A Perfect Ten

Ten years ago we had a different president. Ten years ago the Denver Broncos had yet to win a Super Bowl. Ten years ago, 911 was either a very large prime number or the number you dialed in the event of an emergency. Ten years ago the comet Hale-Bopp makes its closest approach to Earth. Ten years ago Tony Blair was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Ten years ago Iraqi military escorts on board an UNSCOM helicopter try to physically prevent the UNSCOM pilot from flying the helicopter in the direction of its planned destination, threatening the safety of the aircraft and their crews. Ten years ago The first book in the award winning Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling is published. Ten years ago Princess Di did just that. Ten years ago The term "weblog" is coined by Jorn Barger. Ten years ago Sheldon Leonard, American producer, actor, director and bartender in "It's A Wonderful Life" gets his wings. Ten years ago on August 29, 1997, Skynet becomes self-aware and launches nuclear missiles to cities all over the world, killing 3 billion people. This starts a never-ending war between humans and machines. In an altered timeline created in Terminator 2, Judgment Day does not occur in 1997. Whew.
That was one wacky year. What a difference a decade makes. Another milestone from 1997, the birth of my son. I didn't know it then, but this was about the best possible way I can imagine to go about making a best friend. Ten years ago we moved into a new house and I started a new career, but the life I am most impressed with is the ten-year-old boy who is busily creating a Lego fortress in our living room. Time certainly does fly when you're having fun.