DAILY DIRT: Remembering the ’90s: O.J., the Y2K scare, Monica, and the magic of malls

Daily Dirt for Friday, March 28, 2025

Austin Powers, Cher Horowitz, Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer were also a big part of the decade … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,241 of The Daily Dirt.

1. This week’s travel back through time ends today with our stop in the 1990s.

Our four day-look in the rear-view mirror — we’ve already covered the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s — sees us examining a decade where technologically exploded, accented by the full-fledged arrival of the World Wide Web.

The 1990s also represented a 10-year period saw much of the traditional music we enjoyed in the latter half of the 1960s and for all of the 1970s and 1980s begin to give way to hip-hop, grunge and a wide variety of other personal music preferences.

We also saw end of the Cold War and tensions rise in multiple regions of the Middle East. There was also the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment/acquittal of Bill Clinton. Cannabis was legalized for medicinal purposes and the first McDonald’s opened in Russia.

And so on and so on …

Here’s a look back at 10 other important items from 1990s. Hey, pop culture was/is important, too:

“Seinfeld”: We absolutely loved Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer in the 1990s. Fortunately, the reruns will always be with us.

O.J. Simpson: Prior to 1994, the Ford Bronco was just a vehicle. And then came the famous O.J. Simpson/Al Cowlings debacle, played out in front of a national TV audience. Must-see TV? This was definitely it.

Austin Powers: The Mike Myers-inspired spy spoofs provided us with some of the funniest movie moments  of the decade, starting with the 1997 release of “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”. The Fat Bastard character, arguably the funniest element of the three-film series, did not appear until 1999’s second film, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”. 

Beanie babies: Remember when these things were everywhere?  I mean everywhere, including my living room. 

Whitney Houston: How many times did you replay Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” in the comfort of your living room while watching a rented copy of “The Bodyguard?” (Remember the days of movie rentals? Ah, that was a special time.)

Y2K: Remember how nervous we all were as the 1999 clock struck its final tones? Would the world, as we knew it, come to a screeching halt? (It didn’t. Yet.)

When the world changed forever: The 1990s were the final decade before 9/11/2001. Do you still remember where you were when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers?

Fashion: The big hair and puffy jackets of the 1980s slowly slipped into yesteryear, in favor or such trends as ripped jeans, turtlenecks, crop tops and scrunchies. (Sigh … I still miss the ’80s and that big hair.)

For the love of Homer and Cher Horowitz: TV shows like “The Simpsons” and “Beavis and Butt-Head” became cultural phenomenons, as did movies like “Clueless” and “She’s All That”. Homer Simpson remains the hero of everyman, while Alicia Silverstone’s portrayal of Cher in “Clueless” may have been the top individual performance by any female in any major film of the 1990s.

Malls: The magic and mystery of the shopping mall was still in full bloom. Record stores, movie theaters, all sorts of clothing outlets and a big fountain in the middle that served as a gathering point for all ages. Those were truly the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end.

Monica Lewinsky: A star-struck intern had a crush on the President of the United States, who gladly reciprocated her feelings … and then some.

Thanks for coming along on this week’s journey through the decades.

2. Did you know (Part 316)

• That the average human sheds about 600,000 skin particles every HOUR.
• That studies have shown the rate of heart of heart attacks is the highest on Mondays.
• That a single square inch of the human body has about 300 sweat lands. (I think that number is higher on some people.)
• That earwax is actually a type of sweat.
• That in a lifetime, humans produce roughly 25,000 quarts of saliva, which is enough to fill almost two swimming pools.

3.  The medal stand remains unchanged in The Great Plate Debate IV.

For the first time in a month, there are no new entries in the Daily Dirt’s weekly rankings for creative license plates found across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri. 

The current medal stand:

Gold medal: WHUT IF

Silver medal: OLDNSLO

Bronze medal:  BLAH

Best plates o’ the week:

• DRPEPER
• MECCA
• MIN D (yes, there’s a space between the “N” and “D”)
• 4 US FAM
• EARL (Anyone else think of that Dixie Chicks’ song when they see that name?)
• BAD CAT
• PRAY 1

Steve Thought O’ The Day — It’s great to have baseball back, eh?!

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He did not have sexual relations with that woman. No, I mean it. He really didn’t. Talking about Steve, of course. We all know what Willy did.