• The first Goldman Prize ceremony is held in San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. Recipients each receive $60,000.

• Harrison Ngau Laing (Malaysia, 1990) uses his Prize money to campaign for a seat in the Malaysian Federal Parliament. He wins.

• Lois Gibbs’ (USA, 1990) campaign against toxic waste buried in her ‘Love Canal’ neighborhood influences the creation of the U.S. federal Superfund Act to clean up toxic waste sites.