Do you remember 1999? Ricky Martin’s “Livin La Vida Loca” topped the charts, we were scared of the Blair Witch, and Google officially launched.
To celebrate, Google Trends opened its time capsule to see which fads were titanic in 1999. According to the report, adults were watching “The Matrix” and “The Sopranos” while kids were into “Toy Story 2” and “Teletubbies.” People also used the search engine to learn about David Beckham or evaluate their Pokémon cards, and searches for hot sauce set the web ablaze.
Livin La Vida Local
Want to know what life was like in Queen City? We dug up some data to help us remember the final year of the 20th century — thanks to some help from a 25-year-old search engine.
Life in the (younger) Queen City:
- Median family income: $54,500
- City’s population: 520,829
- Estimated cost to buy a home: $139,002 (prices have increased by 201.2%)
- Average cost of a gallon of gasoline in North Carolina: $0.59
In the news:
- The summer sweltered with a record-breaking heatwave that hit 105° + Concord Mills Mall debuted.
- The Carolinas were battered with a heavy hurricane season — getting hit by Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd in August and September of 1999.
- The nightclub Mythos had become a fixture in Uptown’s nightlife scene.
Who was performing:
- Cher made a comeback with her “Do You Believe?” tour at the now-defunct Charlotte Coliseum.
- Paul Simon serenaded the crowd with “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Graceland” with the “1999 North American Tour” at the former Blockbuster Pavilion — now PNC Music Pavilion.
- Dave Matthews Band and Boy Wonder performed “Ants Marching” and other favorites in July of 99 at the former Blockbuster Pavilion.
