Top sayings

"I see dead people" - Haley Joel Osmet, in 'The Sixth Sense'
'Is that your final answer?'- Regis Philbin, on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

News Highlights

• Fear of Y2K Bug
• JFK Jr. Dies in Plane Accident

• President Clinton is Acquitted
In February, the Senate acquits the president of perjury and obstruction of justice, after the House of Representatives had convicted him.

• NATO Begins Bombing Yugoslavia
In March a 78 day offensive by NATO forces in response to Serb attacks on Croatians.

• Columbine Tragedy
April 20, 1999, two students go on a shooting rampage in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They kill 12 students, 1 teacher and themselves.

• Earthquake in Turkey Kills 13,000
In August, one of the most powerful and deadly earthquakes of the century strikes Turkey.

• Women's Soccer Team Wins World Cup
One of the most memorable sports moments in years, when Brandi Chastain kicks the final shot, and whips off her shirt and runs around in her sport bra waving it over her head.

• NASA loses two Mars bound space probes
The first in October, the Climate Orbiter is lost when a team of scientists fails to covert between English units and the Metric system. The second in December is the Polar Lander, a $165 millon probe.

• Egypt Air crashes off the coast of Nantucket
In October a plane carrying 217 people crashes in the ocean off of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Suspicion lies with a co-pilot who may have deliberately crashed the plane.

• World Trade Organization protests in Seattle
Over 10,000 people protest the WTO in Seattle, Washington, shutting down the city and leading to hundreds of arrests.

• Panama Canal is handed back to Panama

• Pokemon fever grips the US
The hottest toy for children in 1999? Pokemon cards, toys, etc.

• The South Park Movie is Released
Rated for the most obscenities per minute, 399 in 80 minutes. Must have been that song about the "Uncle" that puts them over the top. Pulp Fiction had 411 in 154 minutes.

• First non-stop world trip in a balloon

• Eddie Timanus wins on Jeopardy
Despite being blind since 3, sportswriter Eddie Timanus becomes a five-time Jeopardy champion.

• Pamela and Tommy Divorce.
January 1999, Pamela Anderson Lee sought a divorce after her husband Tommy Lee hit her as she held their infant son Dylan in her arms. A month or so later Tommy was convicted of battery and felony child abuse and had undergo anger management. Tommy was also ordered to stay away from Pamela, and their two boys Brandon and Dylan until his angermanagement course was completed according to the courts.

• Rickymania Hits North America
Ricky Martin, formerly of the boy group Menudo, struck out on his own last year with his english language self-titled debut album. Hordes and hordes of female followers lined up for hours at autograph sessions just to catch a glimpse of Ricky Martin. Other latin superstars such as Enrrique Iglasias, son of Jullio Iglasias, Marc Anthony, and Jennifer Lopez soon followed suit.

• A Colorado grand jury gives up on murder
In October, a grand jury in Colorado received no indictments on the murder of slain 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, seeking a lack of evidence. She was murdered Christmas night 1996 in Boulder, and the mystery since then has remained of who killed her.

• George W. Bush announces he'll be a candidate
Texas Governor George W. Bush announced that he would be running for president in the 2000 primaries. He said that his usage of cocaine in college was a political game.

• A severe shooting incident in a L.A. Jewish school
White supremacist Burford Furrow Jr. walked into a Los Angeles community center which included a Jewish school. He tried to kill a class, but ended up with the death of a Filipino mail carrier and injuring 5 people. He was then charged after the incident.

• Bomb and Shooting in Texas Church Kill 22
In Fort Worth, Texas, Larry Ashbrook threw a bomb into a church, which killed 7, and then he opened fire on 14 people during a teen service, and then killed himself.

• Rare Tornados in Oklahoma and Kansas
A rare force-4 tornado in the Witchita-Haysville, Kansas area killed 5 and injured over 100. Then, an extremely rare force-5 tornado struck the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area killed 46 and injured 800. Millions of dollars in damage was a result of the twisters.

• Prince Edward and Sophie marry
On June 19, England's Prince Edward and his long-time girlfriend Sophie Rhys-Jones married.

• Hurricane Floyd
On September 17, Hurricane Floyd devestated the coast of North Carolina. After making people in Florida evacuate three days earlier, the hurricane came back and did millions of dollars of flooding and damage, only second to Andrew.

