2001-

“Harry Potter” Aired.

   The world famous movie, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone,” aired on November 16th, 2001. This movie follows three friends, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and their time in Hogwarts, the school of magic. This movie may be 25 years old, but many people still consider it their favorite film.

2002- 

   Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake publicly broke up.

   Media, rumors, and a cheating scandal led to one of the biggest celebrity break ups of pop culture history. After their separation went public in March 2002, fans were left shocked and heartbroken.

2003-

   The 90’s hit show “Friends” ended. 

   This fan favorite show came to an end, leaving thousands of fans heart broken. After 10 years of following the story of six friends living in New York City, the end of this show was quite the adjustment for fans. 

2004-

 “Facebook” launched.

   Mark Zuckerberg launched the app “Facebook” on February 4th, 2004. Facebook is still one of the most used social media apps to this day.

2005-

    “YouTube” launched.

   The first “YouTube” video titled “Me at the Zoo” was posted. YouTube is still used daily by thousands of people. Users loved “YouTube” because of the diverse content, and creative freedom the app gave.

2006-

   The worldwide favorite game “Wii Sports” got released.

   Many people have memories of gathering around the TV to play this game, and it all started in 2006. “Wii Sports” was a game where users could play tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing online, by themselves, or with friends and family.

2007-

   “She’s Bald!”

   Rumors and gossip about Britney Spears’ meltdown that resulted in her shaving her head surfaced. A viral video hit the internet of Spears being recorded by paparazzi. Although this became a famous meme, the backstory of this beltdown is heartbreaking considering it took place right after her divorce, and her losing custody of her child. 

2008-

  “Twilight” Mania.

   After the release of the movie “Twilight,” fans went crazy and even started wearing “Team Jacob” and “Team Edward” t-shirts. Viewers didn’t only like this movie for the guys, but also the cultural impact and aesthetic of the movie drew people into the “Twilight” world.

2009-

   Micheal Jackson Passed Away.

   The king of pop, Micheal Jackson passed away, causing fans to be left heart broken. Jackson forever changed music, and his records are still played all over the world today. However, rumors and conspiracy theories began to surface shortly after his death, and some even say he may still be alive. 

2010-

   The song “Baby” by Justin Bieber was released.

   The song “Baby” by Justin Bieber was released on January 18th, 2010, and has been stuck in listeners’ heads ever since. Bieber’s fan base “Beliebers” was strong and prominent during this time, further amplifying the popularity of this record.

2011-

   “Game of Thrones” came out.

   One of the biggest shows in television history, “Game of Thrones,” came out and made history. After premiering on April 17th, 2011, the show ran for eight seasons, and had fans hooked until its end in 2019.

2012-

   Whitney Houston passes away.

   People all over the world were left devastated at the news of one of the best female vocalist’s passing. Other celebrities such as Celine Dion and Quincy Jones gave tributes to her as an artist after her passing, and her music is still played around the world to keep her art alive.

2013-

   The app “Vine” blew up.

   The app “Vine” challenged users to turn a six second time limit into quality content. Similar to the app “TikTok,” “Vine” allowed users to express themselves through short videos, and many people rose to fame after gaining popularity from the app.

2014-

   The Ice bucket challenge.

   The ice bucket challenge became an internet sensation for raising money towards Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis research. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama, and others participated.

2015-

   The “Whip and Nae Nae.”

   In 2015 nearly everybody was spamming the “Whip and Nae Nae” dance. Whether it was on “YouTube”, at the store, or at work, it was a dance move done everywhere. People of all ages posted themselves doing this dance, and many of the videos went viral, making the dance even more popular.

2016-

   Stranger Things.

   “Stranger Things” is still one of the most successful shows to date, with the fifth and final season premiering in 2025. The show takes place in the 1980’s and is heavily based on the game “Dungeons and Dragons,” adding to the nostalgic feel of the show.

2017-

   Fidget Spinners.

   Something as small as a piece of plastic took the media by storm. Children, teens, and adults collected these toys. Some started a collection, learned tricks, or just played with fidget spinners.

2018-

   Yanny or Laurel.

   A huge debate broke out on whether a short audio was saying the word “Yanny” or “Laurel.” During this time, mind tricks were very popular. Yanny or Laurel confused nearly everyone on the internet, and the debate is still ongoing.

2019-

   “Old Town Road.”

   The song “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X became extremely popular. Walking into a store, restaurant, or driving down the road was impossible without hearing this song. Many even created social media dances and lip sync videos to the tune.

2020-

   The Pandemic.

   This era held many pop culture moments in and of itself. From “TikTok” dances, to online school, the 2020 pandemic definitely shaped our lives. Through the scary times that was the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to make fun out of the shutdown, which will always be remembered.

2021-

   Squid Game.

   The Netflix show “Squid Game” became extremely popular. This Korean drama was about hundreds of contestants playing traditional Korean children’s games to the death. The gruesome and dramatic show had the internet in a chokehold and ended up being the most popular show on Netflix in 2021.

2022-

   Will Smith slaps Chris Rock.

    At the 2022 Oscars, thousands of people were shocked after seeing Will Smith slap Chris Rock in the face during Rock’s speech. This happened due to Chris Rock making an offensive joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Smith. Smith later apologized for his actions, but he is not allowed to attend the Oscars anymore.

2023-

   Barbenheimer: the polar opposite movies of the year.

   2023 produced two huge, high budget movies, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Since these two films came out on July 21st, 2023, it became a trend for viewers to watch the films back-to-back in theaters.

   2024

   Kendrick Lamar Vs. Drake.

   This year brought one of the biggest rap ‘beefs’ since the 90’s. The rivalry is a long story, but it blew up when Kendrick Lamar spoke out about allegations against Drake in a song. Although this rap rivalry lasted almost a decade, it became mainstream and blew up in the media from March to May 2024.

   2025-

     Brainrot.

   From Labubus to “67”, 2025 was the year of brainrot. We couldn’t scroll on social media, go to school, or sometimes even have a conversation without hearing references to memes or slang. With younger GenZ and older Gen Alpha kids joining the internet, new words and phrases have been introduced, and are categorized as brainrot.