15 Things That Happened 15 Years Ago

1. Viagra went on sale in the U.S.

Initially created to help with high blood pressure and angina, Viagra went on sale in the U.S. in late 1998. Ten years later, annual sales of Viagra came in at $1,934 million.

2. Geri left the Spice Girls.

Ginger left the Spice Girls shortly before the group began a tour of North America. The group continued as a foursome.

3. The Parent Trap was released.

Simpler times for Lindsay Lohan.

As was There’s Something About Mary.

Changing the way people looked at hair gel forever.

And Shakespeare in Love.

In which Gwyneth Paltrow practices the first of two English accents that year. The second being for Sliding Doors.

4. And Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels made a mockney out of everyone.

Including Guy Ritchie.

5. Dana International won the Eurovision.

Israeli star Dana Interational became the first transgender singer to win the Eurovision Song Contest with “Diva.

6. Billie Piper went to No. 1 with “Because We Want To.”

The track made her the youngest artist to ever debut at No. 1.

As did all these songs:

7. The Corrs had the best-selling album of the year with Talk On Corners.

Talk on Corners was also the ninth-best selling album of 1999.

And Madonna released “Ray of Light.”

The album went six times platinum in the U.K.

8. A goal turned Michael Owen into a superstar.

Owen’s wondergoal against Argentina during the World Cup introduced the then-18-year-old as a major star.

9. Posh and Becks got engaged.

See! She does smile.

10. The £2 coin was introduced into circulation.

The inscription on the edge of the £2 coin reads “standing on the shoulders of giants,” taken from a letter by Sir Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke.

11. A cardboard box became a vital piece of equipment in Metal Gear Solid.

Metal Gear Solid for Playstation was the video game phenomenon of the year, shifting 6 million copies worldwide.

12. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted.

Interesting fact: Judith Keppel, the first £1 million winner, now appears on Eggheads.

13. The final Father Ted episode was broadcast.

Down with that sort of thing.

14. Texas and Method Man collaborated at the BRIT Awards.

And the world wondered why.

15. And Google was founded.

Google Incorporated was operating out of a garage in 1998. Eight years later, “Google” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Read more: http://buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/15-things-that-happened-15-years-ago

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