🇬🇧United Kingdom · 90s
Britpop's Seeds
John Major, Gulf War, and Tim Berners-Lee's web.
4 milestones of 1991
British forces joined the US-led coalition to liberate Kuwait. 45,000 UK troops deployed. The war was quick — 100 hours of ground combat. 47 British servicemen killed.
War — honor British service personnel and acknowledge Iraqi civilian casualties
The IRA fired three mortars at 10 Downing Street during a Cabinet meeting. One landed in the garden. John Major and the Cabinet survived.
Terrorism — factual, acknowledge the ongoing Troubles
Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist at CERN, made the World Wide Web publicly available. The most British invention since the jet engine, and the most world-changing since the printing press.
Media mogul Robert Maxwell was found dead in the sea off his yacht. It emerged he'd stolen £440 million from his employees' pension funds. One of Britain's greatest financial scandals.
Financial fraud — center the victims (pension holders)
70% local · 30% international
The Silence of the Lambs
Jonathan Demme — Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal. Terrifying. Oscar sweep.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Kevin Reynolds — Kevin Costner (dubious accent). Bryan Adams soundtrack.
The Commitments
Alan Parker — Dublin soul band. 'Say it once, say it loud — I'm Black and I'm proud.'
K2
Franc Roddam — Major UK release — TMDB 5.7
Impromptu
James Lapine — Major UK release — TMDB 6.0
Gulf War coverage
Jan-Feb 1991 — CNN-style live war coverage came to British screens.
The Darling Buds of May
1991-1993 — David Jason and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Rural idyll.
Have I Got News for You
1990-present — Political satire panel show became appointment viewing.
Currency: GBP
Inflation: 5.9%
Deep recession. Unemployment rising. The poll tax replaced by council tax. Major's grey premiership.
Inflation-adjusted values
World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee made his invention public. A British gift to the world.
SNES
Super Nintendo launched in Europe. 16-bit gaming arrived.
Satellite dishes
BSkyB dishes sprouting across council estates and suburbs alike.
Download or share cards from this year
1200×630 · WhatsApp/Facebook