Portal:Current events/January 2000

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January 2000 was the first month of that century leap year. The month, which began on a Saturday, ended on a Monday after 31 days. It was the first month of the 2000s decade.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from January 2000.

January 1, 2000 (2000-01-01) (Saturday) Arts and culture Year 2000 problem Y2K passes without the serious, widespread computer failures and malfunctions that had been predicted. The first day of the 21st century and 3rd millennium is celebrated worldwide, though not without debate. The piece Longplayer begins. It will last 1000 years, finishing on December 31, 2999. Following the creation of Ottawa "megacity", the city adopts a new flag. Education Szeged's universities are unified into a single institution called the University of Szeged. Law and crime The hostages of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 return home after the Government of India releases the prisoners demanded by the hijackers. Religion Sweden disestablishes the Church of Sweden as the official state religion. Sports 2000 Rose Bowl In front of a crowd of 93,731 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, the Wisconsin Badgers defeat the Stanford Cardinal by a score of 17–9. January 2, 2000 (2000-01-02) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks Kosheh massacres 21 Coptic Christians were the victims of a massacre in el-Kosheh village in Upper Egypt, located 450 kilometres south of Cairo. Arts and culture Concert de Gaudi, a concerto for classical guitar and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse, premieres in Hamburg, Germany. The Hofstra Arena in Hempstead, New York opens. The arena hosted the final Presidential Debate of the 2008 United States presidential election between John McCain and Barack Obama, as well as, the second debate of the 2012 presidential election between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, and the first debate of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump of the 2016 election. Law and crime Disappearance of Zebb Quinn Zebb Quinn, an American man who goes missing in Asheville, North Carolina. Quinn was 18 years old and working at a Walmart in Asheville when he disappeared. As of 2017, his case remains unsolved. Technology Adam Kontras posts a video alongside a blog entry, marking the first post on what would later become the longest-running video blog in history. January 3, 2000 (2000-01-03) (Monday) Arts and culture The final daily original Peanuts comic strip is published. Business and economy Yahoo! stocks closing at an all-time high of $118.75 a share. International relations In Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is the site of the Peace Talks between Israel and Syria where both sides were urged to make the hard choices needed to end a half-century of conflict. January 4, 2000 (2000-01-04) (Tuesday) Arts and culture The Autonomous Region of Sicily, in Italy adopts a new flag. Business and economy Air Canada acquires their largest rival, Canadian Airlines. Disasters and accidents Åsta accident In Åsta, Åmot, Norway, two diesel passenger trains collide, killing 19, while 67 survives. The fire after the collision lasts nearly six hours. Sports The trophy for the inaugural competition of the FIFA Club World Championship is presented for the first time at the Sheraton Hotels and Resorts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. January 5, 2000 (2000-01-05) (Wednesday) Armed conflicts and attacks 2000 al-Qaeda Summit The meeting is held until January 8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The summit's purpose was allegedly to plan future attacks, which apparently included the bombing of USS Cole on October 12, 2000 and the September 11 attacks in 2001. An LTTE suicide bomber blows herself up outside the office of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka killing 13 civilians and three police officers. Arts and culture Southern Illinois incident Over the towns of Highland, Dupo, Lebanon, Shiloh, Summerfield, Millstadt and O'Fallon, Illinois, people reports a massive, silent, triangular operating at an unusual treetop level altitude and speeds. Sports 2000 FIFA Club World Championship The inaugural tournament of the FIFA Club World Cup begins in Brazil. Technology iTools (later known as .Mac and MobileMe), a free collection of Internet-based services, is launched by Apple Inc. January 6, 2000 (2000-01-06) (Thursday) Disasters and accidents IRL driver Sam Schmidt is paralyzed after a crash in preseason testing at the Walt Disney World Speedway. Environment The last Pyrenean ibex, a female named Celia, is found dead. She was killed by a fallen tree. Technology Windows Media Player for Pocket PC is announced, since then, has been revised on a schedule roughly similar to that of the Windows version. January 7, 2000 (2000-01-07) (Friday) Business and economy Microsoft Corporation acquires Visio Corporation in a stock swap. January 8, 2000 (2000-01-08) (Saturday) Sports Music City Miracle During the 1999–2000 NFL playoffs, one of the most memorable and debated plays in NFL history takes place at then-Adelphia Coliseum. The "Music City Miracle" was a last-minute trick play on a kickoff return that resulted in a touchdown and catapulted the Tennessee Titans past the Buffalo Bills to the Divisional Playoffs. It also ensured that the Titans would go undefeated in the first season in the team's new home. The victory is seen in front of a franchise-record crowd of 66,782. January 9, 2000 (2000-01-09) (Sunday) Economy The administration of Ecuador president Jamil Mahuad announces its intention to adopt the U.S. dollar as the official currency of the country to address the ongoing economic crisis. Subsequent protest led to the 2000 Ecuadorian coup d'état which saw Mahuad's removal from office and the elevation of Vice President Gustavo Noboa to the presidency. Sports The Kingdome, a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle is closed. January 10, 2000 (2000-01-10) (Monday) Arts and culture The Tama Toshi Monorail (Tama-Center Station) opens in Tokyo, Japan. This is a raised station with two tracks and two opposed side platforms, with the station building located underneath. It is a standardized station building for this monorail line. Business and economy America On-line announces an agreement to buy Time Warner for $162 billion, becoming the largest-ever corporate merger. Disasters and accidents Crossair Flight 498 Crossair suffers the first fatal accident in its 25-year history when Crossair Flight 498 crashes in Niederhasli, Switzerland, after take off from Zurich, killing all 10 people on board. The Lady Franklin Point catches fire and is almost totally destroyed. January 11, 2000 (2000-01-11) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Algerian Civil War The armed wing of the Islamic Salvation Front concludes its negotiations with the government for an amnesty and disbands in Algeria. Disasters and accidents The trawler Solway Harvester sinks off the coast of Ramsey, Isle of Man. Law and crime Singer Whitney Houston is caught with 15.2 grams of marijuana in her bag at a Hawaii airport. She boards her flight to San Francisco before police can arrive to arrest her. January 12, 2000 (2000-01-12) (Wednesday) Disasters and accidents The Maputo and Incomati River burst their banks, directly affecting some 40,000, and flooding along the Incomati affected about 20,000 several days later. Law In the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Defence's policy since this day is to allow homosexual men, lesbians and transgender personnel to join any of the British Armed Forces, and discrimination on a sexual orientation basis is forbidden. It is also forbidden for someone to pressure LGBT people to come out. January 13, 2000 (2000-01-13) (Thursday) Business Steve Ballmer is named chief executive officer of Microsoft. Disasters and accidents 2000 Marsa Brega Short 360 crash A full-loaded Swiss-registered Short 360 leased by Avisto ditched into the sea near Marsa Brega in Libya. The aircraft was chartered by Sirte Oil Company to transport oil workers to the city. It was carrying 38 passengers and 3 crews. As both engines failed in mid-flight, the crew chose to ditch the aircraft. The crash claimed the lives of 21 people. Sports 66-year-old Raymond York becomes the first jockey to ride in seven different decades. January 14, 2000 (2000-01-14) (Friday) Business and economy The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 11,722.98 at the peak of the Dot-com bubble. Dayton-Hudson is renamed the Target Corporation. Disasters 2000 Yunnan earthquake An earthquake measuring 5.9 in magnitude occurres in the Yunnan province in southwest China, killing 7 people and injuring at least 2,528 more. Almost 41,000 homes were levelled by the earthquake. Sports 2000 FIFA Club World Championship Sport Club Corinthians Paulista from Brazil becomes the first winner of the championship. Ross Perot Jr.'s group sells the Dallas Mavericks to Internet entrepreneur and season ticket-holder Mark Cuban for $285 million. Technology U.S. Government announce restrictions on export of cryptography are relaxed (although not removed). This allows many US companies to stop the long running process of having to create US and international copies of their software. January 15, 2000 (2000-01-15) (Saturday) Law and crime Željko Ražnatović, better known as Arkan, is assassinated in the lobby of Belgrade's elite InterContinental Hotel. He was on Interpol's most wanted list in the 1970s and 1980s for robberies and murders committed in a number of countries across Europe. Until his death, he was the most powerful crime boss in the Balkans. January 16, 2000 (2000-01-16) (Sunday) Politics and elections Chilean presidential election, 1999–2000 In the second round run-off, Ricardo Lagos is elected president of Chile, as candidate of the Party for Democracy. January 17, 2000 (2000-01-17) (Monday) Arts and culture In the United States, for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is officially observed in all fifty states. Environment The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992, enters into force. Law and crime Maxim Petrov, nicknamed Doctor Death by the media, a Russian serial killer, is arrested, convicted for the killing of 12 people in St. Petersburg between 1999 and 2000. January 18, 2000 (2000-01-18) (Tuesday) Business Woody Johnson purchases the New York Jets for $635 million, the third-highest price for a professional sports team and the highest for one in New York. Science At 16:43 UT, the Tagish Lake meteorite lands in the Tagish Lake area in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. January 19, 2000 (2000-01-19) (Wednesday) Arts and culture Hedy Lamarr, Austrian actress and inventor, dies at age of 85. Law and crime Boland Hall fire Three students died and 54 were injured in a dormitory fire at Seton Hall University. Two students were charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting the fire. The Charleston Five are brought up of felony charges of conspiracy to invite a riot in Charleston, South Carolina. Technology The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, in the United States, initials the first standards group dedicated towards developing digital cinema. January 20, 2000 (2000-01-20) (Thursday) Arts and culture In Belgrade, around 10,000 people attend the funeral of Arkan. He is buried at the Belgrade's New Cemetery with military honors by his volunteers and with funeral rites. A digital cable and satellite network dedicated to the soap operas, SOAPnet, begins re-airing soaps that originally aired on ABC, NBC and CBS. Disasters and accidents Table Mountain Fire (2000) After four days, the veld fire is put out. Over 10,000 ha were burned across the Western Cape, in South Africa. January 21, 2000 (2000-01-21) (Friday) Armed conflicts and attacks Two car bombs explode during rush-hour in Madrid, Spain; killing one army officer and injuring several others. Politics 2000 Ecuadorian coup d'état Amidst a economic crisis, a coup d'état takes place in Ecuador, resulting in President Jamil Mahuad being sent into exile, and replaced by Vice President Gustavo Noboa. Science January 2000 lunar eclipse A total lunar eclipse takes place, the first of two total lunar eclipses of the year. January 22, 2000 (2000-01-22) (Saturday) Politics Gustavo Noboa becomes President of Ecuador, after Jamil Mahuad is sent into exile. Sport 2000 African Cup of Nations The 22nd edition of the African Cup of Nations begins in Ghana and Nigeria. January 23, 2000 (2000-01-23) (Sunday) Arts and culture 57th Golden Globe Awards The Sopranos wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama; Sex and the City wins for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, Toy Story 2 wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy while American Beauty wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Sport Royal Rumble 2000 The Rock defeats the Big Show, winning the main event, the Royal Rumble match. January 24, 2000 (2000-01-24) (Monday) Business Stock market faces heavy losses for a fifth straight trading day, with the Dow Jones experiencing its 10th-worst daily loss ever. (CNN) Disasters and accidents A major winter storm in the southern United States leaves more than 500,000 homes without power, mostly in the Atlanta area. (NYT) January 30, 2000 (2000-01-30) (Sunday) Disasters and accidents The January 2000 North American blizzard is dissipated. The storm was one of the most powerful winter storms on record in parts of the United States. Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes off the coast of Ivory Coast into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169. The 2000 Baia Mare cyanide spill occurs near Baia Mare, Romania, into the Someş River. Sports The Super Bowl XXXIV took place at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. The half time adverts featured seventeen dot-com companies (most memorably pets.com) that each paid over $2 million for a 30-second spot. January 31, 2000 (2000-01-31) (Monday) Disasters and accidents Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes off the California coast, into the Pacific Ocean, killing 88. Law and crime Dr. Harold Shipman is sentenced to life in prison for murder of at least 15 of his patients out of 365 suspected victims.

January 2000 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 International holidays and observances 1: New Year's Day 1: Independence Day (Brunei) and (Haiti) 1: Flag Day (Lithuania) 7: Christmas (Orthodox) 8: Coming of Age Day (Japan) 14: Old New Year (Orthodox) 14: Makar Sankranti (India) 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (United States) 20: Islamic New Year (Islam, est.) 20: Remembrance of Muharram begins (Shi'a Islam, est.) 26: Australia Day (Australia) 26: Republic Day (India)) 27: Holocaust Memorial Day (United Kingdom) 28: The King's Namesday (Sweden) 29: Day of Ashura (Islam, est.)