Featured moment
World Wide Web Made Public
The WWW project was made publicly available on the internet, changing global communication and commerce forever.
The internet awakens.
The World Wide Web went public, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Nirvana brought grunge to the masses.
The Cost of Living in 1991
Gallon of Gas
$1.16
Loaf of Bread
$0.77
Gallon of Milk
$2.72
World Population
5.40 billion
Featured moment
Collapse of the Soviet Union
The USSR officially dissolved into 15 independent republics, ending the Cold War.
Featured moment
Nirvana Releases "Nevermind"
Smells Like Teen Spirit hit MTV, ending the hair metal era and making grunge the dominant force in rock.
The wider picture
More from 1991
A few more things worth remembering.
Cinema & TV
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
James Cameron's sequel pioneered CGI with the liquid metal T-1000 and earned $520M.
Gaming
Sonic the Hedgehog Released
Sega's blue blur gave the Genesis a true Mario competitor with "blast processing" speed.
Gaming
Street Fighter II Released in Arcades
Capcom's fighting game revolutionized the genre and sparked a massive arcade renaissance.
Technology
Linux Kernel Announced
Linus Torvalds released the first version of the open-source operating system kernel that now runs much of the world's infrastructure.
World Events
Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)
A US-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait in a swift, highly televised military campaign.
Cinema & TV
Silence of the Lambs Released
The psychological horror film swept the top five Academy Awards, a rare feat for the genre.
You arrivedin 1991.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1991 to today.