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 the River 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.
- Median family income: $57,400
- City’s population: 189,700
- Estimated cost to buy a home: $127,000 (prices have increased 200.2%)
- Average cost of a gallon of gasoline in Virginia: $0.722
- In the news: The Siegel Center opened after completing a $30.1 million development and Richmond held its first New River Trail Challenge Triathlon. Plus, the X Games X Trials brought the likes of Tony Hawk to a River City halfpipe, the Sports Backers Stadium welcomed its first athletes, and Dale Jarrett took home a Raceway win at the Pontiac Excitement 400.
- Who was performing: Shania Twain performed her “Come On Over Tour” at Richmond Coliseum. Meanwhile, at the Altria — known back then as the Landmark Theater — Alannis Morrisette and Sting both took the historic stage.
