Top 10 Best Years of the 21st Century
The year 2010 saw the world come together as South Africa hosted the first-ever FIFA World Cup on African soil, creating a memorable celebration of global unity and sportsmanship. Additionally, international collaboration led to the rescue of 33 Chilean miners after 69 days underground, showing resilience and innovation. Start of the 2010s (greatest decade of all time) and the year my favorite film ever came out, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was also the year I got to play on the Wii for the first time.
Great year.
This was the best year in the 21st century. I wasn't so old to be facing college issues, but I wasn't too young either to not know about exciting things in life like science, girls, etc. I was a teen in high school, and it was partying everywhere.
It was also the time when I began to learn the truth behind everything: physics, biology, nature, why we exist, etc. I read Hawking's A Brief History of Time for the first time. My close friends were all total nerds and geeks, and I was a high school genius and ubergeek.
Also, this marks the beginning of the time when new technology like smartphones and WhatsApp became very popular. I upgraded to 3G internet from 2G, which meant access to much faster bandwidth for everyone. Apple released the iPad, ebooks became very popular, and Amazon would release the Kindle Fire a year later.
So, this marks the time when all developing countries became widely connected to the rest of the world through the internet and Facebook. I also remember the old Orkut. The peak of technological advancement, the tallest tower Burj Khalifa, opened in 2010.
Not to forget the music released in 2010. FIFA 2010 was the best FIFA. I still remember the FIFA theme song, Shakira's "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)." And also, Michael Jackson's "Hold My Hand," as a tribute to his death.
Marked by revolutions and calls for change, 2011 was pivotal in shaping the modern political landscape as the Arab Spring empowered millions across the Middle East to demand greater freedoms. NASA also launched the Mars Science Laboratory, paving the way for deeper exploration of Mars and humanity's reach into space. The year Skylanders came out. I can still remember getting my first pack of them, as well as the starter pack. Can we please get more original games and ideas like it?
In my opinion, I want this one to be number one mainly because it had really great songs that year. There's a great remix for them. The old days were good.
My favorite song, Tighten Up, was released that year. I love The Black Keys!
A remarkable year for space exploration, 2006 saw NASA launch the New Horizons mission, which would later provide the first close-up images of Pluto. Additionally, worldwide initiatives to address climate change gained momentum with the signing of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. This was the best year of my life. My youngest brother was born. I was 8 this year, nothing bad happened to me or my family, most movies and TV shows were good, and this year had amazing music. This year was SO good. Get this higher.
Nothing matches this year. The energy, the enthusiasm. There are people who say that 2006 was boring and that hip hop died in 2006, but they're very wrong.
2006 is the year which set a fashion trend all the way up to 2012. So, anything that people see in the early 2010s is because of the changes in 2006.
I feel like 2006 was a starting year for the new modern era. Flat-screen TVs became more popular, the 90s vibes ended, and technology started to get more advanced. Also, everything was so cinematic.
2012 was highlighted by the London Olympics, which celebrated inclusivity with the participation of female athletes from every country for the first time. In science, the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN marked a breakthrough that confirmed a key component of the Standard Model of particle physics. Absolute BANGER. I'm British, and I still remember the glory of watching the Olympics opening ceremony and the overall positivity of the event and the year as a whole.
I also remember Gangnam Style playing at my school disco. Man, this is actually getting me emotional - I gotta stop.
2012 was another good year for me. I was 6 years old back then, and I remember things such as going to Target with my grandma and getting some Squinkies playsets, celebrating my 6th birthday, and how awesome Christmas 2012 was (it's my favorite Christmas of all time as of 9/6/2021).
Unfortunately, my best friends (who were also my apartment neighbors) moved away in January/February, and I got lost on my first day of 1st grade in September 2012, but oh well.
In 2007, the first iPhone was released, transforming global communication and technology habits in unprecedented ways. Environmental progress was also celebrated as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shared the Nobel Peace Prize, raising awareness on climate issues worldwide.
