The years fly by, and before you know it, it's almost 2020! The past decade has had a lot of ups and downs. From Vine's short-lived popularity to the #MeToo movement, to the Defaltegate in the NFL, it's easy to forget exactly what happened in the past ten years. Here's a list of the most iconic trends, most shocking events, and the biggest changes to society since 2010. How much of the past ten years do you remember?
Vine Shuts Down
Vine came and went so quickly, you might have missed it altogether. Vine closed down in October of 2016, prompting many to mourn the loss of the popular video sharing app. Today, many have turned to TikTok for similar, albeit longer, content. At the peak, Vine had 200 million users.
Missing Malaysia Flight
An airplane disappeared during a routine trip to Malaysia. The plane had 239 passengers on board, but all of them went missing with the plane. Today, it is largely believed that the pilot crashed the plane on purpose, but it was never found, and no surviving passengers have ever been reported.
iPad Debut
People love their iPads, but did you realize they came out at the very start of the decade? In April, 2010, Apple announced the flat tablet that would revolutionize the way people watch TV, collaborate, and so much more. Or you know, you could just play Fruit Ninja on a bigger screen, whatever you’re into!
Solar Eclipse
The total eclipse of the heart? More like a total eclipse of the sun! In August of 2017, people saw what was the first solar eclipse visible in the US since 1918. Don’t worry though, another one will be seen in 2024, so get ready!
Kony 2012
Kony 2012. If you weren’t tweeting #STOPKONY, were you even online? The non-profit group went viral after releasing a documentary on Youtube about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his many crimes and abuses of children. It got 100 million hits overnight, but lost traction after the head of the company was arrested.
Planking
Planking was the biggest trend for photobombs. No matter when or where, you could start planking. The social media crazes was one everyone could get behind, or rather, could lay on? Either way, it took over the world for way too long during 2011.
Gangham Style
Oppa Gangham Style! No one thought a music video of a South Korean pop song would become the most watched video in the world, but Psy proved the doubters wrong. It was the first video to ever reach a billion views. Bonus points to anyone who remembers the words to this 2012 hit.
What Does the Fox Say?
“What Does the Fox Say” became a viral sensation for it’s irritating repetition, basic lyrics, and catchy beat. This music video became a huge hit overnight, and it even became the number one top trending video of 2013. And yet...does anyone know what the fox actually says?
Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go launched in 2016, and people left their houses to go find the little pocket monsters out in the real world. The augmented reality game is still pretty popular, but it will likely never achieve the same amount of success as it did July 2016.
False Alarm
A false missile warning in Hawaii sparked many to start panicking. The message alerted phones of an incoming threat, including a line saying: “THIS IS NOT A DRILL”. Yeah, the result weren’t great. The alarm wasn’t corrected until 38 minutes later. Happy new year, 2018!
The Cup Song
The Cup Song was maybe more popular than the Pitch Perfect movie franchise it was taken from. Everyone learned this simple song. All you needed was a plastic cup and a decent singing voice. Some people even joined in with friends! This was a big video meme of the decade, but it only started in 2013.
The Harlem Shake
The Harlem Shake was the song that everyone in 2013 could dance to, as long as you had a group with you! This video meme required one person to dance, but the whole group to join in once the beat dropped for the song. People went nuts and put their own spin on this trend, and sometimes it still pops up years later!
Fidget Spinners
Fidget spinners took over the public eye in the spring of 2017. The toy was popular with kids and adults alike, and hailed for it’s combative nature to anxious tendencies. They were created to relieve nervous energy but were used for fun as well.
Friday by Rebecca Black
Friday by Rebecca Black took the internet by storm in 2011. It was one of the first viral music videos because of how terrible it was. Today, Black is still performing songs, and has tried to move past this viral hit. Sorry, but I’ll never get this song out of my head. “Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal!”
Women's March
The Women’s March took over Washington in the largest single-day demonstration in U.S history. The march was to promote gender equality, civil rights, and other issues faced under the Presidency of Donald Trump. There were over 600 marches across the US, totalling in about 5 million attendees.
Harry Potter Ends
Harry Potter came to us in the 90s, but closed out in the summer of 2011. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 was released in theaters on July 15th of 2011. Today, you can still experience Harry’s magical world in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, but nothing has been quite like the original.
#MeToo
#MeToo became popularized once Harvey Weinstein was arrestted for several sexual abuse allegations brought against him. There were almost 19 million tweets with the hashtag, many of which were by women who experienced similar harassment. It has since been considered a historic feminist movement.
Super Bowl LLI
In 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LLI against the New England Patriots, making the game their first championship win in 57 years. The final score was 41-33, and Nick Foles took home the Super Bowl MVP award.
Lady Gaga's Meat Dress
Lady Gaga was one of the central icons of the era, but nothing put her on the map quite like her iconic meat dress that she wore to the September 2010 VMAs. She was accepting music video of the year, but the dress earned her the title of Top Fashion Statement in 2010 from TIME magazine.
Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage
Same-sex marriage became legalized in the United States on June 26th, 2015. The court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, ruled that same-sex marriage would be legalized in all fifty states which established a new precedence for civil rights and gay rights.
Leo Wins an Oscar
Leonardo Dicaprio has been in the acting business for years, but has been snubbed for an Oscar year after year. However, in 2016, he finally broke his losing streak by taking home the Best Actor award for The Revenant. He pretty much broke the internet at the 88th Academy Awards.
Emoji Diversity
Emoji diversity became part of public conversation, and Apple heard. In February of 2015, Apple released racially diverse emojis with customizable skin tones. They also released an additional 300 emojis, and texting has never been the same since!
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in the 2012 Summer Olympics. His performance in multiple swimming categories brought his impressive medal count up to 22. He has since retired from the sport.
Mayan Calander Ends
The world was allegedly supposed to end on December 21st, 2012. The Mayan calendar predicted that the rapture would happen, or maybe a catastrophic event. No spoilers here, this one didn’t exactly pan out like they thought. It was just a normal day!
Linsanity
Linsanity was a sports craze that covered the entirety of February 2012. Jeremy Lin was a player for the New York Knicks that also led his team to a seven-game winning streak. Today, he’s playing for China after being tossed between 8 different NBA teams.
Harambe
Harambe became an internet sensation, but only after his tragic death. The Chicago Zoo phenomenon was killed after a little boy fell into the gorilla’s habitat, and ironic meme twitter accounts took Harambe as their mascot. People cried for justice for the silverback.
First Royal Wedding
The first royal wedding was one of the grandest affairs in recent history. During April 2011, people were abuzz to see the big wedding between normal girl Catharine Middleton and Prince William of Wales. Today, they have three children together.
Love Is In the Bin
Banksy is back, baby! In October 2018, Banksy sold a painting that immediately self-destructed upon purchase. He sold it for 1.4 million dollars at auction, but it shredded itself as soon as the purchase was made. It has since been titled “Love Is in the Bin” and is currently on display in Germany.
JUULs
JUUL, an e-cigarette, became the most popular cigarette alternative in 2017 with a market share of over 72 percent. This spike in popularity had a downfall though, as many teens and middle schoolers resisted recent smoking reform in favor of using JUULs. Today, many urge e-cigarettes to be banned.
Usain Bolt
At the Olympics, Usain Bolt became the most successful runner with records in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 x 100 metres relay. He ran for Jamaica, and is widely considered the best sprinter who has ever lived.
Diversity in Congress
In January of 2019, the most diverse class of lawmakers was sworn into Congress in history. The group had a record number of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ persons. The class also included the first Muslim-American women and Native-American women in Congress. Amazing!
Ice Bucket Challenge
The Ice Bucket challenge was meant to raise money for ALS, but it sort of took on a life of its own. That being said, people dumping buckets of ice on their head raised over 115 million for ALS research and awareness. It actually led to the discovery of an ALS gene!
The Dress Debate
The Great Dress Debate of 2015 will go down in history as one of the biggest feuds on the internet. People were so divided on this dress photo. Was it blue and black or white and gold? Well, it depends on who’s looking at it! The dress was finally revealed to be actually black and blue, but some people still don’t believe it!
The Bedroom Snatcher
In 2010, Antoine Dodson made headlines in more ways than one. His interview to local news went viral for his emphatic storytelling. The video was remixed into a song which went even more viral, viewed over 138 million times. “He’s climbing in your doors, he;’s snatching your people up!”
Minecraft Skyrockets
Released in 2011, Minecraft has become one of the best-selling games of all time. THe game allows players to build and develop in a procedurally generated world. It became popularized with online gamers who filmed themselves playing the game.
One Direction
One Direction made waves as the biggest boyband in the past decade. The boyband became worldwide phenomenon after being joined together by Simon Cowell on the UK version of the X-Factor. The band has since broken up, but their popularity was overwhelming at its peak.
The Second Royal Wedding
In May 2018, wedding bells rang again for Prince Harry of Sussex’s marriage to actress Meghan Markle. They raked in 29.2 million viewers and a wedding dress with a 16.5 foot veil. The memes were hilarious, but the wedding was beautiful.
Black Hole Photographed
In April of 2019, scientists successfully captured the first ever image of a black hole. This was a historic moment in scientific and space history, but that didn’t stop the internet from roasting the blurry picture online. Hopefully, astronomers have a sense of humor!
Instagram Launches
In 2010, Instagram became the newest photo sharing application for smartphones. The program allows users to upload, edit, and caption photos in a timeline fashion similar to Facebook. It wasn’t long until Facebook owned the application.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones began and concluded in the last decade, starting in 2011 and finishing in 2019. People around the world were glued to their HBO subscriptions following the journey of Jon Snow, the Mother of Dragons, and the White Walkers. Television has been changed forever!
