This article is about the year 1998. For the number see 1998 (number). For other uses see 1998 (disambiguation). 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 by topic: Subject Archaeology Architecture Art Aviation Awards Comics Film Home video Literature (Poetry) Meteorology Music (Country Metal) Rail transport Radio Science Spaceflight Sports Television Video gaming By country Australia Canada People's Republic of China Ecuador France Germany Greece India Ireland Israel Italy Japan Luxembourg Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Norway Pakistan Philippines Russia Singapore South Africa UK USA Zimbabwe Leaders Sovereign states State leaders Religious leaders Law Birth and death categories Births Deaths Establishments and disestablishments categories Establishments Disestablishments Works and introductions categories Works Introductions v d e 1998 in other calendars Gregorian calendar 1998 MCMXCVIII Ab urbe condita 2751 Armenian calendar 1447 Bah' calendar 154 155 Bengali calendar 1405 Berber calendar 2948 British Regnal year 46 Eliz. 2  47 Eliz. 2 Buddhist calendar 2542 Burmese calendar 1360 Byzantine calendar 7506 7507 Chinese calendar (4634/4694-12-3) to (4635/4695-11-13) Coptic calendar 1714 1715 Ethiopian calendar 1990 1991 Hebrew calendar 5758 5759 Hindu calendars  - Bikram Samwat 2054 2055  - Shaka Samvat 1920 1921  - Kali Yuga 5099 5100 Holocene calendar 11998 Iranian calendar 1376 1377 Islamic calendar 1418 1419 Japanese calendar Heisei 10 (10) Korean calendar 4331 Thai solar calendar 2541 Unix time 883612800 915148799 v d e Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1998

1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year that started on a Thursday. In the Gregorian calendar it was the 1998th year of the Common Era or of Anno Domini; the 998th year of the 2nd millennium; the 98th year of the 20th century; and the 9th of the 1990s. The year 1998 was designated: International Year of the Ocean by UNESCO.1 Events January January 2 Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence. January 4 Wilaya of Relizane massacres of 4 January 1998 in Algeria: Over 170 are killed in 3 remote villages. January 4January 10 A massive winter storm partly caused by El Nio strikes New England southern Ontario Quebec and New Brunswick resulting in widespread power failures severe damage to forests and numerous deaths. January 6 The Lunar Prospector spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon and later finds evidence for frozen water in soil in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon's poles. January 8 Ramzi Yousef is sentenced to life in prison for planning the first World Trade Center bombing. Cosmologists announce that the universe's expansion rate is increasing. January 11 Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria. January 12 Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning. January 14 Researchers in Dallas Texas present findings about an enzyme that slows aging and cell death (apoptosis). January 17 Paula Jones accuses U.S. President Bill Clinton of sexual harassment. January 20 Nepalese police intercept a shipment of 272 human Skulls in Kathmandu. January 22 Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski pleads guilty and accepts a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. January 25 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide attack Sri Lanka's Temple of the Tooth killing 8 people injuring 25 others. January 26 Lewinsky scandal: On American television President Bill Clinton denies he had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. January 28 Ford Motor Company announces the buyout of Volvo Cars for $6.45 billion. Gunmen hold at least 400 children and teachers hostage for several hours at an elementary school in Manila Philippines. New rubles Lunar Prospector February February Iraq disarmament crisis: The United States Senate passes Resolution 71 urging U.S. President Bill Clinton to "take all necessary and appropriate actions to respond to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." February 2 The Standard & Poor's 500 index closes above 1000 for the first time rising 20.99 points or 2.14% closing at 1001.27. February 3 Cavalese cable car disaster: a United States Military pilot causes the deaths of 20 people near Trento Italy when his low-flying plane severs the cable of a cable-car. February 4 An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale in northeast Afghanistan kills more than 5000 people. February 6 The French prefect Claude Erignac is assassinated in the streets of Ajaccio Corse. February 7February 22 The 1998 Winter Olympics are held in Nagano Japan. February 9 Eduard Shevardnadze the Georgian head of state survives an assassination attempt in Tbilisi. February 10 Voters in Maine repeal a gay rights law passed in 1997 becoming the first U.S. state to abandon such a law. The first XML specification is released.2 February 15 Dale Earnhardt wins the Daytona 500 on his 20th attempt. February 16 China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport killing 202 people (all 196 on board and 6 on the ground). February 18 Two white separatists are arrested in Nevada accused of plotting biological warfare on New York City subways. February 19 1998 Auckland power crisis: A 66-day blackout begins in Auckland New Zealand. Larry Wayne Harris of the Aryan Nations and William Leavitt are arrested in Henderson New York for possession of military grade anthrax. February 20 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein negotiates a deal with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan allowing weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad preventing military action by the United States and Britain. February 22 One third of the Tower block "Palace II" collapses in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.3 February 23 Florida El Nio Outbreak: Tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2600 structures and kill 42. Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders. February 24 A man tries to hijack a Turkish Airlines passenger plane claiming that he has a bomb in his teddy bear; passengers disapprove and apprehend him. February 28 Serbian police begin to wipe out terrorist gangs in Kosovo. March March 2 Data sent from the Galileo probe indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice. Natascha Kampusch is abducted by Wolfgang Priklopil (she will remain in his captivity until August 2006). March 4 Gay rights: Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex. March 5 NASA announces that the Clementine probe orbiting the Moon has found enough water in polar craters to support a human colony and rocket fueling station. NASA announces the choice of United States Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins as commander of a future Space Shuttle Columbia mission to launch an X-ray telescope making Collins the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. March 10 United States troops stationed in the Persian Gulf begin to receive the first anthrax vaccine. March 11 Danish parliamentary election 1998: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen is unexpectedly re-elected. March 14 An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale hits southeastern Iran. March 23 The 70th Academy Awards hosted by Billy Crystal are held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles California with the film Titanic winning a record 11 Oscars. March 24 Jonesboro massacre: 2 young boys (aged 11 and 13 years) fire upon students at Westside Middle School while hidden in woodlands near the school. 4 students and 1 teacher are killed and 10 are injured. March 26 Oued Bouaicha massacre in Algeria: 52 people are killed with axes and knives 32 of them babies under the age of 2. March 27 The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States. April Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge April 1 Ukrainian serial killer Anatoly Onoprienko is sentenced to death for 52 murders. The MS Elation sets sail. April 5 In Japan the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honsh and costing about US$3.8 billion opens to traffic becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world. April 6 Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting India. April 7 Citicorp and Travelers Group announce plans to merge creating the largest financial-services conglomerate in the world Citigroup. April 8 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM reports to the UN Security Council that Iraq's declaration on its biological weapons program is incomplete and inadequate. April 1998 Birmingham tornado: An F5 tornado strikes the western portion of the Birmingham Alabama area killing 32 people. April 10 Good Friday: 18 hours after the end of the talks deadline the Belfast Agreement is signed between the Irish and British governments and most Northern Ireland political parties with the notable exception of the Democratic Unionist Party. April 16 An F3 tornado passes through downtown Nashville Tennessee the first significant tornado in 11 years to directly hit a major city. An F5 tornado travels through rural portions south of Nashville (see 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak). April 22 The Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World opens to the public for the first time. April 25 A waste reservoir at the Los Frailes mine in Andalusia Spain ruptures discharging heavy metal waste into the Guadiamar River. The pollution threatens the sensitive ecosystem and endangered species of Doana National Park Spain's largest nature reserve but is diverted into the Guadalquivir River. Up to 100 km of farmland are ruined by the spill. 1 May May 1 The Socialist Party of Malaysia is founded. May 9 Dana International a transsexual singer from Israel wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 in Birmingham UK. May 11 India conducts 3 underground nuclear tests in Pokhran including 1 thermonuclear device. The first euro coins are minted in Pessac France. Because the final specifications for the coins were not finished in 1998 they will have to be melted and minted again in 1999. May 13 India carries out 2 more nuclear tests at Pokhran. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India. May 13May 14 Riots directed against Chinese Indonesians break out in Indonesia. Indonesian natives destroy and burn Chinese Indonesian-owned properties and kill and rape more than 1000 Chinese Indonesians. May 15 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM learns that an Iraqi delegation has travelled to Bucharest to meet with scientists who can provide the country with missile guidance systems. May 18 United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft. May 19 The Galaxy IV communications satellite fails leaving 8090% of the world's pagers without service. May 21 Suharto resigns after 32 years as President of Indonesia and his 7th consecutive re-election by the Indonesian Parliament (MPR). Suharto's hand-picked Vice President B. J. Habibie becomes Indonesia's third president. May 21September 30 Expo '98 is held in Lisbon Portugal with the title "Oceans an Heritage for the Future". UNESCO had previously declared 1998 to be the International Year of the Oceans due to the Expo which 12 million people attend. May 22 Murray Gleeson is appointed Chief Justice of Australia succeeding Sir Gerard Brennan. May 26 Bear Grylls 23 becomes the youngest British climber to scale Mount Everest.4 May 27 Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined $200000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot. May 28 Canadian-born American actor and comedian Phil Hartman is murdered by his wife at the age of 49.5 Nuclear testing: In response to a series of Indian nuclear tests Pakistan explodes 5 nuclear devices of its own in the Chaghai hills of Baluchistan prompting the United States Japan and other nations to impose economic sanctions. May 30 Nuclear testing: Pakistan conducts 1 more nuclear explosion following its first test. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hits northern Afghanistan killing up to 5000. June June 2 The CIH virus is discovered in Taiwan. California voters approve Proposition 227 abolishing the state's bilingual education program. June 3 Eschede train disaster: An InterCityExpress high speed train derails between Hannover and Hamburg Germany causing 101 deaths. June 4 Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. June 5 A strike begins at the General Motors Corporation parts factory in Flint Michigan quickly spreading to 5 other assembly plants and lasting 7 weeks. June 7 Former Brigadier-General Ansumane Man seizes control over military barracks in Bissau marking the beginning of the Guinea-Bissau Civil War (19981999). James Byrd Jr. is murdered in Jasper Texas by three white men who drag him behind their truck for three miles. June 8 Actor Charlton Heston becomes president of the National Rifle Association June 25 Clinton v. City of New York: The United States Supreme Court rules that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 is unconstitutional. Microsoft releases Windows 98 (First Edition). June 30 Philippine Vice President Joseph Estrada was sworn in as the 13th President of The Philippines. July July The Yangtze River experiences massive flooding as the government of the People's Republic of China sends in the Army for flood relief efforts. July 5 Japan launches a probe to Mars joining the United States and Russia as an outer space-exploring nation. July 6 The new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok opens while the historic Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport closes. July 10 The DNA-identified remains of United States Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie arrive home to his family in St. Louis Missouri after being in the Tomb of the Unknowns since 1984. Catholic priests' sex abuse scandal: The Diocese of Dallas agrees to pay $23.4 million to 9 former altar boys who claimed they were sexually abused by former priest Rudolph Kos. July 12 France beats Brazil 3-0 in the World Cup final with the first two goals scored by Zinedine Zidane. July 17 At a conference in Rome 120 countries vote to create a permanent International Criminal Court to prosecute individuals for genocide crimes against humanity war crimes and the crime of aggression. In Saint Petersburg Nicholas II of Russia and his family are buried in St. Catherine Chapel 80 years after he and his family were killed by Bolsheviks. A tsunami triggered by an undersea earthquake destroys 10 villages in Papua New Guinea killing an estimated 1500 leaving 2000 more unaccounted for and thousands more homeless. Biologists report in the journal Science how they sequenced the genome of the bacterium that causes syphilis Treponema pallidum. July 24 Russell Eugene Weston Jr. bursts into the United States Capitol and opens fire killing 2 police officers. He is later ruled incompetent to stand trial. July 25 The United States Navy commissions the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and puts her into service. Wakayama Arsenic poison case: 63 are sickened and 4 killed by arsenic in a festival in the town in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan; Masumi Hayashi is arrested for murder. July 28 Monica Lewinsky scandal: Ex-White House intern Monica Lewinsky receives transactional immunity in exchange for her grand jury testimony concerning her relationship with U.S. President Bill Clinton. July 31 The United Kingdom bans the importation of land mines. August Aug.7: Nairobi Embassy bombing. August 2 Second Congo War begins. 