History of the 90s

The 1990s are consider by many to be the last great era of heavyweight boxing. Fighters like Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Riddick Bowe dominated the sport. But there was one boxer who stood out from the rest. Mike Tyson was a goliath in the boxing world in the 80s and into the early 90s until his career and personal life fell apart. On this episode of History of the 90s we will take you th...

At the beginning of the 1990s it seemed as if the world was taking a new turn toward peace. Germany was reunited, Nelson Mandela was released from prison and an historic peace deal was reached between the Israelis and Palestinians. The Middle East Peace Agreement, signed in 1993 on the lawn of U.S. White House, was the first major step toward ending a decades old deadly conflict. But just two year...

The deadliest shooting spree in Canada’s modern history left us with far more questions than answers. Join Sarah Ritchie, a reporter for Global News in Halifax, as she tries to unravel how something like this could happen there. Sarah will take you through every hour, as it unfolded and together you’ll try and piece together what happened, what could or should’ve been done to prevent it and what w...

On this episode of History of the 90s we are looking back at the decade’s obsession with witches.  From The Craf t to Charmed , witches were everywhere in popular culture with a slew of movies and tv shows that showcased wiccan rituals and magic.  The witch craze in the 90s was nothing new. Studies show that with every wave of feminism, there is a renewed interest in the witch. It happened in the...

Ride along with 25 year veteran Crime Reporter Nancy Hixt, from Global News, on her award winning podcast Crime Beat as she takes you through some of Canada’s most high-profile criminal cases. Real People, Real Crimes, Real Journalism. Each episode takes you deep inside cases she has worked to give you detail you didn't hear on the news. Season 3 is available NOW -  LISTEN​ Crime Beat is the 2020...

On this episode of History of the 90s we look back at the complicated legacy of Vanilla Ice who was the first rapper to have a number one song on the Billboard music charts. His album To the Extreme , featuring Ice Ice Baby , sold 12 million copies and earned him an American Music Award for best new pop/rock artist in 1991.  But Ice’s rising star quickly crashed to the ground when it was revealed...

This year marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most historic moments of the 1990s. On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were reunited after 45 years of cold war separation.  The reunification process was set in motion a year earlier when border crossings along the Berlin Wall were unexpectedly opened, finally allowing friends and family who had been divided by the concrete barrier to reun...

On this episode of History of the 90's we look back at an era when unprecedented violence against abortion providers gave rise to a serial shooter, known as the abortion sniper.  Abortion doctors in Canada and the US were targeted by a lone gunman who lurked outside their homes, often for days, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.  It was all part of a rise in violence in the 1990's lead by a...

On this episode we continue our look back at the stand-up sitcom boom of the 1990s. Following the success of shows such as Roseanne and Seinfeld, networks scrambled to find more comics who could become television stars. Some up and coming comics were discovered on Star Search or Johnny Carson while others got their big break at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal.  Soon networks were filled w...

In the 1990s there was a massive flood of stand-up comedians making the leap to television to star in their own stand-up sitcoms thanks in part to the success of the Cosby Show and Roseanne. Those shows were followed by other massive hits like Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Martin, Ellen and The Drew Carey Show.  All of them featured a previously established stand-up comic who had been scouted from t...

25 years ago, this September, a long simmering dispute over First Nations’ territory in Southwestern Ontario turned deadly when police shot and killed an unarmed protestor. Dudley George was among a group of protestors who occupied Ipperwash Provincial Park to assert their claim to the land they believed contained sacred burial grounds.  On the night of September 6th, 1995, heavily armed police of...

On this episode of History of the 90's we look back at the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the various factors that led to the largest and most violent case of civil unrest in United States history. The acquittal of four police officers in connection with the brutal video taped beating of Rodney King wasn’t the only reason people went into the streets of South L.A. looting and burning buildings over a...

On this episode of History of the 90s we finish up our look back at Doomsday Cults at the end of the 20th century with the story of the Branch Davidians and the complicated legacy of the deadly siege in Waco, Texas. In February 1993, ATF agents raided the Davidians compound in Waco, Texas after learning they were stockpiling weapons. Agents expected to execute a typical arrest warrant but instead...

On this episode of History of the 90s we continue our look back at the rise of doomsday cults in the years leading up to the new millennium. In March 1997, Heaven’s Gate made headlines around the world when 39 members died by suicide and today it remains one of the most recognizable and notorious cults of the 20th century.  The group was formed in the 1970’s by Marshall Herf Applewhite and Bonnie...

On this episode of History of the 90s we continue our look back at the rise of doomsday cults in the years leading up to the new millennium.  The Japanese doomsday cult, Aum Shinrikyo, killed 13 people and injured over 5,000 others in a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo Subway System in March 1995. It’s believed they were trying to bring about a world war that would result in an all-out nuclear war. A...

On the next few episodes of History of the 90s we are looking back at the doomsday cults and their rise to infamy in the years leading up to the new millennium. During the 1990’s the world began to seem more dangerous with war, environmental destruction and social breakdown becoming part of the everyday fabric of society. As a way of coping some people turned to new religions and cults for guidanc...

On this episode of History of the 90s, we look back at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, a cataclysmic weekend that shattered lives of many and permanently reshaped Formula 1 racing.  This is more than a story about fast cars –it’s a story about cutthroat competition, money, deceit, love, tragedy and the search for justice. Over the course of three days, starting on April 29, 1994, in Imola, Italy,...

On this episode we continue our look back at some of the great movies of 1999. The last year of the 20th century is considered by many to be one of the greatest movie years ever with a flood of innovative and provocative films like never before. On part one we took a deep dive into; Fight Club, Election, Three Kings, Boys Don’t Cry, The Blair Witch Project and Being John Malkovich. Part two we tak...

During this time of self-isolation, we thought you might need some viewing recommendations to help fill the time and take your mind off COVID-19. So, on this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora is looking back at some of the best movies from 1999. The last year of the 20th century is considered by many to be one of the greatest movie years ever with a flood of innovative and provocat...

Mexican American singing sensation Selena Quintanilla was on the verge of becoming an international superstar when she was gunned down at a Texas motel by her fan club president.  25 years since her death, Selena continues to be immortalized by the Latinx community who look to her as a source of inspiration and hope.  On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks at the life and...

25 years ago, on April 19, 1995, the face of terrorism in the United States changed forever when Timothy McVeigh detonated a 5-ton truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building. 168 people were killed in the blast, including 19 children who attended a daycare centre on the second floor of the building. Initially, media and others speculated that that the explosion may have been the work of...

On this episode of History of the '90s , host Kathy Kenzora is looking at some aspects of the anti- apartheid struggle that you might not know; pirate radio and protest songs. Pirate radio was a weapon used by the African National Congress to inspire black South Africans and counter propaganda and misinformation by the apartheid government. While protest songs performed by western musicians played...

Between 1997 and 2002 professional wrestling’s Attitude Era broke boundaries in ways like never before with risqué programming, adult oriented content and larger than life superstars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Sean Michaels. Throw in the Monday night ratings war between the WWF and the WCW and it was the perfect storm of wrestling greatness.  WWF’s Monday...

Somalia was struck by a famine of staggering proportions which was made worse by the fact that militia leaders were stealing foreign aid that was shipped from other nations.  The Canadian military was part of a UN humanitarian peacekeeping mission to ensure food and medical supplies got to desperate Somali’s. Canada’s elite Airborne Regiment was deployed as part of the mission in December 1992 and...

On August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were brutally murdered inside the home of their Beverly Hills Mansion. The scene was so gruesome that early speculation focused on the possibility of a mob hit. But soon the focus shifted to the couple’s handsome young sons. Lyle and Eric Menendez were eventually arrested for the murders and their sensational televised trial kicked off an era of high-pro...