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19 May 2005

1989 - The Berlin Wall, Sky TV, World Wide Web Invented, French Kiss, Back To Life, Pump Up The Jam,

Definitely the man of the year - English physicist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN in Switzerland in 1989. More here.

We entered the final year of the decade. 1980 seemed sooo long ago... so much had changed... could it really have been part of the same decade?

And 1989 had more surprises in store...

Thatcher became a granny and famously told the Press: "We are a grandmother." Barking.

An asteroid narrowly missed Planet Earth.

The Berlin Wall came down. Did I dream it, or was Michael Knight of Knight Rider dancing around on top of it, singing one of his poppy songs, with fairy lights winking on and off on his jacket?

We got satellite TV. Well, some of us did. Back in 1982, the launch of Channel Four had been a national event. Now, just by sticking a dish on your house, you could have a whole range of new channels. A dish? Oh yes, these were apparently essential - although Alexei Sayle wondered if a dustbin lid and a pair of jump leads might work just as well!

I didn't "go in for it" at the time - and judging by the selected listings in the illustrations section, I'm not sorry! No, I preferred Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood and the chaotic Brits pop awards (the wrong people kept turning up under the spotlights) and Julian Clary mincing about on Trick or Treat.

The brave new world of satellite broadcasting? Pooh - I was impervious to its charms!

In America, the Twin Peaks pilot was made, and the first full-length episodes of The Simpsons, on screen as cartoon "shorts" since 1987. Also in America, Game Boy was released.


On children's TV in England, we first met Mossop, Tiddler and co - The Riddlers.

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