3900000 people are killed before it ends in 2003 making it the bloodiest war to date since World War II. August 5 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq officially suspends all cooperation with UNSCOM teams. August 7 Yangtze River Floods: In China the Yangtze River breaks through the main bank; before this from August 15 periphery levees collapsed consecutively in Jiayu County Baizhou Bay. The death toll exceeds 12000 with many thousands more injured. 1998 U.S. embassy bombings: The bombings of the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam Tanzania and Nairobi Kenya kill 224 people and injure over 4500; they are linked to terrorist Osama Bin Laden an exile of Saudi Arabia. August 15 Omagh bombing: The Real IRA detonates a car bomb in Omagh County Tyrone Northern Ireland killing 29 and injuring over 200 (the greatest loss of life in a single incident of The Troubles). August 16 Silk-Miller police murders: Australian police officers are murdered in Moorabbin Victoria. August 19 Monica Lewinsky scandal: On the day of his 52nd birthday U.S. President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He also admits before the nation that night in a nationally televised address that he "misled people" about his sexual affair with Lewinsky. 1998 Russian financial crisis: Russia defaults on the state short-term bonds and devalues the ruble. The ruble loses 70% of its value against U.S. dollar in the next 6 months. Several of the largest Russians banks collapse and millions of people lose their savings. August 20 The Supreme Court of Canada rules Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval. 1998 U.S. embassy bombings: The United States military launches cruise missile attacks against alleged Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum is destroyed in the attack. August 24 The first RFID human implantation is tested in the United Kingdom. August 26 Iraq disarmament crisis: Scott Ritter resigns from UNSCOM sharply criticizing the Clinton administration and the U.N. Security Council for not being vigorous enough about insisting that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction be destroyed. Ritter tells reporters that "Iraq is not disarming" "Iraq retains the capability to launch a chemical strike." August 31 North Korea reportedly launches Kwangmyngsng-1 their first satellite. Although North Korea reports that it reached stable orbit NORAD has never been able to confirm this assertion. September Canadian Coast Guard Vessel Henry Hudson searches for Swissair Flight 111 debris September 2 A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 airliner (Swissair Flight 111) crashes near Peggys Cove Nova Scotia after taking off from New York City en-route to Geneva; all 229 people on board are killed. A United Nations court finds Jean-Paul Akayesu the former mayor of a small town in Rwanda guilty of 9 counts of genocide marking the first time that the 1948 law banning genocide is enforced. September 3 In Somalia the southern port of Kismayo is declared the capital of independent Jubaland under Muhamed Said Hersi. September 4 Google Inc. is founded in Menlo Park California by Stanford University Ph.D. candidates Larry Page and Sergey Brin.6 September 9 The United Nations General Assembly elects Didier Opertiri of Uruguay as president for its 53rd session. September 14 The GSPC is formed in Algeria splitting off from the GIA over its policy of massacring civilians. September 15 Telecommunications companies MCI Communications and WorldCom complete their $37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom. September 25September 28 Major creditors of Long-Term Capital Management a Greenwich Connecticut-based hedge fund after days of tough bargaining and some informal mediation by Federal Reserve officials agree on terms of a re-capitalization. September 27 In Germany SPD's Gerhard Schrder defeats 4-term CDU Chancellor Helmut Kohl. September 29 Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.S. Congress passes the "Iraq Liberation Act" which states that the United States wants to remove Saddam Hussein from power and replace the government with a democratic institution. October October 1 Sky Digital Satellite Television launches in the UK. October 3 In Australia John Howard's coalition government is re-elected for a second term. October 7 Oslo's Fornebu Airport closes. The United States Congress passes the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act which gives copyright holders 20 more years of copyright privilege on work they control. This effectively freezes the public domain to works created before 1923 in the United States. October 8 Oslo Airport (Gardermoen) opens. Japan and South Korea sign "A New Japan-Republic of Korea Partnership towards the Twenty-first Century". October 12 The Congress of the United States passes the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. October 14 Eric Robert Rudolph is charged with 4 bombings (including the 1996 Olympic bombing) in Atlanta Georgia. October 15 American Airlines becomes the first airline to offer electronic ticketing