Midway Island first and last tn greet millennium

Forget New York and Times Square, forget Paris and the Eiffel Tower, forget London and its Millennium Dome. The place to be as 1999 came to an end was Midway Island - where you could watch a century end twice in the same day.

Situated just 240 kilometres from the International Dateline, the 150 residents of this remote Pacific island - the last US territory to greet the new millennium were in fact the first to see in the next 1000 years. They accomplished this by crisscrossing the International Dateline

aboard a Boeing 727. In one direction they left December 31 for January 1, and then returned to the past.

The plane flew most of the residents out to see in the new millennium, and then took them straight back.

“We’re in between parties, so to speak.

We’ve seen the millennium once and we’re going to see it again. It’s a unique experience,” said Mike Gautreaux of the Phoenix Corporation, which manages the island for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Gautreaux explained that because

Midway is only two degrees from the international dateline, one can simply fly back in time by going in one direction and fly forward in time by taking the other direction.

The island, which has no capital to speak of, was hosting two millennium parties, one for 150 people and the other for another 50 - the population having being swelled by tourists.

“Hey, we went in to the new millennium with a blast and we’re leaving the old one with a blast,” said a tongue-in cheek Gautreaux. (REUTERS) ■