Look Back To 1991: What Happened That Year

Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died.

Here's 1991 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 1991

• 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.
• It was the best-selling single of the year by an enormous margin, and people were genuinely sick of it by September.
• Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', re-released as a double A-side with 'These Are the Days of Our Lives' after Freddie Mercury's death, was Christmas number one - its second time at the top, sixteen years after the first.
• Nirvana released 'Nevermind' in September, and the sound of the decade changed within about six months.
• Cher, Color Me Badd and Salt-N-Pepa all had big chart years.
• The Stone Roses were locked in a court case with their record label and effectively lost three years of the decade.

In the news in 1991

• The Gulf War began in January and ended in February.
• The Soviet Union was formally dissolved in December.
• Freddie Mercury died on 24 November, one day after publicly confirming he had AIDS.
• Terry Waite and John McCarthy were released after years held hostage in Lebanon.
• Rear seatbelts became compulsory for adult passengers in cars where they were fitted.
• Robert Maxwell died at sea in November, and the state of his companies' pension funds emerged shortly afterwards.

On screen in 1991

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Silence of the Lambs were the films of the year.
• Noel's House Party began on BBC One, with Mr Blobby arriving the following year.
• Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
• Prime Suspect, with Helen Mirren, began on ITV.
• Sonic the Hedgehog arrived on the Sega Mega Drive and became the mascot of an entire console war.

In sport in 1991

• England lost the Rugby World Cup final to Australia at Twickenham.
• Arsenal won the First Division, losing just one league game all season.
• Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup final, the game in which Paul Gascoigne badly injured his own knee.
• Ian Botham was in his final years as an England cricketer.
• The World Athletics Championships in Tokyo produced the long jump duel between Mike Powell and Carl Lewis.

Everyday life in 1991

• The recession bit hard, with repossessions and negative equity in the news constantly.
• The Super Nintendo launched in Japan and America; the UK got it in 1992.
• Mobile phones were still rare, large and expensive.
• Home taping was still how most teenagers acquired music.
• Ceefax page 302 was how you found out the football scores.

If you were born in 1991

• Anyone born in 1991 arrived in the same year the World Wide Web was made publicly available - Tim Berners-Lee's first website went live in August.
• They were born the year the Soviet Union ceased to exist, which redrew every map in every classroom they'd later sit in.
• Anyone born in 1991 turns 30 in 2021, 40 in 2031, 50 in 2041, 60 in 2051 and 70 in 2061.
• 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 1994
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1990
• 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
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was number one for sixteen weeks in 1991?

'(Everything I Do) I Do It for You' by Bryan Adams, from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Sixteen consecutive weeks is still the longest unbroken run at number one in UK chart history.

What was the Christmas number one in 1991?

Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'These Are the Days of Our Lives', released as a double A-side after Freddie Mercury's death in November.

How old is someone born in 1991?

Subtract 1991 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2031, 50 in 2041, 60 in 2051 and 70 in 2061.

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.