So, to kinda "test" my off-the-top-of-my-head knowledge about modern history and pop culture, I thought it'd be fun to work back and see what events, songs, general popular culture I can remember off-hand from every year, and see how far I can go back without any kind of googling. (I won't try to add EVERYTHING, just a few things.) The year that stumps me and I can't recall anything about it, is the end of this nerd-out.

 

The 2010's

 

2013: The Navy Yard shooting. "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. The Colorado forest fires. Gay marriage becomes legal in my home state, Delaware. The Ravens win the 2012 Super Bowl.

 

2012: The Hunger Games craze. The Colorado movie theater massacre. "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons.The 2012 Summer Olympics in London- Micheal Phelps proves that he's still got some power left in him, and the Fab Five American Gymnasts steal our hearts. Hurricane Sandy. Obama gets re-elected. Sandy Hook massacre. The New York Giants win the 2011 Super Bowl.

 

2011: "Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry. Occupy Wall Street. The unrest in Egypt. Hurricane Irene is a overhyped hurricane. The East Coast has a 5.0 Earthquake and FREAKS. The Packers win the 2010 Super Bowl.

 

2010: "California Girls" by Katy Perry. The Tea Party wins big on Election Day. Christine McDonnell's "I Am Not A Witch" campaign. The Gulf Coast Oil Spill. The Winter Olympics in Vancouver- curling becomes a wonderfully mockable sport. The Saints win the 2009 Super Bowl.

 

The 2000's

 

2009: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. (I think it was released in late '08, but Lady Gaga really picks up steam in '09.) Obama gets innaugurated. "The Hangover" is a popular movie. The Steelers win the 2008 Super Bowl, and I was rooting for them because the Cardinals knocked the Eagles out of the Playoffs. I thought Kurt Warner was kind of a DILF, though.

 

2008: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Tina Fey shoots to fame mocking Sarah Palin. Obama gets elected. The housing/financial crisis starts. Federal bail-outs begin- "too big to fail" becomes a catchphrase. Summer Olympics in China- Michael Phelps breaks Mark Spitz's record for most gold medals in swimming. The Eagles knock the Cowgirls out of the 2008 playoffs with a 44-6 win. I wanna say...December 28th, 2008? The Phillies win the World Series in October, leading to riots around the city. The Twilight Craze.

 

2007: "The Way I Are" by Timbaland. Virginia Tech massacre. "Knocked Up" is a popular movie.

 

2006: "Where'd You Go" by Fort Minor. The Republicans get smacked on Election Day, and the Democrats gain control of both the senate and the house. "Heroes" becomes a popular show, but flames out a year later- "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World." Winter Olympics at Torino in Italy- Johnny Weir "he's here, he's Weir."

 

2005: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. The Eagles lose the 2004 Super Bowl to the Patriots by 3 points. Hurricane Katrina. "The 40 Year Old Virgin" is a popular movie. YouTube is founded.

 

2004: "Somebody Told Me" by the Killers. John Kerry vs. Dubya- "The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." The Asian Tsunami. Gay marriage becomes legal in Massachusetts. New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy- "My truth is that I am a Gay American." The Red Sox break their curse and finally win the World Series.

 

2003: "Stacey's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne. The Iraq War begins- "Mission Accomplished." The O.C. premieres in August. Lost premieres that year as well, and becomes a cult T.V. show. Facebook gets founded. The Columbia explosion.

 

2002: "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes". Avril Lavigne becomes the anti-Britney Spears. The D.C. shooting sniper. The Winter Olympics in St. Lake City- Sarah Hughes wins the Gold Medal.

 

2001: "Here's to the Night" by Eve 6. The Dubya Years begin. 9/11. Anthrax attacks. The media frenzy with Chandra Levy. Aliyah dies. The rise of Destiny's Child. The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings craze.

 

2000: "The Graduation Song" by Vitamin C. Y2K worries are put to rest. Gore vs. Dubya- hanging chads in Florida. The sinking of the USS Cole. Survivor becomes a phenonmeon, while Beverly Hills 90210 ends it 10 year run. The tech crash.

 

The 90's

 

1999: "Millenium" by Robbie Williams. The Columbine Shooting. Kosovo. The Seattle World Trade Organization protests. (This might be 1998, but I'm leaning towards 1999.) Melrose Place ends it's 7 year run. Y2K survivalist fears.

 

1998: "Closing Time" by Semisonic. Bill Clinton- "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky." Seinfield goes off the air to the tune of "Time of Your Life" by Green Day. Well-loved comedian Phil Hartman is murdered by his wife.

 

1997: "Quit Playing Games with My Heart" by The Backstreet Boys. A sheep is cloned. The Princess of Wales dies. The stock market begins a historic bull run. Titanic becomes a phenonmeon.

