PRESS CONTACT:
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
303.866.3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us

By tracing the multitude of watershed events and innovations that shaped and reshaped daily life in the decade, visitors to The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future come to understand something which they intuitively knew but perhaps could not quantify: the 1990s changed everything.

“The 90s is a decade defined by the speed in which the world changed—technologically, economically and culturally,” said Dawn DiPrince, president/CEO of History Colorado and State Historic Preservation Officer. “We witnessed the rise of the internet, cellphones, 24-hour television, and we saw the fall of the Berlin Wall ignite the globalization of capitalism. Our mainstream culture fractured into many parts and being human changed in ways we are still trying to understand.”

Drawing insightful parallels between the past and present, The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future takes visitors on both chronological and thematic explorations that highlight how this formative decade laid the groundwork for today's information age and the rising intelligence age.

"Now that we have a few decades between us and the 90s, we can look back and appreciate just how profoundly the events we lived through transformed our world," said Jeremy Morton, exhibition developer and historian at History Colorado. “Things that only existed in science fiction at the beginning of the decade—the ability to access all the world's knowledge if you simply had a phone line, to pinpoint your exact location on a satellite map, or send an instant message to someone on a distant continent—became part of our everyday lives by the the time Y2K rolled around.”

A remarkable collection of objects pulled from History Colorado’s archives, and loaned from museums, libraries, and private collectors across the nation, brings The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future to life and explores various aspects of public and personal life during the era.

Highlights of The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future include:

• A piece of the Berlin Wall
• Iconic items used by Bill and Hillary Clinton in the White House
• Costumes donned by some of the decade’s biggest movie stars, including Whoopi Goldberg’s pink suit from Ghost and Tom Hanks’ combat uniform from Saving Private Ryan 
• Signature outfits from era-defining music superstars like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and the Backstreet Boys 
• Memorabilia from star athletes like John Elway, Michael Jordan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Patrick Roy, Kerri Strug, Amy Van Dyken, Wayne Gretzky, and Vinny Castilla
• Vintage fashion, toys, and technology highlighting the trends and innovations of the decade
• So much more!

“When you visit The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future you’ll gain a better understanding of how the world we live in today came to be,” Morton said. “Those of us who lived through it might rediscover our love for things like Furbys, JNCOs, and Discmans, but we’ll also get new perspectives on how the challenges we face today—such as anxiety about technology, political tensions, and a seemingly endless stream of world-changing events—are not new, but part of an ongoing continuum. I hope this perspective leaves visitors with a renewed sense of resilience and optimism, inspired by the past and ready to face the future.”

The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future opens on November 22, 2024, at the History Colorado Center in Denver. The History Colorado Center is located at 1200 N Broadway and is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission for kids 18 and under is free every day.

Members of the media interested in an early look at The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future should contact Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations, at (303) 866-3670 or luke.perkins@state.co.us. 

The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future is sponsored by Blue Moon and CBS Colorado.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 145-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado