Uploaded December 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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As we prepare to enter 2014, we've decided to look back at the New Year that ushered in the start of this millennium. At the time, many around the country, and around the world, prepared for major malfunctions in computer systems -- a problem known as the "Y2K Bug" -- which would arise from computers mistaking the year 2000 for the year 1900. According to the International Data Corporation, the U.S. spent over $130 billion to prepare for this possibility, and many individual Americans came up with their own contingency plans. Here, we see ordinary people stocking up at local stores as if to prepare for a hurricane, by buying extra batteries, food items, and even lamp oil. While no major problems arose from the Y2K scare, the memory of what could have happened lives on.
For more on the major cultural phenomena of the past half century, browse our website or contact our staff.
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Go to NBCUniversalArchives.com to license any portion of this video.
As we prepare to enter 2014, we've decided to look back at the New Year that ushered in the start of this millennium. At the time, many around the country, and around the world, prepared for major malfunctions in computer systems -- a problem known as the "Y2K Bug" -- which would arise from computers mistaking the year 2000 for the year 1900. According to the International Data Corporation, the U.S. spent over $130 billion to prepare for this possibility, and many individual Americans came up with their own contingency plans. Here, we see ordinary people stocking up at local stores as if to prepare for a hurricane, by buying extra batteries, food items, and even lamp oil. While no major problems arose from the Y2K scare, the memory of what could have happened lives on.
For more on the major cultural phenomena of the past half century, browse our website or contact our staff.
Like Us on Facebook.com/NBCUArchives
Follow us on Twitter.com/NBCUArchives
