1998 in history
Here are some light-hearted facts about 1998, designed to serve as a prep sheet for a radio feature on 1998.
I created this page because when I needed some notes to create a few talking points about 1998 in Ireland I couldn't find any suitable sources, so I thought I'd share what I did find. It applies to 1998 in Britain too.
You can also look at years other than 1998:
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1998
Opal Fruits officially became Starburst to match the American branding. The change was made by Mars, who also owned Marathon bars.
Geri Halliwell quit the Spice Girls during the middle of the European leg of their SpiceWorld tour. At first she said she was just ill, and later said it was due to issues within the group.
The UK introduced its famous "ASBO"s. Anti-social behaviour orders could be brought against very specific nuisances. One teenager was given an ASBO against calling people a "grass".
A member of Chumbawamba threw a bucket of water over Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott while Fleetwood Mac were performing at the Brits. He shouted "That's for the Liverpool dockers".
Bill Clinton made his famous speech, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", about Monica Lewinsky, with whom he his relationship had begun several years ago. The story had recently broken on the website The Drudge Report.
1998 Launches
The first MP3s were created.
DVDs were sold for the first time.
Google.com was founded by students Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
The creepy-looking children's toy Furby was introduced in this year.
The UK's first Starbucks stores opened.
Edd China created the world's first street legal sofa. It is an actual sofa that has an engine, lights and number plates. He still brings it to events.
The Ford Focus was launched.
The iMac was launched, beginning Apple's trend of using "i" in front of products. Steve Jobs had wanted to call it the "MacMan".
Louis Sachar's Holes was published.
The video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was widely applauded.
The Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere minivan was the first vehicle to come with a flip-down LCD screen and a VCR player. Soon we were told that every car would come with them.
1998 in Film
Titanic was released in Ireland and later won 11 Oscars [NB: released in Britain December 1997]
Other big films include Armageddon, Saving Private Ryan, There's Something About Mary, Doctor Dolittle, Deep Impact, Godzilla, Rush Hour, Good Will Hunting, Lethal Weapon 4 and A Bug's Life.
1998 in TV
Big TV shows of the year (not premiers): Heartbeat, Stars In Their Eyes, Casualty, Men Behaving Badly, Seinfeld and Friends.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire [UK version] aired for the first time.
The UK started broacasting widescreen programmes for the first time.
Spin-off chart show CD:UK, with Ant & Dec and Cat Deeley, was shown for the first time.
Robot Wars took place for the first time. [NB: This means the British TV series. The idea had been around for some time.]
Fly-on-the-wall TV was at its peak, with the launch of the customer service documentary Airline. Clips of the customer complaints continue to go viral on TikTok today.
The Royle Family, Dawson's Creek, Celebrity Deathmatch, Trisha Goddard and That 70s Show were shown for the first time.
Eurovision Song Contest was held in Birmingham, at the National Indoor Arena. It was presented by Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson.
1998 in Ireland
Westlife were formed in this year.
Ireland's first commercial TV channel TV3 was launched.
It was the last year that the Punt was traded.
Liffey Valley shopping centre opened. It replaced previous plans to build the larger Quarryvale.
While these facts about 1998 have been checked against third-party sources (and have been used on air before!), they are provided in good faith to inspire your research and no guarantee is made about their accuracy or their uniqueness. You can use the facts however you wish: most people just take a couple of points they remember and talk around then.
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