2009 brought the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, stirring hopes for a more inclusive and progressive era in U.S. politics. The discovery of water on the moon by NASA's LCROSS mission also generated excitement about the potential for human exploration beyond Earth. "Twilight: New Moon" came out, and there were a lot of great songs. Fun.
This year ushered in a multi-year era of hope and prosperity.
In 2008, the election of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States represented a landmark moment in American history, inspiring millions. Meanwhile, scientists achieved the first successful demonstration of a quantum computer performing a task, hinting at a future of revolutionary computing capabilities. I loved this year. This year I saw The Dark Knight, Breaking Bad premiered, and I got to sink deep into nostalgia with Adult Swim Old School Night. If you don't know, in 2008, every Friday Adult Swim would showcase programs that were on Adult Swim in 2001 the whole night.
If you were born in 2008, you are the last birth year to spend all of your elementary school years before the pandemic. Which is pretty cool, right?
"Twilight" came out. Cool movie, great actors. Music was peak.
The year 2003 celebrated international cooperation with the completion of the Human Genome Project, a scientific milestone offering profound insights into human biology. In entertainment, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King captivated audiences and won multiple Academy Awards, marking a high point in cinematic achievement.
Significant strides were made in environmental awareness and activism in 2019, driven by global climate strikes led by young voices demanding action. Medical science saw advances as a new Ebola vaccine was approved, promising hope in the fight against this deadly virus. It was at least a decent way to end a memorable decade. 2019 was just a good year, and I couldn't find a better way to end the decade than with this year. This year is terrible so far: the pandemic, too many people dying, fear, hate, protests, etc.
The climax of pre-COVID life. I won't tell you how that summer was memorable for me personally, but I have almost as much nostalgia for it as I do with 2010-15.
It was a good year for me, just before the pandemic started.
2015 marked a historic step for marriage equality when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, affirming LGBTQ+ rights. Additionally, the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted by nearly 200 countries, reflecting a global commitment to address climate change. 2015 was the most nostalgic year of my life. The starry night, M83 music, my old friends, and the club Bella Gold. Best time of my life.
GT Racing 2, Asphalt 7, and Real Racing 2 were still around, and the atmosphere felt nostalgic. It is the second most nostalgic year followed by the 1980s.
Gay marriage was legalized. Can't take it? Go cry in a corner like the big baby you are.
The Newcomers
2025 (MMXXV) is the current year and is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It is the 2025th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 25th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 6th year of the 2020s decade... read more
In 2024, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their pioneering research that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines, which have saved millions of lives. Additionally, renewable energy achieved new milestones worldwide, with record investments in solar and wind power helping to reduce carbon emissions and promote a sustainable future.
2004 saw Facebook's launch, which would later revolutionize social networking and digital communication on a global scale. The year also marked the expansion of the European Union, welcoming 10 new countries and fostering greater unity within Europe. This year should be at number one! Top 3 at least.
In 2005, the Kyoto Protocol officially came into force, uniting countries worldwide in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. YouTube was also launched, revolutionizing how people share and consume videos and paving the way for user-generated content as a powerful cultural force. YouTube was started, and From Under the Cork Tree came out in 2005.
The year 2002 saw a major milestone in global health with the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which has since saved millions of lives. In sports, the FIFA World Cup was hosted by two countries for the first time - South Korea and Japan - bringing international communities together for an unforgettable tournament. This year was absolutely sublime as we recovered from 9/11. Music was wonderful, and TV shows were fabulous.
In 2017, the first observed merger of neutron stars provided scientists with new insights into gravitational waves and cosmic phenomena. The #MeToo movement surged worldwide, empowering survivors to share their stories and sparking long-overdue conversations on sexual harassment and assault. 2013: An ok year when I lived in a temporary place and went to nursery: 6.8/10.
2014: Moved to Canterbury. The World Cup was great, and it was just really fun: 8.0/10.
2015: Even better. I went to school, made friends, the autumn was great, and the music and TV were very good: 8.6/10.
2016: Amazing year. I made new friends in Year 3. The music, TV, and internet were next level, and that summer was perfection - just Pokémon, vibes, and sun. Aside from the bad political stuff, this year was perfect: 9.9/10.
