Welcome to this installment of my look at the 1990s twenty-something soap opera Beverly Hills 90210. To give a better sense of the world in which this show was created and why it became so popular, here’s a breakdown of the major cultural and historical events that occurred in 1990.
DISCLAIMER: Some material for this post was derived from various public sources on the Web.
Historic Events
- February 11th: Nelson Mandela is released from prison.
- J.K. Rowling writes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
- July 26th: George H.W. Bush signs into law the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- Roseanne sings the National Anthem at a Padres game.
- August 7th: Operation Desert Shield begins.
- September 11th: President George H. W. Bush addresses a joint session of Congress on the Persian Gulf Crisis.
- October 2nd: David Souter becomes an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
- October 3rd: East and West Germany are unified.
- October 15th: The Apartheid laws of South Africa are repealed.
- November 15: George H. W. Bush signs the Clean Air Act into law.
- November 22nd: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigns after an eleven-year term.
- November 29th: Resolution 678 is passed in the United Nations, authorizing the use of “all necessary force” in the Gulf War.
- December 1st: The Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France is connected.
Major Headlines
- January 31st: The McMartin Preschool Trials take place in Los Angeles.
- Major League Baseball spring training is disrupted due to salary disputes between players and owners.
- February 11th: Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson, claiming the Heavyweight Boxing Champion title.
- February 28th: Exxon and its shipping companies are indicted on multiple counts of criminal charges.
- February 28th: The Upland earthquake hits Los Angeles, causing $12.7 million in damages.
- March 18th: The MLB agrees to a new four-year contract.
- April 2nd: UNLV beats Duke in NCAA Division I basketball tournament.
- April 8th: Twin Peaks TV series begins its run.
- April 24th: Michael Milken pleads guilty to six counts of security and tax violations, agreeing to pay $600 million in fines and restitution.
- April 25th: The Hubble Telescope is launched.
- May 22nd: Microsoft releases Windows 3.0.
- May 24th: The Edmonton Oilers defeat the Boston Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 7th: Universal Studios Florida opens to the public, and Nickelodeon Studios is established.
- June 14th: The Detroit Pistons defeat the Portland Trailblazers, winning the NBA Finals.
- July 8th: West Germany beats Argentina to win the World Cup.
- July 12th: Northern Exposure TV series begins its run.
- August 2nd: Iraq invades Kuwait.
- August 18th: Three teenagers are found guilty in the Central Park Five case, receiving a sentence of six years in prison.
- August 26th: The MPAA replaces the X rating with NC-17.
- September 10th: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV series begins its run.
- September 13th: Law and Order TV series begins its run.
- October 20th: The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Oakland Athletics to win the World Series.
- December 8th: The NCCA football National Championship is split between the Colorado Buffaloes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
- To cap the 1990-91 NFL season, the New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills in the 25th Superbowl.
Hit Movies
- March 2nd: The Hunt for Red October releases.
- March 23rd: Pretty Woman releases.
- May 25th: Back to the Future Part III releases.
- June 1st: Total Recall releases.
- June 15th: Dick Tracy releases.
- July 4th: Die Hard 2 releases.
- July 13th: Ghost releases.
- August 24th: The Witches releases.
- September 19th: Goodfellas releases.
- October 19th: Reversal of Fortune releases.
- November 9th: Dances with Wolves releases.
- November 16th: Home Alone and Rocky V release.
- November 22nd: Predator 2 releases.
- November 30th: Misery releases.
- December 7th: Edward Scissorhands releases.
- December 20th: Awakenings releases.
- December 25th: The Godfather Part III releases.
Page Turners
- November 20th: Jurassic Park is published.
- June 1990: L.A. Confidential is published.
- Get Shorty is published.
- The Bourne Ultimatum is published.
- V for Vendetta is published.
- The Sandman series of comics begins its run.
- The Things They Carried is published.
- Oh, The Places You’ll Go! is published.
Chart Toppers
- Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor.
- Vogue – Madonna.
- Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice.
- U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer.
- It Must Have Been Love – Roxette.
SCREEN TIME WITH SAM 
Hi Sam, I’m just beginning to listen to and read your series. Very interesting to have the historical context — I was totally addicted to Northern Exposure! I never got really into BH but am thinking now I may go back and try to watch the series from the beginning. It’s astonishing to realize that was over 30 years ago! I still have a few of your posts to go through, but am looking forward to them. Take care & Happy Thanksgiving, Helen
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Hi Sam. “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” – really? I had to look this up, not that I don’t trust your research! 1990 this was published? This is a favorite of mine and have read it many times to Chris and Ryan. Chris was born in 1990 so it must be that this book was broadcast on the news at that time and it became our favorite.
It so relates to today too! My family hasn’t had “babies” in 20 years. Now, Chris as a new baby, my nephew Brandon has a new baby, my nephew Paul has a new baby and my nephew Anthony has a new baby. All were born within 2 months of each other and all are turning 1. We call them Covid babies. lol.
Anyway, I bought each “Oh, The Places You’ll Go”! So, you see it still applies today! …but my favoite Dr. Seuss book is “The Lorax” because I love trees (and nature and hiking).
P.S. I would have said Dr. Seuss died centeries ago and who knew that he published this book a year before his death at 86. Wow!
Keep blogging! I love to learn new things. 🙂
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