TOP OF THE CHARTS: The No. 1 single for 1994 was from the Swedish group Ace of Base, who cracked the charts with "The Sign," which was also the title of their debut album. Performers making their debut included Notorious B.I.G., Beck, Oasis, Outkast and Weezer. Departing was Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, who died in April 1994.
MUST-SEE TV: The most-watched television show of 1994 was "Seinfeld." Making their debuts were "Friends" and "ER." Almost 22 million people watched the debut of "Friends." Meanwhile, DirecTV's first satellite digital television service was launched, gathering 320,000 subscribers.
MOVIE MADNESS: The top-grossing movie of 1994 was the Disney classic, "The Lion King." Other movies, which became classics through time, included "Shawshank Redemption," "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction."
POLITICAL OVERHAUL: In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected the first black leader of South Africa, after the country had its first free multiracial election. Mandela was 44 when he was jailed at the Robben Island prison. He would spend 27 years in prison. Mandela wrote about his experiences in his 1994 autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom.
MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: Stars born during 1994 included Justin Bieber, Harry Styles and Dakota Fanning.
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