What Happened in 1995?

Who out there remembers the mid-90s? It seems like an age away now – three decades, in fact – but it might surprise you to learn what went down in the middle of that society-changing time. 1995 was all about Britpop, strange fashion, and the rise of a little thing called the internet…

However, it was also a year in which tragedy and triumph occurred. Below, we’ll take you through some of the most notable and memorable moments of 1995.

In this year

1January

The World Trade Organization (WTO) was officially set up on the first of the month. It is an intergovernmental organization aiming to regulate and facilitate international trade – it replaced the old GATT, or the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, system.

2February

Twenty-one Bosnian Serb commanders were charged with crimes against humanity and genocide. They were charged by the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia during an ongoing sweep of human rights justice during the Balkans Wars.

3March

It got easier to travel across Europe as of March 26th, 1996, thanks to the Schengen Agreement! This revolutionary policy helped to erase many border checks. However, following terrorism that followed 9/11 in 2001, such checks tightened up elsewhere across the continent.

4April

The internet – with the World Wide Web still in its infancy – became a private entity as of April 30th, 1995, when the US government announced plans to cease funding what was known as the NSFNET. How far we’ve come since then!

5May

The Dalai Lama officially recognized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a young boy, to be the 11th Panchen Lama. In doing so, he created tensions with China. On May 17th, the Chinese government abducted the child – and, tragically, he never reappeared.

6June

In a controversial move just a month on from becoming the new President of France, Jacques Chirac announced on June 13th, 1995, that the nation would resume its nuclear testing in French Polynesia.

7July

A heatwave in the American Midwest and Eastern United States resulted in hundreds of deaths. The heatwave lasted from July 12th to July 15th.

8August

The Croatian Army launched Operation Storm, reclaiming territory from rebel Serb forces and effectively ending the Croatian War of Independence. The operation began in the morning of August 4th, 1995, when coordinated attacks were executed with the goal of disrupting ARSK command, control, and communications.

9September

The Washington Post and The New York Times published the Unabomber’s manifesto, leading to the arrest of Theodore Kaczynski. They did so in accordance with the Justice Department and FBI – and, six and a half months later, the Unabomber was caught. It’s still the most expensive and by far the longest investigative campaign the FBI’s ever run.

10October

Controversially, actor OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder charges in the “Trial of the Century.” His innocence remains a very debated subject to this day, and the trial has been written into television series, notably on the streaming platform Netflix. Simpson has since served time in prison for armed robbery, though maintains his innocence regarding the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

11November

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was shockingly assassinated by a Jewish extremist. Yitzhak Rabin was the fifth person to hold the title of Prime Minister of the country, and served two terms in office until his assassination in 1995.

12December

“Calvin and Hobbes,” one of the most beloved newspaper comic strips in US history, finally ended as of December 31st, 1995. The strip, which follows the adventures of a young boy and his stuffed tiger he imagines to be real, was created by cartoonist Bill Watterson. Watterson was reportedly offered many opportunities to agree to an animated adaptation and to continue the series – but refused to merchandise and revive the series.

1995 was the year of the…Pig!

Like 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 2007, and 2019, 1995 was a year in which certain people could be proud to call themselves Pigs. And Pigs aren’t bad people in the eyes of the Chinese Zodiac! People born in Pig years are said to be generous, compassionate, energetic, enthusiastic, and big lovers of fun. They’re great to have around, and aren’t always as messy as their animal counterparts! The next Pig year won’t be until 2031.

Celebrity Births in 1995

• Tom Blyth, British actor, born February 2nd, 1995
• Archie Madekwe, British actor, born February 10th, 1995
• Dua Lipa, British singer, born August 22nd, 1995
• Emma Corrin, British actor, born December 13th, 1995
• Timothée Chalamet, American actor, born December 27, 1995

Famous People We Lost in 1995

• George Abbott, American director, died aged 107
• Bill Beveridge, Canadian ice hockey player, died aged 85
• Peter Cook, British actor, died aged 57
• Bob Chandler, American football player, died aged 45
• David Alexander, British singer, died aged 57