Ten years ago today, the first iPhone was released. It’s painfully hard to believe it’s been ten years since the announcement, but a lot has happened since then. Here in the United States, we’ve had three different presidents (George W. Bush was nearing the end of his second term, then we had Barack Obama, and now Donald J. Trump). Politics is talked about a lot today, so we’ll just leave that out of it and go with ten other things that have happened since the release of the original iPhone in 2007.
2007: Transformers
Just days after the iPhone was released, the first Transformers movie, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, hit the big screen. Say what you want about these films, but they’ve been huge successes at the box office. Both LeBeouf and Fox are gone from the series, but they certainly made an impact in the initial 2007 film. Ten years later, and the fifth movie, Transformers: The Last Knight, is out in theaters as one of the biggest films of the summer, now starring Mark Wahlberg.
Also: The Sopranos ends, Kanye West releases Graduation, Superbad comes out
2008: An all-time great movie is released
While Transformers was a hit at the box office and popular with fans, The Dark Knight was all that and more—it’s an all-time great movie. TDK came out slightly over a year after the iPhone was released, and it arguably eclipsed The Godfather: Part II as the greatest movie sequel of all-time. The Dark Knight will stand the test of time, and it is one of the most notable events of the past ten years.
Also: Iron Man also came out, Usain Bolt dominates the 2008 Summer Olympics, Breaking Bad premieres
2009: The downfall of Tiger Woods begins
Unfortunately, we’re still talking about it in 2017, but Tiger Woods’ downfall began in 2009, with the terrible situation where he cheated on his wife. At first, the situation was very murky, but things eventually came to light. The golf legend had some serious issues that set him back both on and off the course, and it doesn’t look like he’ll ever be the same.
Also: Santonio Holmes catches toe-tapping game-winner in the Super Bowl, Heath Ledge posthumously wins Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor from The Dark Knight
2010: A Canadian superstar emerges
This month seven years ago, Drake released his first studio album, Thank Me Later. He had released three mixtapes, including the critically acclaimed So Far Gone in 2009, and this album built on the acclaim. Hits from the album were the hits of the summer, and Drake has been delivering the hits ever since. Today, he is truly one of the biggest stars in the entire world, so it’s crazy to think back to when he was 23 and releasing his first album.
Also: Toy Story 3 comes out, Simon Cowell leaves American Idol, LeBron James joins the Miami Heat
2011: Game of Thrones premieres on HBO
The worldwide sensation that is Game of Thrones first aired on April 17, 2011. While the show was hyped before its airing and received over two million viewers for the first episode, “Winter Is Coming,” the popularity has absolutely exploded (the season finale from last year’s season six received over 8 million initial viewers). A lot have things have changed since the first episode of HBO’s hit series and in both Westeros and real life.
Also: gangster Whitey Bugler is caught after 16 years of hiding, Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song “Call Me Maybe” is released
2012: The world didn’t end
Remember that conspiracy/phenomenon that the world was going to end on December 21, 2012 because of a “Maya Doomsday Calendar”? Well we’re almost five years past that time and still here, thankfully. Also, the 2012 London Olympics in London took place, with the United States taking first place in the overall medal count.
Also: The Dark Knight trilogy ends with The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers come together on the big screen, Candy Crush takes people’s phones by storm
2013: Breaking Bad ends
The greatest series AMC has ever had, and one of the greatest television series ever, came to an end in 2013. Breaking Bad is one of the most highly thought of show of all-time and its impact on pop culture has been felt. Today, the spirit of Breaking Bad lives on with Better Call Saul, featuring Walter White’s trusted lawyer, Saul Goodman as a prequel series for AMC.
Also: Ravens’ Ray Lewis announces retirement before the team goes on Super Bowl run, Lance Armstrong admits to doping
2014: Florida State wins epic CFB national championship
One of the most memorable moments from 2014 came right at the start. On January 6, Jameis Winston drove Florida State down the field in 1:19, throwing the game-winning touchdown to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds remaining to defeat Auburn and win the national championship. While Winston showed major immaturity at Florida State, this moment helped cement him as a top quarterback prospect in the eyes of people.
Also: Taylor Swift releases album 1989, Jay Z partners with Samsung to release Magna Carta Holy Grail album (free to one million Samsung users)
2015: The Patriots win their first Super Bowl in ten years
After going ten years without a Super Bowl, including a perfect regular season in between, the Patriots won another Super Bowl. It was the franchise’s fourth time winning it all, and it was a testament to their staying power atop the NFL. It also tied Tom Brady, who led yet another game-winning drive in “The Big Game,” with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback, and cementing him as the best ever, depending who you ask.
Also: U.S. Women win the World Cup, Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeats Manny Pacquiao in what some called the “Fight of the Century”
2016: Batman fights Superman
We’re trying to stay away from politics, and politics (Brexit, the election of Donald Trump) was the biggest part, by far, of 2016. So, we’ll go with one of the most iconic moments in comic book history: Batman and Superman on the big screen at the same time—in a fight. Whatever you think of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, having the two greatest superheroes in a movie for the first time is an historic event.
Also: Broncos win Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning retires from the NFL, Leonardo DiCaprio wins his first-ever Oscar
haha that’s crazy to think about… fun stuff. deaths too unfortunately, but you kept it light. good read