In the UK:
Blur Vs Oasis battle for the no.1 spot
Tony Blair winning a landslide victory in the 1997 elections and ending nearly 18 years of Tory rule
The apocalyptic coverage of Ecstasy "The Love Drug" and the moral panic that ensued because of Leah Betts.
Courtney Love punching Kathleen Hannah in the face at Lollapalooza and responding "Bitch can't even read" when Kathleen challenged her to a public debate about feminism after.
The Jordash Trial on Brookside and the first lesbian kiss broadcast on a prime time soap during that storyline and the ridiculous scandal it caused. Will always love Anna Friel.
Fred and Rose West. The horror. Cue endless jokes about dandruff and the "head and shoulders" in the bathroom.
Jamie Bulger. Something I don't think the nation ever really recovered from. It was the only event that has never been joked about or milked for dark humor. Every other murder was. But that truly traumatised a generation of us
Girls in my school home dyeing their choppy "layered" bob the same hue of plum/auburn paired with slight variations on the mid length black trenchcoat and platform heels. Every girl dressed in exactly this from the entire period of 1996 to 99.
No man or boy daring to part his hair on the side or wear acid wash jeans. Come to think of it this went for girls too. If your middle parting drifted to one side it was major cause for panic and you fixed it immediately.
Essential oils gaining popularity and suddenly every Boho gift shop and arty living room stinking like toxic herbal oven cleaner.
The sudden magic of text messaging into our lives and how much it changed everything. You no longer had to give up and go home if your friend did not turn up to the meeting place and you could now find each other if you became separated. You could also cancel on people at the last minute even if you know they had left the house already. You don't know what it was like to live before that!
Instantly available hard-core porn. To all our ruin.
The death of the album as a piece of art in itself.
The start of the long run of unusually warm winters that never really ended.
Slim fast.
The "waaaahhhh Bodyform!" overly elaborate ad for sanitary products that was endlessly parodied into legend.
AbFab being misunderstood as a silly camp comedy for silly camp gay men about fashion and bolly when we all knew that it was an incredibly dark study on parental neglect and child abuse, socipathic irresponsibility and fucked up, terrible mothers .
Johnny Vaughan and Will Mellor forming the template to the benchmark I hold every man up against ever since.
Starbucks just spreading its cancerous wave through our high streets.
The shocking display of public hysteria and outpouring of emotion when Diana died. For about a week or two we genuinely forgot we were Brirish and wept on the streets like grieving sicillan widows.
Liquid soap in the bathroom! ? In a fancy bottle!? With a pump dispenser!? Why I can feel like a princess every day!
