random retro-spective
Bill still brill
Bill Clinton wins a second term in The White House - the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to do so, 1996
the retro hour: 1998
We've been through the archive and compiled everything we think you need to know about the year. To make it easier for you to find what you're looking for, everything is organised into categories.
the top stories
The proposed contents of the Millennium Dome were unveiled for the first
time.
Saddam Hussain and Kofi Annan signed a weapons treaty in Baghdad
Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern shook hands on the Good
Friday peach agreement
Brussels announced that 11 countries were to adopt a single currency in
1999
An air crash over Nova Scotia killed all 229 passengers on board.
Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet was arrested at a clinic
in London.
Boys aged 13 and 11 stunned Arkansas by shooting four schoolgirls and
a teacher.
Singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82, leaving a fortune
believed to be in the region of $200m
Other deaths included: Sonny Bono (in a ski-ing accident), Linda McCartney
(from breast cancer), Tammy Wynette, the first lady of country (aged 55),
and Syd Lawrence (former star of the Glen Miller TV show at the age of
74).
on the chart
Singer George Michael was charged by Los Angeles police with a "lewd
act" in a public toilet
At the Brits, Shola Ama and Finley Quaye took Best Female and Best Male
awards respectively
Geri Halliwell left the Spice Girls and became a UN Goodwill Ambassador
The Eurovision Song Contest was won by Dana International from Israel
with the song Diva
on the tv and at the cinema
Ulrika Jonsson split from her footballer boyfriend Stan Collymore
Rula Lenska divorced Dennis Waterman
The Royal Family starring Ricky Tomlinson made its debut
The film Titanic, starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslett, won 11
Oscars at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood
Some of the top offerings were Titanic (which
also won Best Picture at the Oscars), Good Will Hunting, Saving Private
Ryan, The Truman Show and Sliding Doors
Home Alone star Macaulay Caulkin married Rachel Miner
Sharon Stone married Phil Bronstein and Uma Thurman tied the knote with
Ethan Hawke
sports achievements and milestones
Ruud Gullit was sacked a manager of Chelsea - later in the year they
won the Cup Winners' Cup
France beat Brazil 3-0 to win the World Cup (England lost to Argentina
on penalties), meanwhile Arsenal beat Newcastle United in the FA Cup final
2-0 to complete the double.
The Winter Olympics took place at Nagano in Japan
Michael Owen became the youngest person to play football for England in
the 20th century
Former England rugby union captain Will Carling retired
Paul and Sheryl Gascoigne divorced
A plane carrying the Leeds United football team crash-landed at Stansted
airport
Mika Hakkinen became Formula 1 World Champion
Mark O'Meara won the Open golf championship
and finally
The new £2 coin went into circulation in June
The last minute of the year was 61 seconds long to keep pace with the
slowing revolution of the Earth
A waxwork of President Clinton had its trouser fly sewn up after visitors
kept unzipping it!
Furbys were launched and at Alton Towers you could ride on the first rollercoaster
to take people down a vertical drop - it was called Oblivion