Music
This Chicagoan emo-rock band got their start in 2001, going on to release a double platinum album, From Under the Cork Tree, with two hit singles "Sugar We're Goin Down" and "Dance Dance".
Who is Fall Out Boy?
This iconic children's movie won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002, produced by DreamWorks, featuring a stinky green main character.
What is Shrek?
This free online encyclopedia, written and maintained by a community of volunteers, was founded in 2001, and is one of the most popular websites of all time.
What is Wikipedia?
This date started what is known as "the war on terror" in the United States, following coordinated terrorist attacks hijacking commercial airliners, and flying them into different signifcant American buildings.
What is September 11th?
Popularised by the film Mean Girls, this phrase describes something cool or fashionable.
What is "fetch"?
This artist was the best-selling musical artist of the decade, known for his unique, fast-paced rapping style. He is credited with popularising rap in Middle America and breaking down racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music.
Who is Eminem?
The superhero film genre experienced renewed and intense interest throughout the 2000s, with this 2008 movie making its debut and kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What is Iron Man?
Invented in 2005, this physical video format replaced the DVD format, with higher-definition video and sound.
What is Blu-ray?
In 2001, this war began as a campaign from the United States, the UK, Italy, Spain, Canada, and Australia to oust the Taliban and find al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden.
What is the War in Afghanistan?
This phrase, popularised by a Gwen Stefani song, signals excitement for something. It can also be used to tell someone to call you.
What is "holla"?
In 2003, this British duo reunited to perform in public for the first time in a decade, singing their smash hit song, "The Sound of Silence" as the opening act of the Grammy Awards.
Who are Simon and Garfunkel?
This epic fantasy-drama film based on a book was nominated for—and won— eleven Academy Awards, tying it for the largest number of awards won, next to Ben-Hur and Titanic. It is the third installment in its trilogy.
What is The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King?
This tiny stick replaced the floppy disk as the preferred form of low-capacity mobile data storage.
What is a USB flash drive?
In 2001, attacks occurred in the United States over the course of several weeks where letters containing these spores were mailed to several news media offices and to senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy, killing five people and infecting seventeen others.
What is anthrax?
This cookware-themed phrase is used to describe a person with whom you are close, typically used in a greeting.
What is "homeskillet"?
The 2000s saw a lot of musician deaths, but the tragic death of this R&B artist in a plane crash, has since been speculated online to be a set-up.
Who is Aaliyah?
This neo-Western crime thriller produced by the Coen Brothers was one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the decade, starring Tommy Lee Jones, explored themes of fate, conscience, and circumstance.
What is No Country for Old Men?
This was the first smartphone to not include a physical keyboard, solely utilising a touch screen and home button, which would later become standard across the industry.
What is the iPhone 2G?
In 2008, this person was listed among the world's billionaires at the age of 23, becoming the youngest self-made billionaire.
Who is Mark Zuckerberg?
This term is used to refer to expensive jewellery or accessories someone is wearing, typically in an ostentatious manner.
What is "bling"?
This was Michael Jackson's final album, released in 2001, which cost $30M to record, making it the most expensive record ever made.
What is Invincible?
This fantasy sequel film is the third highest-grossing film of all time, featuring ghastly villains and eldritch horrors pursuing the main character, who is debt-ridden.
What is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest?
This social networking service, launched in 2003, was the first social network to reach a global audience, having a significant influence on technology, pop culture, and music. From 2005-2009, this was the largest social networking site in the world.
What is MySpace?
In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush signed this act into law, which had the goal of tightening U.S. national security as it related to foreign terrorism.
This term, popularised by gaming culture in the early 2000s, means that someone has been completely dominated or defeated, originating as a mispelling of another slang term.
What is "pwned"?