in all 44 countries it serves. October 16 British police place General Augusto Pinochet under house arrest during his medical treatment in the UK. October 17 A pipeline explosion in Jesse Nigeria results in 1082 deaths. October 27 Germany: New Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his liberal SPDGreen coalition takes office. October 28 An Air China jetliner is hijacked by disgruntled pilot Yuan Bin and flown to Taiwan. After landing the plane safely Yuan Bin is arrested. October 29 Apartheid: In South Africa the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presents its report which condemns both sides for committing atrocities. STS-95: The Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off with 77-year-old John Glenn on board making him the 2nd oldest person to go into space. (He became the first American to orbit the Earth on February 20 1962). While en route from Adana to Ankara a Turkish Airlines flight with a crew of 6 and 33 passengers is hijacked by a Kurdish militant who orders the pilot to fly to Switzerland. The plane instead lands in Ankara after the pilot tricks the hijacker into thinking that he was landing in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia to refuel. Hurricane Mitch makes landfall in Central America killing an estimated 18000 people. In Gothenburg Sweden 2 arsonists burn down a local Macedonian Society disco killing 63 and injuring 200 most of them children of refugees. October 31 Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it will no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors. November November 1 The European Court of Human Rights is instituted. November 3 Jesse Ventura former professional wrestler is elected Governor of Minnesota. Edmonton Canada and Wonju South Korea are declared as sister cities. November 5 Lewinsky scandal: As part of the impeachment inquiry House Judiciary Committee chairman Henry Hyde sends a list of 81 questions to U.S. President Bill Clinton. The journal Nature publishes a genetic study showing compelling evidence that Thomas Jefferson fathered his slave Sally Hemings' son Eston Hemings Jefferson. Myra Hindley loses her second appeal in 11 months against her whole life tariff. November 7 John Glenn returns to Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. November 9 In the largest civil settlement in United States history a federal judge approves a US$1.03 billion settlement requiring dozens of brokerage houses (including Merrill Lynch Goldman Sachs and Salomon Smith Barney) to pay investors who claim they were cheated in a widespread price-fixing scheme on the NASDAQ. The United Kingdom formally abolishes the death penalty. November 12 Daimler-Benz completes a merger with Chrysler Corporation to form Daimler-Chrysler. November 13 Theglobe.com goes public opening up 1000% and setting a stock market record for highest rising IPO in history. This became one of the first and most widely publicized IPOs of the Internet boom. November 13November 14 Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President Bill Clinton orders airstrikes on Iraq then calls them off at the last minute when Iraq promises once again to "unconditionally" cooperate with UNSCOM. November 19 Lewinsky scandal: The United State House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against U.S. President Bill Clinton. November 20 A court in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan declares accused terrorist Osama bin Laden "a man without a sin" in regard to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Galina Starovoitova Russian legislator and democracy advocate is assassinated in Saint Petersburg Russia. At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan the first component for the International Space Station (Zarya or sunrise) is launched. November 23November 26 Iraq disarmament crisis: According to UNSCOM Iraq once again ends cooperation with the United Nations inspectors alternately intimidating and withholding information from them. November 24 America Online announces it will acquire Netscape Communications in a stock-for-stock transaction worth US$4.2 billion. November 26 Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Dil ireann the Republic of Ireland's parliament. Japan and China sign the Japan-China Joint Declaration On Building a Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development. November 30 Deutsche Bank announces a US$10 billion deal to buy Bankers Trust thus creating the largest financial institution in the world. December December 2 Exxon announces a US$73.7 billion deal to buy Mobil thus creating Exxon-Mobil the second-largest company on the planet by revenue. December 5 D.C. United defeats Vasco da Gama 21 on aggregate to win the Interamerican Cup (one of the greatest triumphs in the history of U.S. club soccer). December 6 Hugo Chvez Fras former member of the Venezuelan military and politician is elected President of Venezuela. December 8 Tadjena massacre in Algeria: 81 villagers are killed. December 11 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq announces that United Nations weapons inspections will no longer take place on Friday the Muslim day of rest. Iraq also refuses