What Happened in 1999?

January

The Euro currency was officially introduced in 11 European countries. And today, 20 countries in the European Union still use it! The currency became legal tender for France, Italy, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, Germany, and Portugal.

And, despite the Brexit changes, Ireland still uses the euro as its currency. That being said, the rest of the UK still uses the British pound.

February

King Hussein of Jordan died on February 7th, 1999. Following his passing, his son Abdullah II ascended to the throne. To this day, he remains king of Jordan (as of January 2024). He is part of the Hashemite dynasty, which has reigned over the nation since 1921, and is also considered to be a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

March

NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, during the Kosovo War – it was a campaign that became known as Operation Allied Force. NATO’s aim was to try and bring humanitarian crises to an end.

The war lasted until June 1999, taking place between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group referred to as the Kosovo Liberation Army.

April

On April 20th, 1999, two students committed a massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. As of the time of writing, it’s still the deadliest shooting within a school to date – with 15 people, including students, killed during the spree. The event would raise concerns regarding gun control in the US that roll on to this day.

May

Big changes in Nigeria started unfolding as of May 29th, 1999, as the country's rulers finally dissolved its infamous military rule, allowing what became known as the Fourth Nigerian Republic to take shape.

June

The online world said hello to Napster, a download service where users could search for popular music – which helped to set the ball rolling for the online piracy boom. In the years to come, Napster would go legitimate and price its MP3s and WMAs, eventually giving way to the streaming revolution of the 00s and 10s.

July

July 1st is the official birthday of Europol, otherwise known as the European Police Office! The agency set up and started working as of the start of July, 1999.

August

Tensions continued in Yugoslavia, as the city of Belgrade played host to an enormous protest against the continued rule of then-President Slobodan Milošević, who would eventually be tried for war crimes.

September

Video-game giants Sega unveiled what would be its last original home console as of September 9th – the Dreamcast. While much-loved as an underdog nowadays, the console sold poorly in comparison to Sony's PlayStation 2, and eventually led to Sega becoming purely a software developer.

October

EgyptAir Flight 990 tragically crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 217 passengers and crew members onboard crashed, with those onboard traveling from New York to Cairo, Egypt.

November

In a step backward for women’s rights, Kuwait’s National Assembly agreed to revoke laws established in 1985 that allowed female citizens to vote in elections. Thankfully, women would be granted suffrage in the Gulf as of 2005, leading to the election of female statespeople in the nation.

December

Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigned his post at the very end of the 90s, and appointed Vladimir Putin as acting President – a reign that, two decades later, millions continue to fight against.

…rabbit!

Like 1939, 1951, 1963, 1974, 1987, 2001, and 2023, 1999 celebrated Rabbits everywhere, according to the Chinese Zodiac. People born in Rabbit years are curious, motivated by humor and are high spirited – but they can be quite shy. The next Rabbit year won't be until 2035.