In 1999 there were many events that happened around the world. Some of them include Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France, the German parliament returning to Berlin for the first time since World War II, and East Timor voting in a referendum for independence from Indonesia. Find out all the amazing events of 1999 in Memories Museum on Amazon today.
Jerzy Grotowski dies
Jerzy Grotowski, a Polish theatre director, died in January 1999 in Pontedera, Italy. He was 65 years old and had been fighting leukemia for many years.
His death marks the end of a great theatrical innovator. His "poor theatre" was one of the most influential theatre concepts of the 20th century. It challenged the conventions of conventional theatre and paved the way for a new kind of performance.
Jerzy Grotowski was born in Rzeszow, Poland, on 11 August 1933. He studied acting and theatre in Moscow and Krakow. After graduating from these schools, he began directing plays. Throughout his career, he also taught acting classes.
As a result of his renowned performances, Grotowski became a star in the West. In 1968, he was invited to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. Eventually, he moved to New York. He was also offered a position at the University of California in Irvine.
While in the US, Grotowski taught at the University of California at Irvine and Columbia University. He also received a MacArthur Foundation grant. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences awarded him an honorary foreign membership.
When the Iron Curtain fell, Grotowski moved to the United States. A friend, Andre Gregory, helped him settle there. Eventually, Grotowski left performing to concentrate on his personal search.
In his last work, Apocalypsis Cum Figuris, he combined the writings of T.S. Eliot with contemporary literature. This play took three years to complete and evolved from the earlier work, Ewangelie.
Grotowski's work attracted incredible interest around the world. Many people, especially younger people, saw him as an innovator of modern theatre.
After his death, Grotowski's legacy passed on to Thomas Richards, who is now Artistic Director of the Workcenter in Pontedera, Italy. His work continues to inspire artists and audiences worldwide.
Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France
Lance Armstrong is an American cycling legend who became an international star after a series of incredible performances. During a career that spanned more than two decades, Armstrong won seven consecutive Tour de France titles, becoming the first person to do so. His victories were based on a combination of a brilliant performance on the track, and the ability to overcome overwhelming physical and psychological obstacles.
When he began his professional cycling career, Lance Armstrong was just a teenager. He won the national sprint-course triathlon championship at age sixteen, and made his professional cycling debut at 18 in San Sebastian, Spain. Later that year, he won a bronze medal in the time trial at the Sydney Olympic Games.
In 1999, Armstrong won his first Tour de France. At age 27, he became the youngest person to win the Tour, tying a record set by Bernard Hinault.
In 2002, he won his second Tour de France, tying another record for the most Tour de France wins by a rider. The following year, he won his seventh Tour de France.
While he was still on the road, Armstrong started to face doping charges. An investigation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency found that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs. This revelation led to a lifetime ban by the U.S. Government, which was upheld by the International Cycling Union.
After the 2007 Tour, he returned to competition, winning the 2008 Tour and finishing third in 2009. He retired again from competitive cycling after the 2010 Tour.
The International Cycling Union upheld the USADA's decision. They said that they would establish a commission to investigate the Armstrong case. However, the UCI is likely to take months to make its decision.
East Timor votes in a referendum for independence from Indonesia
On August 30, 1999, East Timor held a referendum for independence. The vote had 451,792 registered voters, of which about 80 percent voted for independence. This included 13,279 living in Australia and Indonesia. Despite the strong support for independence, the majority rejected the Indonesian autonomy package.
During the months leading up to the referendum, the Indonesian government used local militia to intimidate and harass pro-independence activists, church workers, journalists and humanitarian workers. It also launched a campaign of extrajudicial killings, disappearances and torture. Thousands of refugees fled East Timor and took refuge in other parts of Indonesia.
As a result, the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) was formed. In late June, UNAMET staff arrived in Dili. They were joined by an Australian-led force. These officials were tasked with transferring ballot boxes to the central counting center in Dili.
Indonesian authorities then began an aggressive campaign of harassment against the UN. Several UN staff were forced to leave the country. Human rights workers and reporters were forced to flee as well.
Security was a major concern for hundreds of thousands of refugees. Pro-independence groups and civilian militias were attacking property in a predominantly Roman Catholic society. Often, the Indonesian military participated in these attacks.
The United States pledged $10 million for a multinational force in East Timor. Although the budget was not based on traditional economic indicators, the U.S. and other donors felt that the military would mount a coup against the civilian leadership.
Following the results of the referendum, the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that Indonesia's plan for an autonomy package would not work. He suggested that the Indonesian army's actions in East Timor might be crimes against humanity.
Germany's parliament returns to Berlin for the first time since World War II
After World War II, the Federal Republic of Germany's parliament moved to Bonn. This move lasted eight years and cost more than $10 billion. In 1999, the Bundestag relocated to the rebuilt Reichstag building. The building was designed by British architect Lord Norman Foster.
Before the war, Berlin was the capital of Germany. It was divided into West Berlin and East Berlin. The Soviet Union occupied Berlin for a year. From May until early July 1945, Berlin was under Soviet control.
During this period, the KPD and the SPD were the leading parties in the German parliament. However, their relationship was strained by a division between the far Left and the majority of the SPD. Despite this, the two groups still worked together during the war.
In the post-war period, social democrats remained in the central administrations. Some of them, like Anton Ackermann, were influential. They developed the concept of a special "German road to socialism" and argued that socialist reform in Germany could be achieved without an October revolution.
In the aftermath of the war, the United States and Britain agreed to allow the Soviet Union to occupy Berlin. This agreement was made during a conference in Yalta in February 1945. There were clashes between the occupiers and a blockade erupted in the summer of 1948.
As part of the occupation, the Soviets also re-established German institutions. Two public health offices were established in Berlin. Each office was headed by a medical officer.
The British and American zones also created health committees as advisory bodies. These meetings included doctors, health workers, and other interest groups.
When the war ended, the German health services were reconstructed. The main body of the Health Organisation (SNHA) was renamed the "German Health Organisation" (SNHA). Several members of the Association of the German Health Organisation were active.
Columbine High School massacre
In April 1999, a tragic shooting occurred at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Approximately a dozen people were killed and another 20 were injured. The school was reopened in the fall of 1999.
The shooting was a high-profile event that sparked debates on violence in video games and the Internet, as well as gun laws and subcultures. After the shooting, hundreds of emergency workers, reporters, and SWAT teams descended on the campus. Some students and staff hid in closets, while others sheltered behind vehicles.
The official death toll was 15 when 8:30 a.m., with another three more injured during their attempts to escape. An earlier estimate of the number of dead was ten more than the official count.
A reporter interviewed traumatized teenagers at the scene. There were also news stations broadcasting eyewitness testimony.
Investigators revealed that Harris had planned to bomb the school with a homemade propane bomb. He had also posted a number of online death threats. However, he had no idea how to wire a detonator to a bomb.
Harris also fantasized about hijacking an airplane and crashing it into New York. His older brother was a kicker on the Columbine football team.
Klebold and Harris had a close relationship. They often attended football games together, and bonded over their interest in philosophy. Their plans for the attack were initially scheduled for April 19, the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
Several other students were also shot. Students thought the pipe bomb was a senior prank. However, Harris and Klebold had a different plan.
Both Harris and Klebold committed suicide. The bomb was supposed to go off before other students could get to the school. Get all the info on events in 1999 with Memories Museum today https://amzn.to/3C8tBjO.