2019 was not only the end of a year but the end of a decade. The 2010s were a wild ride, that's for sure. The decade was filled with scandals, disasters, revolutionary change, cutting-edge technology, and unforgettable moments. Can't remember what happened? Let's take a trip down memory lane to jog your memory of the last 10 years.
January 2010: Haiti faces a devastating earthquake.
On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck the country of Haiti. The ground shook for nearly 40 seconds, and when it had finished, destroyed landscapes and the lives of Haitians. An estimated 250,000 people died, with at least 300,000 people left injured.
April 2010: The first iPad came out.
Photo by Josh Sorenson from Pexels
With all of the new and advanced technology we have in 2020, it's crazy to think how the first-generation iPad was released 10 years ago.
March 2011: Rebecca Black’s song “Friday” was released.
The song "Friday" by Rebecca Black is probably one of, if not, the most hated song of the decade. The 13-year-old experienced lots of criticism for her lyrics and music video.
April 2011: The royal wedding of William and Kate.
On April 29, 2011, Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton got married at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Millions of people watched the live broadcast on TV or in person by standing outside the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.
July 2012: “Gangnam Style” became the most-watched video ever.
In 2012, the song, "Gangnam Style" by the South Korean musician Psy, surpassed all other YouTube videos and became the most viewed video in the world. The song was notorious for its dance as it became a worldwide trend.
December 2012: Humans thought the world would end.
People from all over the world believed a range of scenarios and were convinced that the world was scheduled to end on December 21, 2012. These rumors sparked global controversy and had people thinking that the earth as we knew it was doomed to end.
April 2013: Boston Marathon bombing.
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On April 15, 2013, two modified pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon. 3 spectators were killed as hundreds of others were left injured, including 16 individuals who lost their limbs. The horrific incident was investigated and marked as a terrorist attack.
July 2013: #BlackLivesMatter movement took off.
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The Black Lives Matter activist movement emerged in 2013 to serve as a platform to protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the U.S. criminal justice system.
December 2013: Ebola global outbreak.
The outbreak of the Ebola virus began in late 2013 in West Africa and quickly spread to other countries. The massive outbreak escalated rapidly and resulted in thousands of deaths.
August 2014: Everyone was doing the Ice Bucket Challenge.
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The Ice Bucket Challenge went from a small fundraising strategy to an internet sensation in a matter of days. The activity involved the dumping of a bucket of ice water over a person's head to spread awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motivate people to donate for research.
June 2015: Same sex marriage is legalized in the U.S.
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On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court overturned all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalizing it in all 50 states.
May 2016: Harambe became an internet phenomenon.
Image CC BY-NC 2.0: Mark Dumont / https://flic.kr/p/sdqM52
Harambe the gorilla was shot dead at the Cincinnati zoo on May 28, 2016, to protect a 4-year-old child who fell into the gorilla's exhibit. The incident was recorded and posted to YouTube, becoming a viral and controversial event. The parents of the young child and the Cincinnati zoo faced a lot of backlash from global publicity.
October 2016: The Vine app shut down.
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Vine is a mobile app that launched in 2013 for users to take short-form videos for entertainment. People all over the world were devastated when the app was shut down in 2016. Many vines are still popular to this day, with thousands of them made into compilations. R.I.P Vine, 2013-2016.
November 2016: The 2016 Presidential Election.
Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election by 304 electoral votes, with Mike Pence as his elected vice-president. Hillary Clinton however, received more votes than Trump by nearly 2.9 million, as one of the largest popular vote amounts of any losing presidential candidate in U.S. history.
January 2017: Millions attended the Women’s March.
On January 21, 2017, millions of people from all over the world gathered in Washinton D.C. at The Women's March. The protest took place the day after the inauguration of President Trump.
August 2017: We experienced a total solar eclipse.
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On August 21, 2017, skies darkened in the first total solar eclipse visible that spanned across the entire United States.
October 2017: The #MeToo movement took off.
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The Me Too campaign is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault. Ever since it's rise in 2017, more individuals are reporting cases of sexual assault.
February 2018: Parkland school shooting.
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On February 14, 2018, a gunman killed 17 people and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Unfortunately, this was only one of the many mass shootings in this decade.
In 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred in Newtown, Connecticut killing 26 teachers and children. In 2016, there was a shooting in Orlando, Florida that targeted an LGBTQ nightclub that killed 49 people. In 2017, a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After the Parkland school shooting in 2018, Americans started the March For Our Lives protest to prevent gun violence across the country.
May 2018: There was another royal wedding.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding took place on May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, UK. Prince Harry is a member of the British royal family, as Meghan Markle is an American and former actress. Together, they are known as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
December 2019: Trump became the third U.S. President in line for impeachment.
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The U.S. House of Representatives impeaches President Donald Trump for his crimes and abuse of power. The Senate will have a trial in early 2020 to either acquit or convict Trump.
From politics to social media to movements and beyond, these 20 events really sum up the chaos of the last 10 years.
A lot has happened in the past decade, even things not mentioned above. There have been many issues in the past 10 years that have been brought into the spotlight that require attention and action. Some of these issues involve record-breaking temperature changes, global hunger, and inequality amongst societies. As we move on to a new decade, we must go into it with united attitudes and take the large steps needed to better our environment and humanity.
And now we have reached the year of 2020. Some people never would have predicted we would make it this far. A lot can be done in the next 10 years, so let's give the 2020s all we got and transform our world for the better.
