turned into a riot, and the tax was abandoned soon afterwards.
• Nelson Mandela was released from prison in February after twenty-seven years.
• Germany reunified in October.
• Iraq invaded Kuwait in August, leading to the Gulf War the following year.
• The Strangeways prison riot in Manchester lasted twenty-five days, the longest in British penal history.

On screen in 1990

• Ghost, Home Alone and Pretty Woman were the films of the year.
• Twin Peaks arrived on British television and baffled everybody in the most enjoyable way.
• Have I Got News for You began on BBC Two.
• One Foot in the Grave had started the year before and hit its stride.
• Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles arrived in the UK - renamed from Ninja because of concerns about the weapons.
• The Game Boy launched in the UK, bundled with Tetris.

In sport in 1990

• Italia 90. England reached the semi-final and lost to West Germany on penalties, and Paul Gascoigne's tears became one of the defining British sporting images.
• Nessun Dorma, used as the BBC's theme for the tournament, reached number two in the chart and changed how opera was sold in Britain.
• West Germany won the World Cup.
• Stephen Hendry won his first World Snooker Championship at twenty-one.
• Nick Faldo won both the Masters and the Open.

Everyday life in 1990

• The Marathon bar was renamed Snickers, and nobody over forty has fully accepted it since.
• Rear seatbelts had become compulsory for children the previous year, and would become compulsory for adults in 1991.
• Interest rates were high and a great many households were about to hit negative equity.
• The Gameboy, Sega Mega Drive and Commodore Amiga were the machines in British bedrooms.
• Sky and BSB merged into BSkyB, and satellite dishes started appearing on the sides of houses.

If you were born in 1990

• Anyone born in 1990 has never known a Britain without a mobile phone in common use.
• They were born the same month or thereabouts as the Game Boy's UK launch, which is a reasonable line for a card.
• Anyone born in 1990 turns 30 in 2020, 40 in 2030, 50 in 2040, 60 in 2050 and 70 in 2060.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1991
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• 1990s party playlist
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the best-selling single of 1990?

'Unchained Melody' by the Righteous Brothers, re-released on the back of the film Ghost. It was the year's biggest seller in the UK.

What happened at Italia 90?

England reached the semi-final and lost to West Germany on penalties. Paul Gascoigne's tears after his booking became one of the most reproduced images in British sport.

How old is someone born in 1990?

Subtract 1990 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2030, 50 in 2040, 60 in 2050 and 70 in 2060.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

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