History of the 90s

From riots in the streets of Los Angeles and the siege at Ruby Ridge to the election of Bill Clinton and the Late Night TV wars, 1992 was a year of incredible transformation, excitement, devastation and tragedy.It was filled with seismic changes that continues to reverberate through our lives 30 year later.On this episode of History of the 90s host Kathy Kenzora looks back and counts down ten of the most memorable stories of 1992.Contact:Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcast Email: 90s@curiouscast.ca Newsletter: https://historyofthe90s.substack.com/For exclusive bonus content subscribe to History of the 90s Patreon page.: https://patreon.com/historyofthe90s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early morning hours of December 26, 1996, a 39 year old stay-at-home mom in an upscale neighbourhood of Boulder, Colorado made a shocking discovery. Her 6-year-old daughter had been kidnapped while the family slept and a mysterious ransom note had been left in her place.The handwritten 2-and-half page letter demanded $118,000 and instructed the family to wait for a call later that morning from the kidnappers. They warned that any contact with police would lead to their daughter’s murder.It was the beginning of one of the longest and most baffling true crime whodunnits of all time that continues to raise questions 25 years later.On this episode of History of the 90s host Kathy Kenzora looks back at back at the mysterious case of JonBenet Ramsey.Contact:Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcast Email: 90s@curiouscast.ca Blog: www.historyofthe90sblog.caGuests:Stephen and Joyce Singular, authors of Presumed Guilty: An Investigation Into the JonBenet Ramsey Case, the Media, and the Culture of Pornography. www.stephensingular.comTwitter: @StephenSingularFor exclusive bonus content subscribe to History of the 90s Patreon page.: https://patreon.com/historyofthe90s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When The Simpsons debuted in December 1989 it was a radical move by the Fox TV Network. There had not been a successful prime-time animated sitcom for adults since The Flintstones in the 1960s. Plus The Simpsons was a lot edgier than the clean family sitcoms on the air at the time.But not only was The Simpsons an instant hit, it became a cultural phenomenon that continues over 30 years later.On this episode of History of the 90s host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the creation of the ground-breaking show and some of the controversy it created with help from Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson.Guests: Yeardley Smith - Twitter: @Yeardley Smith www.smalltowndicks.com Mathew Klickstein www.mathewklickstein.com Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mathew Klickstein and Mike Reiss Contact:Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcast Email: 90s@curiouscast.ca Blog: www.historyofthe90sblog.caFor exclusive bonus content subscribe to History of the 90s Patreon page.: https://patreon.com/historyofthe90s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 100 days in 1994 evil descended upon the small country of Rwanda. A long simmering conflict between Hutus and Tutsis boiled over after the country’s president died when his plane was shot down by a missile.Police stood by as approximately 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis were killed by violent mobs armed with clubs, sticks and machete’s. From the capital city of Kigali to small rural villages, unspeakable crimes were committed by militia groups, soldiers and neighbors against neighbors. During that time the international community largely remained on the sidelines.On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the Rwanda Genocide.Contact:Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcastEmail: 90s@curiouscast.caGuest:Allan Thompson, former Toronto Star Reporter and now the Journalism program head at Carleton University in Ottawa.Twitter: @ProfallanResources about Rwanda:Media and Mass Atrocity: The Rwandan Genocide and Beyond, Edited by Allan ThompsonRwanda Chronology | FRONTLINE | PBSShake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity, By Romeo DallaireHotel Rwanda Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1990s the most violent thing on television wasn’t wrestling, or NHL hockey it was The Jerry Springer Show. The daytime talk show regularly devolved into wild physical fights between guests that were excitedly cheered on by riled up audience membersDuring the 90s more than two dozen similar daytime talk shows, that ranged from provocative to downright trashy, ruled the airwaves.Big names you probably remember like Jenny Jones, Geraldo Rivera and Maury Povich and others you may have forgotten about like Ricki Lake & Montel Williams were adored by millions of fans until a shocking tragedy turned the industry on its head.On this episode of History of the 90s host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the era of trashy daytime talk shows.Contact:Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcastEmail: 90s@curiouscast.caGuests:James Nadler; Graduate Program Director, Masters of Arts in Media Production at Ryerson UniversityLaura Grindstaff; Professor of Sociology at UC Davis & author of The Money Shot: Trash, Class and the Making of TV Talk Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the home video game industry