Scandals And Crazes From The 90s You Probably Forgot About
In a lot of ways, the '90s were a simpler time. It was certainly less confusing. When you don't have access to an unlimited amount of information, there is less information to be confused about.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about all the scandals and crazes that the '90s gave us. Do you remember which super famous pop star Vanilla Ice dated?
If The Glove Doesn't Fit, You Have To Acquit
Ninety-five million people watched the O.J. verdict on T.V. If you were following this trial in the '90s, you probably haven't forgotten this one, but if you were a kid in the '90s, you may not have paid attention to all of the details.
The HBO miniseries about the trial released a few years ago can give you an entertaining refresher on everything that went down. Spoiler alert: he was found not guilty.
George Clooney Condemned Tabloids After Princess Diana's Death
In 1997, after Princess Diana's tragic death, George Clooney held a press conference to criticize tabloid reporters who played a major role in the car accident that took her life.
The death of Princess Diana shook entire nations. It changed the way we think about media and celebrity and safety.
Remember Lorena Bobbitt?
If you grew up in the '90s, you probably remember the name Lorena Bobbitt, but do you remember why she was in the news?
Lorena cut off her husbands... well, his little bobbitt... with a carving knife. Ouch. She was found legally insane, and therefore not guilty. Mr. Bobbitt was able to have his bobbitt reattached, and then he starred in some adult movies...
Hillary Clinton Offended A Country Music Star
In 1992, when rumors were swirling around about affairs Bill Clinton may or may not have had, Hillary went on 60 Minutes to put a stop to all the nonsense. Well, nonsense or not, Hillary definitely ruffled a few feathers.
During the interview, she said, "I'm not sitting here as some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette." Tammy Wynette was not impressed.
Madonna Dated Vanilla Ice
Believe it or not, Madonna and Vanilla Ice were actually in a relationship for eight months before they split up in 1992.
Vanilla Ice has spoken about how they used to wear disguises when they went out in public to avoid being mobbed by fans and the paparazzi.
Speaking Of Vanilla Ice...
"Ice Ice Baby" was a B-side. Vanilla Ice didn't have a smooth ride to the top. His most famous song was originally the B-side of his cover of "Play That Funky Music."
"Ice Ice Baby" eventually became way more famous than the A-side, but then Vanilla Ice faced some legal troubles when he was accused of sampling Queen's "Under Pressure" without permission. He eventually paid up.
Thank Arnold Schwarzenegger For Hummers
When Arnold Schwarzenegger was on a movie set, he saw a fleet of military Humvees drive past him. He was so impressed with the cars that he asked GM to release a similar car for the general market.
Arnold got his wish, but unfortunately for all of us, Hummers were discontinued in 2010.
Microsoft Saved Apple
Microsoft and Apple might seem like fierce competitors now, but back in the day, Bill Gates actually helped Steve Jobs save his company. He invested $150 million in Apple.
Gates said, "We have to let go of the notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose."
There Were Other Shows Besides Friends
Friends and Seinfeld have remained hugely popular to this day, but there were a whole bunch of other popular shows on in the '90s.
Remember Caroline in the City (starring Lea Thompson), Step by Step (Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers), Grace Under Fire (Brett Butler), Suddenly Susan (Brooke Shields), and Wings (Tim Daly and Steven Weber)?
Bob Dole Starred In A Viagra Commercial
American politics may be a little crazy at the moment, but things have always been a little bit weird in Washington. American senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole publicly endorsed Viagra in the '90s.
Nobody expected this Republican to take a job as a spokesperson for the most famous little blue pill on the market.
Bill Clinton's Approval Ratings Went Up During The Lewinsky Scandal
Everybody remembers the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and if you're too young to remember it, then you've definitely heard about it. What you might not remember is that Clinton's approval ratings actually went up when the whole scandal went down.
In fact, Clinton scored the highest grades of his entire presidency while everybody was talking about his affair.
The Decade Of One Hit Wonders
No decade has seen more one-hit wonders than the 1990s. I don't know if there were marketing problems, but a lot of musicians just couldn't make it work the second time around.
Along with "Ice Ice Baby," there was Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy", Semisonic's "Closing Time", Sir Mix-a-lot's "Baby Got Back", and Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5."
Julia Roberts Canceled Her Wedding To Keifer Sutherland
Julia Roberts was a real-life runaway bride in 1991when she called off her wedding to Keifer Sutherland just days before it was supposed to happen. She ran away to Ireland with an ex-lover. How could you, Julia?
It's only fitting that Julia was cast in Runaway Bride in 1999.
Dial-Up Was A Pain In The Butt
Kids today couldn't even imagine the amount of patience you had to have to get on the internet in the '90s. There was so much beeping an screeching... ugh, I can still hear it now.
Heavens forbid you wanted to be on the internet and use the phone at the same time...
Woody Allen And Soon Yi
Woody Allen shocked the world when he admitted to being in love with his then girlfriend's adopted daughter. Soon Yi Previn was adopted by Mia Farrow and André Previn in 1978. After Farrow and Previn broke up, Farrow began dating Woody Allen.
Even though Allen wasn't Soon Yi's father or father figure, this whole thing was still pretty scandalous.
Colin Powell Did The Macarena
The Macarena is the unofficial dance of the '90s. We all did it. Don't even try to pretend that you didn't. Even former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell got his groove on and did the Macarena in public at a 1996 event.
Can you imagine Bernie Sanders flossing? Actually, I don't want that image in my head.
Jennifer Aniston And Matthew Perry Taught Us How To Use Windows 95
Who better to take tech advice from than Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry? I guess Microsoft thought more people would watch their instructional video if it had some recognizable stars in it.
Aniston is even sporting the classic Rachel haircut in the video. This would definitely make me want to learn how to use a computer.
Slap Bracelets Got Banned
Before Snapchat, there were slap bracelets, the fashion accessory that you had to hit yourself with.
Almost every kid had at least one of these in the '90s. Unfortunately, a lot of schools banned the bracelets because people were getting hurt. Sometimes beauty is pain, y'know?
Bill Clinton Was Accused Of Dodging The Draft
Kids today definitely know their way around a political scandal. It's safe to say that things have really picked up steam in that department.
This wasn't his most memorable scandal, but back in 1992, it was revealed that Clinton had used a bunch of tactics to avoid being drafted to Vietnam. Clinton was able to smooth things over and express his opposition to the war.
The U.S. Spent Around $100 Billion To Prepare For Y2K
Looking back at it now, the panic over Y2K was a little silly. People took it very seriously at the time, though. They thought there would be a massive worldwide technical glitch the moment the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2000. Was it supposed to be midnight L.A. time or midnight New York time or what?
The United States launched a huge preparation campaign, including a Senate "Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem."
