Alwyn Brice looks back on a specific year and asks "what's the year?".
Alwyn Brice brings details of events and toys and invites you to guess the year.
This particular year was big in terms of tech, for it saw the 30th anniversary of Apple Computers. It was also a milestone year for Nintendo, which released the Wii gaming console in the US during November. The console was originally priced at a whopping US$249.99. Oh, and Google bought the video streaming site, YouTube, in this year for US$1.65bn. Hi-tech, of course, included space exploration: this same year saw The European Space Agency’s Venus Express orbiter arrive at Venus in April. Suddenly the universe was opening up.
In terms of sport, it was a case of la dolce vita, as Italy trounced France in the World Cup in Germany, winning 5-3 on penalties. The Winter Olympic Games were also held in Italy, in Turin.
For justice seekers, it was a year of triumph when Saddam Hussein was finally charged. Following the trial, he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging.
Closer to home, Brits were amazed when a juvenile female Northern bottlenose whale was found in the Thames. She was five metres long and weighed about seven tonnes; rescue teams tried to repatriate her to the Atlantic but sadly failed in their attempts.
There was also a tiny whisper of what might come mankind’s way when a swan that had been found dead in Scotland tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza (which subsequently became known as bird flu).
At the local cinemas there was much to see this year: cartoon characters were still mopping up ticket sales as Ice Age: The Meltdown hit the big screens. Johnny Depp continued to outcamp the campest buccaneers in Pirates of the Caribbean 2; and The Pink Panther, with the witless and inimitable Peter Sellers (“Not now Cato!”), was still making us laugh at the French police force.
In the charts, James (mournful) Blunt was riding high with You’re beautiful while Snow Patrol was Chasing cars and Madonna was Hung up.
And the toys this year? Moon Sand was in the shops, this a more modern take on that old favourite, Potty Putty. FisherPrice brought out a new version of Elmo in bright red: this strange furry creature squeaked and laughed, you may recall. For sheer effrontery (and a stupendous cash-making idea), the Speed Stacks Stackpack from Play Along was hard to beat. Comprising a number of plastic beakers (more or less), amazingly it became one of the hottest toys on the market. This simple game challenged children to stack and restack cups in precise formations.
So… what was the year?