crashed spectacularly in 1983 one company rose from the ashes and helped breathe new life with a new 8 bit video console.The Nintendo Entertainment System with games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda ruled the console market until another Japanese company started going after older and more serious gamers.For the first time the Sega Genesis console and the company’s blue mascot Sonic The Hedgehog took a bite out of Nintendo’s supremacy in the North American market. And that was just the beginning of the Nintendo vs Sega Console War that dominated the 90s.On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora takes you through the twists and turns of the epic battle that defined a generation of gamers.Guest:Blake Harris, author and director of The Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle That Defined a Generation. www.blakejharris.comTwitter: @blakejharrisNYCContact:Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcastEmail: 90s@curiouscast.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1990s two unexpected musical genres that centered around big bands with horns and retro clothing burst back onto the scene in North America.Third wave ska and retro swing with breakthrough mainstream hits infiltered pop culture from movies and video games to the Gap’s famous khaki swing commercial.Life was good in the 90s and the music reflected it. The fun upbeat sounds of Ska and Swing were the perfect fit for the time.On this episode of History of the 90s host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the rise of 90s ska and swing.Guest:Kenneth Partridge, author Hell of a Hat: The Rise of 90s Ska and Swing  www.kennethpartridge.com  Twitter:  @kenpartridge Show contacts:   Twitter: @1990shistory Facebook: @1990shistory Instagram: @that90spodcast Email:  90s@curiouscast.ca  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was change and excitement in the air when the lights came up on Gianni Versace’s 1991 fall fashion show in Milan. For the show’s finale, a group of four beautiful young women linked arm-in-arm and made their way down the catwalk lip-synching the words of a pop song that blasted from the speakers.It was the launch of a 90s phenomenon that is as symbolic to the decade as tabloid television and the creation of the internet.On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora looks back at the reign of the 90s supermodel who transcended the fashion runway and became full service celebrities. Guests: Rachel Burchfield; writer, editor & host of Podcast Royal.  www.rachelburchfield.com Randi Bergman; writer, editor & host of Capsule 98. Instagram: @Capsule98 www.capsule98.com Contact:   Twitter: @1990shistory Facebook: @1990shistory Instagram: @that90spodcast Email:  90s@curiouscast.ca  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The case of Paul Bernardo captured media and public attention in the mid-1990s at a time when the United States was focused on the O.J. Simpson case in a similar way. But Bernardo’s trial, for the murders of teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, wasn’t televised, so hundreds of people lined up to get inside the downtown Toronto courtroom to witness Canada’s version of the O.J. trial. Others poured over the media coverage that blanketed newspapers or paid close attention to TV and radio stations which provided hourly updates of the proceedings.I was in the courtroom everyday for four months in the summer of 1995 as the horrific crimes against Bernardo were revealed including graphic videotaped evidence. On part two of our look back at the infamous case and trial of Paul Bernardo we dive into Canada’s trial of the century. Contact: Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcastEmail: 90s@curiouscast.caBlog: www.historyofthe90sblog.caFor exclusive bonus content subscribe to History of the 90s Patreon page.: https://patreon.com/historyofthe90s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you Google most notorious killer in Canadian history, Paul Bernardo’s name will appear at the top of nearly every list. There have been other killers who have taken more lives and eluded police over a longer period of time but the case of Paul Bernardo, at first as the Scarborough rapist and then later as the killer of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, has left a deep and painful scar on Canadian society.His case captured media and public attention in the mid-1990s at a time when the United States was focused on the O.J. Simpson case in a similar way. But Bernardo’s trial wasn’t televised, so hundreds of people lined up to get inside the downtown Toronto courtroom to witness Canada’s version of the O.J. trial. Others poured over the media coverage that blanketed newspapers or paid close attention to TV and radio stations which provided hourly updates of the proceedings.Over the next two episodes of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora will recount the case, drawing from her experience covering the trial as a reporter for a Toronto radio station. A warning that this episode may not be suitable for young or sensitive listeners.Contact: Twitter: @1990shistoryFacebook: @1990shistoryInstagram: @that90spodcastEmail: 90s@curiouscast.caBlog: www.historyofthe90sblog.caFor exclusive bonus content subscribe to History of the 90s Patreon page.: https://patreon.com/historyofthe90s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices