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Fast Facts

POP Culture: 1990

ICONS:Stock Market, Iraq War, Internet
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  • On August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait. When negotiations failed, the United States-led coalition of military forces attacked the Iraqi Army in January 1991 and officially liberated Kuwait on February 25, 1991.
  • On January 31, 1991, the first McDonald's opens in the Soviet Union. At the time, the Moscow restaurant was the largest McDonald's in the world.
  • Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne, John Grisham's The Pelican Brief, and Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings, are 1992 Bestsellers.
  • "Arrested Development" wins the 1993 Grammy for "Best New Artist."
  • A 51-day standoff in Waco, TX, begins when agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms attempt to arrest Branch Davidian leader David Koresh on February 28, 1993.
  • Matthew Broderick is awarded the 1995 Best Actor Tony Award for his role in the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
  • Celine Dion's Falling Into You wins the 1996 Album of the Year Grammy.
  • Diana Princess of Wales dies in a Paris car accident, August 31, 1997.
  • At age 77, John Glenn becomes the oldest astronaut in space on October 29, 1998.
  • "American Beauty" earns the "Best Picture" Oscar at the 71st Academy Awards, March 21, 1999.
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 10,000 for the first time on March 29, 1999.

The 1990 Census

 

10 Largest Urban Places

U.S. Resident Population: 248,709,873 Rank Place Population
Population per square mile of land area: 70.3 1 New York City, NY 7,322,564
Percent increase of population from 1990 to 2000: 9.8 2 Lost Angeles, CA 3,485,398
Official Enumeration Date: April 1 3 Chicago, IL 2,783,726
Number of States: 50 4 Houston, TX 1,630,553
Cost: 2.5 billion 5 Philadelphia, PA 1,585,577
Cost per Capita (cents): 1005.2 6 San Diego, CA 1,110,549
Total Pages in Published Reports: 450,000 7 Detroit, MI 1,027,974
Number of Enumerators: 510,200 8 Dallas, TX 1,006,877
Census Bureau Director: Barbara Everitt Bryant 9 Phoenix, AZ 983,403
Number of Questions on the Short Form: 13 10 San Antonio, TX 935,933
Number of Questions on the Long Form: 58

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Census History Staff | Last Revised: December 14, 2023