As the class of 2017 prepares for their senior year, parents and loved ones are reminded of times not so long ago. It seems just like yesterday, these young ladies and gentleman were newborns learning how to crawl, walk, and talk. Now they are finishing their high school career and getting ready to embark on the next chapter of their life’s journey. Here’s a walk down memory lane of the year 1999, when these seniors were just getting started in the world:
On the Big Screen
1999 saw the return of Star Wars, with “The Phantom Menace” breaking box office records, including the largest opening day gross anyone had ever seen. The comedies “Austin Powers”, “Big Daddy”, “Run Away Bride”, and “American Pie” had everyone laughing. We won’t spoil the epic endings of “Sixth Sense” and “Fight Club”, just in case you have not witnessed these shocking conclusions. The biggest surprise of the year was the “Blair Witch Project”, whose success was so momentous you can see a new one this year!
Music and Lyrics
The year was full of boy bands, girl power, and one hit wonders. Competing on the radio Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera started the rivalry that would give us years of hit songs such as “Baby Hit Me One More Time” and “Genie in a Bottle”. The country world was going strong with Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman”, “That Don’t Impress Me Much”, and “From This Moment On”. It might be his only song, but the world will never forget Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5”. Cher showed she still had it with her top hit “Believe”.
In the News
Ah the good old days, gas prices are $1.22 and the cost of a stamp is only 33 cents. “The Sopranos”, “The West Wing”, and “Family Guy” all premier and break new ground in television. Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour De France. Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon without stopping. In other news, Michael Jordan retires, only to return again two years later.
Technology: Boom, Bust, and Beyond
Many of the future technologies that we take for granted today, had their beginning in 1999. The grandfather of today’s smartphones, the first Blackberry appeared on the market. For those who are too impatient for commercials, TiVo changed the way we watch television. Shutterfly was founded and started the digital picture revolution. Nobody is aware of how much technology is about to change the way we live and work. The world prepares for a new millennium anxiously anticipating the bug which could cause wide scale disruption chaos to business and infrastructure, the infamous Y2K. You are reading this, so clearly Y2K did not stop time and did not break the internet!
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