How One Computer Bug Almost Ended the World
Summary
TLDRThe script recounts the global anxiety leading up to Y2K, a computer bug feared to cause catastrophic failures. From government preparations to public panic, businesses cashing in on survival kits, and the eventual anticlimactic resolution, it explores the extensive efforts to avert disaster, highlighting the mix of genuine risk and mass hysteria that characterized the turn of the millennium.
Takeaways
- 😨 The Y2K bug, also known as the Millennium Bug, caused widespread fear and anxiety due to the potential for global computer systems to malfunction when the date changed from December 31, 1999, to January 1, 2000.
- 📅 The issue arose from the use of two-digit years in computer systems, which could lead to confusion between the years 1900 and 2000.
- 🌐 The potential effects of the Y2K bug were thought to be catastrophic, with predictions of planes falling from the sky, banks losing track of money, and the collapse of essential services.
- 🔧 Governments and businesses worldwide spent billions of dollars to fix the Y2K bug, rewriting millions of lines of code and updating systems to handle dates beyond 1999.
- 🏦 Banks and other financial institutions were particularly concerned about the Y2K bug, fearing that it could lead to financial system crashes and the devaluation of money.
- 🛡️ People prepared for the potential disaster in various ways, including buying survival kits, firearms, and building bunkers to protect themselves from the chaos that was predicted.
- 📚 Y2K survival guides became popular, offering advice on how to prepare for and survive the potential post-Y2K world, including tips on building latrines and other survival skills.
- 💼 The Y2K bug led to a surge in the sale of survival products and services, creating a multi-million dollar industry overnight.
- 🚨 Law enforcement and the FBI were concerned about potential violence from doomsday cults and survivalists who believed the Y2K bug would lead to the end of the world.
- 🎉 When the new year arrived, the extensive preparations and fixes worked, and the world did not experience the catastrophic failures that were predicted.
- 🤔 After the new year passed without incident, some people began to question whether the Y2K bug was a scam or if it was a major disaster averted by human effort and preparation.
Q & A
What was the Y2K bug and why was it considered a worldwide crisis?
-The Y2K bug, also known as the Millennium bug, was a computer glitch that occurred due to the use of a two-digit code for the year in many computer systems programmed during the 1960s to 1980s. It was considered a worldwide crisis because there was a fear that when the year changed from 1999 to 2000, computers might interpret '00' as 1900, potentially causing systems to malfunction or crash, which could have disastrous effects on various aspects of life that relied on computers.
Why did computer engineers initially use a two-digit code for the year in programming?
-Computer engineers used a two-digit code for the year to save on data storage, which was expensive and took up a lot of space during the 1960s through the 1980s. They also did not anticipate that their software would still be in use by the year 2000, so they did not consider the potential issue that would arise from this practice.
What were some of the extreme predictions about the consequences of the Y2K bug?
-Some extreme predictions included prison doors opening automatically, freeing inmates; planes falling from the sky due to air traffic control system failures; the use of toilet paper as currency if financial systems crashed; and the accidental activation and detonation of nuclear weapons due to computer code malfunctions, which could have led to a global nuclear war.
How did the media contribute to the Y2K panic?
-The media contributed to the Y2K panic by broadcasting numerous shows and news segments that painted nightmarish scenarios of what could happen due to the Y2K bug. Movies like 'Countdown to Chaos' depicted worst-case scenarios, which further fueled public anxiety.
What preparations did people make to survive the Y2K disaster?
-People made various preparations, including purchasing Y2K survival kits, stockpiling food and water, buying firearms for protection, building or buying bunkers, attending wilderness survival boot camps, and even adopting dogs for security. Some individuals and groups also prepared mentally and spiritually, with some expecting the end of the world.
What was the Y2K survival kit, and what did it typically include?
-The Y2K survival kit was a box of items that people might need if computers stopped working. It typically included a wind-up and solar-powered flashlight, radio, diagnostic software, food samples, and a preparation guide.
How did the firearms industry capitalize on the Y2K panic?
-The firearms industry used fear-based marketing to advertise guns, suggesting that people arm themselves in preparation for potential chaos and unrest following the Y2K bug. Sales of firearms and ammunition reached record highs in 1999.
What was the role of the FBI in monitoring potential threats related to Y2K?
