The Not-So-Gay Nineties Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1990

South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was arrested and imprisoned for his revolutionary activities in 1962. He was not released until February 11, 1990, twenty-seven years later. The following year he served as President of the African National Congress party, a position he held until 1997. From May 10, 1994 to June 16, 1999, Mandela became the first president of South Africa.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is often referred to as 'Mandiba', i.e., "Father of the Nation".

Answer: 1991

On March 1, 1991, construction worker Rodney King (1965-2012) was violently beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department for attempting to flee to avoid arrest. A bystander filmed the incident which was later shown on national television. The four men involved were tried for use of excessive force and were acquitted in 1992. Just hours after the verdict, the Los Angeles riots began. The riots lasted for six days, and resulted in 63 deaths and over 2,000 injuries. "Can't we all just get along?"

Answer: 1992

From August 16th to August 28th of 1992, Category 5 Hurricane Andrew mercilessly struck the Atlantic coast, affecting mainly the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana. Prior to Katrina, it was the costliest hurricane to make landfall in the United States. With wind speeds of up to 165 miles per hour, Andrew resulted in the death of sixty-five people and damaged or destroyed over 187,000 homes. The losses resulting from this hurricane were estimated at over 27 billion dollars.

Answer: 1993

Most sentient adults worldwide can recall the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. However, those of us living in New York in the early 1990s may recall an earlier attack. On February 26, 1993, a truck bomb was detonated under the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

A group of terrorists intended for the North Tower to fall on the South Tower, destroying them both. While their mission failed, six people died in the attack and over a thousand were injured. In 1994, four of the terrorists were convicted; two more were sentenced in 1997.

Answer: 1994

On February 12, 1994, King Harald V of Norway opened the XVII Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The games, lasting a fortnight, continued from February 12th to February 27th. Lillehammer was the northernmost city ever to host the Olympic games.

It was also the first Winter Olympics to be held in a year different from the Summer Olympics, and only two years after the previous winter games. Russia won the most events, with eleven gold medals, while Norway earned the most medals, with twenty-six.

Answer: 1995

We all watched the police chase the white Ford Bronco. We closely followed the trial which began on January 24, 1995 and now, on October 3, 1995, we awaited the verdict in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Former football star and actor, O.J. had been a hero to many.

It was mid-afternoon when the results of the charges on two counts of murder were announced. I was sitting in a sports bar with my colleagues when the verdict was read: not guilty! Not a sound was heard. "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit"?

Answer: 1996

Benjamin Netanyahu became the longest serving prime minister in Israel's history. He was first elected to the post on May 31, 1996. He was Israel's first directly elected prime minister following the assassination of Yitzak Rabin. Netanyahu was the youngest person to serve in that position and the first to be born after the state was founded in 1948.

While he lost the 1999 election, he returned to the post in 2009, where he remained in office after continued re-elections.

Answer: 1997

It was on August 31, 1997 that the world was diminished by the loss of Diana (1961-1997), "the People's Princess". The young princess was the former wife of Prince Charles of Wales, and the mother of William and Harry. A beautiful and caring soul, Diana was born into nobility, i.e., the Spencer family, and married Prince Charles in 1981.

Instead of resting on her laurels, she became an activist for AIDS patients and against landmines. Diana died in a car crash in Paris but, I think, she'd be very proud of the way her sons grew up.

Answer: 1998

It was in October, 1998 that the House of Representatives first voted to begin impeachment proceedings against the 42nd president of the USA for "high crimes and misdemeanors". Specifically, Bill Clinton was being charged with "lying under oath and obstruction of justice".

It was on December 19, 1998, that he became the second president to be impeached, that is, brought up on charges. The articles of impeachment were then forwarded to the Senate to be adjudicated. On February 12, 1999, he was acquitted on both counts.

Answer: 1999

The Kennedy family was the closest the United States ever came to royalty. The nation mourned in 1963, as we watched the assassination of our president on national television. We cried as we watched the caisson at the funeral and wept even harder as two-year-old John John saluted the casket of his father. We saw JFK's brother face the same fate, and regretted the passing of Jackie in 1994.

But the final nail came on July 16, 1999 when we learned that John F. Kennedy, Jr. (1960-1999) was killed in a plane crash and was reunited with his parents.