1.4K views Nov 2009
A fast-paced montage recounts major political, cultural, and world events from 2000 through the decade, including Y2K, 9/11, wars, disasters, and pop culture.
0:00 Here's everything you need to know about the first decade of the 21st century in 7 minutes. 0:04 The globe fears the Y2K bug. 0:05 Y2K. 0:06 The ball drops. Planes don't fall out of the sky. The new century's first crisis is averted. 0:11 Thanks to Budweiser, Americans have a new greeting. 0:13 What's up? 0:14 Federal agents seize 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez in Miami. He's sent back to Cuba. 0:18 Elian is safe. 0:19 The GOP nominates George W. Bush. 0:21 So help me God. 0:22 Democrats choose Al Gore. The first crew of the International Space Station moves in just days before the closest election ever. 0:29 Gore has retracted his concession. 0:31 Florida becomes the center of the universe. Recounts, butterfly ballots, hanging chads, and Catherine Harris enter the lexicon. 0:36 36 long days later, the US Supreme Court halts the recount. W wins the presidency, Gore later wins an Oscar. 0:42 Bush is sworn in as number 43. 0:44 God bless America. 0:45 Not everyone is happy. Bush signs a huge tax cut into law. Many people are happy. 0:50 Apple unveils the iPod. 0:51 What is iPod? 0:52 White earbuds become the decade's top accessory. September 11th, World Trade Center, the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 0:59 Nearly 3,000 die. Americans unite, flags everywhere. The US invades Afghanistan. 1:04 The Taliban falls, but Osama bin Laden escapes. Bush signs the Patriot Act. 1:07 A decade-long constitutional fight begins. Anthrax scare makes opening the mail a very scary proposition. 1:12 Everyone blames the terrorists. An American Airlines flight crashes in New York. 1:15 Everyone blames the terrorists. Turns out to be pilot error. 1:18 Looking for an escape? The world is captivated by a movie about a boy magician. 1:22 Homeland Security unveils color-coded terrorism alerts. Yellow is bad, orange is worse. 1:26 Halle Berry becomes the first black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar. 1:30 She cries a lot. American Idol premieres. Simon's the jerk. 1:34 Dreadful. 1:35 Paul is the sweet kooky one. Randy says dog. 1:37 Check it out, dog. 1:38 Congress authorizes military force. Wait, aren't we already at war? 1:41 Terrorist bombs kill more than 200 in Bali. CIA Director George Tenet says the case against Saddam Hussein is a slam dunk. 1:47 He's wrong. 1:48 That's my fault. 1:48 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates over Texas, another hit to America's morale. 1:52 Colin Powell makes a case against Iraq at the UN. He says Saddam Hussein is tied to Al-Qaeda. 1:56 Iraq, Al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden. 1:58 He's wrong. Shock and awe. Baghdad falls. Iraqis pull down a Saddam statue. 2:03 They beat it with shoes. Mission accomplished. Or not. Martha Stewart goes to prison nicknamed Camp Cupcake. 2:10 A blackout darkens much of the Northeast. Sweaty New Yorkers camp out on the streets. 2:15 Madonna kisses Britney. California voters elect the Terminator. 2:18 We are California. 2:19 Saddam Hussein is found in a hole. 2:20 We got him. 2:21 He needs a shave. John Kerry wins the Iowa caucus. Howard Dean screams. 2:25 Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake teach Americans what a wardrobe malfunction looks like. 2:30 The CIA admits there was no threat of WMDs in Iraq. 2:33 No weapons of mass destruction. 2:35 Social networking site Facebook launches on the heels of MySpace and Friendster. 2:38 Lord of the Rings wins every Academy Award it's nominated for. 2:41 Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. 2:43 3/11, nearly 200 people are killed in Madrid by terrorist bombs. 2:46 Images surface of American soldiers abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib. 2:49 Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize gay marriage. 2:52 Ronald Reagan dies at 93. The DNC nominates John Kerry for president. 2:56 Reporting for duty. 2:58 Barack Obama, who? Gives the keynote address. The speech is really good. 3:02 The country forgets about the Iraq war and focuses on Vietnam, swift boats, and windsurfing. 3:07 Opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko is poisoned in Ukraine, changing his appearance overnight. 3:11 Kerry flip flops. 3:12 I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it. 3:16 Loses election, no recount necessary. Also on the ballot, gay marriage, 11 states ban it. 3:21 Billboard begins ranking best-selling ringtones, a 4 billion dollar industry. 3:24 A Southeast Asia tsunami kills more than 200,000. Bush begins his second term as president. 3:28 His speech is about freedom. 3:30 Freedom, freedom, freedom. 3:31 And tyranny. 3:31 Tyranny, tyranny. 3:32 Pope John Paul II dies. Pope Benedict is installed. 