-The FBI monitored online forums, websites, and chat rooms for any signs of planned attacks by Y2K-related cults or groups. They were concerned that if the world did not end as some cults believed, they might resort to violence to fulfill their prophecies.
Why did some people believe Y2K was a scam or overhyped?
-Some people believed Y2K was a scam or overhyped because, after the extensive preparation and spending of billions of dollars on fixing the issue, nothing catastrophic happened when the year 2000 arrived. This led to the perception that the problem was either exaggerated or not as severe as it was portrayed to be.
What were some of the unexpected incidents that occurred after the Y2K bug was supposed to have caused widespread problems?
-Some unexpected incidents included a video store charging a customer a $91,000 late fee due to a computer glitch, a man in Germany becoming an instant millionaire due to a bank error, and a baby in Denmark being registered as 100 years old because of a hospital computer glitch.
Outlines
😨 The Y2K Bug: A Global Crisis
The script begins with the recount of widespread fear leading up to the year 2000, sparked by the Y2K bug, a computer glitch that threatened to cause catastrophic failures in systems worldwide. Described as a 'worldwide crisis' by a Senate panel and a 'major world-changing threat' by others, the bug was rooted in the two-digit date formatting in early computer programming, which could confuse the year 2000 with 1900. The fear was so pervasive that it reached everyone from Washington officials to Alaskan farmers, with the potential to disrupt healthcare, banking, transportation, and government operations. The narrative is set in the context of 1993's significant events and introduces the Y2K problem, which emerged from the realization that the turn of the millennium could lead to widespread computer malfunctions.
📰 Media Frenzy and Public Panic
This paragraph delves into the role of media in amplifying the Y2K panic. With the publication of Peter de Jager's 'Doomsday 2000' article in Computer World magazine, the public's fear was ignited. The script outlines various nightmare scenarios that were predicted to occur due to the Y2K bug, including prison breaks, planes falling from the sky, a potential return to barter systems with toilet paper as currency, and the triggering of a nuclear apocalypse due to malfunctioning early warning systems. The media's portrayal of these potential disasters, including TV movies like 'Countdown to Chaos' and news reports, only served to heighten public anxiety, leading to a surge in sales of Y2K survival kits and an increase in firearm purchases for protection.
🛡️ Survival Strategies and the Y2K Industry
The script describes the various survival strategies people adopted in anticipation of the Y2K bug's impact. Businesses capitalized on the panic, selling survival kits and promoting firearms as a means of protection. The preparedness industry boomed, with companies like Preparedness Resources cashing in on the fear. Individuals also took matters into their own hands, stockpiling food and supplies, and even investing in generators and firearms. The narrative highlights the extent to which people were willing to go to ensure their survival, including adopting wilderness survival skills and joining doomsday cults that saw the Y2K bug as a sign of the apocalypse.
🔮 Doomsday Cults and Religious Movements
This paragraph explores the rise of doomsday cults and religious movements in response to the Y2K bug. Some individuals and groups interpreted the impending Y2K crisis as a divine judgment or the fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecies, leading to a wave of religious fervor. The script mentions specific examples, such as ...
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Y2K Bug
💡Global Anxiety
💡Computer Glitch
💡Two-Digit Year Representation
💡Survival Kit
💡Doomsday Cults
💡Nuclear Apocalypse
💡Potassium Iodide
💡Y2K Survivalists
💡Computer Code
💡Post-Y2K Incidents
Highlights
The Y2K bug was a genuine worldwide crisis that caused global anxiety over the potential collapse of civilization due to a simple computer date error.
In the '60s, computer engineers used a two-digit code for the year to save memory space, which later led to the Y2K problem when the year 2000 approached.
The Y2K bug had the potential to cause planes to fall, banks to lose money, and every computer in the world to crash due to misinterpretation of the year '00' as 1900.
The federal government compared Y2K to a natural disaster, emphasizing the scale of the potential catastrophe.
Devices with computer chips, from elevators to medical equipment, were at risk of malfunctioning due to the Y2K bug.
Four particularly scary Y2K predictions included prison doors opening, planes falling from the sky, toilet paper becoming currency, and a possible nuclear apocalypse.
Media coverage and movies like 'Countdown to Chaos' heightened public fear and panic about Y2K.
President Bill Clinton and the government urged businesses and citizens to prepare for potential Y2K problems.
The Y2K survival industry boomed, with companies selling survival kits and services becoming highly profitable.
Fear-based marketing led to record-high sales in firearms and ammunition as people prepared for potential chaos.
Y2K bunkers were built to protect families from anticipated riots, gangs, and food shortages.
Wilderness survival boot camps saw a surge in popularity as people prepared to survive in the wild post-Y2K.
Doomsday cults and religious movements saw Y2K as a sign of the apocalypse and prepared for the end times.
Scammers took advantage of Y2K fears, selling bogus products like anti-radiation pills and credit card strips.
Despite extensive preparation and spending billions on fixing the Y2K bug, some questioned if it was a scam or a disaster averted.
After Y2K, some unexpected incidents occurred due to minor glitches, but the world did not end as feared.
The aftermath of Y2K left many with unsold survival books and kits, but it also highlighted the effectiveness of global preparation.
Transcripts
people were terrified the world was
going to end this is not one of the
summer movies where you can close your
eyes during the scary parts a senate
panel describes y 2K the year 2000
computer bug as a worldwide crisis the
president called me one night and said
here's an office and an assistant and
don't let the world
stop some called it the Panic of the
century While others described it as a
major world changing threat and they
weren't exaggerating in the late '90s a
tiny mistake in a computer code caused
Global anxiety from Top officials in
Washington DC to Farmers in Alaska
everyone was worried that this computer
glitch would end civilization I'm visual
Venture and this is the story of how one
computer bug almost ended the world hope
you guys have a beautiful day ahead the
beginning of the end the year was 1993
and it was an exciting year in January
Bill Clinton became the 42nd president
of the United States in June a movie
called Jurassic Park hit theaters in
August Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
first debuted on TV however in September
1993 the excitement suddenly turned into
anxiety that month Canadian software
specialist Peter diager published an
article in the computer World magazine
titled doomsday 2000 the article
described a mysterious computer glitch
that was so terrible it could cause
planes to fall from the sky make Banks
lose track of their money and crash
every computer in the world it was
called the Y2K buug and it had the power
to collapse
civilization everything ain't fine we we
are this close to just going crazy going
to hell it's going to explode Computer
World was the largest IT magazine at the
time so millions of people read the
article and they were horrified but what
exactly caused this computer problem and
why did they name it the Y 2K bug why is
short for year two of course means two
and K is the scientific symbol for
thousands so y 2K is simply short for
year 2000 in other words the Y2K bug was
a computer glitch that would happen in
the year 2000 to understand why the bug
was so dangerous we need to go back to
the early days of the computer in the
1960s every computer is programmed to be
able to display the date however when
computer programs were being written
during the 1960s through the 1980s
computer Engineers used a two-digit code
to identify a year for example instead
of writing 1983 the computer would
simply write 83 1995 would be 95 and
1998 would be 98 Engineers shortened the
date because data storage in computers
was expensive and took a lot of space
programmers only use two digits for two
reasons one they didn't have a lot of
memory space for their programs and
secondly they never imagined their
software would last as long as it did so
millions of computers in Banks offices
and schools wrote the date using two
digits for the year the system worked
just fine for decades until the late
'90s when it profess professionals
foresaw a huge problem they realized
that is December 31st 1999 turned into
January 1st 2000 and the year changed
from 99 to 00 computers might think that
the year is 1900 instead of 2000 because
both 1900 and 2000 could be interpreted
as 00 by a computer why use four numbers
when you only need two and then they
recognize what date is a computer going
to think it is when we get to 2000 this
would confuse computers because they
wouldn't know the correct date and
although this seemed like a simple date
error it had devastating consequences
many computers and computer chips around
the world will think it's 1900 not 2000
because of this many computers will
behave unpredictably malfunction or
simply crash by the 1990s every aspect
of life relied on computers computers
were used to manage healthc care banking
transportation and even government if
every computer in the world got confused
and crashed at the same time it would
disrupt every aspect of human life now
the federal government is comparing Y2K
to a huge natural disaster like an
earthquake a hurricane or a tornado but
computers weren't the only devices that
could crash all devices containing
computer chips ranging from elevators to
heating systems to medical equipment
were at risk around the globe there were
about 40 billion computer chips in
operation working in all kinds of
