15 Years and Counting: An FG SQUARED Anniversary Tribute

Popular Culture:

Lisa Marie Presley marries Michael Jackson May 26
Kurt Cobain commits suicide
On February 7, 1994, cartoon character Dick Tracy was served with divorce papers. That's right, his wife of 47 years, Tess Trueheart served him with divorce papers. According to writers of the comic, "this move was meant to bring Dick Tracy into more contemporary times."
In June 1994, it was announced that Pierce Brosnan would become the newest Bond. He is the 5th actor to play the part.
John Candy died in his sleep on March 4th
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis died of cancer May 19th
Elton John was inducted into the "Rock N Roll Hall of Fame"
Time Magazine’s Man of the Year was Pope John Paul II.
I'll Make Love to You by Boys 2 Men was the overall top song, with 14 weeks at number one.
Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue features 3 models for the first time: Elle MacPherson, Kathy Ireland, Rachel Hunter
The 1994 World Series was canceled on September 14 of that year due to an ongoing strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which had begun on August 12. It was only the second time in the event's history (and the first time since 1904) that the Fall Classic was not played.
On September 17, 1994, Miss Alabama Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: 'I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,'
Most popular baby names of 1994 were Michael and Jessica.
A fan group in Flourtown, Pennsylvania announced that they had begun translating the Bible into the Star Trek alien language Klingon.
Woodstock '94 commemorates the original weekend-long concert. Green Day and Nine Inch Nails join Bob Dylan and the Allman Brothers.
ER and Friends debut on NBC, establishing NBC's dominance of the Thursday-night lineup.
Actress Jessica Tandy died.
Record of the Year: "I Will Always Love You," Whitney Houston
Album of the Year: The Bodyguard—Original Soundtrack Album, Whitney Houston (Arista)
Song of the Year: "A Whole New World" (Theme From Aladdin), Alan Menken and Tim Rice, songwriters

Pulitzer Prizes:

Fiction: The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
Music: Of Reminiscences and Reflections, Gunther Schuller
Drama: Three Tall Women, Edward Albee

Top Grossing Films:

Forrest Gump - starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
The Lion King - starring Matthew Broderick
True Lies - starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis
The Santa Clause - starring Tim Allen, Wendy Crewson
The Flintstones - starring John Goodman, Elizabeth Perkins, Rick Moranis, Rosie O'Donnell, Halle Berry, Kyle MacLachlan
Dumb & Dumber - starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Victoria Rowell
Clear and Present Danger - starring Harrison Ford
Speed - starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock
The Mask - starring Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz
Pulp Fiction - starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman

Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture: Forrest Gump- Paramount Pictures
Best Director: Robert Zemeckis - Forrest Gump
Best Actor: Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump
Best Actress: Jessica Lange - Blue Sky
Best Supporting Actor: Martin Landau - Ed Wood
Best Supporting Actress: Dianne Wiest - Bullets Over Broadway
Best Foreign Language Film: Burnt by the Sun (Utomlyonnye solntsem), directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, France / Russia

Top TV Shows:

Seinfeld (NBC)
E.R. (NBC)
Home Improvement (ABC)
Grace Under Fire (ABC)
NYPD Blue (ABC)
Murder, She Wrote (CBS)
Friends (NBC)
Roseanne (ABC)
Mad About You (NBC)
Madman of the People (NBC)

Top 25 Music Hits of 1994:

The Sign, Ace Of Base
I Swear, All-4-One
I'll Make Love to You, Boyz II Men
The Power of Love, Celine Dion
Hero, Mariah Carey
Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
Breathe Again, Toni Braxton
All for Love, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
Don't Turn Around, Ace Of Base
Bump N' Grind, R. Kelly
Again, Janet Jackson
I'll Remember, Madonna
Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa
Wild Night, John Mellencamp and Me'shell Ndegeocello
Without You /Never Forget You, Mariah Carey
You Mean the World to Me, Toni Braxton
Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Elton John
The Most Beautiful Girl In the World, Prince Symbol
Fantastic Voyage, Coolio
Baby, I Love Your Way, Big Mountain
Regulate, Warren G and Nate Dogg
If You Go, Jon Secada
Back and Forth, Aaliyah
Now and Forever, Richard Marx

Sports:

Major League Baseball Players Association begin 232 day strike causing 1994 season to be cancelled
Brazil Wins 1994 World Cup in United States
The Winter Olympic Games are held in Lillehammer, Norway
NBA Championships were won by the Houston Rockets. Their star player was Hakeem Olajuwon. They beat the NY Nicks.
Super Bowl XXVIII was won by the Dallas Cowboys over the Buffalo Bills, 30-13 in Atlanta, GA
Stanley Cup Champs: New York Rangers
U.S. Open Golf: Ernie Ells
U.S. Tennis: (Men/Ladies): Andre Agassi/Sanchez Vicario
Wimbledon (Men/Women): Pete Sampras/Conchita Martinez
NCAA Football Champions: Nebraska
NCAA Basketball Champions: Arkansas
Kentucky Derby winner: Go For Gin

Technology/Science:

First Genetically Engineered Tomatoes Available use of GM Foods in US approved
The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull
Netscape Navigator released quickly becoming market leader for browsing the web
White House launches Web page. Initial commerce sites are established and mass marketing campaigns are launched via email, introducing the term "spamming" to the Internet vocabulary.
Dr. Ned First (US) clones calves from cells of early embryos.

Things We Apparently Could Live Without:

DVDs – invented 1995
Digital camera – Kodak invented the digital camera in 1995
JAVA programming language – invented in 1995
Viagra – invented in 1998
Blackberries – invented in 1999
Check/debit cards – invented 1995
iPods – invented 2001
Online stock trading – invented 1994
Disposable contact lenses – invented 1995
TIVO – invented 1999

True Crime:

48 members of the Order of the Solar Tradition Cult commit suicide to escape the hypocrisies and oppression of this world.
OJ Simpson flees police in his white ford bronco
Tonya Harding wins the national Figure Skating championship title but is stripped of her title following an attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan.
Lorena Bobbitt was aquitted of Malicious Wounding 11 days after the start of her January 10 trial. The jury concluded she was temporarily insane.
Both Lyle and Erik Menendez had their murder trials end in a deadlocked jury.
LAPD decided not to file child molestation charges against Michael Jackson.
Model Dian Parkinson sued Bob Barker for sexually harassing her while working on The Price is Right.

Political/Newsworthy:

Nelson Mandela becomes first black president of South Africa
Channel Tunnel opened on May 6th between England and France
Northridge Earthquake, magnitude 6.7, hits the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles
PLO leader Yasser Arafat returns to Palestine after 27 years in exile
The Seongsu suspension bridge over the Han River in Seoul collapses killing 32.
Estonian Ferry Estonia sinks in the Baltic sea off the coast of Finland over 900 dead
Tornado outbreak occurs in Southeastern United States
The North American Free Trade Agreement ( Making The Largest Trading Bloc of Countries In The World ) United States, Canada and Mexico.
A New Outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Zaire which continues in 1995 ( highest case fatality rates of any human pathogenic virus, roughly 90%. )
Former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones sued President Clinton for sexual harassment.
Marion Barry was reelected mayor of Washington D.C. in 1994 despite having served jail time for smoking crack cocaine while in office.
Richard Nixon dies - April 22
Tip O'Neill dies
Nobel Peace Prize is shared by Yasir Arafat (Palestine), Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin (both Israel)