Did You Know? 2000 was a leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar
2000 was also the first century leap year since 1600
2000 was designated as International Year for the Culture of Peace
The year 2000 was the target of Y2K concerns, fearing computers could not shift from 2-digit "99" to "2000"; however, many companies had already converted their software, even obtaining Y2K certification, and relatively few problems occurred
Popular culture also holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the third millennium. In the Gregorian Calendar, however, this distinction falls to the year 2001, because the first century began with year AD 1 (there was no year zero), and the thousand years spanned to years 1 – 1000 inclusive; the next millennium then being from 1001 – 2000
Politics
United States presidential election, 2000: Republican candidate Texas Governor George W. Bush defeats Democratic Vice President Al Gore in the closest election in history, but the final outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida
Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of President Bill Clinton wins the Senate election in New York
Bush v. Gore: The U.S. Supreme Court stops the Florida presidential recount, effectively giving the state, and the Presidency, to George W. Bush
President Clinton signs the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
US Senate: 55 Republicans / 45 Democrat
US House of Representatives: 223 Representatives / 211 Democrats / 1 Independent
Military Defense spending: $304 billion Military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 70,502,691 Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,056,762
Celebrity Deaths November 16 – DJ Screw, American hip hop disc jockey (b. 1971) October 13 – Tony Roper, NASCAR driver (b. 1964) October 23 – Rodney Anoa'i, American wrestler known as Yokozuna (b. 1966) July 1 – Walter Matthau, American actor (b. 1920) July 7 – Kenny Irwin, NASCAR driver (b. 1969) July 10 – Conrad “McNasty” McRae, Professional Basketball Player (b. 1971) May 20 – Malik Sealy, Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player (b. 1970) February 7 – Big Pun, American rapper (b. 1971) February 12 – Tom Landry, American football coach (b. 1924) & Charles M. Schulz, American comic strip artist (Peanuts) (b. 1922)
In the Theatre – Top 10 Movies of the Year How the Grinch Stole Christmas - $260,044,825 Cast Away - $233,632,142 Mission: Impossible 2 - $215,409,889 Gladiator - $187,705,427 What Women Want - $182,811,707 The Perfect Storm - $182,618,434 Meet the Parents - $166,244,045 X-Men - $157,299,717 Scary Movie - $157,019,771 What Lies Beneath - $155,464,351
On the Television Survivor (CBS) Malcolm In The Middle (Fox) The League of Gentlemen (BBC America, Comedy Central) Gilmore Girls (The WB) The Tally Hassle in Tallahassee Wonderland (ABC) First Person (Bravo) The Tom Green Cancer Special (MTV) The Corner (HBO) Dark Angel (Fox)
In the Headlines
Elián Gonzalez - The custody and immigration status of a young Cuban boy, Elián González (born December 6, 1993), was at the center of a heated controversy in 2000 involving the governments of Cuba and the United States, his father, his Miami and Cuban relatives, and the Cuban-American community of Miami. However, a district court's ruling that the Miami relative could not petition for asylum on the boy's behalf was upheld by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, and after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, Elián González returned to Cuba with his father, Juan Miguel González Quintana, on June 28, 2000
The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international scientific research project with a primary goal to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA and to identify and map the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint
Technology Mars Odyssey is launched
Sony released Playstation II
Faulty Bridgestone/Firestone tires on the Ford Explorer range blamed for nearly 100 fatalities
One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts prepare for 4 month stay on the international space station
The World’s largest Ferris Wheel (The London Eye) is opened
According to NASA the hole in the Ozone layer over Antarctica has increased by .62 sq miles to 17 square miles in just 12 months
The Concerns over Y2K passes without the serious, widespread computer failures and malfunctions that had been predicted
Microsoft releases Windows 2000
America Online announces an agreement to purchase Time Warner for $162 billion (the largest-ever corporate merger)
Hollywood Love Are any of them still together?!!
