US Cities Resemble Beirut in January 2000
Y2K Author Ed Yourdon, 1998: New York, Chicago and Atlanta Will 'Resemble Beirut in January 2000'
The co-author of Time Bomb 2000 moved from New York to rural New Mexico and told readers the US government 'will fall on 1/1/2000. Period.'
What was said
“New York, Chicago, Atlanta and a dozen other cities are going to resemble Beirut in January 2000.”
— Edward Yourdon (software engineer; co-author, Time Bomb 2000) · said Mar 1998 · due January 2000
January 2000 arrived. New York, Chicago and Atlanta still had their power, their banks and the same federal government.
The fine print
Yourdon's letter went round Y2K mailing lists in early 1998; the FoRK archive holds a copy forwarded on March 1 and posted March 4, 1998. The same letter: 'the government of the U.S., as we currently know it, will fall on 1/1/2000. Period.' and 'the banking system, as we currently know it, is in serious danger of collapsing.' He gave his own move as evidence: 'That's why I've moved out of NYC to rural New Mexico a couple months ago.' One of the forwarders added: 'Yourdon is in the business of selling books.'
As of Oct 9, 2026
since it didn't happen
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