History of the 90s

1993 was a year filled with shocking crimes and unexpected losses. There was also hope for peace in the middle east, while at the same time we saw the beginning of a new phase of terrorism that hinted at much worse things to come in the new millennium. On this episode of History of the 90s host Kathy Kenzora looks back at 10 of the most memorable stories from 1993. Show Contact Info: Instagram: @t...

On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora takes a look at another powerhouse show from Aaron Spelling and Darren Starr. A show that grew out of the teen classic Beverly Hills 90210 and despite a rough star became one of the most outrageous and compulsively watchable TV shows of the 1990s. This is the story of Melrose Place. Guests: Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting, co-hosts of the...

When the Aaron Spelling show Beverly Hills, 90210 debuted on the Fox Network in September 1990, it was panned by TV critics who called it shallow and stereotypical. Some predicted it would be cancelled before the end of the season. Instead, the show went on to dominate the TV landscape for the rest of the decade and along the way redefined the teen drama genre. On this episode of History of the 90...

From 1964 to 1966, The Beatles played only a handful of shows in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Each show was pandemonium but the story of the Beatles in Canada goes far beyond that. From their first visit to Canada in Winnipeg, to the famous Bed-In in Montreal in 1969. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigU Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@c...

It was a classic battle between good and evil and it gave us one of the greatest toys of all time. Today, we journey back to revisit the history of the iconic Transformers. From their early days in Japan to dominating TVs and toy shelves in North America, this is another defining 1980s toys franchise that was also a masterclass in marketing. So hit play and let's roll out! Support the show and get...

When the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 1992, George H.W. Bush was still the US President….The Canadian Prime Minister was Brian Mulroney….Roseanne was the number one sitcom……Hook was the number one movie…..and the Super Nintendo was the hot new gaming system everyone wanted.  In this episode, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at a year when musicians made history, ventured into new territory,...

The 1990s was a tumultuous era for British singer George Michael. He began the decade as one of the biggest popstars in the world, riding high on his wildly successful debut solo album. But secretly the singer was struggling with many personal demons including coming to terms with his sexual identity, something he was forced to confront after an embarrassing arrest in 1998. On this episode of Hist...

In the 1990s a vicious turf war between the Hell’s Angels and rival bike gang The Rock Machine turned the streets of Montreal into a deadly battleground. Over an eight year period bombings, arsons and brazen shootouts terrorized Quebec, leaving more than 160 people dead including innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at th...

In the early 1990s millions of people around North America were swept up in an unprecedented sports trading card boom. As prices for rare baseball and hockey cards soared, the hobby which was once just for kids was suddenly being looked at as an alternative to investing in stocks. To match the demand, a record number of trading card companies cranked up production, offering a dizzying array of opt...

It's been 25 years since Princess Diana was killed in a car crash along with her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul. The shocking news that the “People’s Princess” was dead was made even more unbelievable by the fact that she was killed following a high speed car chase by aggressive photographers. On this episode of History of the 90s, first broadcast in February 2021, we look bac...

Women helped changed the face of ROCK as hair metal from the 80’s gave way to brand new sounds and VERY different attitudes in the 90's. On this episode of  "Driven by Her" presented by our friends at Porsche Canada we're showcasing amazing, driven women like Alanis Morrissette, Ani DiFranco, and Bikini Kill. They carved their own path and created the seismic shift in music that came with Generati...

In October 1998 a gay college student in Laramie, Wyoming was brutally beaten by two men he met in a local bar. The men pretended they were gay to lure 21 year old Matthew Sheppard into their truck where he was pistol-whipped and robbed. Matt was discovered barely alive 18 hours later tied to a fence in the middle of a rural area. He never regained consciousness. Matt’s murder stunned the world an...

Following the success of The Cosby Show and its spinoff A Different World in the 1980s,TV networks were eager to include more Black programming.    In particular they wanted more Black sitcoms and that eventually lead to a flood of new shows. Some were on the big three networks but many more on new upstarts, FOX, UPN and The WB.  On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora continues...

