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Hepatitis A Vaccine Available-
The first successful vaccine against Hepatitis A was invented by Maurice Hilleman at Merck. The vaccine protects against the virus in more than 95% of cases and provides protection from the virus for at least fifteen years. -
Helmet Laws
Since 1993, 21 states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws requiring kids to wear bike helmets, which reduce the risk of serious brain injury by 85%, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. And all states now require car seats for children, which cuts their risk of dying in an accident by more than half. -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect, creating a free trade zone between Canada, the United States, and Mexico -
George Foreman Grill
Most of you thought the former Heavyweight Champ caught way too many shots to the dome when he announced his own line of home cooking appliances. Little did we know his portable electrical grill would go on to become a worldwide smash selling over 100 million units. The machine does an awesome job of draining fat from cooked products, and unlike the frying pan, its non-stick coating leaves little to nothing stuck on the grill. George showed us how to live a healthy and hearty lifestyle -
Polar Vantage NV Heart Rate Monitor
Even though Polar released the first-ever heart rate monitor back in 1982, the company's brand of high-tech aids didn't catch on until the mid 90s. The Vantage NV was the first of it's kind: a “wrist-based” wireless monitor that measured R-R heart rate variability, which provided awareness for one's physical condition. Polar's invention would encourage fitness freaks and professional athletes to sport the digital monitor on the regular, making it a fashion trend for quite a bit a time. -
Cloning 1st Animal
Dolly, the sheep, becomes the first mammal to be cloned. This begins a rampant debate on the ethics of the procedure in animals and the viability and morality of cloning in human beings. -
Stem Cell Therapy-James Thomson
Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. -bone marrow
-umbilical cord blood -
Oldest Astonaut in Space
John Glenn, thirty-six years after becoming the first American astronaut to orbit the earth, becomes the oldest astronaut in space at seventy-seven years old. His role on the Space Shuttle Discovery flight tests the effect of space travel on aging -
HP LaserJet III Printer
Every office, school, and private business had one (or several) of these laser printers shooting out pages by the hundreds. HP welcomed two new technologies that would help transcend the printing field: Resolution Enhancement and PCL 5 technology. The former enhanced print quality and the latter simplified text scaling by expanding point type sizes. Word processing would continue to blow from there. -
Sony VPL-CS1 SuperLite Projector
Sony's magic lantern supported a 0.7-inch LCD panel for SVGA resolution and source signals for video equipment and computers. On top of that, it featured digital keystone correction, zoom lens, and a silent fan. Its multi-purpose design drew some serious attention, as the cover doubled as a stand. Nothing on the market even came close. -
West Nile Virus, SARS, Bird Flu
First it was West Nile virus, which made it's U.S. debut in 1999. Then came the international epidemics of SARS and bird flu, along with the emergence of new strains of drug-resistant bacteria. Partly fueled by globalization and misuse of antibiotics, nasty bugs were on the rise and treatment became advanced -
F5 Tornados hit OK
A series of tornadoes strikes Oklahoma, including an F5 category storm that slams Oklahoma City, killing thirty-eight. The fastest wind speed ever recorded on earth is measured by scientists at 509 km (318 mph) during this tornado
