1998

January 1 - Smoking is banned in all California bars and restaurants.

January 22 - Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski pleads guilty, and accepts a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

February 23 - Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa, declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.

March 27 - The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.

April 7 - George Michael is arrested in a restroom at Will Rogers Memorial Park for committing a lewd act in front of a police officer. This incident leads to him coming out as gay.

April 22 - The Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World opens to the public for the first time.

June 4 - Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

June 25 - Microsoft releases Windows 98 (First Edition).

August 7 - 1998 U.S. embassy bombings: The bombings of the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya kill 224 people and injure over 4,500; they are linked to terrorist Osama Bin Laden, an exile of Saudi Arabia.

September 7 - Google, Inc. is founded, in Menlo Park, California, by Stanford University Ph.D. candidates Larry Page and Sergey Brin.[8]

September 8 - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire breaks baseball's single-season home run record, formerly held by Roger Maris. McGwire hits #62 at Busch Stadium in the 4th inning off of Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel.

October 6 - College student Matthew Shepard is found tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyoming, a victim of gay-bashing. He dies October 12, becoming a symbol of gay-bashing victims and sparking public reflection on homophobia in the US.

November 3 - Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler, is elected Governor of Minnesota.

November 19 - Lewinsky scandal: The United State House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against U.S. President Bill Clinton.

December 28 - Laura and Chris become man and wife. Thus begins the best 10 years of their lives; full of challenges, pain, and joy. Neither would change a thing.