Featured moment
Sony PlayStation Launches in Japan
Sony's disc-based console revolutionized gaming with 3D graphics and broader adult appeal.
A new generation of play.
Sony entered the console war, Amazon opened its doors, and Forrest Gump ran across America.
The Cost of Living in 1994
Gallon of Gas
$1.15
Loaf of Bread
$0.83
Gallon of Milk
$2.54
World Population
5.66 billion
Featured moment
Amazon.com Founded
Jeff Bezos started an online bookstore in his garage that would grow into the world's largest retailer.
Featured moment
The Lion King Released
Disney's animated epic became a massive cultural phenomenon and the highest-grossing 2D animated film.
The wider picture
More from 1994
A few more things worth remembering.
Cinema & TV
Friends Premieres
The NBC sitcom debuted, eventually becoming one of the most popular and influential television shows in history.
World Events
Rwandan Genocide
Over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in 100 days while the international community failed to intervene.
World Events
Nelson Mandela Elected President
Mandela became South Africa's first Black head of state in the country's first fully representative democratic election.
Cinema & TV
Pulp Fiction Released
Quentin Tarantino's non-linear crime film won the Palme d'Or and profoundly influenced 90s cinema.
Cinema & TV
Forrest Gump Released
Tom Hanks starred in the generation-spanning film that won Best Picture and became endlessly quotable.
Internet
Netscape Navigator Released
The browser that made the World Wide Web accessible to the masses launched.
You arrivedin 1994.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1994 to today.