1994 Annual History Facts

1994 Annual History Facts

  • Technology: The computer Zip Drive was introduced. In 2006, PCWorld rated the Zip disk/Zip drive the 15th worst technology product of all time AND the 23rd best technology product of all time.
  • The Top Song was I’ll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men
  • The Big Movies included Forrest Gump, The Lion King, and True Lies
  • Price of Heinz Ketchup, 40 oz in 1994: $1.99
    Coca-Cola 12 pack, 12 oz cans: $1.99
  • The World Population was ~ 5,564,000,000
  • George Foreman Grill was released in 1994.
  • And… TV Host Ray Combs’ last Family Feud episode ended with a contestant earning zero dollars in Fast Money. Combs told the contestant, “Thought I was a loser until you walked up here; you made me feel like a man!” Combs then walked off during the end credits and drove home without saying goodbye to anyone. He had been let go before the episode taping.

World Series Champions

No one… Major League Baseball Players Association was on strike.

Superbowl XXVII Champions

Dallas Cowboys

National Basketball Association Champions

Houston Rockets

NHL Stanley Cup Champions

New York Rangers

US Open Golf

Ernie Ells

US Open Tennis (Men Ladies)

Andre Agassi/Sanchez Vicario

Wimbledon (Men/Women)

Pete Sampras/Conchita Martinez

FIFA World Cup Soccer

Brazil

NCAA Football Champions

Nebraska

NCAA Basketball Champions

Arkansas

Bowl Games

Orange Bowl: January 1, 1994 – Florida State over Nebraska
Rose Bowl: January 1, 1994 – Wisconsin over UCLA
Sugar Bowl: January 1, 1994 – Florida over West Virginia

Kentucky Derby

Go For Gin

Westminster Kennel Best in Show Dog

Chidley Willum The Conqueror

Time Magazine’s Man of the Year

Pope John Paul II

Miss America

Kimberly Aiken (Columbia, SC)

Miss USA

Lu Parker (South Carolina)

Fashion Icons and Movie Stars

Gillian Anderson, Pamela Anderson, Rosanna Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Kim Basinger, Lisa Bonet, Sandra Bullock, Naomi Campbell, Tia Carrere, Cindy Crawford, Jamie Lee Curtis, Catherine Deneuve, Cameron Diaz, Amanda Donohoe, Linda Evangelista, Angie Everhart, Sherilyn Fenn, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Goldie Hawn, Rachel Hunter, Elizabeth Hurley, Iman, Kathy Ireland, Nastassja Kinski, Heather Locklear, Kelly Lynch, Elle Macpherson, Sophie Marceau, Kylie Minogue, Demi Moore, Kate Moss, Carre Otis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Princess Caroline, Princess Diana, Victoria Principal, Charlotte Rampling, Gabrielle Reece, Winona Ryder, Debbie Rochon, Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, Laura San Giacomo, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, Victoria Silvstedt, Sharon Stone, Niki Taylor, Uma Thurman, Kathleen Turner, Kim Wilde, Catherine Zeta-Jones

“The Quotes”

“My momma always said that life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”
– Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump

NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon released a $35 sneaker instead of endorsing shoes from Nike or Reebok because: “How can a poor working mother with three boys buy Nikes or Reeboks that cost $120?…She can’t. So, kids steal these shoes from stores and from other kids. Sometimes, they kill for them.”

1994 Pop Culture History

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a conversational game in finding how many connections, and how close they are, between Kevin Bacon and other well-known people.

REM’s 1994 song What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? slows down towards the end because bassist Mike Mills had an appendicitis attack and had to be rushed to hospital. They chose to keep it.

Michael Crichton, the screenwriter of Jurassic Park, had a novel (Disclosure) and a television show (ER) reach US number one at the same time the film did in 1994. He is the only person to achieve these hits simultaneously.

Green Day joined the Lollapalooza festival lineups and Woodstock ’94, where the group started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist Mike Dirnt for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth.

Earthworm Jim was created due to the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The game was created as a satire of platform video games at the time; for instance, “Princess-What’s-Her-Name” was a parody of how so many video games had throw-away female characters to be saved.

In one of the greatest months of all time, in October 1994, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King, and Jurassic Park were all in theaters simultaneously. There was something for pretty much anyone to enjoy at the movies.

In November 1994, Tim Allen starred in the highest-grossing film, Disney’s The Santa Clause, topped the New York Times best-seller list with his book Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man and appeared in the top-rated TV series Home Improvement, all within one week.

