You may have noticed we’re in something of a celebratory mood at Morley Glass & Glazing this year as we celebrate achieving 20 years of business. For us, 1998 is a fantastic year to look back on fondly, so we couldn’t help taking a look at some other notable events that were taking place at the same time as our managing director, Ian Short, was just getting started. We hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane as much as we have!

  1. James Cameron’s tragic blockbuster Titanic swept the Oscars with 11 wins, including Best Picture.

 

  1. At the age of 23, Bear Grylls became the youngest British climber to scale Mount Everest. Today that title is held by Jordan Romero, who completed the climb at the tender age of just 13!

 

  1. JK Rowling released the second book in her popular series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

 

  1. Iconic TV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire debuted in the UK, with Chris Tennant at the helm.

 

  1. The Space Shuttle Endeavour launched the first American component to the International Space Station, the 25,600lb Unitymodule on STS-88.

 

  1. France not only hosted the 16th FIFA World Cup, it also won the tournament after defeating defending champions Brazil 3-0 in the tense final.

 

  1. Fresh from a victory the previous year, the UK took its turn to host the Eurovision Song Contest at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena.
  2. The United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, on April 10th, marking the beginning of the peace process between Ireland and the Britain

 

  1. Star of Free Willy, Keiko the killer whale finally had a true taste of freedom as he was released back into the wild.

 

  1. President Clinton was impeached after lying about and covering up his relationship with 22-year-old White House employee, Monica Lewinsky.

 

  1. Microsoft became the biggest company in the world valued at $261bn on the New York Stock Exchange

 

  1. Google was incorporated by two PhD students from Stanford University.

 

  1. Fresh from Labour’s landslide victory against the Conservative Party the previous year, Tony Blair’s party cut unemployment by 400,000 and announced a minimum wage.

 

  1. The must-have Christmas present that parents had to stress over was non-other than the dreaded Furby, with an estimated 1.8 million sold in 1998 alone!

 

  1. Thousands of Coronation Street fans were left outraged as beloved character Deirdre Rachid becomes a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice that landed her in prison.

 

  1. Hearts were broken as Geri Halliwell announced she would be leaving the Spice Girls, although that didn’t prevent the band from claiming their third consecutive Christmas #1 at the end of the year with the appropriate ‘Goodbye’.

 

  1. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan took home the Man Booker Prize for literature

 

  1. He may have only recently announced his retirement, but in 1998 Sir Elton John was flying high as he received a knighthood from HRM Queen Elizabeth II.

 

  1. In the year current tennis legend Serena Williams first started competing, Pete Sampras took home his fifth Men’s Singles title at Wimbledon, with Jana Novotna winning her first and only career Grand Slam singles title in the Woman’s Singles.

 

  1. Ian Short incorporated Morley Glass & Glazing, having previously gained experience working as a production director at a glass company for eight years.