1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA. January 25 – The 6.2 Armenia, Colombia earthquake hits western Colombia, killing at least 1,900. February February 7 – Abdullah II inherits the throne of Jordan, following the death of his father King Hussein. February 11 – Pluto moves along its eccentric orbit further from the Sun than Neptune. It had been nearer than Neptune since 1979, and will become again in 2231. February 12 – U.S. President Bill Clinton is acquitted in impeachment proceedings in the United States Senate. February 16 In Uzbekistan, an apparent assassination attempt against President Islam Karimov takes place at government headquarters. Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrests one of their rebel leaders. February 23 Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey. 1999 Galtür avalanche: An avalanche destroys the village of Galtür, Austria, killing 31. February 27 – While trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon, Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being aloft for 233 hours and 55 minutes. March March 1 One of four bombs detonated in Lusaka, Zambia, destroys the Angolan Embassy. Rwandan Hutu rebels kill and dismember eight foreign tourists at the Buhoma homestead, Uganda. The Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines comes into force. March 12 – Former Warsaw Pact members Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic join NATO. March 15 – The Santer Commission of the EU resigns over allegations of corruption. March 21 Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The 71st Academy Awards are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles with Shakespeare in Love winning Best Picture. March 24 NATO launches air strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign state. A fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel kills 39 people, closing the tunnel for nearly three years. March 26 – The Melissa worm attacks the Internet. March 27 – Kosovo War: A U.S. F-117 Nighthawk is shot down by Yugoslav forces. March 29 – For the first time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes