12 Things That Happened 20 Years Ago, But You Still Think Happened "IDK A Few Years Ago"
When someone mentions 10 years ago, most of us think of the 90s...but guess what? In a few days, 10 years ago will mean 2008. Let that sink in.
While you internally panic about how fast time is moving, here are some things that happened 20 years ago. Thank you, 1998.
1. Google Became A Thing
Can you imagine a world without Google? Originally called "BackRub", Google was launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Did you know the first use of "google" as a verb in pop culture was on Buffy The Vampire Slayer in 2002? Google it.
2. Bill Clinton Definitely Did (Not) Have Sexual Relations With That Woman
On December 19, 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, after lying about his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. He was not only impeached, but became the reason everyone gets suspicious when people say they're hiring an intern.
3. The First iMac Took All Your Money
The pinwheel of death was invented 20 years ago, and we're still cranky about it. If you thought Apple was making your iPhone 4 run slower to get you to update, imagine how long it would take this bad boy to load a word document.
4. "Armageddon" Put Aerosmith On The Map
OKAY, NOT REALLY. But anyone who watched this movie will tell you they can only associate "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" with Ben Affleck arguing that Animal Crackers aren't crackers because they're sweet and you can't put cheese on them. Anyone who hasn't seen this movie will take one look at this picture and say "wait, Owen Wilson was in Armageddon?" The movie came out on July 1, 1998.
5. Furbies Made Their Way Up To Earth From Hell
Can you believe it's been 20 years since you begged your parents to buy you a demonic toy that plotted to kill you in your sleep? One of these gremlin-esque toys would have cost you $35 at Christmas in 1998, which is about $34 too many.
6. "Dawson's Creek" Debuted
Thank you, Dawson's Creek for the catchiest theme song of all time, and for the everlasting James Van Der Beek crying face. Also, thank you for this rendition of "On My Own", to remind us that even Katie Holmes has embarrassing moments she'd rather weren't on tape.
6. Britney Asked Us To Hit Her One More Time
Brtiney made school uniforms and pom-pom pens cool again, and jump-started a musical era that will never, and should never, be forgotten. Do we know what this song means 20 years later? No. Do we care? Also no.
7. MTV Gave Us TRL
Total Request Live started in 1998 with Carson Daly delivering us all the music news we needed. The music video countdown was something we looked forward to every week, as was Carson Daly's face. Neither of those things matter to us anymore, and clearly don't matter to MTV anymore, either.
8. Disney Made More Money Off Our Parents
1998 was the year Animal Kingdom opened at Disney, and it coincidentally also the year that parents everywhere began rethinking having kids. With rides, roller coasters, and animals, every child wanted to visit Animal Kingdom, but never really comprehended just how much the theme park cost.
9. Seinfeld Ended, But You're All Apparently Fine With That
The show about nothing ended in 1998, but according to you, it wasn't a big deal because it was overrated.
10. Brandy and Monica Fought For Custody Over A Boy
Excuse me. Can I please talk to you for a minute?
Uh huh, sure. You know, you look kinda familiar.
Yeah, you do too... but um, I just wanted to know, do you know somebody named... you know his name.
Oh yeah, definitely. I know his name.
I just want to let you know that he's mine.
Heh... no no. He's mine.
11. Portable MP3 Players Required A Rolling Suitcase, But They Were Cool
Seriously, these things were massive. But if it meant you could listen to songs from different CDs without having to change discs, it was totally worth it. The MPMan debuted in Asia, then slowly worked its way to America.
12. Geri Left The Spice Girls And Ripped Our Hearts Out
"Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best... PS, I'll be back."
What Geri failed to mention was that she wouldn't be back until 2007 after we had to listen to her version of "It's Raining Men" for what seemed like an eternity.