2000: Y2K, the Phantom Bug
As the clock stroke midnight of Saturday January 1st, 2000, the world took a giant sigh, fearing that would be the last times their computers would work. The Y2K virus fake was predicted to get computers worldwide to malfunction. According to this bug, four-digit years are only registered with the last two digits. As 2000 was registered as ”00”, it would be irrecognizable from the year 1900. Also, 2000 was a leap year, and leap years mess up data in the computers. In the end, very few occurrences were registered in the midnight of January 1, 2000. In Germany, card swipe machines stopped processing credit and debit card transations, but services resumed after a while. In nuclear plants in Japan, alarms rang for two minutes after midnight, although there was no risk to the public.
The Y2K virus is an example of a phantom bug. People worried about nothing in the end. However, the incident taught people just how important computers are in the modern world.
2000: The US Presidential Election
On November 7th, 2000, the 54th quadrennial presidential election took place in the US. Republican candidate George W. Bush, Governer of Texas and eldest son of ex-president George H.W. Bush, defeated Democratic candidate and incumbent vice-president Al Gore. The election is considered one of the closest in US history. At first, on election night, the winner was unclear due to the votes in Florida remainining undecided. The recount showed that Bush had beat Gore. As such, Bush became the new president.
The 2000 presidential election is very important as the fourth of the five elections where the winner lost the popular votes (the others being 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2016). Bush’s administration faced the 9/11 attacks, and the war on Afghanistan and Iraq. The 2000 election remains one of the most controversial and memorable.
2000: Putin’s Russia
In May 2000, former KGB officer and incumbent prime minister Vladimir Putin was sworn in as the second president of the Russian federation. During his first months, the US saw him as an ally who held their best interests at heart, and as tough crime fighter. During his first eight years as preisdent, Russia’s economy grew considerably. However, during his most recent years, he’s been accused of hacking the US election in favor of Donald Trump and authorizing bombing intervention in Syria.
Putin has become a thorn in the side of Western policymakers. His aggressive policies, his KGB background, and his occassional disregard for international law have made him a controversial figure. He’s been compared to Hitler by various people. Regardless of whatever opinion people may have him, Putin has become a representative figure in post-communist Russia.
2000: Tragedy at Pearl Jam
The start of the millennium was marred by one of the greatest tragedies in music history. During the Roskilde festival in Denmark, held on June 30th, a human stampede broke out during the Pearl Jam presentation. Nine people died of the crush, and 11 more were injured. Pearl Jam had to stop their presentation after 45 minutes. A twenty-six-year-old police cadet from Hamburg, Germany; a twenty-three-year-old man from Holland; three Swedes and three Danes all died of asphyxiation at the scene. A ninth man, from Australia, hospitalized with chest injuries and attached to an artificial respirator, died on July 5th.
The Roskilde Massacre remains one of the worst in the history of music, as well as one of the worst tragedies of the year 2000. It convinced the band and the organization from Roskilde to implement security protocol.
2000: A Festival for Latin Music
2000 saw the inaugural edition of the Latin Grammy Awards. This was the first US music award ceremony that honored Latin and Spanish-language music. The big winners of the evening were Luis Miguel, Santana, and Maná. Shakira, Juan Luis Guerra, Fito Páez, and Emilio Estefan Jr. received 2 awards each. The iconic band Son By Four also performed a duet with boy band N Sync. The inaugural ceremony of the festival was broadcast by CBS and was seen by more than four countries around the world. The two-hour show was the first bilingual broadcast to air on prime time.
The Latin Grammy Awards have an important place in music as a place to honor Latin artists. The first edition garnered an international audience and proved that there are no barriers when it comes to music.
2000: Anthology of the Beatles
The year 1995 saw the release of an anthology album by the Beatles with some of their greatest songs. The year 2000 saw the release of the hardcover book edition of said album. The book includes interviews with all four band members, as well as a rare collection of photos and illustrations. Some of the interviews are quoted from documentary films, and others were created especifically for the book. The book was released alongside a television documentary, along with a three-volume set of double albums.
The Beatles are considered one of the most influential acts in the 20th century. This project served as the perfect introduction of the Beatles for younger generations. Through this project, the Beatles’ music and their musical legacy will live on forever.
