Cruisin’ on through to 1996

As we navigate the winding roads of mind-blowing nostalgia in our year-long celebration of the 1990s as a “classic decade,” we’ve made our way to 1996.

With 2024 marking the momentous occasion where the 1990s officially achieve classic status (comfortably 25 years in the rearview mirror), let’s take a look back at the milestones that made 1996 a cornerstone in the automotive and cultural timeline.

• The first flip phone cell phone, the Motorola StarTAC, goes on sale. Its small, portable size and light weight (about 100 grams) helped make it popular among consumers for several years.
• Hotmail launches. And for anyone still rockin’ the hotmail.com email address, bravo!- that’s truly living the classic lifestyle.
• If you wanna be a 90s fan, you gotta get with the Spice Girls, who released their hit single Wannabe in 1996. Alanis Morissette's breakthrough album, Jagged Little Pill, captured global attention. The Barenaked Ladies began gaining widespread popularity with "If I Had $1,000,000" and Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip continued to solidify their status with their album Trouble at the Henhouse.
• George R.R. Martin publishes A Game of Thrones, the first in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Fans are still waiting for the book series to be completed.
• Kobe Bryant joins the LA Lakers and becomes the youngest person to join the NBA at 18 years, 2 months, 11 days old.
• The 26th Olympic Games are held in Atlanta, Georgia. In a flash, Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey takes home the gold medal in the 100-metre dash.
• MotorTrend car of the year is the Dodge Caravan. And we heard it was parked down by the river.
• Ask Jeeves launches. Never heard of it? Google it (but not for another year).

1990s cars are classics? Yes way!

It's time to recognize, appreciate, and properly protect those rad rides from the 1990s with a collector car policy through Hagerty. Our specialty coverage is designed for enthusiasts who love and care for these iconic vehicles.

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