1989: The Year that Made the Modern World

No other year in recent history has played a more pivotal role in shaping the present than 1989. 30 years later, we look at the iconic events that defined this year and continue to dominate public conversation from fundamentalism and race to gender equality and the influence of the internet. The end of the Cold War... the dismantling of Apartheid, the launch of the World Wide Web? and the premiere of The Simpsons. If just one of these took place in 1989, it would be considered a watershed year. But these were just the beginning. (National Geographic)