Annual

1999 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1999, America spent the entire year worrying about whether every computer on Earth would simultaneously malfunction at midnight on December 31, ushering in a civilization-ending cascade of failures. The Y2K bug turned out to be largely a non-event, the result of thousands of programmers quietly fixing things that nobody noticed

 1998 Pop Culture HistoryIn 1998, Google was founded in a garage, Titanic was still making money on its 58th day in theaters, Bill Clinton told the world what the definition of “is” is, and Elton John spent the first two weeks of January at number one with a song about Princess Diana that he had

1997 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsIn 1997, the world stopped for a princess. When Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris tunnel on August 31, an estimated 2.5 billion people watched her funeral six days later — the largest television audience for a single event in history to that point. Elton John rewrote Candle

1996 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1996 Top Song: “Don’t Speak” by No DoubtMost Famous American: Probably Bill Clinton — or, depending on your TV habits, the cast of SeinfeldMinimum Wage: $4.75 per hourRed Bull entered the U.S. market in 1996, giving Americans a new way to feel invincible at 2 a.m.The Funny Girl:

1995 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1995 Top Song: One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, which held the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 consecutive weeks, a record that stood until 2017Notable Books: The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans and The Golden Compass by Philip PullmanSuper Bowl

1994 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1994 Top Song: I’ll Make Love to You by Boyz II Men, which spent 14 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100The Most Famous Person in the World: Nelson Mandela, inaugurated as South Africa’s first Black president on May 10, 1994, ending the apartheid eraCheez-It crackers

1993 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1993World-Changing Event: Intel introduced the Pentium microprocessor, and the Mosaic web browser — the first graphical browser accessible to ordinary users — was released. The internet went from an academic and military tool to something anyone could navigate. The world had no idea what it had just been

1992 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsIn 1992, Bill Clinton played saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show, said he didn’t inhale, and won the presidency anyway. The LA riots erupted after four officers who beat Rodney King on camera were acquitted, killing 63 people and causing over a billion dollars in damage. The 1992 Olympic Dream

1990 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1990 Top Song: Because I Love You (The Postman Song) by Stevie BMost Famous American: MadonnaMinimum Wage: $3.80 per hour; Tandy Computer 1000RL with color monitor: $799.00; Nintendo Game Boy: $89.97The Funny Lady: Paula PoundstoneFun Fact: Solitaire was originally included in early computer programs not for entertainment but

 1988 History, Facts and TriviaIn 1988, a graduate student at Cornell released a self-replicating program onto the internet from an MIT terminal, and by morning, a significant portion of the connected internet had ground to a halt. Die Hard arrived and settled the question of what a Christmas movie could be. Steffi Graf won all

1987 History, Facts and TriviaQuick Facts from 1987 Top Song: “Faith” by George MichaelMost Famous American: Robin WilliamsDaily Newspaper: 25¢ | VHS Tape Rental: $3.49 | Gummi Bears: $2.99/lbFunniest Late Night Host: Johnny CarsonUnusual TV Factoid: Valerie Harper was fired from her sitcom Valerie — the first time an actor was fired from a show

1986 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1986 Top Song: “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie WonderMost Famous American: Paul Hogan — Crocodile Dundee made him an overnight international sensationCabbage Patch Kid: $29.97 | AA Batteries (4-pack): $3.38The Disaster: Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after

1985 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1985 Top Song: Careless Whisper by Wham! featuring George MichaelNotable Books: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, and The Cider House Rules by John IrvingSuper Bowl ad (30 seconds): $525,000Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Ox, associated with diligence, dependability, and a stubborn

1984 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsQuick Facts from 1984 Top Song: Like a Virgin by Madonna, which launched at the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards with a performance in a wedding dress that people are still talking aboutThe Most Famous Person in the World: Bob Geldof, who organized Band Aid and Do They Know It’s

1983 History, Facts, and TriviaQuick Facts from 1983World-Changing Event: President Reagan called the Soviet Union an “Evil Empire” in a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, on March 8, 1983 — the most confrontational framing of U.S.-Soviet relations by an American president in decades, and a signal that the Cold War’s

1981 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1981, MTV launched with Video Killed the Radio Star and immediately began transforming how music was sold, consumed, and experienced. Raiders of the Lost Ark arrived in theaters, and Harrison Ford became the dominant action hero of his generation. Prince Charles married Lady Diana before 750 million television viewers. The

1980 Fun Facts, Trivia and HistoryQuick Facts from 1980 Top Song: Lady by Kenny RogersMost Famous American: Probably John Lennon, both before and after December 8Loaf of bread: 50 cents; Gallon of gas: $1.22; Etch-A-Sketch: $4.97; Rubik’s Cube: $9.99The Funny Late Night Host: Johnny CarsonThe Conversation: Who shot J.R. on CBS’s Dallas? (It was Kristin