3:35 We have a new pope. 3:36 Baseball stars are called before Congress to testify about steroid use. 3:38 What other supplements did you use? 3:40 I'm not here to talk about the past. 3:41 Terry Schiavo becomes a ping pong in right to life battle. The right to die side wins. 3:45 Terrorist bombs kill 52 in London. 2 weeks later, copycat bombers fail. 3:49 Hurricane Katrina makes landfall. New Orleans fills with water. 3:51 Bush tells FEMA director Michael Brown he's doing a 3:53 Heck of a job. 3:54 He isn't. Over 1800 people die. John Roberts becomes Chief Justice after William Rehnquist dies. 3:58 An earthquake in Kashmir kills more than 80,000. US death toll in Iraq hits 2,000. 4:02 Iran says it has produced enriched uranium, but President Ahmadinejad says he wants peace and stability. 4:07 The world is skeptical. YouTube explodes, creating a new type of celebrity, like this guy, this kid, and her too. 4:13 Hi guys. 4:14 President Bush vetoes federal funds for stem cell research. Liquids are banned from airplanes after an apparent terrorist plot. 4:19 Millions of water bottles end up in the trash. Pluto gets kicked out of the family of planets. 4:23 Pluto lovers are despondent. Borat opens in theaters. 4:25 My name is Borat. 4:26 Proving that Americans are gullible and maybe racist. PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii are released within 2 days of each other. 4:32 The game console war is on. President Gerald Ford dies at 93, just 4 days before Saddam Hussein is executed in Iraq. 4:39 Grainy cell phone video shows his chaotic hanging. Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female speaker of the House. 4:43 Madam Speaker. 4:44 The US undertakes a surge of more troops in Iraq. Opponents say it won't work. 4:48 It does. A Virginia Tech student goes on a rampage, killing 32 people. 4:51 It is the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in US history, so far. 4:55 The Sopranos ends with a journey song and a perplexing cut to black. 4:59 Confused viewers think they're Cable went out. It didn't. Burmese monks lead protests against the military junta. 5:03 The junta cracks down. Botox is the most common cosmetic procedure in the United States. 5:07 Botox, baby. 5:08 American wrinkles are injected more than 4 million times in 2007. 5:11 Mike Huckabee wins the Iowa caucus, but John McCain has more friends. 5:14 My friends, my friends, my friends. 5:15 Barack Obama wins Iowa. Hillary Clinton wins New Hampshire. 48 states to go. 5:19 A pregnant transgendered man causes a sensation on Oprah. Internet meme Rickrolling sweeps the nation. 5:25 A cyclone in Burma kills over 100,000, while a China earthquake claims more than 85,000 lives. 5:30 After 4 years, the ladies of Sex and the City reunite, this time on the big screen. 5:34 Clinton concedes, throws support behind Obama, but does she mean it? 5:37 Reality television is officially validated. There are now 3 Emmy categories for shows where people eat bugs, dance with stars, and work the runway. 5:43 Michael Phelps wins a record-setting 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. 5:46 Obama taps gafftastic Joe Biden as his Veep candidate. The political bromance begins. 5:51 McCain picks the Alaska governor. 5:52 Sarah Palin. 5:53 Sarah who? As his running mate. Election quickly becomes about lipstick. 5:56 Lipstick. 5:56 Lipstick. 5:57 Lipstick. 5:57 Lipstick. 5:58 Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy. Wall Street panics. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson begs Congress to save the US banking system. 6:04 Bush signs 700 billion dollar bailout. 6:05 We have acted boldly. 6:07 Wall Street is relieved. Presidential election is now all about the economy, and this guy. 6:10 Joe the Plumber. 6:11 Joe the Plumber. 6:12 Joe the Plumber. 6:13 Joe the Plumber. 6:13 Obama becomes the first black president. America has changed. 6:16 Terrorists kill more than 170 in Mumbai. Obama names Hillary Secretary of State. 6:20 Thank you for this honor. 6:21 Hatchets are buried. An airplane lands on the water. Everyone survives. 6:24 Sully is our hero. Obama is inaugurated. Aretha Franklin wears a big hat. 6:28 Obama signs stimulus package to jumpstart the economy. It's big. 6:32 A swine flu outbreak closes schools and sends hand sanitizer flying off the shelves. 6:35 Iran holds presidential elections. Ahmadinejad wins. Opponents protest for days. 6:39 TMZ.com breaks news of Michael Jackson's death. News sites and Twitter crash. 6:43 Bill Clinton travels to North Korea to help free 2 American journalists. 6:45 Momentarily steals the spotlight from Hillary. Ted Kennedy dies after a long battle with cancer. 6:49 His dream of universal healthcare eludes him. Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 6:53 The world responds with a collective, huh? A lot happened in the decade, but we couldn't include it all. 6:58 Tell us what we missed. 
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