December 31, 1999, wasn't just the end of a year. It was also the end of a century and a millennium. Leading up to that day, the Y2K craze had people unsure if their lives would be the same once the clock ticked over to the year 2000. But, newspapers still had other stories to share, and I've got three great additional history stories for you, too.

SOURCES

“Advertisement: Younkers (Page 5).” Bay City Times (Bay City, Michigan), December 31, 1999.

Associated Press. “5 Dead in Hotel Attack.” Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), December 31, 1999.

Associated Press. “Family Offer Reward For Safe Return Of Woman.” Henryetta Daily Free-Lance (Henryetta, Oklahoma), December 28, 1999.

Associated Press. “Hunt For Killer Continuing in Ozark Woods.” The Columbia Tribune (Columbia, Missouri), December 31, 1999.

Associated Press. “Search for Missing Woman Leads to Body.” Times Record (Fort Smith, Arkansas), December 30, 1999.

“Bixby Man Reports Wife Is Missing.” Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma), December 26, 1999.

“George Harrison.” Wikipedia, September 9, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison.

Goffard, Christopher. “"he Killed . . . for No Reason’.” Tampa Bay Times, December 15, 2019. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/04/18/he-killed-for-no-reason/.

Menner, Laura Bauer. “Officers Pursue Armed Fugitive after Carjacking.” The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri), December 30, 1999.

Mitchell, Bill. “Gunman Kills 5; Worker’s Rampage Spills from Hotel.” Poynter, March 2, 2011. https://www.poynter.org/archive/2003/gunman-kills-5-worker%EF%BF%BDs-rampage-spills-from-hotel/.

Nascenzi, Nicole. “Family Searches for Woman.” Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma), December 27, 1999.

“The Night Before Y2K.” The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York), December 31, 1999.

Reuters. “Former Beatles Stalker Murdered in California.” www.reuters.com, August 9, 2007. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/former-beatles-stalker-murdered-in-california-idUSN31304392/.

Reuters. “Oklahoma Executes Man Who Killed Three in 1999 Spree.” https://www.reuters.com, March 12, 2013. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us/oklahoma-executes-man-who-killed-three-in-1999-spree-idUSBRE92B17I/.

Shurley, Traci. “Police Storm House on Manhunt Lead.” The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield,Missouri), January 1, 2000.

Smith, Michael. “Officials Seek Help of Public.” Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma), December 29, 1999.

“Stabbing of George Harrison.” Wikipedia, September 9, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabbing_of_George_Harrison.

“Steven Ray Thacker.” Wikipedia, September 8, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Ray_Thacker.

Sylvester, Ron. “Widow Mourns Lost Future.” The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri), January 3, 1999.

Tomposky, Ellen, and Corky Siemaszko. “Ex-Beatle George Harrison Stabbed At Home By Psychopath.” TheDaily News (New York, New York), December 31, 1999.

Vognar, Chris. “Y2K Mania: When People Thought the World Was Going to End.” Rolling Stone, December 30, 2023.https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/time-bomb-y2k-hbo-documentary-millennium-armageddon-matt-damon-putin-1234938523/.

“Y2K Bug.” Encyclopædia Britannica, September 4, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Y2K-bug.

SOUND SOURCES

Al Jolson. “I’ll Say She Does.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Lucille Hegamin and The Dixie Daisies. “Cold Winter Blues.” www.pixabay.com/music.

Sophie Tucker. “Reuben Rag.” www.pixabay.com/music.