As the end of the school year nears, we (Caroline and Kaki) have embarked on a journey to remember and honor the top moments of the class of 2020’s lives. Broken up by year, each section features the top songs, TV shows, movies and moments. They are in no particular order, but are near and dear to our hearts.

Click here for a Spotify playlist containing the songs mentioned in this article!

2001

Songs:  “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child, “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” by Blu Cantrell, “Island in the Sun” by Weezer, “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy, “Ms. Jackson” by OutKast

TV Shows: That ‘70s Show; Survivor; The Fairly OddParents; The Proud Family; Lizzie McGuire; Teletubbies 

Movies: Monsters, Inc.; Shrek; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Legally Blonde; The Princess Diaries; Spy Kids

Toys and Trends: Bratz Dolls, Legos, low-rise jeans, Ugg Boots, large ‘JLo’ sunglasses, head-to-toe denim

Hot Takes:

• Britney Spears dances with a live Python at the MTV Music Video Awards.
• Beyoncé wins her first Grammy with Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.”
• Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears pull a denim-on denim-on denim power move at the 2001 American Music Awards.
• Juicy Couture introduces its famous tracksuits.
• Apple introduces its first ever iPod.
• Microsoft releases the xBox.
• Kidz Bop is created.

2002

Songs: “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne, “Soak Up the Sun” by Sheryl Crow, “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, “Hot in Here” by Nelly

TV Shows: Kim Possible; The Amanda Show; The Bachelor; The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius; Max & Ruby; Dora the Explorer

Movies: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones; Ice Age; Spider-Man; Cadet Kelly; Lilo & Stitch; Sweet Home Alabama

Toys and Trends: Barbies, beyblades, LeapPad, cargo pants, chunky hair highlights, Skechers 

Hot Takes:

• Kelly Clarkson wins the first season of American Idol.
• Halle Berry becomes the first African-American to win an Academy Award for “Best Actress.”
• Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears officially call it quits.
• Michael Jackson dangles Prince Michael II off a balcony from a Berlin hotel room.
• Sanyo releases a flip phone with a camera. They are the first company to cross this barrier, which completely changes the phone game forever.

2003

Songs: “Hey Ya!” by Outkast, “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers, “In Da Club” by 50 Cent, “Crazy In Love” by Beyoncé, “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes 

TV Shows: One Tree Hill; That’s So Raven; Clifford the Big Red Dog; Arthur; Caillou; Peppa Pig; NCIS

Movies: The Cheetah Girls; Finding Nemo; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; The Lizzie McGuire Movie; Holes; Elf; Cheaper By the Dozen; Daddy Day Care

Toys and Trends: wedge flip flops, fedoras, embellished camo, dresses over jeans

2004

Songs: “Yeah!” by Usher, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell, “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, “Tipsy” by J-Kwon, “1, 2 Step” by Ciara, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day, “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5, “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Let’s Get It Started” by Black Eyed Peas

TV Shows: Drake and Josh; LazyTown; The Backyardigans; Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide; Friends (the last season airs)

Movies: The Incredibles; Mean Girls; The Notebook; Napoleon Dynamite; A Cinderella Story; National Treasure; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; 13 Going on 30; White Chicks; Dodgeball; Mulan

Hot Takes:

• Paris Hilton says her famous quote, “That’s hot!”
• Facebook is founded by Mark Zuckerberg. 

2005

Songs: “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, “Gold Digger” by Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! At The Disco, “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada, “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls 

TV Shows: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; How I Met Your Mother; The Office; Zoey 101; The Suite Life of Zack & Cody; Little Einsteins; Dragon Tales; Criminal Minds 

Movies: Madagascar; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; Sky High; Are We There Yet?; The 40 Year Old Virgin; Wedding Crashers; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Kicking and Screaming

Hot Takes:

• Destiny’s Child announces to MTV News that they decided to split up after their world tour ends in the coming fall. 
• Webkinz was created by Canadian soft toy company, Ganz.
• YouTube launches on Valentine’s Day. 
• Guitar Hero is released to the world, and shortly thereafter, Microsoft develops the Xbox 360.