machines from microwaves to power plants
to life support machines and on January
1st 2000 this date glitch would make
them all crash at the same time to many
this was the end of the world as we know
it but out of all the issues that could
arise from the Y2K bug four predictions
were particularly scary one Y2K
prediction was that prison doors would
automatically open freeing violent
criminals people believed this could
happen because most prison doors were
controlled by computers the anxiety went
from bad to worse when in 1998 an
article TI that prisoners await Y2K day
was published one part of the article
suggested that prisoners were aware of
the Y2K bug and were waiting for January
1st 2000 when prison doors would open
allowing them to storm the streets
however this problem wasn't as bad as
the next one planes falling out of the
sky if air traffic control systems and
plane computers malfunctioned it could
lead to midair collisions or planes even
getting lost over the ocean since there
are so many planes up in the sky at any
given time people pictured a scenario
where planes would be dropping and
exploding all over the world while
planes falling is scary the next
prediction is more bizarre after Y2K
people will be using toilet paper as
currency this made sense because
computers ran the bank and the stock
market so if banks and financial systems
crash money might become worthless if
that happened people would have to
barter with essential items like toilet
paper one Y2K experts suggested people
stockpile toilet paper in case they need
to trade it like money in each of these
Y 2 case scenarios the world continues
to exist but there was one outcome that
could literally destroy the planet by
the late '90s many countries had nuclear
weapons for instance Russia and America
had 4,400 nuclear weapons more than
enough to destroy the world ready to be
launched at a moment's notice these
countries also set up computerized early
Warning Systems to detect if another
country fires a missile at them one
major fear was that the Y2K buug would
make these early Warning Systems Mal
function which could trigger a false
alarm that one country had launched a
missile at another in confusion
countries might shoot nuclear missiles
back and forth leading to a nuclear
apocalypse but even if early Warning
Systems didn't malfunction there was
another problem every nuclear weapon
contained thousands of chips and
millions of lines of computer code
making it extremely vulnerable to the
bug if Y2K messed up any aspect of the
code nuclear weapons would accidentally
activate and explode obliterating the
planet and this wasn't a far-fetched
idea a nuclear security report claimed
the defense department will be unable to
stop the Y2K buug from infesting
thousands of nuclear weapons all over
the world once the media picked up on
all of these Y2K predictions people went
mad in the late 9s TV networks pumped
out dozens of shows on the Y2K situation
painting nightmarish scenarios of what
might happen these Shows Were Meant to
educate viewers about Y2K however all
they did was make people panic NBC aired
a movie depicting the worst case Y2K
scenario it was called countdown to
chaos or Y2K the movie and it was 1 hour
33 minutes of non-stop disaster and
tragedy the movie showed planes crashing
power grids failing and people running
all over the place it was so
over-the-top that the banking industry
asked TV stations not to air the film
because it would scare off customers
however NBC decided to show the movie
regardless news reports were another
source of anxiety news channels ran
special segments on Y2K almost every
night interviewing experts who described
the worst case
scenarios why because Y2K is the first
end of the world prophecy in history
where something will definitely happen
on the predicted date and you don't have
to have religion to believe the news
showed crowded grocery stores full of
people buying large amounts of water
food and supplies Time Magazine
highlighted the Panic with a dramatic
headline end of the world even the
president got involved throughout 199 99
President Bill Clinton made several
speeches about Y2K urging businesses and
citizens to prepare for potential
problems this is not one of the summer
movies where you can close your eyes
during the scary parts now the question
is what did people do when they thought
the world was about to end how to
survive the apocalypse with Millions
worried they started to think about how
to survive the Y 2K disaster this need
to survive led to the creation of
businesses selling Y2K survival products
and services before long helping people
survive Y2K became a multi-million doll
industry in 1999 a new commercial
appeared on TV screens Across America
except this ad looked more like a horror
movie with dramatic music ambulance
sirens and a lot of
Darkness it's 2: a.m. January 1st year
2000 Po's out it's pitch black you need
light if you plan ahead you'll have one
of these they were advertising a new
product called the Y2K survival kit
which was basically a box of items
people might need if computer stopped
working call now and order your ultimate
Y2K survival kit you get the wind up and
solar powered flashlight radio video
diagnostic software food samples and
preparation guide a $90 value all for
only
$49.95 from well-known Brands to smaller
companies looking to make a quick profit
it seemed like everyone was making Y2K
survival kits and since almost everyone
on the planet was worried the kits were
flying off the shelves a company called
preparedness resources was one of the
biggest manufacturers of survival kits
and they made a killing in barely 12
months preparedness resources sold $16
Million worth of survival kits
preparedness resources had been in
business for 25 years but thanks to the
Y2K Panic 1999 was the most profitable
year they have ever had the company also
insinuated a no return policy on all the
kids sold however those who didn't want
to buy pre-made survival kits chose to
assemble their own collection of
survival items for instance a Tennessee
man bought food items for his family
worth $1 million and an engineer in
Wisconsin paid
$113,000 on a large generator and $4,000
to $5,000 on food here's where we have
everything we've got a lot of stuff in
here it's for Y2K we have about a year
supply of food here from soup to meat
the freezer is nearly overflowing Let's
see we got your 2K beef tenderloin but
while survival kits provided food and
sustenance there was another item people
were buying for protection as the year
2000 Drew closer the Firearms industry
used fear-based marketing to advertise
guns and it paid off in 1999 sales
across the US were at a record high
several manufacturers released special
edition Y2K Firearms folks who had never
owned one before decided to buy them in
preparation for Y2K stores offered
special deals and promotions for people
arming themselves I'm going to opt for
protecting my family ammo sales also
soared during this period with one store
owner selling 9,000 cases or 9 million
rounds in 2 days magazines urged readers
to buy at least two firearms for Y2K
with so many new owners there was also
an increase in people taking training
classes however more people buying
weapons was bad news for law enforcement
agencies in December 1999 alone the FBI
conducted over 1 million background
checks for prospective buyers law
enforcement was worried that on New
Year's Eve Millions will be hiding
behind their doors ready so I believe
that there might be ring gangs there
might be um just total unrest on the
street while some people relied on
firearms for protection others plann to
stay safe by hiding in underground
bunkers Y2K bunkers were designed to
protect families from chaotic situations
like rioting gangs and food shortages
most bunkers were built under
underground with reinforced concrete to
withstand extreme conditions inside they
were stocked with essential supplies
like food water and medical kits people
who owned land in rural areas built
their bunkers on their own property some
families also set up emergency bunkers
in their basements basic bunkers could
cost a few thousand dollar while more
elaborate ones with luxury features
could run into the hundreds of thousands
however because not everyone could build
a bunker some people prepared to face
the apocalypse head on according to Time
magazine in 1999 Wilderness survival
boot camps saw a surge in popularity in
the US these boot camps prepared people
to survive in the wild by teaching them
practical skills like building shelters
and finding food the set an increase in
people signing up for these boot camp
suggested that they expected the world
to become a jungle after Y2K there was
also an increase in dog adoptions Y2K
survivalists advised folks to get a big
dog that barks loudly and has a strong
sense of territory reality when
civilization collapses these dogs would
act as an animated Burglar Alarm if
anyone comes onto your property apart
from the physical preparation a lot of
people were preparing themselves
mentally for some time in the late 1990s
Y2K survival guides were the most
popular books in the world they had
scary titles like Time Bomb 2000 and the
Millennium meltdown most of the books
pretty much said the same thing the Y2K
bug could lead to a decade or more of
Calamity some went as far as providing
tips on building a latrine which is a
typee of toilet or ouse in case the
sewage system stopped working and lastly
we have the Y2K conmen scammers made
easy money selling terrible Y2K products
there was a case of Dr Robert Courtney
who bought a
$133,000 computer in 1997 expecting it
to last 10 years A year later the
computer makers said his PC wasn't Y2K
compliant and that it would cost
$25,000 to fix Robert refused to pay and
sued theany for extortion other conmen
sold bogus magnetic strips that could
supposedly make your credit cards immune
to the Y2K problems there was also the
issue of anti-radiation pills as news
spread the Y2K could cause a nuclear war
people searched for a way to protect
themselves if that happened this led to
the sale of anti-radiation pills which
were actually potassium iodide tablets
since 1982 workers in nuclear power
plants had used potassium iodide to
prevent radiation poison poisoning when
they accidentally got exposed to
radioactive materials in the last
quarter of 1999 one small company sold
$200,000 worth of potassium iodide pills
however there were also reports of fake
potassium iodide tablets being sold
around this period too but out of
