2000 might seem like a simple time to look back on, but it was just as beautiful and chaotic as any other year.
First of all, the world didn’t end. After all the Y2K jokes and warnings, New Year’s Day arrived with mostly minor computer glitches and a collective sigh of relief.
In science, researchers announced the first draft of the human genome, and the Sydney Summer Olympics brought dazzling performances and global attention to Australia.
Coldplay released their debut album, Destiny’s Child topped the charts, and reality TV changed forever with the launch of Big Brother.
Money and tech were a wild mix as dot-com stocks hit a peak in March and then started falling rapidly, turning instant millionaires into cautionary tales.
Overall, 2000 was a year of fresh starts, big discoveries, and plenty of memorable moments.
Join us as we explore the extraordinary journey of 2000, filled with defining events, music, quotes, and lasting memories.
Historical Events
Here you'll witness the remarkable events that left an indelible mark on our world in 2000.
January 2000
Jan 17
For the first time in history, all 50 states of America celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday.
Feb 4
The very first Sims game was released for PC in North America.
How could anyone possibly forget their time playing the original Sims game? This unique life simulator allowed players to control the lives, relationships, careers, and homes of the game's characters, or "sims."
May 2000
May 24
The United States and Russia signed the Moscow Treaty, agreeing to limit their nuclear arsenals.
May 25
At the 53rd Cannes Film Festival, “Dancer in the Dark,” directed by Lars von Trier starring Björk, won the Palme d’Or award.
May 25
The South Lebanon Conflict, which began in 1985, ended on this day, and Lebanon became liberated.
This day is now celebrated every year as Lebanon Day of Liberation.
May 26
Arthur C. Clarke was knighted.
On a visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka, he was made a Knight Bachelor for "services to literature" at a ceremony. This knighthood is usually awarded to those who have advised for public service.
Jun 7
Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered the breakup of Microsoft Corporation.
The breakup occurred due to the fact that Microsoft continued to break antitrust laws with browser markets and the PC Operating system.
Jun 10
In London, the Millenium Bridge closed for safety checks following large crowds, which caused the bridge to start swaying.
Jun 13
President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea met North Korea’s Kim Jong-il for the first inter-Korea summit.
Jun 29
Eminem’s mother sued him after claiming she uses drugs in his hit single “My Name Is.”
The lawsuit cost a staggering $10 million.
July 2000
Jul 23
The 87th Tour de France came to an end with the winner losing his title.
Although Lance Armstrong finished in first place, the Anti-Doping Agency disqualified him.
August 2000
September 2000
Sep 1
Neversoft’s Spider-Man was released for the PlayStation.
This was both the first PlayStation Spider-Man game and the first Spider-Man game to be published by Activision, who had just acquired the license. It used the game engine from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, in which Spider-Man is a hidden playable character.
Sep 20
Neversoft’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 was released for the PlayStation.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has a legendary status among skaters and gamers alike and is the second-highest-rated video game of all time on Metacritic.
October 2000
Oct 31
Soyuz TM-31 was launched, carrying the first crew to reside long-term on the International Space Station.
The TM-31, launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, was the first Soyuz spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). An American Astronaut, William Shepherd, was a part of the crew, along with two Russian cosmonauts - Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. They stayed aboard the ISS for 136 days.
November 2000
Nov 7
Hilary Clinton made history when she became the first-ever First Lady to win a seat for the Democrats in the Senate.
Nov 11
Canada’s second-largest city, Montreal, started dumping untreated waste in the Saint Lawrence River.
The city said it was necessary to dump untreated waste into the river for up to a week while essential sewage works were happening in the town. Many environmentalists at the time raised their concerns; however, the city responded by saying that if repairs were not taken care of, it could result in even worse environmental issues down the line with raw sewage.
Nov 13
The ninth Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy IX, was released for PlayStation.
Final Fantasy IX returned to the series roots and had a classic medieval fantasy setting. It's the highest ranking Final Fantasy game on Metacritic, with a rating of 94/100.
Nov 30
The 101st Space Shuttle mission, STS-97, successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
December 2000
Dec 24
The Texas Seven held up a sports store.
This group of escaped prisoners dubbed with the nickname "The Texas Seven" robbed an Oshman's Sporting Goods where they stole at least 40 guns and sets of ammunition. A police officer who responded to the call, Officer Aubrey Hawkins, was ambushed and shot 11 times, and was the only casualty.
Famous Births
Check out these awesome individuals who were born in 2000!
Age
25 years old
Born IN
Michigan, USA
Age
25 years old
Born IN
New Mexico, USA
Age
25 years old
Born IN
Louisiana, USA
Age
25 years old
Born IN
California, USA
Age
26 years old
Born IN
Tennessee, USA
Age
25 years old
Born IN
California, USA
Famous Deaths
Discover the well-known names we lost in 2000.
Quotes
Check out some of the quotes that made 2000 truly memorable.
Jan 20
“The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.”
Michael Jordan
(American Basketball Player)
Feb 29
“I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.”
George W. Bush
(American Politician)
Apr 16
“One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.”
Nelson Mandela
(South African President)
2000 in Music
2000 was a musical journey that took us on a wild ride with its chart-topping hits!
From the infectious beats of “Oops!… I Did It Again” by Britney Spears to the smooth R&B groove of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child, these songs defined the year and had us dancing like there was no tomorrow.
These music highlights from 2000 are essential knowledge for any music enthusiast.
Album of the Year
Santana’s genre-blending album “Supernatural” captivated the world in 2000, earning them the Grammy for Album of the Year with their fusion of rock and Latin sounds.
Song of the Year
Rob Thomas’s collaboration with Santana on the groovy “Smooth” lit up the charts and secured them the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2000.
Best New Artist
Christina Aguilera’s impressive vocal range and chart-topping hits earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2000, showcasing her as a pop sensation.
Eurovision Song Contest Winner
The new millennium marked the 45th Eurovision Song Contest in the year 2000, hosted in Stockholm, Sweden.
With a dazzling array of performances, the Olsen Brothers from Denmark enchanted the audience with their catchy tune “Fly on the Wings of Love,” securing Denmark’s second Eurovision triumph.
2000 In Numbers
Are you ready for some interesting number facts? Well, here goes! In Roman numerals, 2000 is MM, and in binary, it’s 11111010000.
Leap Year
In 2000, we witnessed the occurrence of a leap year, marked by the addition of an extra day in February. This adjustment ensures that our calendars remain synchronized with the Earth’s orbital path, preventing seasonal drifts.
Harshad Number
2000 is a Harshad number, which is a number that can be evenly divided by the sum of its digits. It’s like a special math rule for some numbers.
To explain in more detail, we add up the digits (2 + 0 + 0 + 0), which equals 2. And now we see if 2000 can be divided evenly by 2, which it can! 2000 ÷ 2 = 1000. So this makes 2000 a Harshad number.
Abundant Number
Also, 2000 is known as an abundant number. An abundant number is a number where, if you add up all the smaller numbers that can divide evenly into it, the total sum is greater than the number itself.
So, when you add up all the smaller numbers that can divide evenly into 2000 (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 25, 40, 50, 80, 100, 125, 200, 250, 400, 500, 1000), they add up to 2836, which is greater than 2000.
Chinese Zodiac 2000
There are twelve Chinese zodiac signs, which cycle through and change every year, and for 2000, it was the Year of the Dragon.
Interestingly, each zodiac sign is associated with one of the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. So 2000 was actually the Year of the Metal Dragon, which only occurs every sixty years!
Because the Chinese calendar is different than ours, the Year of the Metal Dragon actually began on February 5th, and continued until January 23, 2001.
Individuals born in the Year of the Dragon are known for their strong leadership qualities, ambition, and confidence. They possess a charismatic and magnetic personality.
Notable names like Melissa Benoist, Jordyn Jones and Tyler Joseph are all associated with the Year of the Dragon.
2000 Trivia
Did you know that in 2000, the first long-term crew moved into the International Space Station, turning it into a permanently inhabited outpost in space?
Astronauts and cosmonauts began living and working there continuously, conducting experiments in microgravity that would be impossible to do on Earth.
Since then, the ISS has been occupied every single day, becoming one of the greatest examples of international scientific cooperation in history.