to provide test data from the production of missiles and engines. December 16December 19 Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President Bill Clinton orders and airstrikes on Iraq. UNSCOM withdraws all weapons inspectors from Iraq. December 17 Claudia Benton of West University Place Texas is murdered in her house by Angel Maturino Resendiz (his third victim in his third incident). December 19 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan announces that Iraq will no longer cooperate and declares that UNSCOM's "mission is over." Lewinsky scandal: Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives. (He was later acquitted of any wrongdoing.) December 21 Iraq disarmament crisis: UN Security Council members France Germany and Russia call for sanctions to end against Iraq. The 3 Security Council members also call for UNSCOM to either be disbanded or for its role to be recast. The U.S. says it will veto any such proposal. December 26 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern "no-fly zones". Six sailors die and 5 yachts are lost in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race the biggest disaster in the race's history December 29 Khmer Rouge leaders apologize for the genocide in Cambodia that claimed over 1 million in the 1970s. December 31 The first leap second since June 30 1997 occurs. In the eurozone the currency rates of this day are fixed permanently. Date unknown The fourth generation of VW's Passat automobile goes on sale in North America. Ibrahim Hanna the last native speaker of Mlahs dies in Qamishli Syria making the language effectively extinct. In that same year the last native speaker of related Bijil Neo-Aramaic dies in Jerusalem. Karolyn Nunnallee whose daughter died 10 years earlier in the Carrollton bus collision is elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Births April 9 Elle Fanning American actress April 24 Ryan Newman American actress July 8 Jaden Smith American actor July 22 Madison Pettis American actress March 23 Emeka okelametu*** American actor Deaths January Vladimir Prelog January 1 Helen Wills Moody American tennis player (b. 1905) January 4 Mae Questel American actress (b. 1908) January 5 Sonny Bono American singer actor and politician (b. 1935) January 7 Vladimir Prelog Croatian chemist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906) January 8 Michael Tippett English composer (b. 1905) January 9 Kenichi Fukui Japanese chemist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918) January 11 Ellis Rabb American director and actor (b. 1930) Klaus Tennstedt German conductor (b. 1926) January 15 Junior Wells American harmonica player (b. 1934) January 16 Emil Sitka American actor (b. 1914) Hermann Wedekind artistic director Festspiele Balver Hhle (b. 1910) January 18 Monica Edwards British writer (b. 1912) January 19 Carl Perkins American guitarist (b. 1932) January 21 Jack Lord American actor (b. 1920) January 23 Alfredo Ormando Italian writer (b. 1958) January 28 Shotaro Ishinomori Japanese Manga artist "Father of Henshin heroes" (b. 1938) February Ernst Jnger February 3 Karla Faye Tucker Texas murderer (b. 1959) February 6 Falco Austrian musician (b. 1957) Carl Wilson American musician (b. 1946) February 7 Lawrence Sanders American author (b. 1920) Roger Nicholas Angleton American murderer (b. 1942) February 8 Halldr Laxness Icelandic writer Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902) Julian Lincoln Simon American economist and author (b. 1932) February 17 Ernst Jnger German writer (b. 1895) February 18 Harry Caray American television and radio broadcaster (b. 1917) February 22 Red Reeder U.S. Army officer and author (b. 1902) Abraham Alexander Ribicoff American Democratic Party politician (b. 1910) Athol Rowan South African cricketer (b. 1921) February 23 Raman Lamba Indian cricketer (b. 1960) Sean A. Moore American writer (b. 1965) February 24 Henny Youngman English-born comedian (b. 1906) February 26 Theodore Schultz American economist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902) February 27 George H. Hitchings American scientist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1905) J. T. Walsh American actor (b. 1943) February 28 Todd Duncan American opera singer (b. 1903) Dermot Morgan Irish actor and comedian (b. 1952) March Lloyd Bridges Benjamin Spock March 2 Darcy O'Brien American author (b. 1939) March 3 Fred W. Friendly American television journalist and executive (b. 1915) March 7 Bernarr Rainbow historian of music education organist and choir master (b. 1914) March 8 Ray Nitschke American football player (b. 1936) March 10 Lloyd Bridges American actor (b. 1913) March 12 Judge Dread English musician (b. 1945) Beatrice Wood American artist and ceramicist (b. 1893) Jozef Kroner Slovak actor (The Shop on Main Street) (b. 1924) March 13 Bill Reid Canadian artist (b. 1920) Risen Star American racehorse (b. 1985) March 15 Benjamin Spock American athlete pediatrician and author (b. 1903) March 16 Derek Harold Richard Barton British chemist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918) March 20 George Howard American jazz saxophone musician (b. 1956) March 25 Daniel Massey English actor (b. 