The late River Phoenix was supposed to be the interviewer in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) but died. Christian Slater got his role and donated his entire paycheck from the movie to all of River’s favorite charities.

Until 1994, the Winter and Summer Olympics occurred in the same year.

Adam West, Clint Eastwood, and Burt Reynolds were all offered the role of James Bond but turned it down. Liam Neeson turned down the role in 1994 because he didn’t want to be in action movies.

The Crested Gecko was considered extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994. Now, it is one of the world’s most commonly kept and bred gecko species.

Matt Groening planned to make a live-action spin-off of The Simpsons starring Dan Castellaneta as Krusty the Clown as he moved to Los Angeles. Negotiations for the show fell through, partly due to the large cost of trained beavers required for a running gag about Krusty’s house.

The Oxford English Dictionary cites The Beastie Boys as responsible for coining the term “mullet” in 1994 to refer to the popular 1980s hairstyle.

Rolihlahla Mandela was given the English name “Nelson” by the teacher at his local Methodist school, as was the custom at that time. “Why this particular name,” Mandela wrote in 1994, “I have no idea.”

After Sports Illustrated published its “Bag It, Michael” cover story about his lackluster baseball career in 1994, Michael Jordan cut off all official communication with the magazine, even to this day.

Crayola released scented crayons but had to retire the food-scented ones after a year because parents complained that they “smelled good enough to eat”.

Howard Stern talked a caller out of jumping off the George Washington Bridge live on the radio.

After spilling hot coffee on her lap, Stella Liebeck sued McDonald’s, leaving her with third-degree burns. Liebeck initially sued for $20,000 to cover her medical and living expenses, but the jury ultimately awarded her $160,000 plus an extra $640,000 for punitive damages.

Rod Stewart played the largest rock concert in history at Copacabana Beach in Rio; 3,500,000 people attended it. The number was matched Jean-Michel Jarre in Moscow in 1997.

The Wonderbra was invented.

Quentin Tarantino’s ’64 Chevy Malibu was stolen from the set of Pulp Fiction in 1994. It was recovered in 2013.

The Nokia tune comes from a fragment of Francisco Tárrega’s Gran Vals for guitar, written in 1902. It first appeared in Nokia 2110, released in 1994, where it was ringtone Type 7.

At its release, True Lies was the most expensive film ever made, as the first film to have over a $100 million production budget.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Hammer was purchased for $30,802,500 by Bill Gates, and three years later, he released a digital version for the world to see.

Cost of a Superbowl ad in 1994: $900,000

Johnny Cash’s letter to June Carter in 1994 was voted the greatest love letter of all time. They were married from 1968 till June passed away in 2003. Johnny died 4 months later.

RIP, Scandals, Sad and Odd News

Tonya Harding (the antagonist) and Nancy Kerrigan (the protagonist) ice skating rivalry resulted in some friends of Tonya, including her husband Jeff Gillooly and associates Shawn Eckhardt and Shane Stant, attempting to bust Nancy’s kneecaps at the US Figure Skating Championship. She had to withdraw but did well for herself with endorsements and winning the Silver Medal in the Olympics in 1994.

Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein, oversaw the imprisonment and torture of Iraqi athletes deemed not to have performed to expectations. In one case, imprisoned football players were forced to kick a concrete ball after failing to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals.

The most rapid genocide in human history took place in Rwanda. One million one hundred seventy-four thousand were murdered, most with MACHETES, in 100 days. That’s over 10,000 people murdered every day.

According to his biography, Kim Jung-Il first picked up a golf club in 1994 at North Korea’s only golf course and shot a 38-under par round that included no fewer than 11 holes in one. Satisfied with his performance, he reportedly immediately declared his retirement from the sport.

A 75-pound bag of cocaine fell out of a plane and landed in the middle of a Florida crime watch meeting.

Goodtimes virus, a fraudulent virus warning that first appeared in 1994. The email claimed that a virus with the “Good Times” subject line was spreading computer problems.

David Crosby received a highly publicized liver transplant in 1994, paid for by Phil Collins. News of his transplant created controversy because of his celebrity status and past problems with drug and alcohol addiction.

Cartoonist Mike Diana received a criminal conviction for obscenity for artwork in America; he wasn’t allowed to draw comics for personal use or just for his house.

Oakville, WA, experienced a rainstorm in which gelatinous blobs fell onto a farm. The blobs were examined and found to contain human white blood cells, but they did not contain nuclei, which is something human white cells do have. Theories persist, but none have been proven correct.

The Champion New York Rangers got drunk and left the Stanley Cup at a strip club.

After winning the 1994 World Cup, Brazil’s goalie left his medal and $60,000 in cash in a cab. The cab driver returned all of it and received $1000 in reward.
The Gallón gang murdered Colombian Soccer player Andrés Escobar for accidentally scoring a goal against his team in the World Cup.

A Russian pilot for Aeroflot Flight 593 let his 15-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter try to fly the aircraft. The kids unknowingly disabled the autopilot: the plane crashed into a hillside in Siberia, killing all 63 passengers and 12 crew members

An earthquake-induced power outage, calls came into emergency centers about a “giant silvery cloud” over Los Angeles. It was the Milky Way.

On June 17th, the nation watched a white Ford Bronco belonging to Simpson’s friend, Al Cowlings, since it was carrying a now fugitive, O.J. Simpson, who was “holding a gun to Al’s head.” A note from O.J., sounding like a suicide note, was read to police by his lawyer.

Rock and Roll Death: Kurt Cobain (suicide)

Serial Killer Prison Death: Jeffrey Dahmer

Beloved Comedian Death: John Candy

Disgraced Politician Death: Richard Nixon. We don’t have him to kick around anymore.

Brief Celebrity Marriages

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley
Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford

Firsts and the Biggest Christmas Gifts

Sega’s Genesis CDX, Neo Geo CD, Starting Lineup statuettes, Barbie as Scarlett O’Hara & Ken as Rhett Butler, Barbie as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Blurt!

Marie Claire began publication

InStyle began publication

The Habits

Watching ER on NBC.
Reading The Chamber by John Grisham

1994/95 Biggest Television Shows

(according to Nielsen TV Research)
1. Seinfeld (NBC)
2. E.R. (NBC)
3. Home Improvement (ABC)
4. Grace Under Fire (ABC)
5. Monday Night Football (ABC)
6. 60 Minutes (CBS)
7. NYPD Blue (ABC)
8. Murder, She Wrote (CBS)
9. Friends (NBC)
10. Roseanne (ABC)

Popular Music Artists

The Biggest Pop Artists of 1994 include
Aaliyah, Ace of Base, All-4-One, Babyface, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Celine Dion, Counting Crows, The Cranberries, Da Brat, Gin Blossoms, Janet Jackson, Jodeci, Keith Sweat, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Micheal Bolton, Pearl Jam, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow, The Smashing Pumpkins, Snoop Dog, Stone Temple Pilots, Tevin Campbell, Tim McGraw, TLC, Toni Braxton, Usher, Warren G, Xscape, Zhane

(Data is compiled from charts, including Billboard’s Pop, Rock, Airplay, R&B/Dance, and Singles Charts. The Hot 100 is the primary chart used for this list.)

Number One Hits of 1994

December 25, 1993 – January 21, 1994: Mariah Carey – Hero

January 22, 1994 – February 11, 1994: Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting – All For Love

February 12, 1994 – March 11, 1994: Céline Dion – The Power Of Love

March 12, 1994 – April 8, 1994: Ace Of Base – The Sign

April 9, 1994 – May 20, 1994: R. Kelly – Bump n’ Grind

May 21, 1994 – August 5, 1994: All-4-One – I Swear

August 6, 1994 – August 26, 1994: Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)

August 27, 1994 – December 2, 1994: Boyz II Men – I’ll Make Love To You

December 3, 1994 – December 16, 1994: Boyz II Men – On Bended Knee

December 17, 1994 – January 27, 1995: Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper

Popular Movies

(according to boxofficemojo)
1. Forrest Gump
2. The Lion King
3. True Lies
4. The Santa Clause
5. The Flintstones
6. Dumb and Dumber
7. Clear and Present Danger
8. Speed
9. The Mask
10. Pulp Fiction

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Angels in the Outfield, Clerks, The Client, Clear and Present Danger, Crumb, Disclosure, Dumb and Dumber, Ed Wood, The Flintstones, Forrest Gump, Interview with the Vampire, Legends of the Fall, The Lion King, The Mask, Maverick, Pulp Fiction, The Santa Clause, The Shawshank Redemption, Speed, Star Trek: Generations, Stargate, True Lies

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