As part of our series on pop culture from 15 years ago – a continuing celebration of our 15th anniversary as Pegasus Lighting – here are 15 moments from March 1999 you may remember. Monica Lewinsky’s book on her affair with Bill Clinton goes on sale; the Dow Jones average beats 1000 for the first time; and The Matrix is released. Ah, the sweet 90s. Where were you?

1. Jar Jar Annoys Basically Everyone

At the Golden Raspberry Awards, better known as the Razzies, the award for Worst Supporting Actor went to Ahmed Best, who voiced the character Jar Jar Binks in STAR WARS: EPISODE 1, THE PHANTOM MENACE. Poor Jar Jar, you-sa not much appreciated by STAR WARS fans.

2. The Worst Picture of the Year

The Roth 401(k) combined elements of the Roth IRA and the traditional 401(k). In a traditional 401(k), you contribute income without paying taxes on it. You then pay taxes on the funds when you withdraw them during retirement. With the Roth 401(k), however, you pay the taxes upfront so that you can withdrawal funds tax-free during retirement.

 5. The Melissa Worm Attacks the Internet

At the end of March 1999, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 10,000 mark at 10,006.78. This was unprecedented! People made “DOW 10,000” hats and celebrated. In hindsight, people wonder whether that day represented the peak of our economy’s health up to that point or the peak of market excess that was responsible for the economic instability of the 2000s.

7. You Are the One, Neo

Legendary film director Steven Spielberg was once again named Best Director at the Academy Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. In fact, the director of early 80s movies like E.T. was on a real tear, just coming off of the JURASSIC PARK series and SCHINDLER’S LIST. He continues to direct great movies today.

9. Roberto Begnigni Is Exuberant 

Roberto Benigni won Best Actor for his role in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL at the 1999 Academy Awards. His reaction immediately became more popular that the movie itself. I’ll have a glass of whatever he’s drinking!

10. Gwyneth Wins Best Actress

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE was the most awarded film of the night of the Academy Awards. Perhaps the most touching award acceptance, though, was Gwyneth Paltrow’s. Try to watch her acceptance speech without getting teary. I dare you.

11. Lewinsky Tells All

In March, 1999, The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing, which left too many dead and wounded to even go into detail here. It was a tragic and totally unnecessary crime, and the Supreme Court decision echoed the feelings of many Americans.

14. Stanley Leaves Us

On the day after we lost Stanley Kubrick, we lost another beloved American hero, the legendary baseball player Joe DiMaggio. His death was caused by lung cancer. He was 84 and sure saw America from an interesting point of view. The loss of this former star was felt all over the nation.

It’s fun to think back to these moments in the popular culture of 1999, even though not everything that happened was happy. Most of us lived through all these events and remember them well. Come back next month to see what we resurrect next.

A modern convenience often taken for granted, electric power, can be found everywhere. To route electricity from the power station to your wall outlet requires many steps. Residential house wiring includes a variety of wiring and control devices to ensure safe and reliable service.

Electricity in the home is distributed by means of branch circuits. Furthermore, each branch circuit is supplied via a circuit breaker sized per the expected load on the circuit. A typical lighting and receptacle circuit will be rated at 15A. Because of their size, larger loads like ovens, clothes dryers, and air conditioning units are given dedicated circuit breakers.

A typical home can have dozens of 15A circuits, and several 20A, 30A, or even 50A circuits. Yet the total of all these breakers is much more than the size of the main breaker. However, this is intentional. It’s highly unlikely that every circuit will be fully loaded at any one time, so a demand factor is taken into account to keep the main breaker at a reasonable size.

A wood-framed home will typically use solid copper non-metallic sheathed cable for the majority of wiring applications. Solid conductors are easy to terminate and cheaper than equivalent stranded wire. The AWG size of the wire is determined by the expected load on the circuit and by the size of the breaker protecting it. You should never connect a wire to a breaker that is too large to protect it, as an overloaded wire can easily catch fire.

It’s exciting to deck out the front yard, the house and of course all over inside the home with pretty holiday decorations. Bright lights and big, extravagant moving decorations are something many homeowners take pride in. For some, it is a bigger is better. There is certainly some friendly competition between neighbors, which can be great for visitors who love to see the grandeur. However, there can be some safety concerns when that must electricity is being used. One of the most important things to remember this season is electrical safety. Your electrician in Beverly Hills wants you to be safe this season. The team at The Electric Connection can help make your holiday decorating easier and safer.

Extension cords can help connect those lights and big decorations, but you want to be sure you use the right cord for the job. Outdoor electrical cords are specifically designed to withstand the elements. Never use flat cords that are only to be used outside to try and plug in lights outside. Stick with the big, heavy round cords that are typically 3-prong.

Never connect more than 2 cords together. Ideally, you will only want one cord connected to a light socket. If you find your cord is simply not long enough, call an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners can have additional outlets installed in the outer edges of their yard and landscaping, which makes decorating a breeze and can prevent having to use an extension cord altogether.

Never connect more than three light strands together. This could overload the circuit. LED strands are a little more forgiving because they take very little energy to run. Again, call your Beverly Hills electrician to install more outlets if needed. It is cost effective and makes decorating a breeze. Give The Electric Connection a call today if you have questions or want those additional outlets before it is time to deck the halls.

There is nothing like a do it yourself project.  The satisfaction and reward of a job well done.  However, some projects are better left to the professionals.  Electricity is a powerful source of energy, if not handled properly can be dangerous and even deadly.  All to often we see projects started with good intentions, that end up costing the untrained person more than if they would of had a professional handle the project from the beginning.  Have your home electrical projects handled by licensed professional electricians.