1933) March 27 Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche Austrian auto designer and businessman (b. 1909) March 31 Bella Abzug American politician (b. 1920) April April 1 Gene Evans American actor (b. 1920) Rozz Williams American singer (b. 1963) April 2 Rob Pilatus member of the pop group Milli Vanilli (b. 1965) April 3 Charles Lang American cinematographer (b. 1901) April 5 Cozy Powell English rock drummer (b. 1947) April 6 Wendy O. Williams American singer (b. 1949) Tammy Wynette American singer (b. 1942) April 11 Rodney Harvey American actor and model (b. 1967) April 13 Patrick de Gayardon French skydiver and skysurfing pioneer (b. 1960) April 15 Rose Maddox American singer (b. 1925) Pol Pot Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader (b. 1925) April 16 Marie-Louise Meilleur oldest living person at the time of her death (b. 1880) Fred Davis English snooker player (b. 1913) April 17 Linda McCartney American photographer and musician (b. 1941) Muhammad Metwally Al Shaarawy Egyptian Muslim jurist (b. 1911) April 19 Octavio Paz Mexican diplomat and writer Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914) April 21 Peter Lind Hayes American entertainer (b. 1915) Irene Vernon American actress (b. 1922) April 22 Kitch Christie South African rugby coach (b. 1940) April 23 Constantine Karamanlis Greek politician (b. 1907) James Earl Ray American assassin (b. 1928) April 25 Wright Morris American photographer and writer (b. 1910) April 26 Joan Mary Wayne Brown British author who the pseudonyms Mary Gervaise Hilary Wayne and Bellamy Brown (b. 1906) April 27 Carlos Castaneda Peruvian-born American anthropologist and author (b. 1925) Anne Desclos French writer (b. 1907) May Frank Sinatra Phil Hartman May 1 Eldridge Cleaver American activist (b. 1935) May 2 Kevin Lloyd British actor (b. 1949) Justin Fashanu British footballer (b. 1961) hide Japanese musician (b. 1964) Gene Raymond American actor (b. 1908) May 7 Allan McLeod Cormack South Africanborn physicist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1924) Eddie Rabbitt American musician (b. 1941) May 9 Alice Faye American entertainer (b. 1915) May 14 Frank Sinatra American entertainer (b. 1915) Marjory Stoneman Douglas American conservationist and writer (b. 1890) May 15 Earl Manigault American basketball player (b. 1944) May 19 Sosuke Uno Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1922) May 22 John Derek American actor and film director (b. 1926) Jos Enrique Moyal mathematical physicist (b. 1910) May 28 Phil Hartman Canadian-born American artist writer actor and comedian (b. 1948) May 29 Barry Goldwater American politician (b. 1909) June June 1 Darwin Joston American actor (b. 1937) June 2 Junkyard Dog American pro wrestler (b. 1952) Dorothy Stickney American actress (b. 1896) June 3 Poul Bundgaard Danish actor and singer (b. 1922) June 5 Jeanette Nolan American actress (b. 1911) June 8 President Sani Abacha of Nigeria (b. 1943) Jackie McGlew South African cricketer (b. 1929) June 10 Hammond Innes English author (b. 1914) June 11 Catherine Cookson English author (b. 1906) June 12 Theresa Merritt American actress (b. 1924) June 13 Birger Ruud Norwegian athlete (b. 1911) June 20 Conrad Schumann East German border guard (b. 1942) June 22 Benny Green British writer radio broadcaster and saxophonist (b. 1927) June 23 Maureen O'Sullivan Irish actress (b. 1911) June 25 Louns Matoub Berber Kabyle singer (b. 1956) July Alan Shepard July 3 Danielle Bunten Berry American software developer (b. 1949) July 5 Sid Luckman American football player (b. 1916) July 6 Roy Rogers American singer and actor (b. 1911) July 17 Joseph Maher Irish actor (b. 1933) July 19 Elmer Valo Slovak Major League Baseball player (b. 1921) July 21 Alan Shepard American astronaut (b. 1923) Robert Young American actor (b. 1907) July 22 Hermann Prey German bass-baritone (b. 1929) July 27 Binnie Barnes English actress (b. 1903) July 29 Jerome Robbins American choreographer and director (b. 1918) July 30 Buffalo Bob Smith American children's television host (b. 1917) Jorge Russek Mexican actor (b. 1932) August Todor Zivkov August 1 Eva Bartok Hungarian actress (b. 1927) August 2 Shari Lewis American ventriloquist (b. 1933) August 3 Alfred Schnittke Russian-born composer (b. 1934) August 4 Yuri Artyukhin cosmonaut (b. 1930) August 5 Todor Zivkov former president of Bulgaria (b. 1911) August 6 Andr Weil French mathematician (b. 1906) August 9 Frankie Ruiz Puerto Rican singer (b. 1958) August 13 Julien Green French-born American writer (b. 1900) August 24 E. G. Marshall American actor (b. 1910) August 25 Lewis F. Powell Jr. American Justice of the Supreme Court (b. 1907) August 26 Frederick Reines American physicist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918) September George Wallace Betty Carter September 1 Cary Middlecoff American golfer (b. 1921) September 2 Jackie Blanchflower Irish footballer (b. 1933) Allen Drury American writer (b. 1918) September 5 Fernando Balzaretti Mexican actor (b. 1946) Leo Penn American actor and director (b. 1921) September 6 Akira Kurosawa Japanese screenwriter producer and director (b. 1910) September 8 Leonid Kinskey Russian-born actor (b. 1903) September 