Timeline March 1999

Events in March 1999 12

• 1914 – 1999 Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999) Died 8 March 1999, aged 84 Joe DiMaggio was a Hall of Fame center fielder for the New York Yankees, famous for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941, a record that still stands. He was a nine-time World Series champion and one of baseball's most iconic figures. He died of lung cancer in Hollywood, Florida.
• 1916 – 1999 Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) Died 12 March 1999, aged 82 Yehudi Menuhin was an American-born violinist regarded as one of the greatest of the 20th century. He performed and recorded prolifically for eight decades and later held British citizenship, being made a life peer. He died in Berlin from complications following bronchitis.
• 1928 – 1999 Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) Died 7 March 1999, aged 70 Stanley Kubrick was an American-born filmmaker who directed landmark films including 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. He worked primarily from England for most of his career and was known for his meticulous, perfectionist approach to filmmaking. He died in his sleep days after completing Eyes Wide Shut.
• 1939 – 1999 Dusty Springfield (1939-1999) Died 2 March 1999, aged 59 Dusty Springfield was an English pop singer known for hits including Son of a Preacher Man and the album Dusty in Memphis. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shortly before her death. She died of breast cancer in Henley-on-Thames, England.
• 1999 Iditarod 1999 Winner: Doug Swingley — 9 days 14h Doug Swingley won his second Iditarod title in 1999.
• 1999 NATO Admits Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic First post-Cold War eastward expansion of NATO Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic formally joined NATO on March 12, 1999, marking the alliance's first expansion into former Warsaw Pact territory. The accession was a significant milestone in post-Cold War European security realignment. It set a precedent for further NATO enlargement in the following decades.
• 1999 Billy Joel inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Inducted by Ray Charles.
• 1999 Bruce Springsteen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Inducted the year he reunites with the E Street Band.
• 1999 Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame 15 March 1999 Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on 15 March 1999, recognising his songwriting catalogue across both Genesis and his solo career.
• 1999 Dutch F-16 downs a Serbian MiG-29 Kosovo War On the first night of NATO strikes on Yugoslavia, a Dutch F-16 shoots down a MiG-29 — the Netherlands' first air-to-air kill since 1945.
• 1999 NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia Air campaign over the Kosovo War NATO conducted a 78-day bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to halt the ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians. The operation was the alliance's first sustained combat action without UN Security Council authorization. It ended when Yugoslav forces withdrew from Kosovo and a peacekeeping force was deployed.
• 1999 The Matrix Sci-fi landmark of 1999 — $463m worldwide Directed by the Wachowskis, starring Keanu Reeves. A hacker discovers that reality is a simulation and joins a rebellion against the machines.