1998

Facts and Events That Happened in This Year

Dec 19

The US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Bill Clinton, forwarding the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.

Dec 11

American science fiction movie 'Star Trek: Insurrection' was released in the US.

Nov 21

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released in Japan for the N64.

Nov 20

Zarya, the first International Space Station module, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Oct 29

The first American astronaut to orbit Earth, John Glenn, returned to space aboard NASA's STS-95 Voyager.

Oct 23

Britney Spears's first single, 'Baby One More Time,' was released.

Oct 20

A month after launching in Japan, Metal Gear Solid was finally playable by North American PlayStation players.

Oct 19

Cher's 'Believe' was released and became the Billboard 1999 Song of the Year.

Oct 7

A gay student, Matthew Shepard, was brutally beaten and left to die in Wyoming, US.

Sep 12

Nintendo released Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition in Japan for the Game Boy Color.

Sep 4

Google was founded.

Sep 4

International TV game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' was shown for the first time in the UK, with Chris Tarrant as the host.

Aug 31

North Korea allegedly launched Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1, its first satellite.

Aug 26

Shortly after liftoff, the first US Air Force Delta III rocket failed and was blown up mid-air.

Aug 3

'No Matter What' by Irish boy band Boyzone was released.

Jul 24

The epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg, 'Saving Private Ryan,' was released in theaters.

Jul 17

American swashbuckler film 'The Mask of Zorro' was released in the United States.

Jul 2

'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,' the second book in the series, was published by Bloomsbury in the UK.

Jun 27

Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, officially opened.

Jun 5

A strike began at a General Motors parts factory.

May 30

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit northern Afghanistan, which killed around 5,000 people.

May 26

The United States Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Island is primarily located in the state of New Jersey and not New York like many think it does.

May 3

NASA's Columbia Space Shuttle landed at the Kennedy Space Center, concluding mission STS-90.

Apr 30

Two new moons orbiting Uranus were announced in Nature magazine.

Apr 10

The UK, Ireland, and Northern Ireland governments signed the Good Friday Agreement.

Mar 29

Europe's longest bridge officially opened in Lisbon, Portugal.

Mar 23

James Cameron's iconic film 'Titanic' won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Mar 9

Eminem signed up to the record label 'Aftermath Entertainment,' founded by Dr. Dre.

Mar 2

Jupiter's moon was found to have a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.

Mar 1

James Cameron's Titanic became the first film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.

Feb 26

Oprah Winfrey was declared not guilty after cattlemen tried to sue her for saying American beef could spread mad cow disease.

Feb 24

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Elton John for his charitable work.

Feb 20

Fifteen-year-old Tara Lipinski became the youngest Olympic figure skating gold medalist.

Feb 18

Opera singer Andrea Bocelli started his career in the production of 'La bohème' in Cagliari.

Feb 17

Voyager 1 passed Pioneer 10 to become the most distant human-made object in space.

Feb 12

The first graphics card chip, i740, was released by Intel.

Feb 11

A charity auction in Los Angeles saw the lyrics to 'Candle in the Wind' sell to the highest bidder at a staggering $442,500.

Feb 6

The US Congress changed the name of the Washington National Airport to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Feb 4

Bill Gates had a pie thrown in his face while visiting EU officials in Brussels, Belgium.

Jan 28

Michelangelo's famous painting 'Christ of the Woman of Samaria' was sold for a staggering $7.4 million.

Jan 25

David Beckham & Victoria Beckham got engaged.

Jan 13

Alfredo Ormando set himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, protesting against the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality.

Jan 12

Nineteen European nations forbade human cloning; however, the UK and Germany refused to sign the agreement.