US Economy Population: 275,562,673 Population below poverty line: 12.7% The Lifespan in US is now 77.5 years - male: 74.24 years - female: 79.9 years Federal Budget: $236 billion surplus Federal Debt: $6 trillion Consumer Price Index: 174.6 Yearly Inflation rate: 3.38% Unemployment Rate: 4.2% Year-end close of Dow Jones Industrial Average: 10786.85
Average Cost of Living New House: $134,150.00 Income per Year: $40,343.00 Monthly Rent: $675.00 New Car: $24,750.00 Gallon of Gas: $1.26 Gallon of Milk: $2.75 - $3.00 Average tuition and fees at public, four-year universities: $3,508 US Postage Stamp: 33 cents 1 LB of Bacon: $2.97 Loaf of Bread: $1.72 Dozen Eggs: 89 cents Barrel of Oil: $30.00 per barrel
Sports
The Arkansas Twisters football organization is a charter member of the arean football league that began play in 2000
Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16 - First time since 1951
Pro Bowl MVP: Ron Stone, New York Giants, G
Heisman Trophy: Chris Weinke, Florida State, QB
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin Badgers 17, Stanford Cardinals 9
NBA Championship Winner: Los Angeles Lakers - Coach: Phil Jackson Opposing Team: Indiana Pacers - Coach: Larry Bird NBA MVP: Shaquille O’Neal, C
Tiger Woods becomes the youngest player to win a Grand Slam in Golf
Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games – 13 September and 1 October, 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
World Series Winner: New York Yankees - Coach: Joe Torre Opposing Team: New York Mets – Coach: Bobby Valentine National League MVP: Derek Jeter National League Rookie of the Year: Rafael Furcal, Atlanta Braves
American League MVP: Jeff Kent, San Francisco, 2B American League Rookie of the Year: Kazuhiro Sasaki, Seattle Mariners
Popular Culture 2000 The popular show Big Brother is broadcast on German private channel RTLH and captures worldwide media interest
The Latest Harry Potter Book Is Published "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
51 million viewers watch the first season finale of the reality show "Survivor"
The last of the original Mini's rolls off the production lines
Popular Films How the Grinch Stole Christmas Cast Away Mission: Impossible II Gladiator What Women Want The Perfect Storm Meet the Parents X-Men Scary Movie What Lies Beneath Gladiator Erin Brockovich Billy Elliot
Music
Top Single Maria Maria - Santana featuring the Product G&B Hanging By a Moment - Lifehouse Fallin' - Alicia Keys All for You - Janet Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train I'm Real - Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule You're Gone - Matchbox Twenty Let Me Blow Ya Mind - Eve featuring Gwen Stefani Thank You - Dido Again - Lenny Kravitz Independent Women Part I - Destiny's Child Breathe - Faith Hill Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas I Wanna Know - Joe Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon Say My Name - Destiny's Child I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden Amazed - Lonestar Bent - Matchbox Twenty He Wasn't Man Enough - Toni Braxton
Top Albums "No Strings Attached” - 'N Sync "Supernatural” - Santana "The Marshall Mathers LP” - Eminem "Oops!...I Did It Again” - Britney Spears "Dr. Dre - 2001” - Dr. Dre "Human Clay” - Creed "All The Way... A Decade Of Song” - Celine Dion “Christina Aguilera” - Christina Aguilera "Millennium” - Backstreet Boys "...And Then There Was X” - DMX "Fly” - Dixie Chicks "Unleash The Dragon” - Sisqo "The Writing's On The Wall” - Destiny's Child "Country Grammar” - Nelly "Devil Without A Cause” - Kid Rock "Breathe” - Faith Hill "...Baby One More Time” - Britney Spears "The Better Life” - 3 Doors Down "Issues” - Korn "Come On Over” - Shania Twain
Best Sellers
Fiction The Brethren by John Grisham The Wedding by Danielle Steel Before I Say Goodbye by Mary Higgins Clark Easy Prey by John Sandford Indwelling by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins Hot Six by Janet Evanovich The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher The Bear and the Dragon by Tom Clancy The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan The Mark by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Non-Fiction The Rock Says... by the Rock with Joe Layden Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley with Ron Powers The Day John Died by Christopher Andersen Life on the Other Side by Sylvia Browne with Lindsay Harrison It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen E. Ambrose The Beatles Anthology by the Beatles The O'Reilly Factor by Bill O'Reilly