This is the second part in a series looking back into the past and DelCor's history of serving associations and nonprofits for over 25 years. This segment focuses on 1990-1996. Enjoy this fun blast from the past!
The 1990’s began just as the wave of technological innovation, economic prosperity, and political tensions was began to crest. Starting with the fall of the Soviet Union and the spread of free market capitalism across the world, this decade became an incubator for many great achievements at home and abroad.
During this time DelCor, at the time known as Business Information Technologies, was also expanding and growing. Having found our niche serving the association and nonprofit community, we began to expand our services to include network systems and support. In 1993, Brian Sheehan our Vice President for Network Systems and Support, joined DelCor and our leadership team was solidified.
1990
- The first McDonalds in Russia is opened.
- Nelson Mandela released, apartheid ends in South Africa.
- An agreement was reached to reunite Germany.
- An SR-71 Blackbird sets the transcontinental speed record of 1 hour 8 minutes and 17 seconds and is retired after.
- Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as first president of the Soviet Union.
- The Hubble Space Telescope is launched.
- Microsoft releases Windows 3.0.
- The first television program in HDTV airs.
1991
- Operation Desert Storm begins.
- Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the US Congress.
- Tim Berners-Lee releases an article describing his idea for the “World Wide Web” on the
alt.hypertext network.
- The Super Nintendo is released in the US.
- The Soviet Union collapses.
- Student Linus Torvalds develops a new OS kernel, it would later become Linux.
1992
- Boris Yeltson announces that Russia will stop targeting the US with nuclear weapons.
- Windows 3.1 released by Microsoft.
- EuroDisney opens in Paris.
- Bill Clinton elected President of the United States.
1993
- The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is signed between the US and Russia.
- IBM announces a $4.97 billion dollar loss.
- Intel ships the first Pentium chips.
- The World Wide Web is born at CERN.
- Windows NT is released.
- The Y2K problem is first theorized.
- The Department of Defense develops the first GPS system.
- Blue LED’s are invented.
1994
- DelCor celebrates ten years in business.
- NAFTA goes into effect.
- The Superhighway Summit is held, it is the first conference to discuss the World Wide Web, Al Gore presides over it.
- Apple Computer releases the first Macintosh computers using PowerPC microprocessors, at the time a major achievement.
- Commodore, a pioneering computer company, files for bankruptcy.
- WXYC, the student radio station at UNC Chapel Hill provides the first internet radio broadcast.
1995
- Yahoo! founded in California.
- The Nasdaq Composite index closes above the 1,000 mark for the first time.
- Microsoft releases Windows 95.
- The DVD format is announced.
- EBay is founded.
- First ever full length computer animated movie,
Toy Story, is released.
- Operation Desert Storm ends.
1996
- The first version of the Java computer language released.
- Deep Blue, a computer, defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov. However in the second match Kasparov defeats Deep Blue.
- The X-Prize is announced, challenging private corporations to develop a reusable spacecraft.
- A sheep named Dolly is born; she is the first cloned mammal.
- The OJ Simpson trial begins.
- Bill Clinton signs the Electronic Freedom of Information Act amendments.
- Steve Jobs’ company NeXT is bought by Apple Computer, which he founded.
- First electric car launched.
To see the last segment on DelCor in the 1980's please click
here.