Life

The 16 Absolute Best Things To Happen In The '90s

by Megan Grant
Paramount Pictures

Even now, some of the best things to happen in the '90s are still fresh in our minds and influencing our lives. So much has changed in just a couple of decades, but most of us '90s kids aren't ready to move on from the old Friday night TV line-up, our massive Barbie collections, and Lunchables pizzas. Life as a grown-up doesn't seem as appealing when I think back to the days of midday naps and hour-long recess; we had it made.

The '90s are iconic for a variety of reasons. The fashion was unlike any other — sometimes embarrassing, but so perfect at the same time. Certain kinds of technology were just starting to take off. (Nokia phones for the win!) Pop culture was saturated with boy bands, outrageous hair accessories, and Disney movies that we still hold close to our hearts to this very day. We'll look at old pictures from those years and say, "What were we thinking?!" But if we're being honest with ourselves, a ton of cool things happened in the '90s.

This list is by no means exhaustive; there just aren't enough hours in the day. But if we had to pick some of the more memorable things to happen in the '90s, these would be some of them.

1The First Harry Potter Book Was Released

In 1997, J.K. Rowling blessed us with the first installment of the Harry Potter series. The mind of every young reader on the face of this planet subsequently imploded. Two decades later, we're still obsessed.

2Getting Proposed To With A Ring Pop

Maybe diamonds are forever; but Ring Pops are super pretty and shiny.

3Head To Toe Denim

Somebody somewhere thought this was a good idea. Let that sink in.

4Nancy Kerrigan Persevered

50 days after the attack that could have destroyed Kerrigan's figure skating career, she took home the silver at the 1994 winter Olympics. It was the sixth highest rated show in U.S. TV history.

5Madonna's Bra

You never quite understood it, but that didn't make it any less awesome.

6Y2K

Everyone thought the world was going to end and then nothing happened. So very anticlimactic. So very '90s.

7Justin Timberlake's Hair

Even he looks confused by it. Really. This hair defies all logic.

8The Ending Of 'Zenon: Girl Of The 21st Century'

Those moves. Those frosted tips. That shiny jacket. And how did he do that with his voice?

9When You Were Able To Fix A Tape That Had Unwound

This was like winning the lottery.

10The Cutest Erasers Ever

They were too cute to use, which rendered them totally useless; but you had to have them, so they were purely decorative. They usually sat at the bottom of your pencil box or a random dresser drawer at home.

11The Best Slang We'll Ever Experience

"Bae," "on fleek," and "lit" don't hold a candle to "all that and a bag of chips," "da bomb," and "psyche!"

12'Clueless'

It changed the way we talked, dressed, and behaved. Clueless was more than one of the greatest movies of all time. It shaped our culture.

13Microsoft Saved Apple

In 1997, Apple was near bankruptcy. Bill Gates announced that Microsoft was offering a $150 million investment, saying, "We have to let go of the notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose." Given that every iDevice the company makes is now built into the very fabric of our society, this was a very good thing, indeed. Way to help each other out, tech geniuses!

14When Topanga Proposed To Corey

Feminists cheered the world round.

15Body Glitter

There was no such thing as too much, so you applied it everywhere.

16Nelson Mandela Was Freed From Prison

In 1990, anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison.