The decade of the ‘90s (the 1990s for anyone younger than 19 years of age) began with the prospect of great things. The 1980s, in spite of big hair bands and cocaine fueled self-indulgence, ended with a glimpse at the real promise of hope and change as the decade closed out with the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Following close behind this world-changing event came the release from prison of Nelson Mandela in 1990 (for anyone younger than 19 years of age, if you don’t know whom Nelson Mandela was, shame on you. Google him and learn something important). The decade of the ‘90s appeared to be ushering in a new era of positive achievements. Yes, the birth of the ‘90s held great promise.

However, soon enough that promise of a global paradigm shift towards peace and tranquility began to crumble as the normalcy of global weirdness returned. In the very early hours of April 14, 1991, 20 paintings by the Dutch master Vincent van Gogh were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Valued at $500 million, it was the largest art heist in the Netherlands since the plundering by the Nazis in World War II — and the quickest recovery, ever.

Less than an hour after the thieves exited the museum, their getaway car was found abandoned with all the paintings still inside. It turns out their plan called for a second car to be waiting nearby for a quick transfer and escape — but that car had a flat tire and the thieves ran off into the breaking light of dawn, only to be captured soon after.

Also in 1991, General Joseph Raul Cédras decided to throw a little a coup d’état in Haiti to overthrow the elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. By 1994, the U.S. (and several other members of the U.N.) were a little tired of the guy and sent a “negotiation” team that included former President Jimmy Carter and retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powel. Naturally, Cédras was not very eager to leave town because he thought he had a pretty good gig going — until the negotiating team showed him a video feed of the 82nd Airborne Division aircraft being loaded with troops. A quick retirement became the best option for Cédras, Aristide returned, and absolutely nothing good has happened to Haiti ever since.

1991 was a busy year, with Al Gore inventing the World Wide Web (according to reports on the internet), causing the slow decline of print media and the rapid increase in online pornography. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ending the Cold War — and the first Gulf War began…remember that fleeting glimpse at world peace we saw in 1989?

In 1994, after a massive police chase involving a slow white Bronco (no…not John Elway), Orenthal James Simpson was arrested for the murder of his ex-wife. Reporting of this “news” story was so important, television coverage of the NBA finals was interrupted so all of America (and the world) could watch as (what seemed to be) a thousand squad cars pursued OJ along the Los Angeles freeways at breakneck speeds approaching 40 MPH (maybe slower).  News reporters breathlessly documented the drama, as helicopter cameras showed Simpson exit the freeway, cruise the surface streets, pull into his driveway, and then calmly enter his home. My goodness, it was exciting!

In 1995, the Federal Government was shutdown, due to a budget crisis…but that doesn’t seem like such a big deal, anymore.

However, the biggest not-so-big of a deal of the ‘90s came about at the last second of the last minute of the last hour of the decade. A catastrophe of global proportions had been predicted to occur as the internal clocks of every computer in the world struck midnight on December 31, 1999.

It even had a name — Y2K.

All of the computers around the world were expected to crash, because no one had planned for dates to change from 19 something-or-another to 20 something-or-another. The resulting chaos was expected to toss us all back into the Stone Age…eliminating the internet and any hope for the creation of World of Warcraft.

The actual result? Nothing! Y2K turned out to be no big deal, at all.

Larry Wilson is a mostly lifelong resident of Niles. His essays stem from experiences, compilations and recollections from friends and family. He can be reached at wflw@hotmail.com