everyone getting ready for Y2K the most
radical were the Doomsday believers who
were excited that the world was ending
because of our immorality and our
downslide that God is frowning on us we
have many years of
tribulation and misery to go through
Dooms Day is almost here as the
Millennium approached fears of Y2K
ignited a wave of Doomsday cults and
religious movements these groups saw Y2K
as a sign that the last days had arrived
everything's in the internet
everything's in computers and we're
going to lose it all and Jesus is coming
back some religious people believed that
Y2K was God's judgment on this evil
world it was a fulfillment of Prophecy a
part of God's divine plan hail is a
devout Mormon she firmly believes y 2K
could fulfill apocalyptic Prophecy in
the Bible's Book of Revelations which
she thinks wouldn't be so bad believing
they would be taken to Heaven they
prepared for the afterlife thousands
quit their jobs and sold their homes
others donated money to the church
during that time of
tribulation the
Antichrist will come to great
power and wickedness and Terror will be
increased PR in the world but it wasn't
only radical Mormons acting this way in
the late '90s many Cults based their
endof thee World theories on Y2K for
example a Taiwanese cult moved to
Garland Texas wearing white outfits and
cowboy hats to await the end the 160
members of The Cult reportedly moved to
Garland because the name sounded like
godland then there were the survivalists
who expected a Calamity on December 31st
they quit their jobs and moved from the
cities to the woods long before the year
ended the survivalists formed
communities and built large shelters
underground the leader of the
survivalists was Ed your Dawn a computer
consultant and author of Time Bomb 2000
Ed moved his family from New York to
rural New Mexico because he believed the
cities would resemble a war zone when
the New Year arrived however as more
doomsday groups popped up the FBI
started to worry for most Cults Y2K
wasn't just a computer glitch it was a
Divine Cosmic event the world was
supposed to end in the year 2000 the
FBI's fear was that if the world didn't
end like these Cults believed they might
resort to violence to fulfill their
prophecies we need to to be able to
separate the uh uh moralistic religious
fervor involved with the Millennium
change from what's happening on this
technological stage the FBI has seen
Cults turn violent before and with
hundreds of these groups springing up
the fear was that even one violent act
could set off a chain reaction as the
end of the year approached the FBI
received reports that several groups
were mapping plans to attack around the
New Year the USC professor says
Prophecies of Doom attract people who
feel alienated from our technological
civilization what it promises is a
reversal uh an overturning of the
worldly order law enforcement agencies
were on high alert the NYPD announced
that 19,000 officers would be on duty on
December 31st while the FBI monitored
online forums web sites and chat rooms
for any sign of planned attacks however
as the New Year grew closer not everyone
was preparing on the contrary some
people were laughing at those getting
ready for Y2K they believed it was a
hoax right across the street the only
preparing going on is the preparing to
play outside not worried at all Keith
and Kathy vandery don't think anything
will happen when the New Year rolls
around one Y2K skeptic started a website
called the year 2000 computer bug hoax
and posted it on the domain just aum.com
on the blog he published dozens of
Articles explaining why Y2K was
overhyped but instead of making people
doubt Y2K the website just made them mad
soon the Blogger was receiving dozens of
angry emails from Y2K Believers one
doomsday preacher from South Carolina
even cursed him as the day approached
tensions were higher than ever it was
just a few weeks to the end of the year
and minor glitches were already popping
up in systems around the world for
instance the compter computers at a
cosmetic Factory rejected a batch of
chemicals because they took it to be
more than 100 years old then an old
woman in Minnesota who was born in 1888
suddenly received an automated
invitation to enroll in kindergarten
these were early signs of the whu kbug
the stories convinced people their worst
fears might actually come true finally
the dreaded day arrived December 31st
1999 everyone was on edge what would
happen when the clock strikes midnight
time up as the final day of 1999 came to
a close people scrambled to make last
minute preparations bottled water was
nearly impossible to find most stores
had almost nothing left on their shelves
one of the major concerns of Y2K was
when the computers crashed at midnight
planes would be no longer able to fly
because of this one family booked a
week-long vacation to Hawaii hoping they
would get stuck in a Hawaiian vacation
resort but it wasn't just individuals
who were preparing governments were too
Japan put 96,000 troops on Millennium
alert just in case something happened
the US government established a 50
million war room to Monitor and manage
any problems as the date changed behind
me you've got representatives of all the
government departments here and they're
waiting anxiously the Department of
