May-Jul
Scottish Parliament & Welsh Assembly Open
Scotland got its own Parliament for the first time since 1707. Wales got its Assembly. Devolution reshaped the United Kingdom.
🇬🇧United Kingdom · 90s
Millennium Fever
The Dome, devolution, and the last year of the old millennium.
What happened
4 milestones of 1999
Dec 31
Millennium Dome Completed
The £789 million Millennium Dome opened on the Greenwich peninsula. Critics hated it. The Queen held hands with Tony Blair and sang 'Auld Lang Syne.' It would become the O2 Arena.
Apr 17-30
Nail Bombings in London
Three nail bombs targeted Brixton, Brick Lane, and the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho over 13 days. 3 killed, 139 injured. Targeted the Black, Bengali, and LGBTQ+ communities.
Hate crime terrorism — honor the victims and targeted communities
Year-round
Good Friday Agreement's First Year
The Northern Ireland Assembly and power-sharing government were established. The peace process was fragile but holding. Hope was real.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Notting Hill
Roger Michell — Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. London romance.
East Is East
Damien O'Donnell — Om Puri. British-Pakistani family comedy. Brilliant.
The Matrix
The Wachowskis — Bullet time arrived in UK cinemas. Red pill or blue pill.
Eyes Wide Shut
Stanley Kubrick — Major UK release — TMDB 7.5
The World Is Not Enough
Michael Apted — Major UK release — TMDB 6.3
What was on TV
The Royle Family
1998-2012 — The Royles watched telly. Britain watched the Royles. Meta-brilliance.
Queer as Folk
1999-2000 — Russell T Davies' groundbreaking Channel 4 drama about gay life in Manchester.
Millennium Night coverage
Dec 1999 — BBC covered celebrations worldwide. The Dome. Fireworks on the Thames.
How much things cost
Currency: GBP
Pint of milk34p
Pint of bitter£1.80
Average house£75,436
Cinema ticket£4.20
Inflation: 1.5%
Blair's Britain booming. Low inflation, low unemployment. 'Cool Britannia' at its peak.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Pint of milkONS
1999 (GBP)
34p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Pint of bitterBBPA
1999 (GBP)
£1.80
→
Today's value (£)
--
Average houseONS
1999 (GBP)
£75,436
→
Today's value (£)
--
Cinema ticketBFI
1999 (GBP)
£4.20
→
Today's value (£)
--
Technology
Napster
Music piracy arrived. Teenagers stopped buying CDs.
Nokia phones
Nokia 3210 — Snake became the national game.
Broadband coming
BT began ADSL trials. Dial-up's days were numbered.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Low-rise jeansCargo pantsButterfly clipsSpice Girls platform boots
Slang
Sorted— All good
Innit— Isn't it (general confirmation)
Minted— Rich, well-off
Behavior
- Millennium fever — everyone planned their New Year's Eve
- Nokia Snake was played in every classroom
- Devolution gave Scotland and Wales new political identity
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