1999 Timeline Events

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 cautiousBut 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!"

HISTORY & POLITICS

• 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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MUSIC

• Mambo No. 5 – Lou Bega • No Scrubs – TLC • The Bad Touch – Bloodhound Gang • Bailamos – Enrique Iglesias • American Woman – Lenny Kravitz • Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers • Beautiful Stranger – Madonna • What's My Age Again – Blink 182 • That Don't Impress Me Much – Shania Twain • Waiting For Tonight – Jennifer Lopez • Livin' la Vida Loca – Ricky Martin • Bills, Bills, Bills – Destiny's Child • Nookie – Limp Bizkit • Unpretty – TLC • What It's Like – Everlast • Smooth – Santana feat. Rob Thomas • My Own Worst Enemy – Lit • Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) – Offspring • Larger Than Life – Backstreet Boys • Kiss Me – Sixpence None The Richer • Cowboy – Kid Rock • Genie In A Bottle – Christina Aguilera • Wild Wild West – Will Smith • (You Drive Me) Crazy – Britney Spears • You Get What You Give – New Radicals • Freak On A Leash – Korn • Every Morning – Sugar Ray

TELEVISION

	The Sopranos Gangster drama that would capture the attention of millions of fans across the world.
	Family Guy In the spirit of The Simpsons crossed with All In The Family, this animated sitcom focused on the zany antics of Peter Griffin and his wife, children and dog.
	Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?Hosted by Regis Philbin, this game show asked contestants a series of questions escalating in difficulty and of course, payoff, with the top of the pyramid holding a 1 million dollar prize.
	FuturamaFrom the same creative team that brought the Simpsons to life, Futurama follows the adventures of a hapless young man accidentally frozen in the 1990's and then revived thousands of years into the future.
	SpongeBob SquarePants Bizarre cartoon about a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea that would cross age lines to find incredible popularity.
	Tenacious D Comedian Jack Black gets his own television program that allows him to explore his absurd musical stylings.
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Continuing the police and courtroom drama of the original Law & Order, the spin-off series examines cases involving sexually based crimes.
	The West Wing Intense drama set in the American White House that adopts a high degree of realism and an unflinching eye towards the personal and political life of the president and his staff.

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MOVIES

	American Beauty Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning and Thora Birch Oscar-winning film about a man's mid-life crisis and the disintegration of his family in suburban America.
	Toy Story 2 Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Annie Potts and John Ratzenberger Straight-up sequel to the enormously popular Pixar hit about what toys do when their owners are in the other room.
	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Starring Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Seth Green, Verne Troyer, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling and Rob Lowe The continuing adventures of 60's British secret agent Austin Powers in a film that did much better at the box office than the original upon which it is based.
	The Sixth Sense Starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette The chilling suspense and horror flick that gave the world the eternal catchphrase 'I see dead people.'
	The World Is Not Enough Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards James Bond finished out the decade with a bang in this action spectacular that saw the debonair hero tackle yet another international conspiracy.
	Notting Hill Starring Julia Roberts, Emma Chambers and Hugh Grant An unlikely romance between an everyday guy and a beautiful movie star provides comic fodder in this charming British film.
	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Starring Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregorThe long-awaited prequel to the original Star Wars films that would top the year's box office receipts with close to 1 billion dollars.
	The Matrix Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe PantolianoStartlingly fresh action film that would tie together strong science-fiction elements with revolutionary special effects that changed the genre forever.
	Tarzan Starring Minnie Driver, Tony Goldwyn and Rosie O'DonnellDisney's final animated film of the 90's takes liberties with the traditional Tarzan story but still delivers fun and adventure to the audience.
	The Mummy Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo and Oded Fehr One of the growing number of effects-oriented blockbusters that had come to define the latter part of the decade when it came to box office success, The Mummy is a romp through Egypt involving the pursuit of a dreadful monster of historical origin.
	Being John Malkovich Starring John Malkovich, John Cusack and Cameron Diaz  Left-field fantasy comedy about a puppeteer who discovers a portal into actor John Malkovich's brain.
	The Boondock Saints Starring Sean Patrick Flannery, Billy Connolly and Norman Reedus Two brothers living in Boston become vigilantes and fight the mob in this film that would emerge from the decade as one of the most underrated of its day.
	The Blair Witch Project Starring Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams A pop culture phenomenon that initially convinced many viewers that it was in fact a documentary, the movie follows three film students into the woods as they try to piece together the mystery of the dreaded Blair Witch.
	Cruel Intentions Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon Classic French drama infused with a sexy modern Hollywood aesthetic that attracted considerable attention from young audiences.
	Boys Don't Cry Starring Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny and Peter Sarsgaard True story of a woman who tried to live as a man only to be discovered and murdered by her Nebraskan circle of friends. Swank would win an Oscar for Best Actress.
	The Iron Giant Starring Vin Diesel, Jennifer Aniston and Christopher McDonald Animated tale of a giant robot and the boy who loves him that would reveal a sensitive side rarely seen in science fiction.
	Office Space Starring Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Stephen Root and Gary Cole This ultimate encapsulation of dead end employment would inspire legions of office workers to endlessly quote the film amongst themselves while simultaneously forcing them to take a sobering look at their own personal situations.
	Three Kings Starring George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg One of the first films to examine the Gulf War from a soldier's perspective.

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SPORTS

• 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 women's US Open

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