Publisher’s Note
The Gulf War, dot-coms, impeachment, grunge,
Y 2K—the 1990’s were a time of both optimism and
conflict, hope and worry. The decade began with a
seemingly victorious war, fell into recession, bounced
back with a strong bull market, and ended in politi-
cal bitterness and scandal.The Nineties in Americaex-
amines the iconic personalities and moments of this
important decade. With articles about films, books,
political leaders, events, fads, and technology, the
encyclopedia serves as a valuable source of reliable
information and keen insights for today’s students.
Contents of the Encyclopedia This illustrated three-
volume encyclopedia is a companion set toThe Sixties
in America(1999),The Fifties in America(2005),The
Seventies in America(2006), andThe Eighties in America
(2008). It covers events, movements, people, and
trends in popular culture, literature, art, sports, sci-
ence, technology, economics, and politics in both
the United States and Canada.
The Nineties in Americafeatures long overviews and
short entries discussing people, books, films, televi-
sion series, musical groups, and other important
topics representative of that era. Every entry focuses
on the topic or person during the 1990’s—for this
work, defined as January, 1, 1990, through Decem-
ber 31, 1999—in order to explore what made the de-
cade unique. Topics that span several decades often
provide some background and information on sub-
sequent events to help place the 1990’s in perspec-
tive.
The Nineties in Americacontains 630 essays, in al-
phabetical order, ranging from one to six pages in
length. Written with the needs of students and gen-
eral readers in mind, the essays present clear discus-
sions of their topics, explaining terms and refer-
ences that may be unfamiliar. Entries fall into the
following general categories:
- African Americans
- art and architecture
- Asian Americans
- business
- Canada
- court cases and the law
- crime and punishment
- disasters
- economics
- education
- environmental issues
- film
- health and medicine
- international relations
- journalism
- Latinos
- legislation
- literature
- military and war
- music
- Native Americans
- people
- politics and government
- popular culture
- religion and spirituality
- science and technology
- sexuality
- social issues
- sports
- television
- terrorism
- theater and dance
- transportation
- women’s issues
The encyclopedic format allows readers to take
either a broad view or a narrow one. For example, in
addition to the essay on Bill Clinton,The Nineties in
Americaoffers related entries on Clinton’s impeach-
ment, the Lewinsky scandal, the Starr Report, and
the Whitewater investigation. Likewise, in addition
to a profile on conservatism in U.S. politics during
the decade are entries on the Republican Revolu-
tion, the Contract with America, and such pivotal fig-
ures as Newt Gingrich.
The Nineties in Americacontains more than three
hundred evocative photographs of people and
events. In addition, fifty sidebars—lists, tables,
graphs, excerpts from speeches—highlight interest-
ing facts and trends from the decade.Essay Organization Every essay begins with a clear,
concise title followed by a brief description called
Identification(for people, organizations, and works,
such as books or films);Definition(for objects, con-ix