AIDS: unknown at the beginning of the decade, a subject of hysteria by the end

CD-Rom: the Read-Only Memory compact disc started to revolutionise the publishing industry

New Man: a product of 1970s feminism, he soon went from role model to official wimp Spin doctor: a new breed of political publicists was born in the US

Yuppies: the go-getting young professionals who typified the ethos of the decade