9 Lucio Battisti Italian singer (b. 1943) September 10 Carl Forgione British actor (b. 1944) September 11 Dane Clark American actor (b. 1912) September 13 George Wallace American politician (b. 1919) September 14 Johnny Adams American musician (b. 1932) Yang Shangkun former President of the People's Republic of China (b. 1907) September 17 Gustav Nezval Czech actor (b. 1907) September 20 Muriel Humphrey Wife of Vice President Hubert Humphrey (b. 1912) September 21 Florence "Flo-Jo" Griffith-Joyner American runner (b. 1959) September 23 Mary Frann American actress (b. 1943) September 26 Betty Carter American jazz singer (b. 1929) September 27 Narita Bryan Japanese racehorse (b. 1991) September 30 Dan Quisenberry baseball player (b. 1953) Bruno Munari Italian-born industrial designer (b. 1907) Pavel tpn Czech pianist (b. 1925) Robert Lewis Taylor American author (b. 1912) October Roddy McDowall October 2 Gene Autry American actor singer and sports team owner (b. 1907) Olivier Gendebien Belgian race car driver (b. 1924) October 3 Roddy McDowall British actor (b. 1928) October 6 Mark Belanger American baseball player (b. 1944) October 8 Zhang Chongren Chinese artist (b. 1907) October 9 Ian Johnson Australian cricketer (b. 1917) October 10 Tommy Quaid Irish hurler (b. 1957) October 11 Richard Denning American actor (b. 1914) October 12 Matthew Shepard American murder victim (b. 1976) October 13 General Grard Charles douard Thriault Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff (b. 1932) October 14 Frankie Yankovic American musician (b. 1916) October 16 Jon Postel American Internet pioneer (b. 1943) October 17 Joan Hickson British actress (b. 1906) Hakim Mohammed Said Pakistani scholar and philanthropist (b. 1920) October 22 Eric Ambler British writer (b. 1909) October 28 Ghulam Ahmed Indian former cricket captain (b. 1922) James Goldman American writer (b. 1927) October 29 Ted Hughes English poet (b. 1930) November Jean Marais November 3 Bob Kane American comic book creator (b. 1915) November 8 Jean Marais French actor (b. 1913) November 10 Hal Newhouser baseball player (b. 1921) Mary Millar British actress (b. 1936) November 13 Valerie Hobson English actress (b. 1917) Michel Trudeau Canadian outdoorsman son of Pierre Trudeau (b. 1975) Doug Wright English cricketer (b. 1914) November 17 Kenneth McDuff American serial killer (b. 1946) Esther Rolle American actress (b. 1920) November 19 Alan J. Pakula American film director (b. 1928) November 22 Stu Unger professional poker player (b. 1953) November 25 Flip Wilson American actor and comedian (b. 1933) November 28 Kerry Wendell Thornley American counterculture figure and writer (b. 1938) November 29 Martin Ruane British wrestler best known as Giant Haystacks and later The Loch Ness Monster (b. 1947) Frank Latimore American actor (b. 1925) December Martin Rodbell December 1 Freddie Young American cinematographer (b. 1902) December 2 Mikio Oda Japanese athlete (b. 1905) Brian Stonehouse English painter and World War II secret agent (b. 1918) December 5 Hazel Bishop American Chemist and inventor of Lipstick (b. 1906) December 6 Csar Baldaccini French sculptor (b. 1921) December 7 Michael Craze British actor (b. 1942) Martin Rodbell American scientist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1925) December 11 Lynn Strait vocalist for band Snot (b. 1968) December 12 Lawton Chiles U.S. Senator from Florida and Governor of Florida (b. 1930) December 13 Lew Grade British impresario (b. 1906) December 14 Norman Fell American actor (b. 1924) Annette Strauss American philanthropist and mayor of Dallas Texas (b. 1924) December 16 William Gaddis American writer (b. 1922) December 17 Claudia Benton Peruvian-born child psychologist (b. 1959) December 18 Lev Demin cosmonaut (b. 1926) December 20 Irene Hervey American actress (b. 1910) Alan Lloyd Hodgkin British scientist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1914) December 21 Roger Avon British actor (b. 1914) December 22 Michelle Thomas American actress (b. 1969) December 23 David Manners Canadian-American actor (b. 1900) December 25 John Pulman English snooker player (b. 1923) December 26 Hurd Hatfield American actor (b. 1917) December 28 Robert Rosen American biologist (b. 1934) December 30 Keisuke Kinoshita Japanese film director (b. 1912) George Webb British actor (b. 1911) Nobel Prizes Physics Robert B. Laughlin Horst L. Strmer Daniel Chee Tsui Chemistry Walter Kohn John Pople Medicine Robert F. Furchgott Louis J. Ignarro Ferid Murad Literature Jos Saramago Peace John Hume and David Trimble Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel Amartya Sen Templeton Prize Sir Sigmund Sternberg Fields Medal Richard Ewen Borcherds William Timothy Gowers Maxim Kontsevich Curtis T. McMullen References 1998INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE OCEAN: MESSAGE OF UNESCO DIRECTOR-GENERAL (December 29 1997) Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 Cronograma BBC NEWS UK Flying over the top of the world Phil Hartman wife die in apparent murder-suicide (CNN) "The History Of Google Searching The World" (notes) Matt Jacks 10 January 2005 webpage: WAH-HGoogle. 1998 Year in Review - CNN/Sports Illustrated