1998 was an eventful year, with a lot of turning points, including the release of the first iMac G3 and Bill Clinton’s impeachment.The year 1998 was the year that John Glenn returned to space and also the year the movie ‘Titanic’ became the first movie to make a billion US dollars. The film had dominated the Oscars and won 11 Academy Awards that also included the Big Picture.Google is today the epic search engine that we cannot live without, but did you know that Google was founded in 1998 by computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin? Meanwhile, in 1998, the US box office for movies hit a record of 6.24 billion dollars. The book that made J. K. Rowling one of the richest women in the UK, ‘Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets’, was published in 1998. Bill Gates got hit in the face with a cream pie by Noel Godin, a Belgian anarchist, and Bill Clinton got caught up in a scandal — this was the reason Bill Clinton was eventually impeached. The FIFA World Cup was won by France in 1998, and actor Harrison Ford (aka Indiana Jones), at the age of 55, was named one of the most desirable men ever.An American crime drama written by David Mckenna and directed by Tony Kaye ‘American History X’ was released in 1998. ‘The Long Road Home’ by Danielle Steel was a romance novel published in 1998. The Steamboat Willie had received preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being considered gracefully pleasing. ‘Gun Crazy’ aka Deadly, ‘Easy Rider’, ‘Sky-High’, ‘Dead birds’, ‘Hitch-Hiker’, ‘The Last Picture Show’, and ‘Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse’ had also received preservation by the Library of Congress in the United States National Film Registry. Frank Sinatra, one of the best-selling artists who sold more than 150 million records worldwide, passed away in 1998. The American band Aerosmith had performed the song ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ for the first time in 1998.‘Backstreet Boys’, the first self-titled compiled album released by the vocal pop group, consisted of 12 tracks that had reached their peak in the year 1998. At that time, a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola would cost upwards of $0.89. The work of Toni Morrison, ‘Beloved’, was made into a 1998 film, which was about racism in the US. The European Journal of International law of the international community was translated by Stephan Skinner in 1998.The 1998 film ‘Saving Private Ryan’ was based on an American epic war which was directed by Steven Spielberg and was written by Robert Rodat. An American musician, Rozz Williams, passed away on April 1, 1998. On September 24, 1998, the fifth season of the superhit sitcom ‘Friends’ was aired on NBC.If you liked the following facts about the year 1998 and are curious to know more such fun facts, do also check our other articles on 1982 facts and 1983 facts here on Kidadl.Computer Development UpdatesIn 1998, Microsoft’s 6.0 version of Visual Basic, the first MP3 player in Japan, Adobe photoshop 5.0, Microsoft Windows 98, Pearl 5.oo5, Advanced Packaging Tool, and AbiWord were all released.MySQL, 3DNow! by AMD, Socket 370 by Intel, HD-ROM, Triple Data Encryption Algorithm, iMac by Apple, AGP 2.0 were all introduced in 1998.Break Media was established by Keith Richman in June 1998.A few famous websites Webjet, Hotmail, MySpace, and Apple, made major strides. Google was established in the city of Menlo Park, California.Nobel Prize Winners1998 turned out to be a year with lots of Nobel Prize winners! The Nobel Prize winners of 1998 from the various categories are listed below.John Hume and David Trimble won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to make Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Peace Accord in 1998 possible, eventually leading to political progress in a profound dispute.Jos Saramago, the first Portuguese writer, had won the Nobel Prize in the field of Literature. His novels have been widely translated into more than 20 different languages.Robert B. Laughlin, Daniel C. Tsui, and Horst L. Störmer won the Nobel Prize in the field of Physics for their discovery of a new type of quantum fluid with moderately charged excitations.John A. Pople and Walter Kohn won the Nobel prize in the field of Chemistry for their evolution in the studies of the properties of molecules and chemical methods.Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro, and Ferid Murad won the Nobel Prize in the field of Medicine for discovering nitric oxide, which acts as a signal in the cardiovascular system.Amartya Sen won the Nobel prize in the field of Economics for his contribution toward the welfare of Economics.Best-Selling Books1998 had an incredible lineup of best-sellers across the globe that remain relevant and essential even today. A few of these best-sellers included J. K. Rowling’s second installment of the Harry Potter series of books called ‘Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets’ and George R. R. Martin’s second installment in the series of books ‘A Song Of Fire And Ice called A Clash Of Kings’. Listed below are some best selling 1998 books.‘The Street Lawyer’ - John Grisham’Holes’ - Louis Sachar’The Poisonwood Bible’ - Barbara Kingsolver’Digital Fortress’ - Dan Brown’A Clash Of Kings’ - George R. R. Martin’Stardust’ - Neil Gaiman’A Beautiful Mind’ - Sylvia Nasar’Who Moved My Cheese’ - Spencer Johnson’A Walk In The Woods: Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail’ - Bill Bryson’I Know This Much Is True’ - Wally Lamb’Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets’ - J. K. Rowling’The Klone And I’ - Danielle Steel’The Pact’ - Jodi Picoult’The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ - Alexander Mccall Smith’Message In A Bottle’ - Nicholas Sparks’The 48 Laws Of Power’ - Robert Greene’Bag Of Bones’ - Stephen KingEconomic WarfareIn spite of the growing budget deficit, military expenditure remained well above pre-1980 levels until the breakup of the Soviet Bloc. By 1984 GDP growth had reached 7.6% of GDP. Subsequently, the United States of America had budget deficits until the year 1998.Experts and analysts predicted that the national economy would slow down only slightly in the year 1999 as compared to 1998. As a result, as measured by growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), national economic growth was estimated to be 3.3 percent during 1999 in contrast to the 3.9 percent growth during 1998.Did You Know…Legendary singer Frank Sinatra, one of the best-selling artists who sold more than 150 million records worldwide, passed away in 1998.President Bill Clinton was infamously involved in a scandal which resulted in his impeachment being called for by the United States House of Senators.Brandy and Monica’s duet ‘The Boy is Mine’ was the song that everyone sang (and still sings) along to.Mariah Carey, an American singer’s first greatest album, was a hit that was then released on 17 November 1998 by Columbia Records.Harrison Ford, at the age of 55, was named the most desirable man alive by a famous magazine.Sony released its Nightshot Handicam that had the night vision feature, and it also released a floppy disk which was of very high capacity.The song ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ by Will Smith was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks starting from March 14, 1998.The song ‘All My Life’ by the American R&B duo K Ci and Jojo’s debut studio album was physically released in January 1998.An American crime drama written by David Mckenna and directed by Tony Kaye ‘American History X’ was released in 1998.The fourth album of the rock band ‘Barenaked Ladies’ called ‘Stunt’ made them a huge success in 1998.In 1998, the Real Quiet World Cup was won by Jockey Kent Desormeaux in the Kentucky Derby as he rode his horse real quietly to victory.New York Yankees won and were the World Series Champions in 1998 as a major baseball league.Veronica’s Closet shot the second season’s final episode in 1998.An American singer Monica had released her song ‘The First Night’ in 1998.‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ by Stephen Spielberg first aired on 1 November 1998.The Steamboat Willie had received preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being considered gracefully pleasing. ‘Gun Crazy’ aka Deadly, ‘Easy Rider’, ‘Sky-High’, ‘Dead birds’, ‘Hitch-Hiker’, ‘The Last Picture Show’, and ‘Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse’ had also received preservation by the Library of Congress in the United States National Film Registry.According to Robert Hilburn, the first four albums of Public Enemy were certified gold or platinum in 1998, and they went on to be the most praised hip-hop act.An American comedy-drama film ‘Slums of Beverly Hills’ was released in 1998.In 1998, a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola would cost about $0.89.Janet Jackson released her music videos song ‘Every Time’ in 1998.Break Media was established by Keith Richman in June 1998.In the NHL (National Hockey League), Detroit Red Wings were in their 73rd season. It’s an American film which was directed and co-written by Ida Lupino.On September 24, 1998, the world-famous American sitcom ‘Friends’ had its fifth season aired on NBC.In 1998, the innerwear brand Victoria’s Secret’s market share was 14 percent.Lauryn Hill’s first solo debut song ‘Doo Wop (that thing)’ was released in 1998. Lauryn Hill was a major hit after this release.Testing cosmetic products on helpless animals was banned in the UK.There was freezing ice rain for six continuous days in January 1998 in Canada. It was known to be the most expensive natural calamity.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1998 facts then why not take a look at 1985 facts, or 1997 facts.
1998 was an eventful year, with a lot of turning points, including the release of the first iMac G3 and Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
