1990
President Bush mobilizes thousands of American troops in Saudi Arabia to go to war against Iraq. Nelson Mandela is freed from a South African prison after 27 years.
Noah Adams and commentator Andrei Codrescu report from Romania in the aftermath of the revolution there.
1991
The world watches as the Soviet Union comes to an end and the 15 separate republics are granted their independence.
ATC turns 20.
The Gulf War begins in January. In March, Neal Conan, NPR's defense correspondent and former ATC executive producer, disappears on a reporting trip to southern Iraq (March); he is captured by the Iraqi Republican Guard and freed less than a week later.
1992
Parts of Los Angeles erupt in riots when a jury fails to convict four white police officers of beating a black motorist named Rodney King.
Robert Siegel interviews author Salman Rushdie, who has been in hiding for three years because of death threats following the publication of his book The Satanic Verses.
1993
Federal agents raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. During the siege, a fire breaks out and most of the cult members are killed, including leader David Koresh and several children.
ATC is the first public radio program to be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
1994
As South Africans prepare to vote in their first all-race elections, ATC airs a series of reports on the status of African nations. In the elections, Nelson Mandela wins with 60 percent of the vote.
Civil war breaks out in Rwanda.
NPR moves its Washington headquarters to 635 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., an area of the city known as Chinatown.
1995
More than 100 people are killed when a bomb goes off at a federal building in Oklahoma City.
The O.J. Simpson trial permeates media coverage throughout the United States and around the world. In October, the jury returns a verdict of not guilty.
ATC expands to two hours, and begins the program an hour earlier (at 4 p.m. EST), as member stations reach out to an early East Coast commuting audience.
1996
Theodore Kaczynski, a former University of California, Berkeley professor living as a recluse in a one-room cabin, is arrested at his Montana home for possession of bomb components. He is suspected of being the notorious Unabomber.
ATC airs the hour-long documentary Remorse: The 14 Stories of Eric Morse produced by David Isay. The documentary wins the 1996 George Foster Peabody Award, broadcasting's most prestigious honor.
To mark its 25th anniversary, ATC airs a montage recalling the variety of sounds and voices the program has presented over the years.
1997
After more than 150 years of British rule, Hong Kong is returned to China. Princess Diana dies when her car crashes into the wall of a Paris traffic tunnel. And scientists in Scotland announce success in cloning the first mammal from an adult, a sheep they name "Dolly."
In November ATC launches a yearlong series examining issues related to dying.
1998
Senator and veteran astronaut John Glenn becomes the oldest person to visit space. The senator is 77 when he boards the space shuttle Discovery.
The day the Monica Lewinsky story breaks, Robert Siegel and Mara Liasson conduct a previously scheduled live interview with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.
1999
When a raft capsizes off the coast of Miami, a young boy is pulled from the waters. Elian Gonzales becomes the center of an international custody battle.
ATC focuses intensive coverage on the student shootings at Colorado's Columbine High School.
The series Lost & Found Sound brings ATC listeners a collection of richly layered stories that chronicle, reflect, and celebrate our changing century of sound. The series is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva) and Jay Allison, in collaboration with NPR and independent producers. 2000 Presidential election results remain unknown for a month, as the state of Florida recounts its votes. In the end, George W. Bush is named the victor. As part of The Changing Face of America series, commentator Leon Wynter returns to Prince George's County, Maryland, after an absence of 20 years, to discover what life is like in the only suburban county in the nation to have African Americans as the majority population. 2001 Contents Copyright 2001, National Public Radio
Though the world prepared for "Y2K" digital disaster, it never materializes.
All Things Considered joins member stations and the nation to celebrate 30 years of sound news.
