1999

1999 was a year marked by significant international conflicts, economic developments, and cultural moments that shaped the late 1990s. In international affairs, the NATO-led air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia occurred from March to June as part of the Kosovo War, contributing to the end of Yugoslav forces' hold in Kosovo and a UN-administered peace process. In August, East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in a UN-supervised referendum, an event followed by violence and international peacekeeping efforts. In the United States, President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in February after impeachment proceedings that began in 1998.

Economically, the euro was introduced as the currency’s accounting unit on January 1, 1999, laying groundwork for physical euro notes and coins that would appear in 2002. The year also saw the rise of Napster, a pioneer in peer-to-peer music sharing, and heightened attention to the Y2K software issue amid ongoing concerns about the global information economy and the dot-com bubble. Late in the year, widespread protests occurred at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, highlighting tensions over globalization.

Culturally, 1999 produced influential releases in film and media. The Matrix premiered on March 31, followed by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace on May 19, and The Blair Witch Project later that year, contributing to diverse trends in cinema and popular culture. In science and exploration, NASA lost the Mars Climate Orbiter due to a unit conversion error and later that year failed to reach Mars with the Mars Polar Lander, underscoring the risks of space missions.

The year also featured the Columbine High School shooting in April, prompting lasting debates about school safety, gun policy, and youth violence.