In America, Republican candidate George W Bush beat Democrat Al Gore in the closest residential election in history.

Vladimir Putin was elected President of Russia.

Meanwhile Myra Hindley lost an appeal against her life prison sentence and an Air France Concorde crashed into a hotel near Paris, killing 113 people.

In music, the big singles of the year were 7 Days by Craig David and Spinning Around by Kylie Minogue.

Eminem bagged two number one singles with Stan and The Real Slim Shady. Bob the Builder was Christmas number one with Can We Fix It?

The big films of the year were X-Men, Scary Movie, Gladiator and Girl, Interrupted while American Beauty walked away with the Oscar for best picture.

Notable deaths included Star Wars actor Sir Alec Guinness and TV presenter Paula Yates, while 10-year-old Damilola Taylor was killed in Peckham.

2000 Star Fact: Notable births included the billionth living person in India, making the country only the second to cross the billion-mark after China. But things could not have been different for our friends in the north as Scotland recorded its lowest ever birth rate - and lowest death rate as well.