Major Moments From the 2000s That You May Have Forgotten About

When the ball dropped for Y2K, no one knew what the first decade of the new millennium had in store. It was a decade filled with huge moments from the climax of Harry Potter’s wizarding tale to picking your Top 8 friends on MySpace and then-unknown Lady Gaga releasing her first album The Fame. Although so much has happened since these moments, let them take you on a stroll down memory lane.

Although he wasn’t there to receive it, Eminem won an Academy Award in 2003 for Best Original Song with "Lose Yourself" from his movie 8 Mile. In a surprising turn of events, Eminem made up for his absence back then by performing his winning song at the 2020 Academy Awards.

With a rocky start in her career, writer Joanne Rowling released her first novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone back in 1997. The book changed her life (and the world) introducing a story born from her imagination. With the final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows released in 2007, J.K. Rowling became a billionaire, had movie installments of the books, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was in the works at Universal Studios.

Before Spotify or iPhones, Apple redefined how we listen to music by introducing the iPod in October 2001. Steve Jobs revolutionized the mp3 player by targeting its flaws such as having a short battery life, not holding a lot of songs and simply being unfashionable. It was hard to walk down the street without seeing an iPod maybe because over 220,000,000 iPods have been sold throughout the world easily becoming the highest selling audio player.

It was the perfect Hollywood love story -- one of the biggest movie stars and the star of one the most popular TV sitcoms (Friends) in history. Tying the knot in 2000, this power couple ruled tabloid and gossip magazines like never before where stories brought readers inside their lives (pre social media). Hearts across the world broke in 2005 when they split up after an affair Pitt had with Angelina Jolie. Brad and Jen remain friends and we can dream that they’ll one day become an item again.

When "Just Dance" was released off of this unknown artist’s first album The Fame in summer 2008, no one could have anticipated what was to come. Gaga quickly built a reputation of weird and campy with her surprising VMA performance of "Paparazzi" where she ended the performance hanging, covered in fake blood. She shattered the blueprint for a sexy popstar and has paved her own way ever since.

Digital camera in hand, everyone had their mirror selfies as their Myspace profile photos. Launched in 2003, MySpace was the first social media website surging to the no. 1 website on the internet in 2006 and valued at $12 billion in 2007. It was a place to establish your social presence, write blog posts, choose your Top 8 friends and customize your profile with your favorite songs. After Facebook launched, it was hard for MySpace to survive and was eventually sold for $35 million.

Before the iPhone or the Blackberry, there was the Motorola Razr. Launching in 2004, it was more than a cell phone...quickly becoming a status symbol. It’s sleek and thin design was unlike anything on the market at the time for cellular devices. Motorola recently launched a new Razr in February 2020, but some things are better left in the past.

Getting discovered as a singer was a lot harder in 2002 without social media and Youtube. The first season (and seasons to follow) captivated the country with the discovery of raw talent and the brutally honest criticisms of Simon Cowell. With an exceptional first season crowning Kelly Clarkson as the winner, American Idol achieved what it set out to do -- create a world renowned, Grammy-winning singer. Other great talents that got their start on Idol include Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert.

These silicone yellow wristbands were so popular and impossible to get with "fakes" on websites all over the internet. The bracelets were released by Lance Armstrong’s cancer-fighting charity Livestrong in 2004 for $1 each with a goal of raising $25.1 million. Everyone who’s anyone had one adorned on their wrist including celebrities like Matt Damon, John Kerry and Betsey Johnson. The fad had an abrupt halt after reports of Armstrong’s doping was released. Livestrong and Armstrong later parted ways.

You can learn a lot about someone today by simply asking them what their AIM username was. This instant messenger service by AOL was a first glimpse into what social media could become from Facebook Messenger, DMs and iMessage. This was a staple in teenagers’ lives from being online for hours with friends to away messages including moody song lyrics.

Heelys were a parent’s nightmare but a teenager’s obsession. Athletic shoes with wheels in the heels...they weren’t just rollerblades as the wheels tucked in transforming into hip sneakers too. "Heeling" was the fad of the 2000's that unfortunately didn’t skate into the next decade.

A staple of the 2000s, the trend of pajama-ready but socially acceptable velvet tracksuits with 'Juicy’'sprawled across the posterior was the look for women. While not as popular today, this look of dressing for comfort later set a new standard for athleisure and leggings.