Aug 14
Oasis vs Blur — The Battle of Britpop
Oasis' 'Roll With It' vs Blur's 'Country House' released the same day. Blur won the chart battle. Oasis won the war. The biggest chart rivalry since the Beatles vs Stones.
🇬🇧United Kingdom · 90s
Wonderwall
Oasis vs Blur, Braveheart, and the internet arrives.
What happened
4 milestones of 1995
Jul 11
Srebrenica Massacre
8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces at Srebrenica — a UN 'safe area.' Dutch UN peacekeepers were overwhelmed. The worst atrocity in Europe since WWII.
Genocide — utmost gravity. Name the victims' community.
Feb 26
Nick Leeson Destroys Barings Bank
Trader Nick Leeson's rogue trades lost £827 million and destroyed Barings Bank — Britain's oldest merchant bank (established 1762). The bank that financed the Louisiana Purchase, felled by one man.
May
Channel Tunnel Full Service Begins
The Channel Tunnel opened for full passenger service. Eurostar linked London to Paris in 3 hours. Britain was physically connected to Europe for the first time since the Ice Age.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Braveheart
Mel Gibson — 'FREEDOM!' Scotland on screen. Historical accuracy debatable.
Trainspotting (in production)
Danny Boyle — Being filmed — would define British cinema in 1996.
Babe
Chris Noonan — A pig that wanted to be a sheepdog. 'That'll do, pig.'
GoldenEye
Martin Campbell — Major UK release — TMDB 6.9
Sense and Sensibility
Ang Lee — Major UK release — TMDB 7.4
What was on TV
Frasier
1993-2004 — Channel 4 import. Sophisticated comedy conquered Britain.
TFI Friday
1996 — Chris Evans was about to launch his anarchic Friday show.
Cracker
1993-1996 — Robbie Coltrane as Fitz. The best British crime drama of the decade.
How much things cost
Currency: GBP
Pint of milk33p
Pint of bitter£1.56
Average house£53,203
Oasis album£11.99
Inflation: 3.5%
Economy recovering. Cool Britannia rising. Blair was modernizing Labour. Change was in the air.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Pint of milkONS
1995 (GBP)
33p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Pint of bitterBBPA
1995 (GBP)
£1.56
→
Today's value (£)
--
Average houseONS
1995 (GBP)
£53,203
→
Today's value (£)
--
Oasis albumHMV
1995 (GBP)
£11.99
→
Today's value (£)
--
Technology
Windows 95 (UK launch)
Microsoft's new OS launched — queues at PC World.
Amazon.com
Jeff Bezos' bookstore was online. UK launch would follow.
Dial-up internet
AOL and CompuServe — the sound of connecting.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Britpop casual — Adidas trainers, parkas, bucket hatsLad culture fashionPlatform shoesUnion Jack everything
Slang
Mad for it— Enthusiastic, up for anything (Gallagher-speak)
Ladette— Woman who behaved like a lad — drinking, football
Top— Excellent, great
Behavior
- Britpop made British culture cool again — music, fashion, attitude
- 'Lad culture' — Loaded magazine, football, beers
- The Eurostar made Paris feel closer than Edinburgh
Share
Download or share cards from this year
1200×630 · WhatsApp/Facebook