Bill Clinton served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was known as a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy.

"Smelly Cat" first appeared in the second season episode "The One With The Baby On The Bus" when Phoebe mentions the song in a conversation with Rachel. At the end of the episode she teaches musician Stephanie Schiffer (played by real-life musician Chrissie Hynde) to play the song.

Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

With sales of 25 million worldwide, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill became the feminist manifesto of the decade.

Forrest Gump depicts several decades in the life of Forrest Gump (Hanks), a slow-witted but kind-hearted man from Alabama who witnesses and unwittingly influences several defining historical events in the 20th century.

In July 1996, after the details of their marital difficulties became public knowledge, Prince Charles and Princess Diana agreed on the terms of their divorce. The Queen reportedly wanted to let Diana continue to use the style of Royal Highness after her divorce, but Charles insisted on removing it. Prince William was reported to have reassured his mother: "Don't worry, Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am King."

Dolly, who was born on 5 July 1996, had three mothers: one provided the egg, another the DNA, and a third carried the cloned embryo to term.

On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was beaten by LAPD officers after a high-speed chase during his arrest for drunk driving. A witness, George Holliday, filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage to local news station KTLA. The footage showed an unarmed King on the ground being beaten and jolted with a 50,000-volt stun gun. Four officers were eventually tried on charges of use of excessive force. Of these, three were acquitted, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on one charge for the fourth. Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots started, sparked by outrage among racial minorities over the trial's verdict.

Starting in 1986, Jay Leno was a regular substitute host for Carson on The Tonight Show. In 1992, NBC appointed him to replace Carson full time, igniting a controversy with David Letterman, who had been hosting Late Night with David Letterman for NBC since 1982, and whom many--including Carson himself--had expected to be Carson's successor. The story of this turbulent transition was later turned into a book and a movie titled The Late Shift.

The "Dream Team" was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the NBA, including all-time greats Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley. It has been described by journalists around the world as the greatest sports team ever assembled.