The White House launches its Website, www.whitehouse.gov.

Swedish Prime Minister and frequent LISTSERV user Carl Bildt sends an e-mail message (the first to another head of state) to President Bill Clinton.

It is revealed that President Clinton only sent two e-mails while in office.

Initial commerce sites are established and mass marketing campaigns are launched via e-mail, introducing the term "spamming" to the Internet vocabulary.

The CAN-SPAM Act goes into effect.

Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark start Netscape Communications. They introduce the Navigator browser.

85% use the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser; Netscape is around 2%.

Yahoo.com goes online.

Yahoo.com announces that it will charge for guaranteed indexing of sites.

A standard is agreed for 28.8 bit/s V.34 modems.

High-speed broadband and DSL have become commonplace.

South Africa holds first interracial national election; Nelson Mandela is elected president.

With apartheid in the past, South Africa prepares for another peaceful election. The spread of AIDS is the new major concern in that country.

Russia attacks secessionist Republic of Chechnya.

Chechnyan rebels continue to fight Russia, with seemingly no end of the strife in sight.

O.J. Simpson is arrested in killings of wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and friend, Ronald Goldman.

In another high-profile California murder trial, Scott Petersen goes on trial for killing pregnant wife.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide returns to a joyous Haiti with help from the U.S. Army.

Using forceful takeover, rebels demand the ousting of Aristide and succeed.

President: Bill Clinton
Vice President: Al Gore

President: George W. Bush
Vice President: Dick Cheney

Minimum Wage: $4.25
Unemployment: 6.1%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.29

Minimum Wage: $5.15 (as of 1997)
Unemployment: 5.6% (January)
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.37

Super Bowl:
Dallas d. Buffalo (30-13)

Super Bowl:
New England d. Carolina (32-29)

Kurt Cobain commits suicide. He was 27.

Nirvana's groundbreaking Nevermind has not lost its popularity and still ranks in the top 300 of Amazon.com sales.

For the first time in history, chain bookstores outsell independent stores, signaling what many fear to be the death of smaller booksellers at the hands of superstores.

Small bookstores still exist and online sellers such as Amazon.com are going strong with increased profits and expanded product offerings.

ER and Friends debut on NBC, establishing NBC's dominance of the Thursday-night lineup.

Friends series to come to an end this year; ER is still going strong without most of the original cast.

Academy Award, Best Picture:
Schindler's List

Academy Award, Best Picture:
Lord of the Rings, Return of the King

Grammy Record of the Year:
"I Will Always Love You," by Whitney Houston

Grammy Record of the Year:
"Clocks," by Coldplay