2006

Songs: “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé, “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira, “S.O.S.” by Rihanna, “Too Little, Too Late” by Jojo, “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake, “Fergalicious” by Fergie, “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, “When You Were Young” by The Killers, “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado

TV Shows: Hannah Montana; Cory in the House; SpongeBob SquarePants; Blue’s Clues; Handy Manny; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse; Between the Lions; Reading Rainbow 

Movies: High School Musical; Cars; Aquamarine; She’s the Man; Little Miss Sunshine; Night at the Museum; Curious George Movie; Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan; Cow Belles; Hoot; Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Hot Takes:

• Taylor Swift debuts her self-titled album, which sparks her career in country music.
• Steve Irwin dies from being pierced by a stingray.
• Google purchases YouTube for $1.65 billion, which was the most expensive purchase the company had made in its 8 years.
• Nintendo releases the Wii.
• Spotify is created in Stockholm, Sweden.

2007

Songs: “Umbrella” by Rihanna, “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston, “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” by Soulja Boy, “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles, “Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ, “Paper Planes” by M.I.A., “SOS” by the Jonas Brothers

TV Shows: iCarly; Wizards of Waverly Place; Phineas and Ferb; The Naked Brothers Band; Keeping Up with the Kardashians; Gossip Girl; Gilmore Girls; The Big Bang Theory; Mad Men

Movies: Ratatouille; Bee Movie; Superbad; High School Musical 2; Enchanted; The Game Plan; Blades of Glory; Hairspray; Nancy Drew; Alvin and the Chipmunks 

Hot Takes:

• Britney Spears shaves her head.
• Paris Hilton goes to jail for 23 days for violating probation and driving with a suspended license.
• Miley Cyrus begins her “Best of Both Worlds” tour as herself and Hannah Montana.
• The Spice Girls launch their reunion tour.
• Apple launches the first-ever iPhone.
• Soundcloud was created.

2008

Songs: “Live Your Life” by T.I., “Burnin’ Up” by Jonas Brothers, “Hot and Cold” by Katy Perry, “So What” by Pink, “A Milli” by Lil Wayne, “Low” by Flo Rida, “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield, “With You” and “Forever” by Chris Brown 

TV Shows: Suite Life on Deck; 90210; True Jackson, VP; Breaking Bad; 19 Kids and Counting 

Movies: High School Musical 3: Senior Year; The Dark Knight; Wall-E; Taken; Kung Fu Panda; Mamma Mia!; Camp Rock; Twilight; Beverly Hills Chihuahua; Step Brothers; Semi-Pro; Marley & Me

Hot Takes:

• Mario Kart becomes one of the most popular games for Nintendo’s Wii and DS. 
• Beyoncé and Jay-Z get married.
• Britney Spears has a major comeback with her number 1 album, “Circus.
• The US elects its first African-American president, Barack Obama.

2009

Songs: “One Time” by Justin Bieber, “Boom Boom Pow” by The Black Eyed Peas, “Down” by Jay Sean, “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo, “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha, “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train, “Fire Burning” by Sean Kingston, “Right Round” by Flo Rida, “Good Girls Go Bad” by Cobra Starship, “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys, “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga

TV Shows: Modern Family; The Vampire Diaries; Parks and Recreation; Glee; Sonny with a Chance; Big Time Rush

Movies: UP; Avatar; The Hangover; Hannah Montana: The Movie; The Princess and the Frog; The Blind Side; G-Force; Hotel for Dogs; 17 Again

Hot Takes: 

• Zhu Zhu pets are created, originally retailing for $9.00.
• Kanye interrupts Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me,” starting a long feud between the two. 
• Michael Jackson dies on June 25th.
• Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

2010

Songs: “Teenage Dream” and “Firework” by Katy Perry, “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida, “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” and “OMG” by Usher, “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz, “Airplanes” by B.O.B., “Superbass” by Nicki Minaj, “Like a G6” by Far East Movement, “Ridin’ Solo” by Jason Derulo, “Power” by Kanye West, “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa, “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People

TV Shows: Good Luck Charlie; Victorious; Shake It Up; The Walking Dead 

Movies: Toy Story 3; Alice in Wonderland; Despicable Me; Tangled; The Last Song; Starstruck; Megamind; Easy A; Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief; Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Grown Ups

Hot Takes: 

• Lady Gaga wears her iconic meat dress (made of raw beef, to be exact) to MTV’s Video Music Awards. It was good luck; she ended up winning many awards. 
• Kevin Systrom introduces Instagram to the world.
• Justin Bieber releases the album “My World 2.0” in January 

2011

Songs: “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, “Someone Like You” by Adele, “Born This Way” and “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga, “We Found Love” by Rihanna, “Yeah 3x” by Chris Brown, “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction 

