The World Wide Web (1992)

    In 1992 the World Wide Web was born. The World Wide Web, or the Web is a global information system that enables uses to write and read via computers that are connected to the Internet. Many people mistake the Web for the Internet, but they are much different. The internet is a massive network of networks. It connects millions of computers together; which forms a network where any computer can communicate with any other computer that is connected to the Internet.
     The Web is a different way of accessing information over the Internet. The web uses the HTTP protocol, which enables applications to communicate so that information can be exchanged. The Web also allows browsers, like Internet Explorer and Firefox, to access Web pages. The World Wide Web was a very important invention that changed the way the Internet was used.

Facts about the 1990's

              Facts of the 1990's

•  Population: 281, 421, 906 
• Unemployment: 5.8 million
• Average Salary: $13. 37 per hour
• Minimum Wage: $5.15 per hour
• Life Expectancy: 73 years for males, and 79 years for females

Columbine Massacre (1993)

    On Tuesday April 20th, 1993 in Littleton, Colorado the first major high school shooting occurred. Months before gradation two seniors at Columbine High school Dylan Kebold and Eric Harris slaughtered 12 students and one administrator before they took their own lives. The two students hid bombs within the school, planning to kill the whole school but the bombs failed to detonate. Both boys were A+ students, however they both had criminal records. After the massacre the psychological states of the two students were questioned and investigated. 
   Shortly after the shooting, journals written and films created by the two teenagers offered insight into the minds of the young men. Harris dreamt of a world where filled with solitude and serenity and he favored mass destruction. Kebold was very quiet and his actions were very influenced by Eric. Not only did the massacre shock the American public, it was also a revolutionary event.  The aftermath was very scarring for the family and it will be remembered in our hearts forever.

The Y2K Scare (1999)

    When the year 2000 came the computer would automatically change its date. Many computers assumed that all the dates started with 19, so when 99 changed to 00, many computers would think it would be 1900. This was called the Y2K Scare. The computer industry  became scared because hospital records, bank accounts, and National Defense systems all depended on computers, and there could be vital consequences if they all crashed at one time. Also, people believed that all of their luxuries would crumble and that they would have to live without running water, electricity, and heat. People bought canned foods and gallons of extra water before the New Year started. 
    People around the world held their breath when the clock struck midnight on December 31, 1999.  New Year's Day continued and nothing happened to the computers. Some computers had a few glitches, but almost all of them were alright. Everyone realized that all the brouhaha was for nothing and the computers were fine and that people could continue their normal lives. 

Bill Clinton's Impeachment (1998)

    In 1998 Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives. Bill Clinton's charges were perjury, obstruction of office, and malfeasance in office. He had been having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, and he was denying it. Also, Paula C. Jones came to Washington D.C. and sued Clinton for sexual harassment, when he was an Arkansas governor. When the government found out that the scandals had been true, the House of Representatives tried him for impeachment.

Bill Clinton

      First, the House of Representatives voted on if Bill Clinton should have been impeached, and when they voted yes, a trial in the Senate was set up for him. When the Senate voted to impeach him also, his second term was almost over; so he stayed in office until it was over. Polls taken in the late 1990's said that only one third of the American population agreed with the impeachment of Bill Clinton, but when they found out that he was going to stay in office, more than half of Americans agreed with the impeachment. Bill Clinton's impeachment process was a major event in political history because he is the second President to be impeached in the United States.

Bombing of the World Trade Center (1993)

    In 1993 a group of Muslim terrorists attempted to bomb the World Trade Center. They wanted to do this because they did not approve of the United States helping Israel. They sent a letter to many New York newspapers before the attack with three demands: that U.S. aid would stop coming to Israel, that the U.S. would stop having relations with Israel, and they wanted the U.S. to stop interfering with any Middle East country's affairs. The terrorists said that if their demands were not met they would continue the attacks on the United States.

This is a photo taken of the underground damage after the
first attack on the World Trade Center

    The terrorists plan for the attack was to knock the North Tower into the South Tower, killing thousands of people inside the buildings. Little did they know that their plan did not succeed they way they thought it would. They constructed the bomb and put it in a yellow van. They drove the van into the public parking garage beneath the World Trade Center. They ignited the fuse, and ran. Twelve minutes later, there was an explosion in the garage. The bomb created a 98 ft. hole through four levels in the building. Immediately, the building's electricity went out and smoke rose to many floors. With smoke in the stairwells and no electricity, it was very hard for the people to evacuate the building, but the bomb only caused 6 deaths and 1,042 injuries.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (N.A.F.T.A.) (1994)

     In 1994 President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement. (N.A.F.T.A.) The North American Free Trade Agreement removed barriers for trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. N.A.F.T.A. reduces trading costs, increases business investment, and it helps North America be a competitor in global trade. Between 1994-2007 trade went from $297 billion to $1 trillion. Immediately N.A.F.T.A. eliminated many taxes on imported goods between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Also, Mexico has bought many more goods from the U.S. than it did before N.A.F.T.A. The North American Free Trade Agreement is a very controversial issue because while many Americans agreed with it, many Americans did not agree with it.