• Atlanta erupts into violence
In July, the city of Atlanta was the scene of violence as a result of three incidents. On the 12th, a family of six living in an Atlanta suburb were killed by a live-in boyfriend, then he shot himself dead. On the 23rd, two police officers were killed in a gunman standoff. And the worst happened on the 29th, when Mark Barton, a day trader, entered two brokerage firm houses and shot 9 people dead, then himself. 19 people were killed total.

• Y2K Scare
Y2K hype gets everyone paranoid that the end of the world is near. Billions of dollar spent world-wide on Y2K upgrade on computer software. At 4:00 AM on December 31, 1999 as the new year passes on the little island of Fiji we discover that the supposed Y2k Bug will not cause impending doom.

• Woodstock 99
Woodstock 99 took place in New York. It was a 3 day concert featuring Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, KoRn and many other superstar status bands and singers! There were assaults, mud wars, and fires during the concert.

• Creation of the Euro
Creation of the european single currency (the Euro) by the European Union. In 2002, notes and coins will circulate throught the union EMU member states (Spain, France, Germany,Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Greece, Ireland and Austria). The UK, among other EU states like Denmark, and Sweeden may join the euro later.

• The Matrix
The Matrix hits the scene staring Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburn. The movie is speculated as this generation's "Star Wars". It sets new standards for special effects in movies to come.

• Resumed Hunt of the Gray Whale
In May of 1999, after the gray whale was taken off the endangered species list a Native American tribe called the Makah engage in a government approved hunt of the whale in the Puget Sound of Seattle, Washington. They succeed in killing one on the 17th to the much dismay of hundreds of protestors that lined the streets of Seattle.

• Wayne Gretzky Retires
Wayne Gretzky retires with the New York Rangers as the Great One!

• Backstreet Boys Break The Record: First Week Sales
May 18, 1999 saw the release of the Backstreet Boys' fourth album Millienium. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the first week a record which was previously held by Garth Brooks.

• Dream Team
Probably the greatest team ever assembled in any sport. The impact this team had on the game of basketball worldwide is unbelievable.

• Attack of the Boy Bands.
Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, O-Town, 98 Degrees, etc.
 

Sports Highlights

• Super Bowl held in Miami won by Denver
• November 1 – death of Walter Payton (45), Chicago Bears running back
• World Series – New York Yankees won 4 games to 0 over the Atlanta Braves.
• Félix Trinidad defeats Oscar de la Hoya by split 12 round decision to unify the IBF and WBC's world Welterweight championships.
• Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win 32–21 over the Calgary Stampeders
• February 13 Last ever Ice Hockey game played at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the game was a 6–2 loss for the Toronto Maple Leafs to Chicago Blackhawks.
• Stanley Cup – Dallas Stars defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4 games to 2, The Stars became the first team from the Southern United States to win the Cup.
• Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500
• NASCAR Championship – Dale Jarrett
• Indianapolis 500 – Kenny Bräck
• CART Racing – Juan Pablo Montoya won the season championship
• Russia becomes the first country to sweep gold at the World Figure Skating Championships since Austria did it in 1925.

Top tv shows of 1999

• Touched By An Angel
• 7th Heaven
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch
• Early Edition
• Moesha
• Boy Meets World
• Safe Harbor
• Roswell
• Cosby
• The Sopranos
• Freaks and Geeks
• Action
• The West Wing
• Farscape
  

Top Movies of 1999

• Fight Club
• The Matrix
• The Green Mile
• American Beauty
• American Pie
• Star Wars – The Phantom Menace
• Office Space
• The Sixth Sense
• 10 things I hate About you.
• Toy Story 2
• Tarzan
• Big Daddy
• The Mummy
• Runaway Bride
• Blair Witch Project

Top Singles of 1999

• Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time"
• Santana featuring Rob Thomas - "Smooth"
• Cher - "Believe"
• Ricky Martin - "Livin' La Vida Loca"
• Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
• TLC - "No Scrubs"
• Backstreet Boys - "I Want It That Way"
• Marc Anthony - "I Need To Know"
• Genie In a Bottle , Christina Aguilera
• Angel of Mine , Monica