Pager Codes: 15 Secret 90s Beeper Messages Decoded
Pager codes let 90s kids talk in numbers—143 meant I love you and 07734 spelled hello. Here are the 15 beeper codes that defined the decade.
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On This Day: July 4, 1997 — Mars Pathfinder Lands on Mars
Quick Answer: The Mars Pathfinder landing happened on July 4, 1997, when NASA bounced a lander onto the plains of Ares Vallis using a cocoon of giant airbags. The next day it released Sojourner, a microwave-sized six-wheeled rover — the first wheeled machine ever to drive on another planet. Built on a shoestring budget of…
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How Three Cities Turned the 90s Into Rap’s Golden Age
New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta each built a sound of their own — and the friction between them made the 90s the golden age of hip-hop.
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Knight Rider: 9 Wild Facts About the 80s TV Hit
KITT, the talking Pontiac Trans Am, made Knight Rider an 80s icon. 9 wild facts about David Hasselhoff, the scanner light, KARR, and the Hoff’s rise.
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On This Day: July 3, 1985 — Back to the Future Hits Theaters
On July 3, 1985, Back to the Future opened and became the biggest film of the year. The firing that nearly killed it, the DeLorean, and the story behind the classic.
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The Decade Hip-Hop Learned to Tell Stories
Between 1990 and 1999, Golden Age hip-hop stopped bragging and started narrating — turning rappers like Nas, Biggie, and the Wu-Tang Clan into the great American storytellers of the decade.
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Cheers TV Show: 9 Wild Facts About the 80s Sitcom
The Cheers TV show almost got cancelled after finishing dead last — then became one of the most decorated sitcoms ever. 9 wild facts about the Boston bar.
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On This Day: July 2, 1982 — Lawn Chair Larry’s Wild Flight
Quick Answer: On July 2, 1982, a 33-year-old truck driver named Larry Walters — soon nicknamed Lawn Chair Larry — tied 42 helium weather balloons to an aluminum patio chair and floated 16,000 feet over Los Angeles. He carried a pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches and a six-pack, drifted into the flight path of…
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How the Sampler Built the Sound of 90s Rap
The Golden Age hip-hop era ran on two machines and a crate of dusty records. Here’s how the SP-1200, the MPC, and a handful of obsessive producers built the sound of 90s rap.
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Baywatch TV Show: 9 Wild Facts About the 90s Hit
How a canceled NBC lifeguard drama became the most-watched TV show on Earth, with red swimsuits, slow-motion runs, and 1.1 billion weekly fans.
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On This Day: July 1, 1984 — The PG-13 Rating Is Born
On July 1, 1984, the MPAA created the PG-13 rating after Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom pushed the old PG too far.
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How the Golden Age of Hip-Hop Conquered the 1990s
From The Chronic to Illmatic, the Golden Age of hip-hop turned the 1990s into the most fearless decade rap ever had. Here’s how it happened.
