A half-dozen reminders how long ago the Bengals last played in the Super Bowl

»RELATED: How to watch Super Bowl LIII on WHIO-TV

In case you were not aware of just how long ago Boomer Esiason and Co. fell just short of the ultimate prize, here are six examples to ponder as we prepare for the Super Bowl LIII matchup between the Rams and Patriots.

1. The World Wide Web had not been invented yet when Joe Montana connected with John Taylor for the winning touchdown. 

British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee launched the concept in March 1989, though it wouldn't actually become reality until a year later.

2. Notre Dame was the reigning college football national champion. 

How far did the Fighting Irish look from the best team in the nation when last we saw them? Meanwhile, the final Associated Press poll of the year included Indiana but not Ohio State.

3. Microsoft Office, the Nintendo Game Boy and Sega Genesis were released the same year. 

Today an iPhone can handle Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog and as many Word documents and Excel sheets as you want.

4. Neither The Simpsons nor Garth Brooks’ first album had debuted yet. 

While first episode of the iconic cartoon (and the longest-running American sitcom) aired Dec. 17, 1989, Garth Brooks came out in April and made it to No. 2 on the country charts.

5. The Berlin Wall was still standing. 

But not for long. It started coming down in November 1989.

6. There were only 28 NFL teams and 26 teams in Major League Baseball. 

The leagues are up to 32 and 30 teams, respectively, but then, as now, the Dodgers held the National League pennant so not everything has changed.

(The Bengals and 49ers were a combined 10-22 this season, by the way.)