1998 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s – 1990s – 2000s 2010s 2020s
Years:	1995 1996 1997 – 1998 – 1999 2000 2001

1998 was a year that started on a Thursday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 9th year of the 1990s and the 98th year of the 20th century. Many important things happened around the world in 1998.

Key Events of 1998

January: New Rules and Discoveries

New rubles

Frozen trees during the winter storm

January 1 – Smoking was banned in all bars and restaurants in California.
January 2 – Russia started using new rubles. This was done to help control inflation and make people trust the money more.
January 4-10 – A huge ice storm hit New England, southern Ontario and Quebec. It caused widespread power outages, damaged forests, and led to some deaths. This storm was caused by El Nino.
January 6 – The Lunar Prospector spacecraft was launched. It went into orbit around the Moon and later found signs of frozen water on the Moon's surface.
January 8 – Scientists who study the universe announced that the universe is expanding faster.
January 12 – 19 European countries agreed to ban human cloning.
January 14 – Researchers in Dallas, Texas found an enzyme that can slow down aging and cell death.
January 16 – NASA announced that John Glenn would return to space. He would fly on the Space Shuttle Discovery in October 1998.
January 26 – Compaq bought Digital Equipment Corporation.
January 28 – Ford Motor Company announced it would buy Volvo Cars for $6.45 billion.

February: Disasters and Diplomacy

February 3 – A US military airplane accidentally cut a cable car wire near Trento, Italy. This sad event killed 20 people.
February 4 – A strong earthquake hit Northeastern Afghanistan. More than 5,000 people lost their lives.
February 7-22 – The 1998 Winter Olympics took place in Nagano, Japan. Athletes from all over the world competed.
February 16 – China Airlines Flight 676 crashed near Chiang Kai-shek Airport in Taipei. This accident killed 202 people, including 6 on the ground.
February 20 – Saddam Hussein made a deal with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. This allowed weapons inspectors to go back to Baghdad. This helped prevent military action by the US and the UK.
February 26 – A solar eclipse was seen over the Caribbean Sea.

March: Discoveries and Elections

March 2 – Data from the Galileo probe showed that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick layer of ice.
March 11 – The Prime Minister of Denmark, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, was re-elected.
March 24 – A cyclone hit Bangladesh.

April: Big Structures and Agreements

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

April 5 – The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge opened in Japan. It connected the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. This was a major engineering achievement.
April 10 – The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland. This was a very important step towards peace between the British and Irish governments and most political parties in Northern Ireland.
April 29 – The Kyoto Protocol was signed. This international agreement aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

May: Nuclear Tests and Records

May 11 – India carried out 3 underground nuclear tests.
May 21 – Suharto resigned as President of Indonesia. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie took his place.
May 26 – Bear Grylls became the youngest British person to climb Mount Everest.
May 28 – Pakistan exploded 5 nuclear devices.
May 30 – A strong earthquake in Afghanistan killed up to 5,000 people.

June: Train Crash and New Leaders

June 3 – An ICE high-speed train derailed in Eschede, Germany. This tragic accident killed 101 people.
June 7 – The Guinea-Bissau Civil War began.
June 30 – Joseph Estrada became the 13th President of the Philippines.

July: Space, Sports, and Justice

The US Embassy in Kenya after the bombing

July 5 – Japan launched a probe to Mars.
July 6 – Hong Kong International Airport opened.
July 12 – The France national football team won the FIFA World Cup on their home soil. They beat the Brazil national football team 3-0.
July 17 – In Rome, 120 countries voted to create an International Criminal Court. This court would deal with serious international crimes.
July 17 – A tsunami was caused by an undersea earthquake off Papua New Guinea. It destroyed 10 villages and killed thousands of people.
July 17 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family were buried in Saint Petersburg. They had been executed 80 years earlier.

