1999
News
- The Euro currency is launched, but Britain’s Labour government reportedly has no plans to introduce the currency here, preferring to stick to pound sterling instead.
- England national football team manager Glenn Hoddle gives an interview to The Times newspaper in which he suggests that people born with disabilities are paying for sins in a previous life.
- A minimum wage is introduced throughout the UK – set at £3.60 an hour for workers over 21, and £3 for workers under 21.
- TV presenter Jill Dando, 37, dies after being shot on the doorstep of her Fulham home.
- 17 April – A bomb explodes in Brixton, South London, and injures 45 people.
- 24 April – A second bomb explosion in Brick Lane, east London injures 13 people.
- 30 April – A third bomb in London explodes in the Admiral Duncan pub, in Old Compton Street, Soho, London – the centre of the London gay scene – killing two people (including a pregnant woman) and injuring over thirty.
- 3 May – David Copeland appears in court charged with the recent bombings in London.
Entertainment
- Ross Kemp, who has achieved TV stardom with his role as Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, signs a £1million deal with ITV, meaning that he will leave EastEnders this autumn after nearly 10 years.
- Tracey Emin exhibits My Bed at the Tate Gallery as one of the shortlisted works for the Turner Prize.
- Millennium celebrations are held across the country including the official opening of the Millennium Dome and the unveiling of the London Eye in London.
- Elton John appears as himself in a special episode of the animated series The Simpsons.
Music
- Steps score their first number one in the UK singles chart with Heartbeat / Tragedy.
- S Club 7 releases their debut single Bring It All Back, which goes straight to number one in the UK singles chart.
- Irish girl group B*Witched score a fourth consecutive number one in the UK singles chart with Blame It On The Weatherman, thus becoming the first band to have all their first four singles enter at the top and setting a new record that would be broken a year later by Westlife.
Number #1 Hits of 1999
| Artist | Title |
| Chef | Chocolate Salty Balls |
| Steps | Heartbeat/Tragedy |
| Fatboy Slim | Praise You |
| 911 | A Little Bit More |
| The Offspring | Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) |
| Armand Van Helden | You Don’t Know Me |
| Blondie | Maria |
| Lenny Kravitz | Fly Away |
| Britney Spears | Baby One More Time |
| Boyzone | When The Going Gets Tough |
| B*Witched | Blame It On The Weatherman |
| Mr. Oizo | Flat Beat |
| Martine McCutcheon | Perfect Moment |
| Westlife | Swear It Again |
| The Backstreet Boys | I Want It That Way |
| Boyzone | You Needed Me |
| Shanks & Bigfoot | Sweet Like Chocolate |
| Baz Luhrmann | Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) |
| S Club 7 | Bring It All Back |
| The Vengaboys | Boom Boom Boom Boom |
| A.T.B. | 9pm (Till I Come) |
| Ricky Martin | Livin’ La Vida Loca |
| Ronan Keating | When You Say Nothing At All |
| Westlife | If I Let You Go |
| Geri Halliwell | Mi Chico Latino |
| Lou Bega | Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of…) |
| The Vengaboys | We’re Going To Ibiza! |
| Eiffel 65 | Blue (Da Ba Dee) |
| Christina Aguilera | Genie In The Bottle |
| Westlife | Flying Without Wings |
| Five | Keep On Movin’ |
| Geri Halliwell | Lift Me Up |
| Robbie Williams | She’s The One/It’s Only Us |
| The Wamdue Project | King Of My Castle |
| Cliff Richard | The Millennium Prayer |
| Westlife | I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun |
Sport
- The Football Association dismisses Glenn Hoddle as England manager due to the controversy sparked by his comments about disabled people.
- Manchester United come from behind to beat Bayern Munich, with two late goals in the UEFA Champions League final in Camp Nou, Barcelona. They are the first English club in history to win the Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup.
- The Millennium Stadium, national sports stadium for Wales, is opened in Cardiff.
- Manchester United announce that they will not compete in the FA Cup in the forthcoming football season so they can concentrate on their participation in the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil at the start of the next year. Their decision is seen as a major boost to England’s hopes of hosting the 2006 World Cup.
- Chelsea pay a club record of £10million (one of the highest fees paid by any English club) for the Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton.
