1990: How Did One Year Tear Down the Old World?

A wall comes down, a prisoner walks free, an invasion the world refuses to accept, and the first website goes online — all in one year. In 1990, Germany became one country again after more than four decades of division, and Nelson Mandela walked out of prison after 27 years as South Africa began talks to end apartheid. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, the UN, the United States and the Soviet Union stood on the same side, and a coalition of 42 countries formed. Leaders met in Paris to mark the end of the Cold War, Margaret Thatcher resigned, the Hubble Space Telescope went into orbit with a flawed mirror, and at CERN Tim Berners-Lee put the first website online. We follow four clues — a country made whole, a prisoner set free, an invasion refused and two new ways of seeing — to answer one question: how did one year tear down the old world, and start building ours? Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:22 The question 0:55 The Wall 1:44 One Germany 2:44 The Prisoner 3:40 The Talks 4:17 The Invasion 5:12 The Coalition 6:14 New Windows 7:25 The answer The Long Answer: one question, eight minutes, the whole story. History, science, technology and strange events, explained clearly for curious people. Got a question you want answered? Leave it in the comments. *Sources:* Narration based on the English Wikipedia article "1990" and the linked articles on its events: "German reunification", "Berlin Wall", "Stasi", "1990 East German general election", "Deutsche Mark", "Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany", "Apartheid", "F. W. de Klerk", "Nelson Mandela", "Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa", "Iraqi invasion of Kuwait", "Gulf War", "Charter of Paris for a New Europe", "1990 Conservative Party leadership election", "Margaret Thatcher", "STS-31", "Hubble Space Telescope", "CERN", "Tim Berners-Lee" and "World Wide Web" (CC BY-SA 4.0). *Photo credits* (Wikimedia Commons): Public domain / CC0: Apartheid signs; Bush and Gorbachev; CERN, aerial; G7 summit, Houston, 1990; Brandenburg Gate, 1990; GDR law gazette, 1990; Bush and Gorbachev, Helsinki; Hubble, artist's concept; Hubble deployment, STS-31; Hubble in orbit; US Marines at Kuwait airport; Abandoned Iraqi tank, Kuwait; Iraqi tank near Kuwait City; Bush and Mandela; Grinding Hubble's mirror; Inspecting Hubble's mirror; Paris summit, 1990; Coalition review; Bradley vehicles, Desert Shield; Desert Shield arrival; Carrier group, Desert Shield; F-15s, Desert Shield; STS-31 launch; STS-31 lift-off; Margaret Thatcher; Two Plus Four signatures; Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus; Early CERN web page Unknown author (CC BY 4.0) – Canal border barrier, 1990 Guido Radig (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Inner German border, January 1990 Daniel Case (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Cape Town at dawn Debbielouise (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Grand Parade, aerial Martinvl (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Cape Town City Hall Discott (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Grand Parade, Cape Town Adam Nieman (CC BY-SA 2.0) – CERN Globe Walter Rutishauser (CC BY-SA 4.0) – F. W. de Klerk, 1990 World Economic Forum (CC BY-SA 2.0) – De Klerk and Mandela, 1992 CDU (CC BY-SA 3.0) – CDU poster, 1990 Gerd Danigel (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Berlin, August 1990 Guido Radig (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Border guards, April 1990 Lithuanian Central State Archives (CC BY 4.0) – Gorbachev in Lithuania, 1990 Gladiator2030 (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Kuwait City from the sea USMC Archives (CC BY 2.0) – Kuwait City road, 1991 Mikael Lindmark (CC BY-SA 2.5) – Kuwait Towers Rodneyellis (GFDL) – Nelson Mandela, 1991 European Parliament (© European Union, source: European Parliament, free reuse with attribution) – Mandela at the European Parliament Coolcaesar (CC BY-SA 3.0) – The first web server Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious (CC BY-SA 2.0) – Oil pumps Khaosaming (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Grand Parade, 1993 Leynadmar (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Élysée Palace Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Parliament, Cape Town Dirk Bindmann (CC BY-SA 4.0) – East and West German passports HelenOnline (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Drakenstein (former Victor Verster) Prison HelenOnline (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Drakenstein Correctional Centre qwesy qwesy (CC BY 3.0) – Reichstag, around 1990 Moheen Reeyad (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Robben Island prison Andreas Lippold (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Currency union queue, 1990 Gunnar Klack (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Former Stasi headquarters Rolf Dietrich Brecher (CC BY-SA 2.0) – Stasi conference room cellanr (CC BY-SA 2.0) – Tim Berners-Lee Francesco Sgarbossa (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Berners-Lee's office, CERN Hansueli Krapf (CC BY-SA 3.0) – Township near Cape Town Jdforrester (CC BY 4.0) – UN Security Council chamber Smiley.toerist (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Berlin Wall, 1990 Robert Hösle (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Potsdamer Platz, 1990 Kasa Fue (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Berlin Wall, October 1990 Kasa Fue (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Wall peckers, October 1990 Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Berlin Wall on the Spree Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Berlin Wall, around 1990