360What happened in 1999?
7 moments from 1999 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- On this day · 23 July 1999
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is launched
On 23 July 1999, the space shuttle Columbia launched the Chandra X-ray Observatory, under the command of Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle. Chandra sees X-rays from exploding stars, black holes and hot gas in galaxy clusters, and is still working.
- On this day · 11 August 1999
A total solar eclipse crosses Europe and Asia
On 11 August 1999, the Moon's shadow swept from the Atlantic across Europe, the Middle East and South Asia to the Bay of Bengal, in what may have been the most-watched total solar eclipse in history. Hundreds of millions of people lived in or near its path.
- On this day · 12 October 1999
The world's population reaches six billion
The United Nations marked 12 October 1999 as the day the world's population reached six billion. It had taken just 12 years to grow from five billion. The world reached seven billion in 2011 and eight billion in November 2022.
- On this day · 31 December 1999
Panama takes full control of the Panama Canal
At noon on 31 December 1999, the United States handed full control of the Panama Canal to Panama, under treaties signed in 1977. The canal, opened in 1914, links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and carries a significant share of world trade.
- 1999 · from The world's population reaches eight billion
Six billion
- 1999 · from The 1990s: the World Wide Web goes public
Euro introduced
- 31 December 1999 · from The Panama Canal opens between the Atlantic and Pacific
Panama takes control