Y2K 25th Anniversary: Potential crisis came and went while the world held its breath

WASHINGTON - Twenty-five years ago, while the world was waiting on edge, the potential Y2K crisis came and went without any major failures.

The potential issues were thought to be with critical computer hardware and software systems that were considered unable to handle the year 2000 date change. In the months and years leading up to midnight 1999, companies and organizations spent billions to try and prevent catastrophe.

In Washington, D.C., the city opened a command center to address any potential Y2K problems. The Metro transit system paused service briefly overnight into the early minutes of the year 2000 as a precaution against any potential Y2K glitches.

But in the end, nothing happened. Disagreements remain about whether the advance work by computer scientists to achieve Y2K compliance was necessary, or if the concerns were overblown.

"We were all there, waiting like everyone else, waiting for the shoe to drop, and when midnight hit, nothing happened basically," said FOX 5's Bob Barnard about D.C.'s handling of Y2K fears. "Everyone was looking at their computers, talking to each other, making phone calls, and it was like smooth sailing."

"I think most people were just kind of curious, not really afraid that the world was going to come to a grinding halt. And it didn’t," Barnard continued. "I think some of the institutions, banking and what have you, were more concerned than the average person from my recollection. It’s been 25 years, hard to believe that. But it wasn’t like people were afraid we were going to fall off a cliff or something."

Some younger people FOX 5 spoke with have never heard about the new millennium Y2K fears. Others remembered all the fuss and how much concern there was. Either way, the computer systems at the time handled the transition fine.

President Clinton assured the country that the federal government was Y2K ready. "Thanks to the efforts of the Office of Management and Budget, we have completed work on more than 99% of all mission-critical computer systems, which means the American people can have full faith that everything from air traffic control systems to Social Security payment systems will continue to work exactly as they should," Clinton said at a briefing in 1999.

Do you remember the Y2K scare leading into the year 2000? Tell us what you remember on our social media pages.