1995 History, Trivia and Fun Facts

• Politics: While visiting Washington DC, Russian President Boris Yeltsin was found on Pennsylvania Avenue, drunk, in his underwear and trying to hail a cab in order to find pizza.
• Religion/Politics: The Chinese government kidnapped a 6-year old Tibetan boy called the Panchen Lama and replaced him with a Han Chinese "Fake Panchen". The Panchen Lama is in charge of choosing the next Dalai Lama, and the real Panchen Lama has never been heard from since.
• The Top Song was One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
• The Big Movies included Toy Story, Batman Forever and Apollo 13
• Price of a postage stamp in 1995: 32 cents
  Apple Macintosh Computer: $2,099.00
• The World Population was ~ 5,662,000,000
• US Life Expectancy: Males: 72.5 years, Females: 78.9 years
• 37 Americans were killed by tipped-over vending machines between 1978 and 1995
• The Macarena is a Spanish dance song by Los del Río that was a genuine hit through 1997. Probably second only to Chubby Checker's The Twist when it comes to dance hits.
• And... The first reported Chupacara sighting was in Puerto Rico in 1995

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols killed 168 people in a domestic terror attack in Oklahoma City, including 19 children.

A shirt that featured Margaret from Dennis the Menace saying "Someday a woman will be PRESIDENT!" was pulled from shelves when one Walmart shopper said it offended "family values." It was restocked 4 months later due to women's groups threatening to boycott Walmart.

Tokyo subway sarin attack took place, in which 12 died and over 4000 were injured (many permanently). The attack was perpetrated by Aum Shinrikyo, a doomsday cult.

Iqbal Masih was sold into bondage by his debt-ridden family aged four and escaped when he was 10, after which he went to school and helped 3,000 other Pakistani children escape bonded labor. A symbol of child labor in the developing world, he was shot and killed in 1995, at age 12.

The 'Marvin Gardens' space in the Monopoly board game is misspelled. It's based on Marven Gardens in New Jersey. Parker Brothers apologized to the community in 1995.

Convicted killer Daniel Luther Heiss discovered that the key pictured on his prisoners' information handbook was the masterkey for the whole prison. Fellow inmate Shane Baker, a trained jeweller, replicated it and both escaped.

On June 29, 1995, a department store in Seoul, Korea collapsed, killing 500 people. During construction, the owner insisted on adding an unauthorized 6th floor with a swimming pool. When his engineers protested, they were fired.

The Chinese government kidnapped 6-year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was recently named the Panchen Lama, and replaced him with their own "fake Panchen". At the time Nyima was the youngest political prisoner in the world. He and his extended family have not been heard from since.

The 1995 Chicago Heat Wave killed 739 people, more than the great fire of 1871.

A man named Scott Amedure was murdered by an acquaintance, Jonathan Schmitz, after Scott admitted he had feelings for Jonathan in the Jenny Jones Show. The show never aired.

Washington NBA team the "Bullets" changed their name to the "Wizards" because of the notoriously high murder rate in Washington DC at the time It became official with the 1997 season..

McArthur Wheeler robbed two Pittsburgh banks with lemon juice on his face. Since lemon juice makes for invisible ink, he thought it would render his face invisible on camera. He was caught that night.

From 1995 to 2000, the winner of the McDonald's Monopoly grand prize was an insider (Jerome Jacobson) and his cohorts. Jerome helped produce the game pieces.

Drew Barrymore table danced for David Letterman on his talk show, and, with her back to the audience, flashed David by lifting up her shirt.

Patrick Combs deposited one of those fake "winning lottery checks" for $95,093.35. His bank took the deposit, and after several weeks, he took out the cash. The whole story can be found at his website.

Marlon Brando, as a guest on Larry King Live, kissed a surprized Larry on the mouth.

The Yakuza, Japan's largest organized crime syndicate, reputedly provided food, water, blankets, diapers, etc. during both the 1995 and 2011 Japanese Earthquakes and at a much faster response time than even the Japanese Government.

In 2013 1200 women died in the US due to complications from pregnancy or birth. In 1995 that number was 460.

The closest the world came to full-scale nuclear war was not during Cuban Missile Crisis or even the during Cold War, but instead it was when a scientific rocket in Norway was mistaken as an American ICBM in 1995.

Cindy Crawford and husband Richard Gere took out an full page ad in the London Times to proclaim their heterosexuality. The 1994 marraige ended in 1995, still straight, they say.

Mississippi didn't ratify the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery) until March 16, 1995.

Celebrity Paralyzed By a Horse: Christopher Reeve. Christopher starred in the film Above Suspicion, in which he played a quadriplegic character. It premiered 6 days before his horse riding accident.

Rock Musician Heart FailureDeath: Jerry Garcia

Queen of Tejano Pop Star Murder: Selena, killed by the ex-president of her fan club.

Mysterious Olympian Skater Death: Sergi Grinkov, 2-time Gold Medalist, died while practicing with his partner (and wife) Ekaterina Gordeeva

Sony Playstation, Sega Saturn, Sega Nomad, 32X add-on for the Sega Genesis, Atari Jaguar CD add-on, Nintendo's Virtual Boy, Bandai's Apple Pippin, Barbie as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Barbie as Maria in the Sound of Music, Barbie and Ken Star Trek giftset

Birds & Blooms began publication

George Magazine (1995-2001)

This Old House began publication

Fast Company began publication

Starbuck's Frappuccino was released in 1995.

The George Forman Lean Mean Grilling Machine was released.

People have been meeting online via Match.com since 1995.

(according to boxofficemojo)
1. Toy Story
2. Batman Forever
3. Apollo 13
4. Pocahontas
5. Ace Venturs: When Nature Calls
6. GoldenEye
7. Jumanji
8. Casper
9. Seven
10. Die Hard: With A Vengeance

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Apollo 13, Babe, Bad Boys, Batman Forever, Braveheart, The Bridges of Madison County, Casper, Congo, Crimson Tide, Dangerous Minds, Die Hard: With A Vengeance, Father of the Bride Part II, Get Shorty, Ghost in the Shell, GoldenEye, Grumpier Old Men, Highlander 3: The Final Dimension, Jumanji, Mortal Comabat, Mr. Holland's Opus, Pocahontas, Seven, Toy Story, Waterworld, While You Were Sleeping