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What was the Millennium Bug or Year 2000 Problem?

Whether 1 January 2000 was the start of a new millennium or not, one thing is sure: it was the cause of a major computer problem worldwide. This is because many computers and programs had to be modified to be sure that they would not think that the year 2000 was the year 1900, or worse. This problem is sometimes called the "Year 2000 Problem", ("Y2K Problem"), or the "Millennium Bug". Many computer experts predicted a disastrous start to the year 2000, with hospital patients dying left, right and centre, nuclear bombs being triggered by accident, and criminals having a field day with ATMs. In the event, either because of the millions of dollars spent in preparation, or because the Year 2000 Problem was never a problem in the first place, there were very few incidents.