14 things you won't believe happened 30 years ago

Gabbi ShawJan 16, 2024, 02:48 IST

Kurt Cobain died 30 years ago in 2024.Frank Micelotta Archive/Getty Images

Thirty years ago, the world was a very different place.
"The Lion King" was No. 1 at the box office, and the world was obsessed with a white Bronco.

If you're anything like the average Gen Xer or millennial, thinking about events from 30 years ago might take you back to the '70s.

But in reality, the year was actually 1994.

As recent as that might sound to some people, the world was an entirely different place. Amazon was just starting, "Friends" was premiering, and Steven Spielberg was winning his first Oscar.

Take a trip down memory lane to see what else happened 30 years ago.

NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) went into effect on January 1, 1994.

The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sam Nunn, former President Jimmy Carter, and President Bill Clinton.Jeffrey Markowitz/Getty Images

Nancy Kerrigan was attacked on January 6, 1994.

Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan avoid each other during a training session in Hamar, Norway, during the Winter Olympics. VINCENT ALMAVY/AFP/Getty Images

In March, Steven Spielberg finally won his first two Oscars at the 1994 ceremony for "Schindler's List."

Steven Spielberg at the 1994 Academy Awards.Frank Trapper/Corbis/Getty Images

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home on April 5.

Kurt Cobain performs with his group Nirvana on November 18, 1993.Frank Micelotta Archive/Getty Images

On April 15, 1994, Nas released "Illmatic," which is now regarded as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.

Nas on November 10, 1994.Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

On April 27, Nelson Mandela was elected the first democratically elected president of South Africa, ending apartheid for good.

Nelson Mandela acknowledges a crowd of ANC supporters on April 21, 1994.Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman were murdered on June 12. Brown Simpson's ex-husband, OJ Simpson, would later be acquitted of the crime.

Motorists wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect OJ Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase on June 17, 1994.Jean-Marc Giboux/Liaison/Getty Images

"The Lion King" was released on June 15. It became the No. 1 movie of the year.

"The Lion King."Disney

On July 5, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.

Jeff Bezos in 1997.Paul Souders/Getty Images

The World Series was canceled for the first time in 90 years on September 14.

Young baseball fans holding up signs protesting against the proposed strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association.Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images

A new sitcom called "Friends" premiered on September 22.

The cast of "Friends."Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

In October, the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres "for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East."

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the joint Nobel Peace Prize winners for 1994, in Oslo, Norway.Government Press Office/Getty Images

Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow met on the set of "Seven" in December 1994. They'd eventually get engaged before breaking up in 1997.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt.Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage/Getty Images

Dakota Fanning, Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, and Nat Wolff were all born 30 years ago in 1994.

Justin Bieber, Dakota Fanning, Harry Styles, and Nat Wolff.Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images; Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Prime Video

Meet Queen Margrethe II, the reigning monarch of Denmark who is abdicating the throne after 52 years

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