19941998

19941998 refers to the four-year period spanning 1994 through 1998. It was a time of post–Cold War realignment, rapid technological development, and increasing globalization.

On the political front, the Rwandan genocide began in 1994, and the Bosnian War ended with the Dayton Agreement in 1995. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president in 1994, signaling a major transition for the country. The handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China occurred on July 1, 1997. The Oslo II Accord in 1995 advanced the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, while the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 to address climate change. The World Trade Organization began operating in 1995, strengthening global trade rules amid rising economic integration.

Economic and technological change accelerated. The World Wide Web expanded commercially; Windows 95 shipped in 1995; mainstream consumer gaming grew with the PlayStation's release in the mid-1990s and the Nintendo 64 in 1996. The Asian financial crisis started in 1997, followed by the Russian financial crisis in 1998, testing international financial systems. The year 1998 saw the founding of Google.

Scientific milestones included Dolly the sheep's creation in 1996 and the Mars Pathfinder mission with the Sojourner rover landing in 1997. Culturally, the late 1990s produced major films such as Titanic (1997) and a surge of global sports events, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. The period contributed to shaping later developments in technology, international law, and global culture.