August: Conflicts and Tragedies

August 2 – The Second Congo War began.
August 7 – Andres Pastrana Arango became President of Colombia.
August 7 – Major flooding happened when the Yangtze River broke through its main bank. More than 12,000 people died.
August 7 – The US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania were bombed. These attacks killed 224 people. Al-Qaeda was believed to be responsible.
August 10 – Jamil Mahuad became President of Ecuador.
August 15 – The Omagh bombing was carried out by the IRA in Northern Ireland.
August 24 – The first RFID human implantation was tested in the United Kingdom.
August 28 – Said Musa became Prime Minister of Belize.

September: Technology and Politics

Vessels searching for Swissair Flight 111 off Nova Scotia

Flooding in Nicaragua caused by Hurricane Mitch

September 2 – Swissair Flight 111 crashed off the coast of Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada. All 229 people on board died.
September 4 – Google Inc. was founded in California by Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
September 27 – After 16 years, Helmut Kohl was voted out as Chancellor of Germany. Gerhard Schroeder was elected to take his place.

October: New Airports and Hurricanes

October 3 – John Howard was elected for a second term as Prime Minister of Australia.
October 8 – Oslo Gardermoen Airport opened.
October 17 – 1,082 people were killed when an oil pipeline in Nigeria exploded.
October 27 – Gerhard Schroeder officially became Chancellor of Germany.
October 29 – Hurricane Mitch hit Central America. It caused a lot of damage and killed over 18,000 people in Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

November: Political Speeches and Space

November 3 – Hurricane Mitch weakened after causing much destruction in Central America.
November 20 – A Russian proton rocket was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
November 26 – Tony Blair became the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to speak at the Irish Parliament.

December: Elections and Apologies

December 6 – Hugo Chavez was elected President of Venezuela. He took office in February 1999.
December 16 – Bill Clinton ordered air strikes on Iraq.
December 29 – Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the terrible events that happened in Cambodia under Pol Pot's rule.
December 31 – An extra leap second was added to the end of the year.

Famous People Born in 1998

January 28 - Ariel Winter, American actress
February 25 – Brendon Baerg, American actor
April 9 – Elle Fanning, American actress
April 24 - Ryan Newman, American actress
April 28 - Byron Ward, American Basketball Player
June 15 – Rachel Covey, American actress
July 1 - Hollie Steel, English singer
July 8 - Jaden Smith, American actor
August 8 - Ronan Parke, English singer
September 21 – Lorenzo Brino, American actor
September 21 – Myrinda Brino, American actress
September 21 – Nikolas Brino, American actor
September 21 – Zachary Brino, American actor
October 6 - Mia-Sophie Wellenbrink, German actress and singer
November 23 - Bradley Steven Perry, American actor and singer

Notable People Who Passed Away in 1998

January

Vladimir Prelog (1906-1998)

January 5 - Sonny Bono, American singer, actor and politician (born 1935)
January 7 - Vladimir Prelog, Croatian chemist (born 1906)
January 19 - Carl Perkins, American guitarist (born 1932)
January 21 - Jack Lord, American actor (born 1920)

February

Enoch Powell (1912-1998)

February 6 - Falco, Austrian singer and musician (born 1957)
February 6 - Carl Wilson, American musician (born 1946)
February 8 - Halldor Laxness, Icelandic writer (born 1902)
February 8 - Enoch Powell, British politician (born 1912)
February 27 - George H. Hitchings, American scientist (born 1905)

March

Lloyd Bridges (1913-1998)

March 10 - Lloyd Bridges, American actor (born 1913)
March 15 - Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and writer (born 1903)
March 21 - Galina Ulanova, Russian ballerina (born 1910)

April

Octavio Paz (1914-1998)

April 6 - Tammy Wynette, American singer (born 1942)
April 17 - Linda McCartney, American photographer and musician (born 1941)
April 19 - Octavio Paz, Mexican writer (born 1914)

May

Phil Hartman (1948-1998)

May 14 - Frank Sinatra, American singer and entertainer (born 1915)
May 28 - Phil Hartman, Canadian-born American artist, writer, actor and comedian (born 1948)
May 29 - Barry Goldwater, American politician (born 1909)