1995 in history
Here are some light-hearted facts about 1995, designed to serve as a prep sheet for a radio feature on 1995.
I created this page because when I needed some notes to create a few talking points about 1995 in Ireland I couldn't find any suitable sources, so I thought I'd share what I did find. It applies to 1995 in Britain too.
You can also look at years other than 1995:
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1995
Steve Fossett became the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a hot air balloon.
Most phone numbers in Britain were changed in what was called 'PhONEday'.
The remaining Berni Inn restaurants were converted to Beefeater.
The rivalry between Blur and Oasis began backstage at the NME Awards. For a while Blur didn't realise it was supposed to be serious. Management had tried to stop the bands clashing, but the frontmen and media encouraged it.
Ireland marginally voted in favour of ending the country's long-standing ban on divorce.
Robbie Williams left Take That. A clause in his contract said he couldn't release his own music while the band was still going.
Bill and Hillary Clinton came to Ireland at the end of the year.
Prince Charles arrived in Dublin on the first official visit by a member of the British royal family since Irish independence.
1995 Launches
The internet-based auction site eBay opened its virtual doors this year. The first item advertised was a broken Laser Pointer for $14.83. When advised the item was broken, the buyer said that's why he wanted it: he was a collector of broken Laser Pointers.
Two game consoles were released in Europe: the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The PlayStation won the battle and pushed Sega out of the picture.
Supermarket Direct began delivering groceries in London. It was the first online supermarket.
Starbucks created the Frappuccino.
Kildare's most famous landmark, the Naas Ball, was unveiled following a public art competition. It's officially called Perpetual Motion.
1995 in Film
Batman Forever was the biggest film of the year.
Other big films include Apollo 13, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Casper, Die Hard with a Vengeance, GoldenEye and Se7en.
Mel Gibson's Braveheart, Clueless, Dangerous Minds and Babe were also released.
Toy Story was the first computer-animated movie.
In Dublin, 4,000 extras were on the set of the new Michael Collins film to take part in a crowd scene where Éamon de Valera gives a speech outside the GPO in Dublin.
The specially constructed set which included a replica of O'Connell Street was built on the grounds of the old Grangegorman Hospital, where filming took place. Arriving by the bus load, the extras provided their services free-of-charge.
1995 in TV
Big TV shows of the year (not premiers): Heartbeat, Casualty, Keeping Up Appearances, Inspector Morse and Seinfeld.
Debbie McGee was one of the first guests on Caroline Aherne's The Mrs Merton Show, where she asked the famous question, "what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels".
Father Ted and The Crystal Maze first aired in this year.
Hollyoaks was new on TV.
The Eurovision Song Contest came from The Point Theatre in Dublin, presented by Mary Kennedy. RTÉ asked not to host the event again, if Ireland were win a fourth time, as the costs were crippling. Norway was the winner.
While these facts about 1995 have been checked against third-party sources (and have been used on air before!), they are provided in good faith to inspire your research and no guarantee is made about their accuracy or their uniqueness. You can use the facts however you wish: most people just take a couple of points they remember and talk around then.
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