What happened when Mandela met the Spice Girls? It was the only time “Girl Power” met “Moral Power,” and nobody was quite sure who was… Read More »1996 Legacy: Nelson Mandela & The Spice Girls

Why were politicians terrified in 1996? Because an IBM computer beat a world chess champion, while most Senators were still struggling to program their VCRs.… Read More »1996 Legacy: Deep Blue vs. Kasparov

Why was the Polish President the star of Eastern Europe? Because he proved you could be a post-Communist who spoke English, wore tracksuits, and made… Read More »1996 Legacy: Aleksander Kwaśniewski

Why was Bill Clinton obsessed with building a bridge to the next century? Because with the Whitewater investigation and a GOP Congress behind him, the… Read More »1996 Legacy: The “Bridge to the 21st Century”

What was the main topic at the UN? How to replace Boutros Boutros-Ghali with someone whose name Americans could actually pronounce on the first try… Read More »1996 Legacy: The UN Secretary-General

What was the highlight of the ’96 DNC? Al Gore trying to prove he wasn’t a robot by doing a “stiff Macarena,” which only confirmed… Read More »1996 Archive: The Party Conventions

Why did Hillary write a book about a village? Because after the healthcare fail, she realized it was easier to get an entire African village… Read More »1996 Archive: Hillary Clinton & “It Takes a Village”

Why did British politicians avoid hamburgers in 1996? Because after the outbreak, John Major was afraid voters wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between… Read More »1996 Legacy: Mad Cow Disease (BSE) in the UK

Why was he the “guarantor of peace” in Dayton and a villain again a year later? Because in Balkan politics, a “guarantee” has a shorter… Read More »1996 Vintage: Slobodan Milošević

Why did Bibi Netanyahu win in 1996? Because he promised “Peace with Security,” which sounded great until everyone realized it was like promising a “Diet… Read More »1996 Legacy: The Israeli Election (Netanyahu)