By Lewis Loflin
Lewis Loflin here. Back in 1999, as Y2K loomed, I watched adults—especially religious and civic leaders—whip up a frenzy over a tech glitch, a panic I doubted from the start. My Beware of Environmental Hysteria called out such overreach, and my Y2K writings—like those tied to Sullivan County’s prep—echoed that skepticism. This *Times-News* piece from December 30, 1999, proves kids saw through it too. While adults stockpiled and prayed, Tri-Cities teens shrugged, per a Junior Achievement survey. In 2025, looking back, their calm was spot-on—hype doesn’t equal truth.
Times-News, December 30, 1999
KINGSPORT — Most Tri-Cities teens scoffed at Y2K fears, with 80% saying adults overreacted, per a Junior Achievement survey of 54 local students and 1,449 nationwide. Only 8% feared the century’s turn, while 64% were excited, 20% unsure, and 8% nervous.
Locally, 48% expected big computer disruptions, 43% saw banks hit hard, and 41% predicted Internet woes. Air travel, credit cards, the military, and electricity also ranked high for potential Y2K glitches. National results aligned, with 64% correctly pegging Y2K as a computer calendar issue.
Nationally, teens picked Martin Luther King Jr. as “Person of the Century,” doubling Albert Einstein’s votes, followed by Michael Jordan, Bill Gates, and Bill Clinton. George Washington topped the millennium list, then Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin. World War II led century events, trailed by the computer’s invention, moon landing, space exploration, and civil rights. The American Revolution was the millennium’s top event, followed by America’s discovery, electricity, World War II, and slavery’s end.
Acknowledgment: Thanks to Grok, an AI by xAI, for aiding this draft. Final edits are mine.
