1990

What Was Happening in 1990

The Cold War thaws as Germany reunites and the world braces for conflict in the Gulf.

Born in

By the Numbers in 1990

World Population

5.3B

UK Life Expectancy

58.1 years

US Life Expectancy

58.5 years

Gold Price (per oz)

$383.51

Dow Jones Index

2,753

US National Debt

3.2T

Sovereign Nations

185

How Much Did Things Cost in 1990?

ItemUKUS
Average house price£59,785$97,000
Average salary£13,760$30,000
Pint of milk25p$0.55
Loaf of bread50p$0.70
Dozen eggs£1.00$1.00
Pint of beer£1.10$2.00
Gallon of petrol/gas£1.80$1.16
Cinema ticket£2.80$4.23

Technology and Inventions in 1990

The World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN, though few outside academia knew about it yet. Home computing meant Amiga and Atari ST machines, and the first GPS satellites were being deployed. Microsoft shipped Windows 3.0, finally making PCs user-friendly.

  • Windows 3.0 released by Microsoft
  • Tim Berners-Lee proposes the World Wide Web
  • The Hubble Space Telescope launched into orbit
  • The first GPS satellite constellation becomes partially operational

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