2017: This was the greatest year of all time. Every month was great. It was the most fun year, the music, TV, and internet culture were perfect, and I was friends with everyone at the new school I moved to: 10/10.
2018: This is the worst year of all time. I moved to Tonbridge, the world was getting more hateful and tyrannical, the culture was terrible, and nothing good happened at all: 1.0/10.
2019: Things got slightly better but were mid at best. My life was getting a bit better as I tried to find a school space, but everything felt so tedious, like a chore. Culturally, it was average at best, and the only actually good thing that happened was the amazing summer, which rivaled 2016 in terms of quality. Everything else was either mid or straight up bad: 5.3/10.
2020: This year was terrible. I moved to a temporary house because of some family drama, then back to Tonbridge to another temporary house. Covid came to ruin everything, then BLM started off as positive only to turn into a destructive mess, missing the point of the movement. Everything was delayed, and everyone was in a constant state of panic. The only good thing was the end of it and how funny it was to laugh at how insane that year was: 3.1/10.
2021: This year was a mixed bag. I made a new friend at the temporary house who was great and probably the best I've ever had. February to May were perfect, but everything else was ok or bad, aside from... more
2013 marked a breakthrough in health as researchers reported a functional cure for an infant born with HIV, a significant step in the fight against the virus. Space exploration advanced with India's successful Mars Orbiter Mission, making it the first Asian country to reach Mars. My first Eurovision live experience and the last year of no ISIS. My little sister was born.
2014 saw the launch of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, achieving humanity's first successful landing on a comet, Comet 67P. In healthcare, the United Nations also announced a decrease in global HIV/AIDS infection rates, highlighting progress in public health efforts. I consider 2014 the last good year because things started to go downhill in 2015.
In 2018, scientists achieved a significant breakthrough with CRISPR gene-editing technology, opening doors to potential medical treatments and cures. The year also brought public and media attention to social justice issues as movements like March for Our Lives advocated for gun reform.
In 2016, the Paris Climate Agreement took effect, solidifying international dedication to curbing climate change and protecting the planet. The world also witnessed history as the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team competed in Rio, symbolizing hope and resilience for displaced people worldwide. Honestly, the last nostalgic year for me in the 2010s. It was the year I started high school, and it's the last year that makes me feel old when I think back to it.
Probably one of the only years in my life that wasn't so full of stress and drama.
Unquestionably the greatest year ever. All aspects of culture and life were at their peak.
2023 saw advances in artificial intelligence, with innovations in AI applications transforming fields like healthcare, education, and environmental science. The year was also marked by significant progress in electric vehicle technology, helping to reduce emissions and promote cleaner transportation on a large scale. The year I started university, and honestly, it was great. The first third was mixed for me personally.
Still in the age of post-Trump optimism, so nowhere near the dark ages.
2021 marked an impressive achievement in healthcare as COVID-19 vaccination efforts rolled out globally, saving countless lives and paving the way for recovery. NASA also made headlines with the Mars rover Perseverance, which landed on Mars and began groundbreaking research, including preparations for future human exploration. The first half was not bad. The second half was boring. The year as a whole is a trillion universes better than 2020.
For me, personally, the best year of my life so far. I hope 2022 will be even better.
2021 is fixing 2020, especially by having the 2020 Olympics.
In 2022, groundbreaking climate legislation passed in the U.S. with the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest-ever investment in clean energy and carbon reduction in American history. Scientists also celebrated as the James Webb Space Telescope captured unprecedented images of the universe, deepening our understanding of space.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 highlighted resilience as communities worldwide adapted through innovation and solidarity. The Black Lives Matter protests ignited vital global conversations on racial justice, inspiring change and raising awareness about systemic inequities. The pandemic started. I didn't go to school and watched a lot of movies. It wasn't that bad.
In 2001, Apple released the first iPod, transforming how people listen to and enjoy music on the go. The year also marked a monumental scientific moment as scientists made significant progress on the Human Genome Project, accelerating advancements in genetics and personalized medicine.