In April 1990, the first episode of In Living Color aired on Fox TV changing the face and tone of television. The half hour sketch show created by Keenan Ivory Wayans was called a Black Saturday Night Live for the hip-hop generation. It ran at 9:30 Sunday night on Fox right after the networks two hit shows The Simpsons and Married with Children. Thanks to that placement and hype around the show, 2...

In 1992 HIV/AIDS hit a grim milestone in the United States when it became the number one cause of death among men ages 25 to 44. Since there was still so much stigma attached to the illness, people were often dying without even telling their closest friends and family that they were sick. They died alone because of the shame they felt about having contracted HIV. On this episode of History of the...

During the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the North American blood supply became contaminated with HIV from infected donors. As a result, by the mid-1980s, about 10,000 hemophiliacs were infected with HIV. 13-year-old Ryan White from Kokomo, Indiana was one of those who contracted the virus through a tainted blood product and after he was barred from attending school, he became a crusader to end...

Sheryl Leach, a working mom in Texas was stuck in traffic when she dreamt up the idea of a plush-toy dinosaur that comes to life and entertains a backyard full of kids with songs and games.  Within a few years the big purple dinosaur was loved by millions of children around the world and hated by their parents who were forced to watch the T-rex on his hit PBS show.     On this episode of History o...

Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee were one of the most famous celebrity couple of the 90s. So when a homemade sex tape from the couple’s honeymoon was stolen from a safe in their garage it became the biggest viral video of the era. For many years most people assumed the couple had leaked the tape themselves in a weird publicity stunt. On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora talks to...

The World Series has been a reliable tradition since 1904. It’s been played during both World Wars, the Depression, after 9-11 and more recently during the COVID pandemic. But there was one time that the Fall Classic was cancelled in what is considered to be Major League Baseball’s most catastrophic and embarrassing moment. On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at th...

In the early 1990s reality TV as we know it today didn’t yet exist. Then everything changed when a cable channel known for music videos put cameras inside a New York loft with 7 strangers. The Real World which premiered on MTV in 1992 set the stage for the scores of reality shows we are all familiar with now, everything from The Osbournes & The Hills to Survivor and just about everything on Br...

In 1996 Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey won gold at the Atlanta Olympics, breaking the world record in the 100 metre event. The achievement helped Canada climb out from behind the shame of the Ben Johnson steroid scandal following the 1988 Olympics. It also meant that Bailey was the fastest man in the world. To everyone, it would seem, except one nation. On this episode of History of the 90s, hos...

When the television show Twin Peaks began airing in 1990 it didn’t just push boundaries, it shattered them completely. A mix of murder mystery, nighttime soap opera and dark comedy all rolled into one, it was like nothing ever seen before on network television. By the end of the first season Twin Peaks was an escapable pop cultural phenomenon and today a piece of its DNA is in nearly every TV show...

Randy Weaver and his family moved to a remote cabin in Northern Idaho when their extreme views on race and religion became an issue with friends and family back in Iowa. They wanted to live off the grid, isolated from society but after Weaver failed to appear in court on charges of selling illegal sawed-off shotguns, law enforcement began a surveillance operation on their property. In August 1992...

In the 1990’s there was a generational battle between Gen Xers and Baby Boomers as snowboarders began taking over ski resorts. The sport which had been underground since the early 80s was finally becoming mainstream and skiers weren’t happy about it. They complained that snowboarders were loud, rude and dangerous. But they were also what ski resorts needed to keep the industry alive. On this episo...

In the 1990’s director David Fincher brought us classic movies like  Seven  and  Fight Club , making his mark on the industry as one the best film makers of his generation. But Fincher’s impact on the decade stretches beyond movies. Through dozens of TV commercials and music videos Fincher helped style the 90s. On this episode of  History of the 90s  host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the auteur dir...