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South African antiapartheid activist, Nelson Mandela is freed after spending 27 years as a political prisoner.
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Magic Johnson is diagnosed with HIV
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Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley
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•Riots erupt in South Central LA following the acquittal of four white police officers who were caught on video beating speeding suspect Rodney King. During the riots, 55 people were killed, 2,300 people were injured and 1,100 buildings were destroyed.
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•After seven years together, New Kids On The Block go their separate ways, proving that perhaps they did not have The Right Stuff after all.
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•Michael Jordan retires from the NBA to play minor league baseball. He returns to the NBA 17 months later.
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The oldest known human ancestor (Ardipithecus ramidus) is found in Kenya, East Africa. The find was estimated at 4.4 million years old.
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•The trail of former NFL star OJ Simpson begins. He is accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman. OJ is later found not guilty.
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Mad Cow Disease Hits Britain
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A mass suicide in which 39 members of a "Heaven's Gate Cult" in California killed themselves thinking they would be sent up to a spaceship behind the passing Hale Bopp comet. Strange and sad story.
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Bob Barker's game show The Price is Right, aired his 5,000th episode on CBS in the summer.
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The hottest toy for children in 1999? Pokemon cards, toys, etc.
