This Week in History: 29 December-4 January
New year, new beginnings. This week, the millennium arrives without disruption as the dreaded Y2K bug fails to bite. Elsewhere, milestones mark the turning of the year, from a record-breaking mission in space by a Soviet cosmonaut to the arrival of the euro in physical form, giving millions of Europeans a shared currency for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. In other corners, the calendar brings little sense of resolution, with continued leadership tensions in post-revolution Romania and renewed climate fears surfacing at the dawn of the 2020s. Dive into a week of New Year promise and uncertainty, as seen on The Independent’s front pages.
29 December 1986 – England seal Ashes win in Melbourne
England secure the Ashes in Melbourne with a dominant innings victory over Australia, taking an unassailable 2–0 lead in the series. The Independent highlights a commanding performance, with Chris Broad’s batting proving decisive as captain Mike Gatting celebrates an emphatic Ashes success on Australian soil.
30 December 1987 – Soviet cosmonaut breaks space record
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Romanenko returns to Earth after spending 326 days aboard the Mir space station, breaking the previous spaceflight endurance record of 237 days. Officials report no serious ill effects beyond slight muscle wastage, with the mission seen as providing vital data on human endurance as part of longer-term ambitions for a future flight to Mars.
29 December 1989 – Romanian leadership split
Divisions emerge within Romania’s new leadership as the post-Ceausescu government struggles to present a united front in the aftermath of the revolution. The Independent reports that beyond “the immediate practical task of getting the country going again, there is no agreement on anything”, with sharp splits over foreign policy, including Romania’s future role in the Warsaw Pact.
31 December 1999 – London Eye ‘unsafe’
Passengers are barred from boarding the Millennium Wheel, later known as the London Eye, after safety concerns delay its opening on the eve of the year 2000. The failure to open on time proves a conspicuous disappointment as London readies itself to usher in the new millennium.
2 January 2000 – The new millennium
The new millennium dawns amid worldwide celebration as crowds mark the moment time zone to time zone. New Year’s Eve passes largely without incident. Bomb threats in London prove all to be hoaxes, while the much-feared millennium bug “fails to bite”. In a special piece, Sir Ian McKellen also reflects on the symbolism of the night, as Nelson Mandela marks the occasion in South Africa with a candlelit visit to his former prison on Robben Island.
1 January 2002 – Euro is born
The euro enters circulation across 12 European nations, giving around 300 million people a single shared currency for the first time in modern history. More than 14.5 billion banknotes and 56 billion coins are introduced as the launch of the new currency marks a major step in European economic integration.
1 January 2008 – China emerges as superpower
The Independent looks ahead to a year in which China is expected to assert unprecedented economic influence, with forecasts that the world’s most populous nation will invest more than $1.3 trillion on global markets. The paper points to 2008 as a symbolic coming-of-age, a prediction reinforced later in the year as Beijing hosts the Olympic Games and China’s economic and diplomatic reach continues to expand.
1 January 2020 – New decade renews climate fears
A new decade begins with renewed urgency over the climate crisis, as world leaders face mounting pressure to act after years of extreme weather. With wildfires raging in Australia and temperatures reaching 50C, The Independent warns that the coming years will be critical following a decade marked by a rising number of natural disasters worldwide.
