What Happened in The Year 2000?
A look back at the turn of the century
The year 2022 is almost over, so what better way to spend our time than to look back at the year when we thought the world would come to an end: 2000.
Many people thought that there would be chaos in the world when the calendar turned to the year 2000 due to various expected computer glitches. Thankfully, it was largely uneventful due to software patches that compensated for the change.
Let’s have a look at significant events, products, and people from the year 2000.
United States Presidential Election
Texas Governor George W. Bush defeated former Vice President Al Gore in a highly controversial election marked by recounts, legal challenges, and the closest finish in US history. Bush is the son of former US president George H.W. Bush.
Sony Playstation 2
The best selling video game console of all time, Sony’s Playstation 2, was released in Japan in March 2000. This beloved gaming console went on to sell over 155 million copies, and the record still holds strong! Another impressive fact is that the Ps2 was also the longest selling console, having been officially on the market until 2013.
Bill Gates Stepped Down
Microsoft’s long-time software pioneer and co-founder Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of the company in 2000. Gates did remain with the company serving in a different capacity for many more years after that. The main reason for stepping down was to focus more on philanthropy.
AOL/Time-Warner Merger
Big-time media companies America Online and Time-Warner merged in January 2000. It was the largest merger in US history at the time. The new media giant ended up losing a lot of money 2 years later due to a “Dot Com” stock market crash.
Hillary Clinton to the US Senate
Former first lady and future 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is elected to the United States Senate. After serving in the Senate, Clinton would go on to serve as President Obama’s first Secretary of State before launching her own unsuccessful bid for the White House.
Tiger Woods Makes History
At the age of 24, Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer to win a Grand Slam. His overall performance in 2000 was among one of the greatest strings of tournament finishes of all time.
DeviantART Goes Online
“The largest online art gallery and community” known as DeviantART first launched in August 2000. To this date, there are over 350 million pieces of art on the site.
International Space Station Makes History
In November 2000, the first crew to live on the ISS makes history. Since then, there has been a diverse crew living on the ISS continuously, although it is not the same people that first occupied ISS.
The London Eye
The world’s largest ferris wheel at the time, known as the London Eye, officially opens in London, England.
Much more
Many other things happened in 2000. Tell us more in the comments! You can also see more details about the year 2000 here.
