Right now, kids from all over the country are beginning their senior year of high school. They're well on their way to college. And they were mostly born in 1997.
Which was, like, 12 minutes ago.
Back in '97, we'd just started reading about a delightful boy wizard named Harry.
Titanic was the biggest movie in the world.
And these were pretty popular too.
These two were the hottest celebrity couple imaginable.
We were all just getting the hang of this "internet" thing.
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And just getting to know this adorable little guy.
People couldn't get enough of that dancing baby.
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Third Eye Blind, Spice Girls, and Jewel were all over the radio.
We all thought "Tubthumping" was the first of many hits by a band of leftist Brits called Chumbawamba.
Everyone was just getting into something called "electronica."
Britpop ruled the world. (In England.)
And hip-hop ruled the world everywhere else.
If you wanted someone to think you were smart, you'd put on some Radiohead.
And if you really wanted to impress people, maybe one of these CDs.
These women were just getting their start in music.
And so were these living legends.
Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, and Tracy Morgan were the big new stars on Saturday Night Live.
Ally McBeal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Daria were the hot new shows on TV.
But the biggest buzz was about a new cartoon called South Park.
Ellen DeGeneres was the first sitcom star to come out as a lesbian on her show, and she made it seem like it wasn't a big deal.
NBC utterly owned primetime with E.R., Seinfeld, Friends, and, uh, Suddenly Susan on Thursday nights.
Mike Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear in a boxing match, and people freaked out.
Bill Clinton had started his second term, but his affair with intern Monica Lewinksy was about to go public in a big way.
Tony Blair had just become the prime minister of the United Kingdom...
...just before the sudden, tragic death of Princess Diana.
Steve Jobs returned to Apple — and revitalized it a year later by rolling out the first iMac.
And of course, Mario Kart was huge.
This was not even the first Mario Kart game.
These people have never known a world without Mario Kart.
