Why is this considered to be the longest bull market in history when the late 1980s – early 2000s lasted longer and yielded higher returns?

by AestheticFC

There were no bear markets (20%+ drops) in both periods. Am I missing something?

The biggest drops I can see are:
Jul 16, 1990 – Oct 11, 1990 (-19.9%)
July 17, 1998 – Aug 31, 1998 (-19.2%)