2000 Snapshot
"The Millennium Bug (Y2K) passes without global collapse."
The Vibe
Pop Culture
Millennium Futurism
Slang
"Wassup!"
Price Check
Gas: $1.51; PS2: $299
Notable Deaths
Charles Schulz, Alec Guinness, Pierre Trudeau
Music & Style
Teen Pop / Nu-Metal
Velour Tracksuits
World Affairs
Bush v. Gore
Second Intifada
Year's Summary
- Global Events: The world celebrates the turn of the millennium with a sigh of relief as Y2K fears prove unfounded. The dot-com bubble begins to burst, and the US Presidential election between Bush and Gore ends in a historic recount.
- Culture & Mood: A surreal mix of high-tech optimism and "New Millennium" aesthetics. The digital world becomes personal as broadband internet starts replacing dial-up.
- Fashion & Slang: Denim-on-denim, velour tracksuits, and trucker hats define the look; everything is "Hella" cool or greeted with a "Wassup!"
- Fun Fact: 2000 saw the release of The Sims, which became a cultural phenomenon, and the first crew arrived to live on the International Space Station (ISS).
- 1 Jan: Global Celebrations Welcome Millennium and Transition to Year 2000 – Cities across every time zone hosted massive fireworks displays and celebratory gatherings as humanity transitioned into the year 2000, successfully avoiding widespread technological disruptions feared from the Y2K computer bug due to extensive global software remediation efforts.
- 31 Jan: Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Crashes into Pacific Ocean off California – Alaska Airlines Flight 261, an MD-83 traveling from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle, suffered a catastrophic failure of its horizontal stabilizer trim system and plunged into the Pacific Ocean near Port Hueneme, California, resulting in the tragic loss of all 88 passengers and crew on board.
- 26 Mar: Vladimir Putin Elected President of the Russian Federation – Following the surprise resignation of Boris Yeltsin on New Year's Eve, acting president Vladimir Putin won a decisive victory in the Russian presidential election, beginning a long-term transformation of Russia's political landscape and state centralization.
- 25 Jul: Air France Flight 4590 Concorde Crashes Outside Paris – Air France Flight 4590, a supersonic Concorde aircraft operating a charter flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport to New York, struck debris on the runway during takeoff, ruptured a fuel tank, caught fire, and crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground, ultimately accelerating the retirement of the supersonic fleet.
- 12 Aug: Russian Nuclear Submarine Kursk Sinks in Barents Sea – The Russian Navy Oscar-II class nuclear submarine *Kursk* suffered catastrophic internal torpedo explosions during a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, sinking to the seabed and trapping 118 sailors, sparking national grief and intense international scrutiny over military rescue capabilities and government transparency.
- 15 Sep: Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney Summer Olympic Games – Australia proudly hosted the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, featuring spectacular opening ceremonies celebrating indigenous culture, brilliant athletic performances, and widespread international acclaim as the 'Best Olympic Games Ever.'
- 7 Nov: Disputed United States Presidential Election Between Bush and Gore – The presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore resulted in an extraordinarily close vote count centered on disputed ballots in Florida, triggering a month-long legal battle and culminating in the landmark Supreme Court ruling *Bush v. Gore*.
Did you know? The Sims released