TV Shows: Jessie; A.N.T. Farm; Austin & Ally (only on here due to the start of icon, Raini Rodriguez); So Random!; New Girl; Dance Moms; Bob’s Burgers; Game of Thrones 

Movies: Lemonade Mouth; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2; The Muppets; The Help; Soul Surfer; Bridesmaids; Horrible Bosses; The Smurfs; We Bought A Zoo

Hot Takes: 

• Prince William marries Kate Middleton on April 29th. 
• Beyoncé announces her pregnancy at the VMAs, shocking the Beyhive.
• Kim Kardashian marries former NBA player Kris Humphries for 72 days. 
• Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, is assassinated by U.S. SEAL Team Six.

2012

Songs: “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, “Payphone” by Maroon 5, “Starships” by Nicki Minaj, “Gangnam Style” by PSY, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift, “Mercy” by Kanye West, “Whistle” and “I Cry” by Flo Rida, “Diamonds” by Rihanna, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” by Kendrick Lamar, “International Love” by Pitbull

TV Shows: Dog with a Blog; Gravity Falls; Here Comes Honey Boo Boo; Chicago Fire; Scandal; The Mindy Project; Nashville; Lab Rats; Duck Dynasty 

Movies: The Hunger Games; Pitch Perfect; Brave; Wreck-It-Ralph; The Lorax; The Avengers; 21 Jump Street; The Dictator; Les Misérables; Mac & Devin Go to High School; Perks of Being a Wallflower; Ted; Katy Perry: Part of Me; Hotel Transylvania

Hot Takes:

• Duke William and Duchess Kate announce their pregnancy 
• The Summer Olympics occur in London and the United States takes home the most gold medals than any other country. 
• Disney buys Lucasfilms, which means they have control of the Star Wars franchise.
• One Direction arrives in the US, beginning their reign in the pop music industry. 

2013

Songs: “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, “Royals” by Lorde, “Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake, “Come & Get It” by Selena Gomez, “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker, “Dark Horse” and “Roar” by Katy Perry, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, 

TV Shows: Rick and Morty; Sam & Cat; Liv & Maddie; The Carrie Diaries; Orange Is The New Black; Brooklyn Nine-Nine; The Blacklist; The Goldbergs; The Fosters 

Movies: Frozen; Monsters University; The Wolf of Wall Street; The Great Gatsby; Teen Beach Movie; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; We’re the Millers; 42; Sharknado

Hot Takes: 

• Miley Cyrus performs at the VMAs alongside Robin Thicke, singing a mashup of Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop” and his “Blurred Lines,” creating controversy over Cyrus’s vulgar dancing.
• Kris and Bruce Jenner announce their separation after 23 years of marriage and 2 children.
• Vine was created
• The “Harlem Shake” video sweeps the nation, with millions participating.

2014

Songs: “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor, “Summer” by Calvin Harris, “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea, “She Looks So Perfect” by 5SOS, “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj, “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Lifestyle” by Rich Gang, “Sing” by Ed Sheeran

TV Shows: The 100; How to Get Away with Murder; Jane the Virgin; Black-ish; Girl Meets World; Fargo 

Movies: Guardians of the Galaxy; Big Hero 6; Into the Woods; The Lego Movie; Divergent; The Fault in Our Stars; Neighbors; The Other Woman

Hot Takes:

• The ALS ice bucket challenge breaks Instagram, raising awareness for ALS. 
• Jay-Z and Solange Knowles begin their infamous dispute on the elevator fight at the Met Gala, where Knowles is said to have beat up Jay-Z. 
• Kim Kardashian marries rapper Kanye West in Florence, Italy in May.
• Chinese entrepreneurs launch Musical.ly, which will eventually become Tik Tok.

2015

Songs: “Hotline Bling” by Drake, “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills” by The Weeknd, “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay, “Classic Man” by Jidenna, “No Type” by Rae Sremmurd, “679” by Fetty Wap, “What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber, “Lean On” by DJ Snake, “Hello” by Adele

TV Shows: Schitt’s Creek; Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Quantico; Narcos

Movies: Descendants; Cinderella; Inside Out; Star Wars: The Force Awakens; The Duff; Paper Towns; Fifty Shades of Grey; Straight Outta Compton; Vacation

Hot Takes:

• The debate between the blue and black dress versus the gold and white dress spreads across America, pitting friends against each other. 
• Bruce Jenner no more! Welcome to the world, Caitlyn Jenner!