Top Hits
Top songs of the decade included Tik Tok by Kesha (2010), Rolling in the Deep by Adele (2011), Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye (2012), Thrift Shop by Macklemore (2013), Happy by Pharrell Williams (2014), Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (2015), Love yourself by justin Bieber (2016), Shape of You by Ed Sheeran (2017) and Gods Plan by Drake (2018).
Going Gluten-Free
In 2010, the gluten free diet took hold of many people trying to lose weight. Later in the decade, this diet fad would turn into veganism. While many with celiac disease were presented with new dining options, others realized that cutting gluten out doesn’t do much for weight loss.
Rihanna's Records
In the 2010 decade, Rihanna had the most chart topper hits than any other artist. The Billboard Top 100 boasted nine of Rihanna’s fun and funky tracks. She has since put out music at a slower pace, but is said to return to the industry soon.
Wii Release
The Wii was introduced in November of 2006, and was popularized for its hands free and active style gaming. It also allowed users to design cartoon versions of themselves called “Miis” who could play in certain games with other Nintendo characters.
Left Shark
Left shark was not something I thought I’d ever have to revisit, but here we are. The backup dancer for Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance was hilariously off beat and the internet loved it. He was quite a popular Halloween costume that year.
Alex from Target
Alex from Target was a teen heartthrob sensation in 2014, except he wasn’t a pop star or actor. He just worked at his local Target. A photo of him went viral. Soon he was on every media outlet, including Ellen. As fast as he skyrocketed, he plummeted. Ah, the price of Twitter fame.
Deflategate
The New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was accused of deflating footballs before a game against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014-2015 NFL playoffs. The controversy ended with the team being fined a million dollars and the loss of two draft picks. Tom Brady was suspended for four games.
Call Me Maybe
2012 gave us the song you thought you’d never hear again. “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen swept the mainstream scene, and the song became an instant meme. Since then, Jepsen has created many more albums, all of which got way better reviews than this early aughts hit.
Miley Twerks
Miley Cyrus twerking on Alan Thicke is unfortunately a very big part of the past decade. Miley’s bear onesie and tiny space buns debuted her new look, but the dancing debuted her new image. This was everywhere in 2013, but she’s since calmed down quite a bit.
Kim Kardashian Breaks the Internet
Kim Kardashian could be the hallmark of the decade, but nothing hit quite like her “break the internet” cover page for PAPER magazine. The photo was hilariously edited and mocked almost immediately, but everyone remembers it, so I guess it still worked?
Facebook Buys the Oculus Rift
The Oculus Rift launched in 2016 and became the first generation of virtual reality glasses. It was bought by Facebook, Inc for $2 billion. Today, VR is widely considered to be the future of online video gaming. Make your games a reality!
Kathryn Bigelow Breaks Glass Ceiling
On March 7th, 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the award for Best Director. She directed the 2008 film The Hurt Locker. She’s gone on to direct Zero Dark Thirty and Detroit. She is considered one of the best directors of the era.
Catch Me Outside
Catch me outside, how ‘bout that? That phrase swept the nation after one badly behaved 13 year-old appeared on the Dr. Phil show and repeatedly said this to her mother. She yelled at Dr. phil, her mom, and even the studio audience. Now she makes music under the name Bhad Barbie. Catch her outside!
Selfie Sticks
The selfie stick craze came to us in the early 2010s, around 2015, but they’ve actually been around in some form or another since 1925! The iPhone photo taker was popular with tourists and could be seen at any local hot spot. Perfect for every occasion!
Hoverboards Explode
The self-balancing scooter, also known as a hoverboard, became popular in 2013. The wheeled mechanism was popular until it began bursting into flames randomly, prompting a massive recall. However, it was a big gift during the holiday seasons!
Avengers: Endgame Breaks Records
In 2019, Avengers: Endgame surpassed Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all time, as well as the highest grossing superhero movie. The film made over $2.7 billion internationally, and was based on characters from the Marvel superhero universe.
Caitlyn Jenner Transitions
In 2015, former Olypmic athlete Caitlyn Jenner came out as a transgender woman. She began transitioning with support from her Kardashian family, and was known as the most famous transgender person at the time. This opened a larger conversation of transgender rights still going on today.
Self-Driving Cars Debut
Google launched it’s research of self-driving cars in December of 2016. Waymo began as a self-driving taxi service in Arizona, and shortly after, Uber began testing out self driving cars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s believed that self-driving cars will soon become the norm.
Cryptocurrency Rises
Cryptocurrency became a hot topic for businesses. Bitcoin and Ethereum were seen as alternative, safer methods of conducting financial transactions. They also allowed blockchain to expand in ways never thought possible.
Blockbuster Closes
Streaming media became the norm, with people opting to pay for subscriptions like Netflix and Hulu instead of traditional cable viewing. As a result, the movie rental chain known as Blockbuster closed its doors permanently.