Time Capsule Clicks: Photos That'll Make You Say 'Those Were the Days!'

3. "Just in Case"

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Think back to 1999 New Year's Eve? Though most people were thrilled about the turn of the millennium, there is no doubt that evening presented many questions. After all, nobody knew what would transpires following the 1990s! While some felt a life-altering catastrophe would occur, others believed the world would end. Many firms advised their clients to turn down their computers before midnight in order to be secure. Although we have no idea what they believed would happen, we followed advice! We turned off our laptops and bided our time for the end of the earth. We actually still have to wait. A singular event in history, the Y2K panic perfectly captured the blend of technical innovation and anxiety defining the late 1990s. A real tension permeated the air as the clock neared midnight on December 31, 1999. Would every machine crash at once? Would banking systems fail? Would aircraft drop from the heavens? The anxiety sprang from a basic programming error: many computer systems used two-digit dates, therefore confusing the year 2000 from 1900. Widespread fear and preparation followed from this. Individuals hoarded supplies, water, and food. Spending billions, governments and companies improved their systems. Families crowded around TVs in living rooms all over watched the time zones change one by one, half-expecting calamity at every instant. There was a general sense of relief when the new millennium arrived without incident, then awareness of maybe overreaction followed. Looking back, the Y2K panic seems almost nostalgic, but it's still an amazing portrait of a society struggling with its reliance on technology about to become the digital age.

4. The Mouse With Its Ball

To be honest, the gadget you are currently reading on most likely lacks this kind of mouse. Today's phones lack even a mouse, and laptop mouses are wireless and laser-tracked. But those were the good old days, right? Children from the 1990s will recall the little ball that accompanied every single desktop computer mouse and perhaps recall violating all rules. Much as your parents might find objectionable. Living in the 1990s was great in part because it allowed one to tear the whole mouse apart and play with the ball as though it were a toy. Though it's a small matter, it holds great emotional resonance. A wonder of its time, the ball mouse was a piece of technology that appeared almost miraculous in its ability to convert actual movement into on-screen pointer activity. Mostly lost in today's sleek, optical mice, the tactile experience produced by the delightful click of the buttons and the modest resistance of the ball rolling across the mousepad is virtually absent. These mice naturally had certain habits and upkeep requirements, of course. Who can forget the custom of opening the mouse to purge the accumulated dirt and dust that invariably compromised its performance? It resembled working on a little, computerized patient in surgery. Not to mention the annoyance of trying to operate a ball mouse on an uneven surface or the way the pointer would occasionally leap erratically around the screen. These devices had something quite appealing despite these difficulties. They were strong, fixable, and carried a certain weight that let using a computer feel like running major machinery. For many of us, the ball mouse is a physical link to the early years of personal computing and our first actual engagement with computer technology.