2000: Nicktoons, Anime and Pottermania, Entertainment during the 200s
As a new millennium hit in, kids had a lot to choose from for entertainment. One of the primary forms of entertainment was television. During the early 2000s, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon were the primary producers of cartoons for kids. People loved to tune in to their television sets and watch cartoons such as The Powerpuff Girls, Spongebob, and Dexter’s Laboratory. At the same time, teens tuned in for reruns of classic 90s teen sitcoms. Aside from Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, another popular genre was anime. Pokemon, Doreamon and Dragon Ball were the favorite choices of kids and young people. A cultural icon during the 2000’s was Harry Potter. Harry was invented by British author J.K. Rowling in the late 1990s. His adventures appalled to kids and adults as well. The first novel was published in 1997. In 2000, the fourth novel was released, and the Wizarding World would make a jump to the big screen one year later in 2001.
Entertainment in the year 2000 took many forms: Through MP3 players to listen to your favorite artists; cartoons for kids and sitcoms for teens; box office hits and the adventures of a spell-casting orphan. The new millennium geared towards the promise of new forms of entertainment.
2000; MP3s, Cell phones and search engines, 2000s technology
The year 2000 saw the rise of MP3 players. MP3s served as portatile devices to listen to music, somehow replacing 70s and 80s cassette tapes. 2000 was also a great year for technology. In Internet, the first bubbles first appeared. For the first time, more than half of the households have Internet access, as revealed by Nielsen ratings. Internet Explorer and the Nokia 3310 mobile phone were released. President Clinton performed the first presidential webcast. And, most importantly, computers were still functional after the 2000 bug.
In the year 2000, modern-day technology finished taking the form it has today. If it wasn’t for the year 2000, MP3s, iPhones, and online gaming wouldn’t be possible.
2000; Top movies of 2000
The start of the millennium saw the release of box office hits and blockbusters. One of the most iconic films of the year is Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe. The spy genre got immortalized with a sequel for Mission Impossible, and the superhero universe took on a good start through the first X-Men movie. Children’s laughed with an emperor’s ocurrences in The Emperor’s New Groove, and got moved by the journey of Aladar in Disney’s Dinosaur. The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss’ character, was the highest opening for a Christmas-themed movie, and Aardman’s Chicken Run was the highest for a stop motion movie.
The year 2000 was a great year for movies in general. Gladiator won many oscars in 2001. The start of a new millennium geared towards the promise of a new start of blockbusters and box office hits. New, aspiring directors had a legacy of over 100 years to live by.
2000: MLB Season, Yankees and Leagues
For the first time in MLB history, the MLB season kicked off in a country other than the US, as the initial match took place at the Tokyo Dome, in the Japanese capital. The National and American leagues have been also dissolved by the MLB as separate legal entities, although retained as competitive entities. During the 2000 season, the New York Yankees won 4 games over 1 to the New York Mets. The Series’ MVP is Derek Jeter, of the Yankees. In the Japan series, the Yomiuri Giants win 4 games over 2 to the Fukoka Dalei Hawks, with the Giants’ Hideki Matsui as MVP.
Baseball has been, and will remain being, the passport of America. All cities and countries feel very proud of their teams. A new millennium has come for the world’s favorite sport, but it seems that, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
2000: Summer Olympics at Sydney
The 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia, were the last Olympic Games of the 20th century. After Melbourne 1956, it was also the second time that the games were held in Australia. The games were such a success that reporters joked that no city that further hosted the Olympic Games would be able to set the standards reached by Sydney. US led the medal talley, followed by Russia, China, and host Australia. Several World and Olympic records were broken during the game. A record 199 nations were admitted into the competition, except Taliban-ruled Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s prohibition of sports.
The 2000 Games were successful with little to no controversies. They became the subject of popular culture such as books or movies. The peaceful standards of the competition have made it one of the most memorable versions of the tournament.
2000: Super Bowl XXXIV, Rams, Titans, HD, and Disney Millennium
On January 30, 2000, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the 34th edition of the Super Bowl opened. The NFC champion St. Louis Rams defeated AFC champion Tennessee Titans 24-16 in front of a crowd of 72,625 spectators. This Super Bowl earns a distinction as being the first edition to be aired on high definitionand 720p format. It also has a distinction of being the most recent Super Bowl that featured two teams which have never won the title before. The halftime show was named after the Tapestry of Shows attraction at the Epcot Disney Park at Florida and inspired by Walt Disney World’s millennium celebration. It featured Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Tina Turner, and Toni Braxton. Veterans from Super Bowl IV (the last edition of the AFL-NFL Championship) were featured to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the merger that gave way to the NFL as we know it today.
Super Bowl XXXIV was the last edition of the 20th century, and one of the most memorable. It’s considered one of the NFL’s greatest games of all time and one of the best Super Bowls. Many Super Bowl records were also broke during the match. A masterpiece edition of the NFL pinnacle for the start of the millennium.