The 1990's

With every decade that passes, a legacy is left behind. Each decade is looked back on with laughs, groans, and memories. The 1990's was a growing time for America and Britain as both faced new issues that increased technology and a issues never before faced caused.

First, Princess Diana died in a tragic car accident in 1997. Fleeing the ever intrusive Paparazzi, the "People's Princess" crashed in a tunnel after a night in Paris. News of this death shocked the world. The public was dismayed that a celebrity, who they loved and felt a strong connection with, was no longer around. Her relationship with the Royal Family wasn't never the best. She divorced Prince Charles after finding out he had been having an affair for a long time. This was not a popular decision among her royal relatives. Along with that, she made several rude comments about the inner workings of the family. The 2006 film, The Queen, depicts the difficulty of family, especially the Queen, to handle the situation and the demands of the public. Eventually, British Royal Protocol was broken. The family returned to London, where Queen Elizabeth made a live statement to the people.

Another big issue in the late 1990's, leading into 2000, was the Y2K scare. As technology progressed, and computers began to dominate every part of our society, a fear began to sprout that once the year 2000 hit, there would be a mass technology meltdown. While the intricate details of the potential meltdown were somewhat confusing, basically scientists wondered that a sudden change in the ascending numbers (going from 98, 99, to 00) would result in the computer system no longer working. The Internet had only been around for a little bit, but the technology had been around long enough most everything ran on computers. There was a fear that if it stopped working, people would not be able to get the things necessary for survival. Some even feared an apocalyptic sort of tragedy. Stocking up on anything from grain to guns, there was genuine fear and terror among many people. However, looking back, we know that nothing major did happen. While there were a few errors, they were all minor. Some stores had their credit-card machines stop working, and had to rely on cash transactions, but there were no serious consequences of the scare.

Finally, there were some classic pieces of pop culture created in the 1990's. From movies like Clueless, to television shows like Friends and Fresh Prince of Bel Air, pop culture in the 90's is often remembered by many. References are still generally caught by most 25+ people. The website BuzzFeed commonly makes short videos were people do or talk about something that was popular in the 90's. A recent video contained people trying Lunchables as adults. Created in 1988, the prepackaged meals usually contained snack foods like crackers and meat and cheese, along with a desert and a drink. They were popular in the 90's. People in the video recalled their friends eating Lunchables, and how you would've been a cool kid if you brought one to school. I have tried the 'meals' before, and thought it was a special treat to get as a little kid. Lunchables is just one example of a popular thing from one decade, that trickles into the next.

The 1990's were packed with events, both tragic and strange. Pop culture from the time, from movies to meals, are still referenced in today's current culture. I am too young to remember any of the 90's, but I was born at the start of the end. The first month of the last year. I am from that decade of learning and changing, and I can learn from the 90's; from the Queen whose people led her to break the rules, and from the citizens who feared the meltdown. Everyone can learn from the past, and even the past which is not all too distant.