2016

Songs: “One Dance” by Drake, “Formation” and “Sorry” by Beyoncé, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” by Mike Posner, “Work” by Rihanna, “No Problem” by Chance the Rapper, “Starboy” by The Weeknd, “Low Life” by Future, “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, “Cheap Thrills” by Sia, “Ultralight Beam” by Kanye West

TV Shows: This Is Us, Stranger Things; The Crown; Designated Survivor; Fuller House; The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story 

Movies: Moana; Finding Dory; The Greatest Showman; Trolls; The Secret Life of Pets; Zootopia; Deadpool; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Suicide Squad; La La Land; Sing; Why Him?

Hot Takes: 

• Leonardo DiCaprio wins his first Oscar for The Revenant.
• Beyoncé surprises us all and drops a new album, “Lemonade,” which will sell 485,000 copies within the first week.
• Hamilton hits Broadway in New York City, thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda.
• Brangelina split after roughly 12 years together and 6 children. 
• Colin Kaepernick is the first to kneel during the National Anthem. 
• Donald Trump is elected as the 45th president of the United States. 

2017

Songs: “Despacito – Remix”- Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, “Humble” and “Loyalty” by Kendrick Lamar, “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran, “Bodak Yellow” by Cardi B, “T-Shirt” by Migos, “Chanel” by Frank Ocean, “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man

TV Shows: Ozark; Riverdale; The Handmaid’s Tale; 13 Reasons Why; The Good Doctor; Big Little Lies; Dynasty; A Series of Unfortunate Events; Big Mouth 

Movies: Beauty and the Beast; Coco; Get Out; Baby Driver; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; Dunkirk; Star Wars: The Last Jedi; It; Girls Trip; Split; Baywatch

Hot Takes:

• Serena Williams wins the Australian Open while pregnant.
• The controversial Fyre Festival happens in the early summer and its organizer is later sentenced to 6 years of jail. 

2018

Songs: “I Like It” by Cardi B, “God’s Plan” and “In My Feelings” by Drake, “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande, “Better Now” by Post Malone, “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott, “SAD!” by XXXTentacion, “Lucid Dreams” by Juice Wrld, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes, “Havana” by Camila Cabello, “Golden Hour” by Kacey Musgraves

TV Shows: All-American; You; Station 19; Queer Eye; Killing Eve 

Movies: Black Panther; A Star is Born; Bohemian Rhapsody; Incredibles 2; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?; Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse; The Kissing Booth; To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; Crazy Rich Asians

Hot Takes:

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married. 
• Beyoncé becomes the first African-American woman to headline Coachella, the California music festival of the year.
• Former JoBro, Nick Jonas marries Priyanka Chopra after a 4 month engagement.
• Kylie Jenner has her first child, Stomi, and announces her birth via Instagram, which nearly breaks the internet.

2019

Songs: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, “bad guy” by Billie Eilish, “Circles” by Post Malone, “Truth Hurts” and “Juice” by Lizzo, “EARFQUAKE” by Tyler, the Creator, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I, “Blinding Light” by The Weeknd, “Middle Child” by J. Cole, “Hot” by Young Thug feat. Gunna, “7 rings” by Ariana Grande

TV Shows: Law & Order: SVU (the final season); The Mandalorian; Euphoria

Movies: Aladdin; Toy Story 4; The Lion King; Frozen II; Joker; Us; Avengers: Endgame; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; Good Boys; Yesterday; Little Women; Rocketman; Parasite; Cats 

Hot Takes:

• College admissions scandal is released, shining the spotlight on Full House and Hallmark actress, Lori Loughlin. 
• Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have their fourth baby, naming him Psalm. Yes, Psalm.
• Disney Plus launches, granting the world access to every Disney show and movie ever made.

2020

Songs: “Intentions” by Justin Bieber, “Savage” and “Captain Hook” by Meg Thee Stallion, “In Your Eyes” by The Weeknd, “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles, “The Box” by Roddy Rich 

TV Shows: Tiger King; Outer Banks; Cheer

Movies: Trolls World Tour; To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You; Doolittle; Mulan; Onward

Hot Takes: 

• The coronavirus pandemic changes the course of history forever, beginning in China.
• Tiger King becomes the #1 most streamed show during the quarantine.

If you made it this far, congratulations. We’re impressed. Hopefully you got cultured and enjoyed this <3