Factoid:
In the year 2000, for the first time ever, the developed countries of the world will have more people aged 60 and up than youths aged 14 and under. For the world as a whole, the same will be true by the year 2043.
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Hopeful Parents Vie Mightily For a Millennium Baby
April 9, 1999 was judged by reproduction experts to be the optimal day to conceive a child born on Jan 1, 2000 -- and all around the world, couples gave it their best shot.
Start Date: 4/10/99
Experts in human reproduction proclaimed Friday, April 9, 1999 as the optimum day for the conception of a baby born on January 1, 2000 -- and all around the world, couples went at it with gusto. In many places, newspapers, hotels and radio stations offered big incentives to the couple who brings forth the local equivalent of Millennium Baby #1.
One example, according to the Associated Press, occurred in Romania, where the newspaper Evenimentul urged readers to "get to work" and promised the equivalent of seven years' average wages -- $6,800 -- to the country's first baby next year.
Municipal employees in Kautokaino, Norway, were given Friday morning off so they could use the time reproductively. "This is a big joint effort for our town and I expect everyone to do their very best," said Mayor Anton Dahl.
Similar efforts were underway from Spain to Malaysia, and all over the United States.
But successful conception on April 9 does not mean a January 1 baby, doctors warn. Most of the contests specify that the birth must be natural -- no inducements, no Caesareans -- and babies tend to come when they feel like it, rather than right on schedule. With that in mind, says Dr. Timothy Cathey, a conception that takes place any time between April 3 and April 17 has a chance of producing the millennium baby.
Some analysts think all this whoopie may be "ill-conceived" -- bringing on a miniature Baby Boom right at the stroke of Y2K. Will the millennium child be born into the cold and the dark? What a downer.
 Excelsior, Michael Lindemann's new novel (written under the pen name Michael Paul), depicts a wholly plausible near future in which human cloning is both widespread and widely abused; terrorists have access to target-specific biological weapons; recreational space travel is commonplace; and mounting pressures of global climate change, environmental decline, population growth and civil unrest inspire radical new approaches to urban security.
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The Global Economy: Will It or Won't It?
The U.S. economy continued to show strength in early 1999, but Japan, Russia and some other economies were troubled, raising questions of a possible global recession ahead.
Snapshots From the 'Battle of Seattle'
The WTO Conference in Seattle was met by massive protests, signifying that many people around the world do not believe trade should take precedence over human rights and the environment.
Kosovo: Bombing Stops, But Major Challenges Ahead
Serb troops began pulling out of Kosovo, NATO suspended bombing and peacekeepers awaited orders to deploy, raising hopes that the Balkan conflict was over and nearly one million refugees could soon start for home.
Kosovo: The Long March Toward Settlement
The NATO bombing campaign in Serbia entered its third month with Britain calling for a ground invasion, but most of the Alliance is resisting that impulse as efforts toward a negotiated settlement continue.
Kosovo Crisis: What a Difference Two Weeks Can Make
Ambivalence in the U.S. Congress, Milosevic's release of U.S. POWs, G-8 support of negotiations and NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade all contributed to the rapidly changing complexion of the Kosovo crisis.
Step By Step, the Balkan War Unfolds
NATO bombing over Yugoslavia continues into its fifth week with no end in sight, while U.S. leaders are increasingly divided over strategy.
War In Europe -- Down The Slippery Slope
Editorial: After 18 days of bombing, NATO seems farther from achieving its goals in Kosovo that Milosevic is to achieving his. The prospect of NATO ground troops looks increasingly likely, and with it the threat of a wider war in Europe.
Kosovo: Is This The Only Way?
Editorial: Though the policies of Slobodan Milosevic are reprehensible, NATO's resort to bombing brings with it enormous risks and slim likelihood of decisive victory.
Conflict Update: Iraq, Kosovo, Ethiopia-Eritrea
Shooting conflicts were underway in several parts of the world in mid-February, 1999, while prolonged efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement in the Serb province of Kosovo reached a stalemate.
Famine Pushes North Koreans to Cannibalism
Widespread famine has driven some in North Korea to cannibalism, others to sell themselves or their children.
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