Technology on the rise 20 years ago
Nostalgia Editor WE step back two decades in time. How were the 1990s for you?
As ever there were highs and lows.
Here in the North East, 1990 saw the Gateshead International Garden Festival breathe new life into old, derelict, former industrial land.
The following year saw disaffection at large as major riots broke out in Newcastle and North Tyneside, mirroring events across Britain.
In 1992, Sunderland became the first North East town to become a city since Newcastle back in 1882.
A year later, Westoe Colliery in South Shields saw its last shift. It was just one of many pits across the Durham and Northumberland coalfields which was forced to close at the time after providing work for generations of people.
In 1995, the historic city of Durham celebrated its 1,000th birthday.
Meanwhile, in 1997, Sedgefield MP Tony Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister since Jim Callaghan was deposed in 1979.
A year later, the Angel of the North – a stunning piece of public artwork – was unveiled becoming an immediate North East icon in the process.
In pop music, if this was the decade of Britpop and the Spice Girls, the opening of Newcastle Arena in 1995 gave the region a venue large enough to attract the biggest acts and events. And, as for football, 1996 marked the year when the league title – almost – arrived back in Newcastle after an absence of nearly 70 years.
Sadly, with one hand on the trophy, Kevin Keegan’s team imploded and chance was gone.
In the wider world, the rise of technology was relentless with newfangled DVDs, dish washers, digital cameras, widescreen TVs and the likes becoming the norm.
In 1991, the new World Wide Web was made available to the public as the digital age gathered pace.
In 1994, the Sony Playstation was launched, heralding a new age of computer gaming in homes.
By 1998, there were an estimated 130 million web users around the globe – and that would just be the start. The popular Binns Department Store, Newcastle, September 1994 An Inter-City 225 at Newcastle Central Station, July 1998
Above, the pedestrian and cycle tunnel under the River Tyne between Howdon and Jarrow, 1991; left, Paris Texas restaurant, Newcastle, October 1997