The Year 1990 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historic events from the year 1990. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, entertainment trivia, and much more.

1. In 1990, George H. W. Bush was the U.S. president, and J. Danforth Quayle was the nation’s vice president.
2. Unemployment for the year averaged 5.6%, and the nation’s inflation rate was 5.39%.
3. The average household income was $28,960.00, and the average cost of a new house was $123,000.00.
4. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, the population of the United States was 248,709,873.
5. The average household had 2.63 members, and the average family was composed of 3.17 people.
6. An estimated 31,241,831 Americans were 65 and older, and 250,437 of them were 95 and older.
7. Farmers made up 2.6% of the American labor force. There were over 2,000,000 farms across the USA, averaging about 461 acres apiece.
8. At the grocery store, potatoes were 89 cents for a five-pound bag, Coca-Cola cost $1.99 for an eight-pack, and eggs were 89 cents a dozen.
9. In February, the Soviet Communist Party relinquished its 70-year-old monopoly of political power in Russia.
10. In March, four passengers were killed and 162 were injured when three cars of a six-car Market-Frankford subway train derailed in Center City Philadelphia during the morning rush hour.
11. In April, the Hubble telescope went into space. NASA.gov called Hubble’s launch and deployment “the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope.”
12. On May 22, Microsoft released Windows 3.0, and the updated version sold more than three million copies in one year.
13. In June, the demolition of the Berlin Wall began. According to ThePeopleHistory.com, “The wall had been built in 1961 by the Communist-run East Germany to prevent defectors from traveling over the border to Capitalist-run West Germany. Control of the Berlin Wall ended in November of 1989 when it was announced that East German citizens would be allowed to cross the border with complete freedom.”
14. In July, President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. According to VOANews.com, “The ADA bars discrimination against Americans with disabilities in jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and privately owned places that are open to the general public.”
15. In July, the Western Alliance ended the Cold War. Since 1945, the Cold War had been a “state of political hostility . . . between the Soviet bloc countries and the US-led Western powers.”
16. In July, the first Saturn automobile rolled off the assembly line in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
17. On July 26, the soap General Hospital aired its 7,000th episode on ABC-TV.
18. In August, East and West Germany reunited.
19. In August, paleontologist Sue Hendrickson discovered the remains of a T. Rex in South Dakota.
20. On August 2, Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and ignited the Persian Gulf War.
21. On August 7, Operation Desert Shield began as the U.S. and 39 other countries sent troops to Kuwait.
22. In October, killer African honeybees entered the U.S. for the first time via Hidalgo, Texas. Hidalgo was later named the “Killer Bee Capital of the World.”
23. On October 11, oil hit a record high of $40.42 a barrel.
24. In November, Congress passed the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Both farm bills “increased farmers’ flexibility in planting under government programs.”
25. In November, President Bush signed the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The bill mandated various “pollution-reducing changes in the automobile and fuel industries.”
26. In November, 100,000 additional U.S. troops were sent to the Persian Gulf.
27. On December 17, The Simpsons premiered on Fox and soon became America’s favorite animated comedy.
28. On December 20, the world's first website and server went online at CERN.
29. On December 31, the Sci-Fi Channel premiered on cable television.
30. In 1990, the “X rating” was replaced by the “NC-17” rating (No Children Under 17 Admitted). Quizlet.com tells us that “The X rating had become too closely associated with pornography, so the MPAA introduced NC-17 to indicate a film was only for adults without the negative stigma.”
31. The film Driving Miss Daisy won four Oscars, including Best Picture.
32. Murphy Brown (CBS) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
33. Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings won a Grammy for Song of the Year.
34. EatingWell magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Martha Stewart Living magazine all began publishing.
35. Home Alone was the most popular film, Jurassic Park was the best-selling book, and Cheers (NBC) was the top TV show.
36. In 1990, Campbell's produced its 20 billionth can of tomato soup. Campbell's also introduced cream of broccoli soup into the marketplace. It soon became their most successful new soup in over 50 years.
37. In an attempt to lower the amount of saturated fat in their food, McDonald’s began to cook french fries in vegetable oil instead of 93% beef fat.
38. Popular baby names in 1990 were Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Joshua, Jessica, Jennifer, Amanda, and Ashley.
39. Fashion trends included solid colors, army surplus clothing, navy blue blazers, khaki chinos, Oxford shirts, plain white Keds, ballet flats, boat shoes, oversized sweatshirts, coach jackets, baseball jackets, flannel shirts, sweatpants, silk shirts, and turtlenecks under cardigans or sweaters.
40. America’s favorite Christmas gifts included Batman action figures, the Bob Mackie Barbie, the Madeline Ragdoll, the Tribond board game, the Nintendo Game Boy, and the Super Mario World video game.
41. Here are some sports facts from 1990: The San Francisco 49ers were the Super Bowl champs, the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series, and the Edmonton Oilers clinched the Stanley Cup. In addition, the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad was $700,000.
42. In 1990 as well, the words "big box," "black hat," "bodycon," "geek out," "gift card," "greenwashing," "hackathon," "hand gel," "hoodie," "left-click," "malware," "spam," and "World Wide Web" all appeared in print for the first time.
43. Alarm clock (Westclox): $6.99
44. Can opener (Black & Decker Spacesaver): $19.99
45. Chrysanthemums: $5.99 for a five-inch pot
46. Leaf bags (bushel size): $6.99 for a 40-count box
47. Percolator (Farberware, eight-cup): $44.88
48. Rake (metal): $4.99
49. Range (Westinghouse, electric): $217.00
50. Refrigerator (Westinghouse, 17 cubic feet): $377.00
51. Trash can (Roughneck, 32 gallons): $9.99
52. Vacuum cleaner (Royal, handheld): $36.99
53. Washing machine (General Electric): $199.00

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_the_United_States
2. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1990
3. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1990
4. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/74149-publishers-weekly-annual-adult-bestsellers-1990-2013.html
5. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
6. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1986.html
7. https://www.onthisday.com/date/1990/november

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor