- 1 minute ago
From the dawn of the World Wide Web to the birth of the camera phone, the '90s were packed with innovations that changed the way we live and interact. Join us as we explore the tech breakthroughs and groundbreaking inventions that defined this transformative decade. Discover the origins of everything from text messaging and GPS access to MP3 players and Google’s search engine revolution.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I'm your Bill Holden in Stalag 17. I don't even, I really don't get that reference. Google it.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're delving into the groundbreaking innovations and pivotal
00:11releases that shaped technology, entertainment, and everyday life throughout this transformative
00:17decade. The adrenaline and getting it to work was such that, you know, you make miracles happen.
00:251990, the first public website. In 1990, the world's first web browser, World Wide Web,
00:32changed everything. By the end of 1990, Tim Berners-Lee had the first web server and browser
00:38up and running on his next computer at CERN. Created by Tim Berners-Lee, it let people connect
00:45and read linked pages for the first time, introducing the basic structure of the internet we still use
00:51today. CERN, because CERN's a great place to invent the web, because lots and lots of different
00:56documentation systems came from all over the world. So there's a lot of frustration, personal
01:01frustration for me, and an idea also that I wanted to have really good collaborative tools
01:06for the people I was working with. And so then when you realize, you know, it could be simpler.
01:11Sure, it was simple and mostly used by researchers, but it laid the foundation for a world that would
01:17one day make good on the worldwide part of its name. At the same time, Archie, the world's very
01:23first search engine, helped early users navigate this growing online world more easily.
01:29Alan called the tool Archie because file naming conventions at the time required the word archives
01:34be shortened to six characters. Plus, the digital camera emerged, letting people capture and instantly
01:41view photos without film, reshaping how memories were recorded and shared.
01:46How about a palm-sized digital camera? Not for me, but a friend who's fallen on hard times.
01:531991, webcams. If you thought tech was making us less active today, just wait until you hear why the
01:59webcam was invented. I sat right next to this machine, so I was lucky. I always had fresh coffee,
02:05but some of the other people in the group would come down from two or three floors away and they
02:09would
02:09find that there was just, you know, the dregs in the bottom and it was, it was pretty bad then.
02:13In 1991, the famous Trojan Room coffee pot webcam was born. Initially, just so researchers could check
02:20the coffee level without leaving their desks. This early, internal use really set the stage for how
02:26we'd eventually use webcams for everything from video calls to online streaming. When we did this,
02:32it was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, cameras on the web. And it has gone from that
02:37novelty
02:38aspect to being of historic interest remarkably quickly. And I think perhaps on the web, that can
02:43happen much faster than anywhere else. Meanwhile, the Linux kernel was introduced, laying the foundation
02:49for an open source software movement that basically still powers tons of devices today. While the first
02:55true website launched this year, the simple webcam proved that digital communication was about to become
03:01much more personal. 1992, SMS. In 1992, a simple two-word greeting, Merry Christmas, launched a
03:10communication revolution. The first message was Merry Christmas, spelled with the full words, not X-mas,
03:15it was Christmas. And it was sent to Richard Jarvis, who was a director for Vodafone at the time.
03:22Sent by engineer Neil Papworth from a computer via a Vodafone network,
03:26it became the world's first SMS text message. Originally designed so network operators could
03:32send service alerts, texting quickly took on a life of its own as a personal communication tool.
03:38London Science Museum says the SMS marked a turning point in the history of phones and communications.
03:44Early phones weren't exactly built for typing, making messages frustratingly slow and awkward to send.
03:51But the convenience was impossible to ignore. Over time, SMS reshaped how people stayed in touch,
03:56turning conversations into quick written exchanges. This simple system laid the groundwork for today's
04:02nonstop messaging and social media culture. Gina hasn't taken her eyes off the phone in two hours.
04:08First person to make her look up wins the pot. 1993, the first intelligent prosthesis. In 1993,
04:15health technology took a major step forward with the development of the first intelligent prosthesis.