Health the DTI the treasury all that
kind of thing now it's 1 hour before
midnight by 11:00 p.m. millions of
families were in their basements playing
board games and waiting fears of the Y2K
buger keeping many people grounded and
most say they'll settle for being close
to home with family and friends soon it
was 1 minute to midnight as the Clock
Struck midnight on January 1st 2000 the
world braced for Total Computer failure
New Zealand was one of the first
countries to enter the year 2000 because
of its time zone the world watched
closely and what happened when the Clock
Struck midnight on January 1st
2000 everything actually turned out to
be just fine
to everyone's relief there were no major
issues the power stayed on and computers
continued to function normally the world
didn't end they gave the rest of the
world some relief but they weren't out
of the woods yet they watched other
countries enter the new year as midnight
passed without problems in each time
zone people began to celebrate fireworks
lit up the sky and people hugged each
other and then you started to see New
Zealand and Tokyo all have their
celebrations on TV and you eventually
saw Time Square the ball dropped the
blackout that we all thought was going
to happen didn't happen to be clear the
Y2K bug was a real problem but why
didn't it have the effect that everyone
thought it would the world wasn't saved
by chance it turns out the governments
and businesses spent billions of dollars
upgrading computers so they could accept
dates Beyond 1999 the United States
spent at least $1 100 billion on fixes
during the two years leading up to Y2K
it professionals averaged 70 hours a
week working around the clock millions
of of lines of code were Rewritten
spurred by federal regulations and good
business sense banks have been working
on the Y2K bug for
years Airlines spent two years preparing
for this day knowing most of what they
do relies on computers Silicon Valley
Executives convinced the government to
double the number of skilled worker
Visas so they would have enough
programmers to work on the bug to speed
up the process President Bill Clinton
brought elderly computer programmers out
of retirement one I professional
described how hard they worked stating
that in the second half of 1999 they
were literally locked down no one could
have time off from Banks to hospitals
every business that depended on
computers worked tirelessly to fix the
bug it reportedly cost an estimated 300
billion to 600 billion to fix potential
problems before the year 2000 but it
paid off people were hung over on New
Year's Day the lights were still on
banks reopened on January second and of
course computers stayed online for most
people life returned to normal after Y2K
however others weren't that lucky
instead of an apocalypse the New Year
greeted us with bizarre and unexpected
incidents life after Y2K this video
store near Albany New York that
presented a customer with a $91,000 late
fee after a computer showed a movie was
returned 100 years late in the UK a
computer mistake caused 154 pregnant
prant women to get the wrong Down
syndrome test results because of this
two women ended up having abortions in
Germany a Man became an instant
millionaire in January 2000 his bank
account was randomly credited with about
$6 million he didn't get to keep the
money because Bank officials fixed the
error the next day in Denmark a baby
born on January 1st was registered as
100 years old because of the Y2K glitch
in the hospital computers but not all
issues were computer related in Kansas
City a couple experienced one of the
first Crimes of the New Millennium when
criminals discovered they were keeping
their life savings at home so they took
all their money as well as thousands in
stocks and bonds and put them into a
home safe which turned out not to be
such a great idea since the 5-ft Vault
was stolen from the couple's home
luckily for them they received a New
Year's Miracle the safe was found
abandoned in a field with all the
contents intact the thieves evidently
couldn't get it open with the world
still intact booksto were left with
stacks of unsold Y2K survival books many
people were stuck with survival kits and
bunkers they no longer needed one family
had so much canned soup that it took
them 15 years to use it all in the
aftermath a surprising sentiment emerged
many people began to think Y2K was a
scam they figured because nothing really
happened nothing was ever going to
happen in the first place there were
very few problems was that because of
the billions in dollars and manh hours
poured into the fix or because there was
was not much of a problem to begin with
some CEOs even wondered if it was just a
way for IT staff to make extra money as
one executive complained I signed off on
$20 million and didn't hear one thing
one writer said it best Y2K was either
the biggest scam that's ever been pulled
on mankind or it's the most colossal
disaster ever averted by mankind as the
New Year began the disaster didn't
happen thanks to the preparation that
went on behind the scenes the hard work
of many made it so that one computer bug
almost ended the world but didn't visual
Venture wait before you go make sure you
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