Lesson Plan: Y2K and Lessons for Public Policy
Grades 9-12
The Y2K bug was a technical challenge involving how computers stored dates at the end of the 20th century. While it led to significant public concern and various predictions of societal disruption, it also prompted a massive, coordinated response from both the private sector and the federal government. By interviewing those who managed the transition, like the so-called Y2K Czar, John Koskinen, this Retro Report video examines the technical reality of the bug against the public perception of the event. Analyzing the Y2K response provides a framework for understanding how institutions and the news media coordinate during a perceived national crisis.
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