AGG1ELIFE
May,January 20.2(KX) ‘ THE BATTALION * Page 3
MATT ROY/Thi BaTTAUON
People of 1999
Extraordinary figures leave mark in histo-
BY MELISSA PANTANO
The Battalion
They were the faees you saw in the
supermarket checkout line and the per
sonalities that plastered prime time. In
a world full of Monica Lewinskys and
Ted Turners, it is a challenge to stick
out in the crowd and become an en
dearing part of American culture.
Some of the people who have man
aged to make their mark are incredibly
talented, while others were just fortu
nate, but those names and faces that
have remained embedded in the minds
of people are also those who defined
the year 1999.
In the news
1999 was the year of the conflict in
Kosovo. Although most people cannot
recall the details behind the NATO
standoff, many remember it as a long,
frustrating battle. The conflict hit
home, however, when Steven Gonza
les, an Aggie Huntsville resident, was
one of three American soldiers held
captive in enemy territory last spring.
Another drama that unfolded before
the eyes of television viewers was the
death of John F. Kennedy Jr. Viewers
woke to the news that his plane disap
peared near the Massachusetts shore
and, as the day went on, they learned
JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn and her sister
Lauren did not survive the crash.
E-Everything
The world of commerce was rocked
in November when a U.S. District
Judge ruled that Microsoft was a mo
nopoly. The conflict stemmed from the
company’s decision to bundle its Win
dows operating system with its Internet
browser. Judge Thomas Penfield Jack-
son said this prevented other Internet
browsers from competing with the soft
ware giant.
Along with the tribulations which
came w ith the regulation of the electron
ic explosion that occurred this year came
fortune for those who took the opportu
nity to become entrepreneurs on the Web.
"The most influential person of
1999 is Jeff Bezos, the guy who creat
ed Amazon.com,” Kari Thornton, a ju
nior sociology major said. “He’s a mil
lionaire but... he seems like a normal,
everyday guy who doesn't act any dif
ferent now than he did before he made
all his money.”
Politically Incorrect
Though Hillary Clinton stuck by her
husband’s side despite a rocky start at
the beginning of the year (Bill Clinton’s
impeachment trial took place in De
cember 1998) she did not stick by the
side of Washington, D.C. In 1999,
Hillary expressed her interest in run
ning for the New York Senate seat.
Though she has yet to formally an
nounce her bid for the seat, the media
and the citizens of New York have been
quick to compare her to her likely op
ponent, current New York City Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani.
Giuliani’s supporters were quick to
point out that 1 lillary was not a resident
of New York. Hillary then moved to
New York and has taken the opportuni
ty to show her support for the city in
various appearances, such as the recent
interview on the “Late Show with
David Letterman."
I
Colin Donovan, a junior nutrition
major, said he thought Letterman was
one of the big players of 1999 because
of his ability to draw guests and his in
terviewing skills.
“He gets people like Hillary Clinton
on his show and brings out issues that
wouldn’t necessarily be talked about in
everyday life,” Donovan said. “The
best thing about his attitude is that he
does it in such a way that it's really per
sonal and he gets people to talk through
[his] humor.”
With the next presidential election
looming in the future, people including
Warren Beatty and Donald Trump be
gan to announce their interests in run
ning for the office.
While most of these potential bids
died quickly, Texas Gov. George W.
Bush was one potential candidate who
is making a strong showing by raising
an astounding amount of money for his
campaign.
However. Bush came under fire
when he repeatedly refused to answer
journalists’ questions about his use of
cocaine, arguing that the question did
not merit a response.
The entertainment magazine
Rolling Stone fueled the fire sur
rounding his questionable past in an ar
ticle that delved into the details of the
transgressions he committed in his
youth. The article questioned his abil
ity to lead the nation because of his
failed business ventures.
As the curtain rises on the beginning
of the year 2000, new players will
emerge to take the place of those peo
ple, both the infamous and the gener
ous, on those supermarket tabloids, but
the celebrities of 1999 will remain in
the public’s memory.
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