04:20There's also B-bionic, often called the Terminator hand, which has different grips and gestures
04:24that can be controlled by the flexing of various forearm muscles.
04:27Unlike earlier artificial limbs, this version used sensors and computer systems to respond to natural
04:33muscle movements, allowing users more control and independence. It showed how technology could
04:39meaningfully improve everyday life. The story of creating artificial limbs is far from over.
04:45Scientists today are still working on improving the lives of amputees. From controlling the artificial limb with
04:50your brain, to allowing the patient to feel with their prosthetic limb, to re-growing the limb altogether.
04:56That same year, the PDF file format was introduced, taking some of the frustration out of sharing
05:01carefully formatted documents. Sony also announced their intentions to release the first PlayStation,
05:07bringing immersive 3D gaming to homes all around the world. Meanwhile, advances in gene mapping began
05:13unlocking the secrets of human DNA. Even now, scientists use genetic mapping to find a connection
05:19between a genetic disease that runs in families and gene mutations that might underlie the disease.
05:261994, the Nokia 1011. Mobile phones became far more practical with the mass production of the Nokia 1011,
05:33the first widely available GSM digital handheld phone. Nokia, it remembers because it's human to forget.
05:45The shift from analog to digital technology meant clearer calls and more reliable service,
05:51helping mobile communication spread widely. This year also marked the early development of Bluetooth,
05:57a short-range wireless technology that would later allow devices to connect effortlessly.
06:01There have been a lot of innovations in cold medication since your time. And yet,
06:07nothing for adults in bubblegum flavor. Still. Bluetooth.
06:13The IBM's Simon Personal Communicator, also debuted, often considered the first true smartphone due to
06:19its combination of calling and digital organizer features. So with it, I can get a page, I can check my
06:25email, I can send or receive faxes, I can make a phone call of course, and I can use it
06:29like a normal PDA,
06:30I can check my calendar, I can look up a phone number, even scratch a note to myself on this
06:34touch-sensitive screen. Outside electronics, the flavor saver tomato became the first genetically
06:40modified food sold commercially, igniting conversations about science, food, and the future of agriculture.
06:471995, widespread GPS access. Imagine a world where finding your way relies solely on paper maps,
06:54while precise location data remains a guarded military secret. The GPS system was developed
07:00by the military and can actually pinpoint position to within just a few meters.
07:06But for security reasons, the satellite signal is scrambled for civilian use.
07:11That reality shifted in July 1995, when GPS achieved full operational capability as all 24 satellites reached
07:19orbit. The system became officially available worldwide, yet the US military preserved an
07:25advantage through selective availability, deliberately reducing civilian accuracy to roughly the length of
07:31a football field. This handy little device here is the lost bushwalker's savior. With a simple push of a
07:38button, it tells you exactly where you are to within 100 meters. It's called the global positioning system,
07:44or GPS. Though far too vague for modern turn-by-turn navigation, it transformed sailing, hiking, aviation,
07:51and more. At the same time, Windows 95 let users visit newly launched Amazon or eBay, both essentially
07:59soft-launching a future where purchasing almost anything would happen with a click.
08:03What are you doing? Are you online shopping? I'm trying to order those shoes the girl was wearing.
08:08You're looking for ladies shoes. Shh, they're unisex. 1996, DVDs. This year marked the introduction
08:15of the DVD standard, which became a big leap forward in home entertainment. I brought my DVD
08:21collection. Do you like Nick Cage movies? They provided far better video and sound quality than VHS tapes,
08:27and they included cool extras like interactive menus and bonus features. Movie buffs rejoiced as film
08:34watching at home got a major upgrade. One out of every four US households owned a DVD player.
