37 Interesting Facts about the 2000s

The 2000s was the decade of the New Millennia. So many new breakthroughs were expected to happen within this decade. Nevertheless, the 2000s were probably one of the last romantic decades, when we still had time for old and new friends and acquaintances, when the thrill of meeting someone new was always in the air.

Here are some interesting facts about the 2000s…that’ll refresh your memory if you’ve experienced them, or maybe come to you as a surprise if you’re younger.

1. Remember Y2K?

By the hypothetical resetting of dates on computers at the stroke of midnight on the 1st January 2000, Y2K the notorious “millennium bug”, was expected to cause global chaos.

2. It’s now called the O2.

In the 2000s, the freshly-built Millennium Dome in Greenwich, southeast London was supposed to be an inspiration of hope and intent of British culture.

Despite being the most popular tourist attraction of 2000, providing a decent day out featuring acrobatics and art installations, reactions were mixed and the display only lasted 12 months.

3. The ISS took its first passengers.

In November 2000, the first crew boarded the International Space Station – two Russians and one American.

The Millennium Dome, Greenwich, London

4. Sydney 2000 was one of the most popular Summer Games festivals ever.

The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney had moments of real drama and enjoyment, especially the performance of Team GB’s gold-winning heptathlete Denise Lewis.

5. Soccer fans in England didn’t have a great time.

The summer of 2000 was a tragedy in the soccer world. England with David Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and future manager Gareth Southgate, suffered an awful Euro 2000, losing to both Portugal and Romania in the group stages of the tournament.

6. Chris Martin made his mark.

On the 10th July, 2000, Coldplay released their first album “Parachutes”. It was a colossal moment for the band and British music as a whole.

7. There was a big change in leadership.

On the 7th November, 2000, George W. Bush became President of the United States.

The official results were announced on the 12th December, 2000 due to the state of Florida being too close in the results.

8. Natural disasters struck.

On the 13th January, 2001, an earthquake with a 6.6 magnitude struck in El Salvador killing at least 400 people.

On the 20th February, 2001, an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease occurred in the UK killing over 10 million sheep and cattle.

9. Major medical leaps were made!

On the 2nd July, 2001, the first artificial heart was implanted in a human being.

George W Bush, the 43rd president of the USA from 2001 to 2009.

10. Never forget.

On the 11th September, 2001, terrorist strikes were carried out on the World Trade Centre in New York City and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. by members of Al Qaeda- the Islamic extremist group.

11. Unfortunately, terrorism rolled on.

On the 18th September, 2001, letters holding anthrax spores were sent to several American media offices and two American senators. Twenty-two people were exposed and 5 people died.

12. September 2001 was deadly all over.

On the 21st September, 2001, there was an explosion in a chemical factory in Toulouse, France, killing 29 people and seriously injuring over 2,500.

13. The ‘War On Terror’ began.

2001 is the year of the beginning of the Afghanistan war, as the United States, with help from the UK, invaded.

14. Independence claims took shape.

On the 20th May, 2002, East Timor gained independence from Indonesia.

15. COVID-19 isn’t the first coronavirus.

2002–2004, the SARS outbreak was an epidemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

US Soldiers in Afghanistan

16. The Iraq War began in ’03.

The 2003 invasion of Iraq began on the 19th March and lasted just over one month.

17. Natural disasters persisted.

On the 26th December, 2003, an earthquake in Bam, Iran destroyed up to 90% of buildings and infrastructure, with 70% of houses being destroyed it left an estimated 100,000 people homeless.

18. The world said goodbye to Ronnie.

On the 5th June, 2004, President Ronald Reagan died at the age of 93.

Ronald Regan

19. The Beslan School crisis occurred.

On the 1st September, 2004, the Beslan School hostage crisis in Russia started. It lasted 3 days, involving the imprisonment of over 1,100 people as hostages, and ending with the deaths of either 331 or 334 people, more than half of which were children.

20. Ukraine saw revolution.

From late November 2004 to January 2005, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine was manifested through a series of protests and political events.

21. Google rose up.

In August 2004, the stock market offers floats shares in Google for $85.

22. We also lost a Pope.

On the 2nd April, 2005, Pope John Paul II died.

23. Terrorism made its way to Britain.

On the 7th July, 2005, bombs were detonated in 3 crowded London subways and one bus. These bombs thought to be the work of al-Qaida killed 56 people including the bombers and injured another 700.

24. Social interaction changed forever.

On 4th February, 2004, facebook.com was launched changing the way of communication.

25. Merkel led Germany into a new era.

On the 22nd November, 2005, Angela Merkel became Chancellor of Germany.

26. Female leaders emerged for the first time in many regions.

On the 16th January, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in Liberia became the first female president on the African continent.

27. Following close behind Facebook…

In July 2006, Twitter is launched by Jack Dorsey.

28. Three years after the Iraq War began, Hussein met his maker.

On the 30th December, 2006, Saddam Hussein was executed in Iraq.

29. The Dome transformed by the end of the decade.

In 2007, the Millennium Dome in London was turned into The O2. The O2 Arena venue has hosted concerts from The Rolling Stones to Beyoncé.

In 2007, Prince’s Earth tour: 21-nights in London at the O2 remained among the most memorable concert residencies, with the Purple One selling tickets for £31.21 inviting music icons like Amy Winehouse and Elton John to join him onstage during the run.

30. Smartphones changed forever!

It was on the 29th June, 2007 that Apple released the first generation of the iPhone!

31. A new era for France?

On the 16th May, 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy became President of France.

32. As of today, he’s still the last Labour Prime Minister.

On the 27th June, 2007, Gordon Brown became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

33. Castro finally hung up his cigar.

On the 24th February, 2008, the Cuban President Fidel Castro retired and was succeeded by his brother Raul Castro.

34. Earthquakes continued to ravage.

On the 12th May, 2008, China’s Sichuan province was hit by a major earthquake.

35. Obama ushered in big change for America.

On the 20th January, 2009, Barack Obama was the first African-American elected as the 44th President of the United States.

36. We moved to digital for good.

On the 12th June, 2009, the analog television broadcast all across the U.S turned into digital television.

37. One of the most shocking losses to the music industry…

On the 25th June, 2009 the legendary king of pop Michael Jackson died, representing the end of an era in the music world.

FAQs about The 2000s

Do you know any fun facts about the 2000s? Share them in the comments below!

Like our content? Like us on Facebook and never miss out!

This page was last modified on October 19, 2021. Suggest an edit