If what 1993 brought to America and other countries was a party, 1994 would be like the after-party. The death of a beloved rock icon, and a murder committed by one of the most popular sports icons left a mark on the USA. Of course, not all was bad, but bad things did happen in this year.


Politics in 1994



South Africa's apartheid is broken after nearly an entire century of segregation, with Nelson Mandela as president. O.J. Simpson is convicted of murdering his wife, and wins the case, stirring outrage among the people. On a better note, Russia and China agree to de-target their nuclear weapons away from eachother. Bill Clinton signs the Assault Weapons Ban, which lasts for 10 years. Homosexuality is legalized in sweden.


Music in 1994



1994 was the last year where grunge dominated the scene. Kurt Cobain allegedly committed suicide on April of 1994, causing sorrow among his fans. He was a guy who really meant what he was singing. Of course, some believe that his wife partook in a conspiracy to murder him, jealous of his fame and fortune. Guns N' Roses lose two band members. Red Hot Chili Peppers singer, Anthony Keidis, becomes re-addicted to heroin after staying clean for 4 years. A new phenomenon known as "EuroDance" becomes popular in clubs during this year, with the help of artists like MasterBoy and Ace of Base. Another new genre was "Nu-Metal", popularlized by bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit. Green Day becomes popular and brings on a new wave of Punk Rock.

Ace of Base
Alexia
Alice in Chains
Areosmith
Dr. Dre
Green Day
Ice M.C.
MasterBoy
Metallica
Mudhoney
Nine-Inch Nails
Nirvana
Pearl Jam
Rage Against the Machine
Scatman John
Soundgarden
Tupac Shakur
Weezer


Television in 1994



While not as many as 1993, there were new shows being introduced in this year. The Sitcom, "Friends" was made, and a series based on "Buffy the Vampire-Slayer" it airwaves. "VR Troopers", a show made to capitalize on the success of the Power Rangers, begin running on FOX Kids. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adopts a new drawing style and a darker feel in order to stay up-to-date with the style of the then-current action-oriented cartoons. Here's a list of popular 1994 shows:

Ahh! Real Monsters!
Allegra's Window
All That
Babylon 5
Buffy the Vampire-Slayer
The Critic
Duckman
Ellen
Friends
RoboCop: The Series
Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast
Touched by an Angel
VR Troopers

Movies in 1994



"Forrest Gump" is released and an immediate success. Disney releases another animated beauty, "The Lion King". A movie based on the "Street Fighter" series is released, with mixed reception. 1994 was a good year for the silver screen.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Angels in the Outfield
Clifford
Double Dragon
Dumb & Dumber
The Flintstones
Forrest Gump
Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla
The Lion King
The Little Rascals
The Mask
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
The Pagemaster
The Santa Clause
Speed
Street Fighter
True Lies

In 1994, Michael Eisner becomes the new CEO for Disney.


Video Games in 1994



1994 wasn't the best year for gaming in the United States, but it was good for Japan (in Japan, the successful 32-bit systems had already been released). Meanwhile, in America, the Atari Jaguar and 3DO systems were failing, and an add-on for the SEGA Genesis was released which really hurt the company's reputation: the SEGA 32x. The idea was to plug this little adapter in, and gamers could play special 32-bit cartridges on the Genesis. However, the setup was confusing, there were few high-quality titles, and the systems sold poorly. The ESRB rating system is launched after a bunch of lame-o senators get ticked over "DOOM", "Night Trap", "Mortal Kombat", and "Wolfenstein-3D". On the plus-side, there were good things going on, especially for Nintendo. Nintendo strikes gold and releases "Donkey Kong Country" on the Super NES, which used pre-rendered 3D graphics for sprites. With help from Midway, Nintendo returns to the arcade market to combat the popular high-tech fighting and racing games, with "Killer Instinct" and "Cruisin' USA". SEGA releases a sequel to Virtua Racing, "Daytona USA", and "Virtua Fighter 2". Both games used texture-mapping and a high polygon count. SEGA releases two new Sonic games in one year, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", and "Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles". SNK releases the Neo Geo-CD game console, which is significantly less expensive than its predecessor. The final liscenced NES games, "Adventure Island IV" and "Wario's Woods" are released in late 1994.

Adventure Island IV
Daytona USA
Donkey Kong Country
DOOM II
King of Fighters '94
Mega Man X2
Ridge Racer 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles
Star Wars Arcade
Super Bonk
Virtua Fighter 2
Wario's Woods


Miscellaneous

- Apple releases one of the first consumer-available digital cameras, the Apple QuickTake


The decade was now halfway through, but many more great times were to be had in the next 5 years of the '90s...