After massive media hype, the Y2K disaster failed to happen. Various officials call for investigation into misappropriation and fraud in the wake of massive "compliance" and preparation spending.

Politics:

• Fighting continues between Russians and Chechen rebels.
• British government restores direct rule over Northern Ireland.
• Feds seize six-year-old refugee Elian Gonzalez to return him to his Cuban father, launching renewed protests.
• Terrorists kill 17 on U.S. warship Cole in Yemen.
• Renewed violence racks the West Bank and Gaza Strip regions.
• Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel announces his resignation.
• Vladimir Putin wins the presidential election in Russia.
• Opposition party Vicente Fox wins presidency in Mexico, ending years of Institutional Revolutionary Party rule.
• DPP candidate and former Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian defeats rivals Lien Chan (KMT) and James Soong, ending years of KMT rule and sparking fresh fears of mainland Chinese aggression.
• George W. Bush is declared President of the United States of America 36 days after voting began, amid massive controversy and ballot recounting, with a minority of the popular vote but a majority of the electoral vote.

• Trivia, voyeurism, and "reality TV" are the craze on the small screen; Darva Conger's marriage is annulled shortly after the hokey Who Wants to Marry a Millionnaire? show, and Richard Hatch wins the $1,000,000 prize on the hyped Survivor show.
• American Beauty wins five Oscars. Reality TV show Survivor becomes another fad.

• AOL proposes a merger with Time-Warner, the largest merger in American history.
• EMI and Time-Warner announce a merger to create the world's largest music company.
• Bill Gates resigns as CEO of Microsoft amid antitrust proceedings. Judge Patel later orders the breakup of the company.
• Denial of service attacks cripple large internet sites including Amazon, eBay, and Yahoo. Later, 15-year-old Canadian "Mafiaboy" is arrested for them.
• Japanese scientists announce the successful birth of Xena, the first cloned pig.
• Lawsuits are launched against controversial the music-sharing network Napster, with plaintiffs including the members of the RIAA. An injunction to shut it down is quickly stayed while the lawsuit drags on.
• 6.5 million defective Firestone SUV tires are recalled, prone to blowing out at high speeds and causing deadly accidents
• Astronomers locate many more extrasolar planets

• Massive Romanian cyanide spill poisons the Danube for many kilometers
• An Alaska Airlines jet crashes into Pacific, killing 88. An Air Philippines jet crashes, killing 131. An Air France Concorde crashes after takeoff from Paris, killing 113. A Gulf Air Airbus crashes into Persian Gulf, killing 143. A Singapore Airlines jet crashes during takeoff from the Taipei airport, killing 89 people.
• The Russian nuclear sub Kursk sinks, and bad weather leads to a prolonged, botched rescue attempt. All 118 crew members on board died.
• A fire at a ski resort near Kaprun, Austria kills 155 people.

• Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister
• John Morris Rankin, January 16, Celtic musician
• Sandra Schmirler, March 2, Olympic curler
• Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Canadian hockey legend
• Benjamin Harrison Holcomb, December 4, world's oldest man, 111.
• Sir Alec Guinness, August 5, age 86, British actor, famous for his many roles including Obiwan Kenobi of Star Wars

A variation of the breakdance move 1990, a 2000 involves the bboy spinning on one hand while placing his non-spinning hand on top of the hand he is spinning on.

Tips:

• To reduce friction while spinning, use a bandana or like material under your spinning hand.
• Spin on you palm, never on your fingers.