History & Politics | Music | Television | Movies | Sports
As the decade that was the 90s drew to a close, a theme of death and foreboding surfaced. Dr. Jack Kevorkian (aka Dr. Death) brought the taboo topic of assisted suicide into the unwelcome light. Two students went postal on their fellow classmates in what came to be known as the Columbine Massacre. Television saw the start of the gangster drama The Sopranos (which had us discussing who will get whacked next) and the Law & Order spinoff, Special Victims Unit, which dealt with heinous sex crimes. The Blair Witch Project made us wonder what exactly is happing in those woods while The Sixth Sense had us seeing dead people. And to top it all off, everyone was in a panic over the Y2K Bug. Were there going to be computer glitches when the calendar rolled around to January 1, 2000? And would these malfunctions be severe enough to cause the end of civilization as we know it? Better stock your basement with beer, Slim Jims, Doritos and toilet paper just in case. Hey, you can never be too cautious.
But 1999 wasn’t all dark and gloomy. We had sequels, prequels and the first of two trilogies. Audiences went on a new adventure with Woody, Buzz and the gang and even met some new faces along the way. We did more spy work with the shagadelic Austin Powers as he tries to locate his Mojo. (Yeah, Baby!) Movie goers got a look at how the Star Wars saga started with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The Mummy piqued our interest in Egyptian lore while The Matrix blew our minds with new special effects. And to the delight of children and adults alike, we met SpongeBob SquarePants, a quirky crabby patty flippin’ yellow sponge with a mewing pet snail.
So stop "Waiting for Tonight." The time to party like it’s 1999 is now. Find a "Beautiful Stranger" and say "Kiss Me," because this is the year to be "Livin’ la Vida Loca!"
• Hugo Chavez is elected president of Venezuela. • Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a proponent of assisted suicide, is found guilty of second-degree murder for his part in the death of a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was his first conviction after decades of facilitating the deaths of terminally ill patients. • The Northwest Territory of Canada is split in order to provide an area of self-governance for the country’s native Inuit people. It is named Nunavut. • Two students murder 13 people and then commit suicide in what would become known as the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. • Napster, a file-sharing application that allows millions of people to trade music and movies digitally over the internet is first made available. The program would highlight the growing copyright concerns of the music industry and spark a revolution in music distribution. • An incredible earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale does terrible damage to Turkey, killing over 17,400 people and leaving close to 50,000 injured. • A coup attempt in Pakistan sees General Pervez Musharraf assume power. • NATO forces attack Yugoslavia in order to prevent further genocide being committed against Albanians living in the country. • The 6 billionth person populating the Earth is born. • Nelson Mandela steps down as president of South Africa, ending his reign as the country’s first black head of state. • World panic about the Y2K bug, a perceived software glitch that will affect computer systems when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1999 reaches the height of its intensity. |
Hugo Chavez is elected president of Venezuela. Napster launches & revolutionizes the way we share music. Dr. Kevorkian is convicted of assisted suicides. Y2K bug creates world-wide panic, yet nothing happens at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1999. |
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The Sopranos |
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Family Guy |
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Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? |
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Futurama |
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SpongeBob SquarePants |
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Tenacious D |
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |
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The West Wing |
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American Beauty |
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Toy Story 2 |
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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me |
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The Sixth Sense |
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The World Is Not Enough |
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Notting Hill |
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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace |
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The Matrix |
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Tarzan |
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The Mummy |
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Being John Malkovich |
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The Boondock Saints |
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The Blair Witch Project |
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Cruel Intentions |
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Boys Don’t Cry |
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The Iron Giant |
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Office Space |
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Three Kings |
• Dale Jarret is the NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, with Jeff Gordon taking the checkered flag at the prestigious Daytona 500 race. • David Cone pitches a perfect game for the New York Yankees against the Montreal Expos – no walks, no hits – becoming only the 16th player in Major League Baseball history to do so. • With Michael Jordan retired, the Bulls do not reach the NBA finals and the San Antonio Spurs with the professional basketball champions, beating the New York Nicks in the 7 game series. • Tiger Woods wins the PGA championship and is the golf tour’s overall money leader. • The Dallas Stars defeat the Buffalo Sabres to win the Stanley Cup in a controversial final. • Juan Pablo Montoya wins his first CART championship, while Kenny Brack is the class of the field at Indianapolis. • The Denver Broncos are once again NFL champions as they defeat the Atlanta Falcons to take Super Bowl XXXIII. • The New York Yankees have no trouble dispatching the Atlanta Braves 4 games to 0 in the World Series. • Mika Hakkinen is crowned the Formula 1 title winner for the second year in a row. • Andre Agassi wins the French Open and US Open in men’s tennis, while Serena Williams bursts onto the scene with a win in the women’s division of the US Open. • Charismatic wins the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. |
David Cone throws a perfect game for the Yankees Serena Williams wins her first |