08:40DVD players were becoming cheaper, and at their peak in 2005, you can find them for under $50. And
08:46in 2007, about 80% of Americans owned a DVD player. This was more than VCRs at their peak,
08:51and it was also more than cable TV and personal computers at the time. Not to mention it brought an
08:56end to the Be Kind Rewind era. The Nintendo 64 also launched this year, bringing 3D graphics and
09:03gameplay innovations that changed gaming forever. On the science front, Myriad Genetics made important
09:08advances in genetic testing, and genetic cloning experiments raised both hopes and ethical questions
09:14for the future of medicine. On an ordinary farm in Scotland, scientists say a clone was created
09:20from a single cell taken from the udder of a sheep. The embryo was then implanted in a surrogate,
09:26making an exact genetic copy of its so-called mother. 1997 MP3 player. Music changed forever with the
09:35creation of the first portable MP3 player. This MP3? Yeah. While MP3 files already existed,
09:42this device made it possible to carry digital music in your pockets. Suddenly, skipping tracks and
09:47scratched discs were no longer daily annoyances. Oh! You made my Discman skip! This shift freed music
09:56from physical formats and paved the way for future devices like the iPod. That same year,
10:01Netflix launched as a DVD-by-mail service, quietly planting the seeds for a streaming revolution.
10:07Go to Netflix.com. Make a list of the movies you want to see. It's easy. Suddenly,
10:11millions of DVDs are flying through the mail. I never returned this one. That's on me.
10:16The Toyota Prius also debuted in Japan as the first mass-produced hybrid car,
10:21signaling growing interest in fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, early Wi-Fi standards were published,
10:27laying the groundwork for wireless internet as we know it. This standard used the 2.4 radio
10:33frequency band, and since it was the first Wi-Fi standard, the speed was very slow at 1 to 2
10:40megabits per second. 1998. Google. Can you even imagine trying to find anything online without
10:46Google? Its official launch in 1998 was nothing short of revolutionary.
10:50Whoa! Just what is this magic searching device? Right now, I'm using Google.
10:57It organized an endless database of info in a way that was fast, simple, and actually useful. It took
11:03off fast and completely changed how people look things up, learn new stuff, and get answers.
11:08The pair wanted a name that would be as grand as their vision. Inspired by the vast number of links
11:14between pages, and how their search engine would only become more accurate and useful as the web
11:19continued to grow. Page and Bryn renamed their company after the mathematical term, Google.
11:26Little could anyone have known how much we'd end up relying on it for basically everything. Around the same
11:32time, commercial e-readers made digital books practical, medical research made real progress
11:37with stem cells, and a team began developing tiny camera pills that would help doctors see
11:42inside the body less invasively. The procedure does not require any hospitalization. You come to the
11:49clinic, you swallow the capsule, put on the belt, put on your jacket and go to work. Before we continue,
11:55be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
12:00You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone,
12:05make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
12:101999, the camera phone. If your phone is packed with photos of your baby, human or fur,
12:16you're using it for exactly the reason it was invented.
12:18Philippe decides to try something that had never been done before,
12:23to share a picture of his newborn baby wirelessly with his family and friends.
12:30In 1997, Philippe Kahn connected his laptop, camera and cell phone to instantly share pictures of his
12:36newborn daughter with friends and family.
12:38Just minutes after his daughter Sophie is born, her photo is making its way across the web.
12:44The first ever digital image uploaded from a cell phone to a social network.
12:50Building on that idea, the Kyocera Visual Phone VP210, released in Japan in May 1999,
12:57became the first commercially available mobile video phone that could also take still photos.
13:03Its front-facing camera kicked off the era of visual communication and selfies.
13:15That same year, DVRs like TiVo changed how we watch TV, while Napster shook up the music industry,
13:22sparking debates about sharing and digital rights.
13:25The industry may have crushed Napster, but the idea had taken hold and a flurry of other downloading
13:31services took its place.
13:33It's free and it's easy and you know, it's wrong, yeah, but a lot of people do it.
13:38Pretty much everybody does.
13:39Which 90s invention are you most thankful for? Let us know in the comments.
13:45TheILDR stages
13:45If you keep listening...
13:46Have a good state of deputies...
13:46...
13:47jsut...
13:48know...
Comments