1997 to 1998

The Mideast Meltdown, 'Rockerboy Manson.'

• Mideast Meltdown. A very limited thermonuclear war destroys much of the Middle East, radioactive fallout spreads around the world. World oil supply drops by half.
• 'Rockerboy' Manson killed in England. A legendary force in the "populist rock" movement, his stage name was adopted as the term for any musician or other artist who took up the gauntlet for political change.
• The Draught of '98 reduces most of the Midwest to parched grasslands. Between agribusiness Corps and drought, the family farm all but disappears.
• 10.5 quake shatters Los Angeles; Pacific Ocean inundates 35% of the city. An estimated 65,000 are killed.