7 Inventions that Made the 1990s a Lot Better

You either love the 90s or you don’t. When discussing the 1990s, people tend to talk about the monumental shifts in culture across the world as well as the economic boom. Technological shifts happened in and out of the home. Some of your favorite products were born in this decade. 

As stated by Jay Chiat, "Technology is the fashion of the '90s. It affects everyone, and everyone is interested in it - either from fear of being left behind or because they have a real need to use technology."

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This decade will go down in history as the decade where the age of digital technology fully began to evolve. Interestingly, some of the technology that we discussed in the previous decades began to be replaced by better iterations and newer ones i.e., the Walkman was replaced by portable CD players. 

If you have not guessed it already, we are going to explore some of the most important inventions from the 1990s. 

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web would literally go on to change the course of history and has brought the world much closer. Sir Tim Berness-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. The CERN computer scientist wanted to create a better and more effective means of sharing information. 

Lee was well aware that millions of computers were being connected together through the rapidly developing Internet. The British scientist realized he could share information by utilizing an emerging technology called hypertext.

By 1990, Lee had written the three founding technologies for the web that you use today: HTML, URI, and HTTP. He would then go onto to write the first web editor/browser. The end of 1990 saw the first webpage and in 1991, people from Lee’s CERN community were invited to join this new community.

Google

How many times a day do you use Google? Better still, think about how many people each day “Google” things. Google (Alphabet) has now grown into the world’s most influential and powerful companies. Co-Founders, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin met in 1995 at Stanford University.

By the following year, the two college friends would go on to write a program for the search engine that you know and love today. In 1998, Google was officially incorporated. 

The Nintendo 64

The Nintendo 64 will go down in history as one of the most beloved home consoles. Star Fox? Super Smash Bros? In mid-1996, the Nintendo 64 launched in Japan and would eventually hit the United States markets later that year. Not only did the console feature an analog stick as its primary control, but it was also a huge breakthrough for the industry offering the ultimate precise gaming experience. 

The DVD

Remember the day before digital downloads or streaming? Or, how about the moments before even that. Smack in between the streaming age and the VHS, you will find the age of the Digital Video Disk or DVD. It was developed in 1995 and eventually placed on the market in 1996. 

Alongside this new technology came the Toshiba SD-3000, the DVD player. Interestingly, no single person can be officially credited with the creation of the DVD. Different variations were developed by various technology companies.

Text Messaging

The first official text message was sent in 1992. Former developer from Sema Group Telecoms, Neil Papworth sent a text message to Richard Jarvis, a director of Vodafone, typing Merry Christmas.

Adobe Photoshop 

Photoshop has become a powerful tool used across the world and for the occasional great meme. The technology was created by Thomas and John Knoll, brothers who were extremely fascinated by how art and technology can be merged. 

Though the program took time to develop and code in the 1980s, after receiving a boost from investors, Photoshop 1.0 was put on the market in early 1990. 

Linux 

If you are a big fan of Linux you are probably a big fan of DIY robotics. In 1991, Linus  Torvalds was only in his second year of college when he began developing one of the most important open-source operating systems in the world. Interestingly, Torvalds was simply trying to build an operating system for his PC.