What Happened in 2000?
For anyone who remembers the year 2000, it was all about “Y2K” – with the threat of the Millennium Bug having passed, it was a year that stood for plenty of cultural and technological change. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest events of 2000, along with some famous birthdays and a few people we sadly lost along the way.
In this year
January
The biggest-ever corporate merger of all time (at the time) took place on January 10th, 2000, as America Online took over Time Warner for a whopping $162 billion! Who remembers AOL these days, come to think of it?
February
The Endeavour space mission finally returned home on February 22nd, 2000, as its crew of six finally finished their mapping of Earth from space. Their images were pivotal in helping to create three-dimensional shots of the globe from above – giving us an even clearer look at the world we live in.
March
Sony set its games console behemoth, the PlayStation 2, off the marks in Japanese stores, with the first units going on sale on March 4th. It’s believed the PS2 was launched to compete against Sega’s Dreamcast. Sony won that battle, as the Dreamcast fared poorly enough to push Sega out of console production for life, while the PS2 became – and is still – the biggest-selling home games console of all time.
April
Historic reports unveiled on April 17th, 2000 revealed that Nazis and collaborators in France apparently stole more Jewish assets during their oppression around World War II than many had assumed. This helped to lay the groundwork for regaining as many assets as possible and returning them home.
June
Earthquakes rocked Iceland around June 17th and 21st, the first of which dared to interrupt the country’s national day. It reportedly reached a literal earth-shaking 6.5 magnitudes the first time around. The second, reports show, hit more to the west of the nation.
July
Sweden and Denmark celebrated a new age of trade and travel on July 1st, 2000, as their Øresund Bridge officially opened for business. It remains the second longest roadway of its kind in Europe – that’s a lot of asphalt!
August
The Russian Orthodox Church officially canonized the tragic Tsar Nicholas II and his family in recognition of their removal from power and their eventual murder at the hands of revolutionaries at the start of the 20th century. The canonization took place on August 14th, 2000.
September
The first Olympic Games of the new millennium kicked off on September 15th, 2000. Why the late start for a Summer Games? It was held down under, in Sydney, Australia – and the event would continue until October 1st.
October
The infamous Slobodan Milošević resigned from control of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on October 5th, 2000. Milošević resigned on the back of heavy protesting in Belgrade – and while he would eventually go to tribunal for war crimes, he would die before he faced any justice his accusers believed would have been due.
November
One of the most desired properties in human history finally got its first tenants on November 2nd, 2000 – as the first astronaut crew to head to the International Space Station took to their lofty lodgings.
December
In one of the most controversial political moments of recent US history, the Presidential Election between George W Bush and Al Gore was declared a victory for the former, following a controversial recount of ballots in Florida. To this day, many critics believe Gore had fairly won the election. We might never know the truth if that’s the case, but the official line is Bush won the day.
2000 was the year of the…
…dragon!
If you entered the world in the years 2024, 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940, or 1928, you’re recognized as a fire-breathing legendary beast, according to the Chinese Zodiac. Dragons are said to be bold, intelligent, firm but fair, but at the same time sometimes egotistical. However, they’re great businesspeople and love to squeeze as much out of life as possible. The next dragon year won’t be until 2036.
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This page was last modified on January 26, 2024. Suggest an edit
Celebrity Births in 2000
Jadon Sancho, English soccer star, born March 25th
Zion Williamson, American basketball star, born July 6th
Addison Rae, American TikTok star, born October 6th
Isabel May, American actor, born November 21st
Auli'i Cravalho, American actor and singer, born November 22nd
Famous People we Lost in 2000
Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood legend, died aged 85
Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, died aged 77
Sir John Gielgud, English actor, died aged 96
Kirsty MacColl, English musician, died aged 41
Ian Dury, English musician, died aged 57
