“Now, this is not one of the summer movies where you can close your eyes during the scary parts,” is how President Clinton described the year 2000 computer problem (Y2K) in a speech before the National Academy of Sciences. And though his description was met with laughter, as President Clinton expounded on how Y2K “could affect electric power, phone service, air travel, major governmental services,” he made it clear that his administration did not view Y2K as a joke. With its origins in a cost-saving decision that meant computers might encounter problems processing dates once 1999 rolled over to 2000; President Clinton made clear that Y2K had the potential to cause problems for a range of computer connected systems, and by the waning years of the 20th century those computer connected systems were everywhere.
Zachary Loeb: What’s the worst that could have happened? Y2K and the Risks of the Information Age