 

1996: "The Macarena" by Los Del Rios. The 1996 Election between Bob Dole and Bill Clinton. The Atlanta Summer Olympics- Keri Strug, and the bombing. "Independence Day" launches Will Smith into the stratosphere. TWA Flight 800 explodes over Long Island.

 

1995: "Gangsta's Paradise". The Oklahoma City bombing. Selena is killed. "Clueless" is a hit movie, and ushers in preppier fashion again. OJ is acquitted.

 

1994: "The Sign" by Ace of Base. Nancy Kerrigan vs. Tonya Harding, and Oksana Baul takes the Olympic Gold medal. The white Bronco car chase with OJ Simpson. Kurt Cobain dies. Los Angeles has a big earthquake.

 

1993: "Dreams" by The Cranberries. "Jurassic Park" is a huge hit movie. Lorena Bobbitt. The World Trade Center in New York City gets bombed.

 

1992: "What's Up" by 4-Non Blondes. George H.W. Bush loses election to Bill Clinton- "It's the economy, stupid." Also, "Don't Stop Thinking About Tommorrow" is the Bill Clinton Campaign Song. "Batman Returns" is a popular film. Hurricane Andrew.

 

1991: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Grunge becomes huge. The Persian Gulf War- yellow ribbons. Anita Hill. The Soviet Union dissolves.

 

1990: "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor. "Ghost" is a huge hit. The D.C. mayor is smoking crack. (I could be wrong about this one.) Vanilla Ice becomes a rather hilarious one-hit wonder. Julia Roberts becomes a huge star because of "Pretty Woman".

 

The 1980's

 

1989: "Like A Prayer" by Madonna. The World Series Earthquake. "Batman" is a hit movie. (It's actually the first movie I remember seeing in the theater.) The Berlin Wall is torn down. Hurricane Hugo. Ronald Reagan leaves office.

 

1988: "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. H.W. Bush vs. Michael Dukaksis- "Read My Lips, No New Taxes!" Murphy Brown premieres, and Dan Quayle becomes her foe. Major Pan Am terrorist attack in the skies leads to hundreds dead.

 

1987: "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House. The Iran Contra Affair. The 1987 Stock Market Crash. "Fatal Attraction", "Wall Street", and "Dirty Dancing" are hit movies. Ryan White becomes a cause de celebre. (I could be so wrong about this one.) I also wanna say...Tammy Faye Baker?

 

1986: "Manic Monday" by The Bangles. "Top Gun" is a hit movie. "Baby On Board" becomes a popular car sign. The Super-Bowl Shuffle from the 1985 Chicago Bears. The Challenger explosion.

 

1985: "Man In Motion" by John Parr. "Dynasty" becomes the Number 1 Show, beating Dallas and using a fictional masscre to do it. Glasnost begins - "Mr. Gorbachev- tear down these walls!" "Back to the Future" is a huge hit movie. Live Aid. The Halle Bop comet. New Coke vs. Classic Coke.

 

1984: "Like A Virgin" by Madonna. Ronald Regan vs. Walter Mondale- Reagan wins re-election. Geraldine Ferraro is the first female vice presidential candidate. Mass shooting in a California McDonald's. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sparks a trend in celebrities trying to raise money for charities. "Footloose" is a hit movie. Mary Lou Rhetton wins the gold at the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles.

 

1983: "Karma Chamelon" by the Culture Club. U.S. recession ends. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson sells 25 million albums. "Trading Places" and "Flashdance" are hit movies. The Star Wars triology comes to an end. The series finale of "Mash" becomes the most-watched television event ever. Cabbage Patch dolls are a huge fad. Beiruit.

 

1982: "Valley Girl" by Frank and Moon Unit Zappa. Poltergiest is a hit movie. Prince William is born.

 

1981: "Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes. Recession begins. Reagan is almost assassinated by John Hinckley Junior, who's obsessed with Jody Foster. Natalie Wood dies in a drowning accident off the coast of Catalina. AIDS is first noticed. (It's called GRID at first.) Brooke Shields is named "The Face of the 80's" by Time.

 

1980: "Call Me" by Blondie. The Phillies win the '80 World Series. "American Gigolo" launches Richard Gere. Ronald Reagan campaigns with "Morning in American" and wins the presidency. "Private Benjamin" is a popular movie. Jimmy Carter blunders by forcing the U.S. to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in the USSR. The U.S. hockey team wins against the USSR at the '80 Winter Olympics- "Miracle on Ice".

 

 

Okay, I'm not stumped yet, but this is hellaciously long so I'll stop here and try a part 2. 1980 is a good place to stop. 1982 came REALLY close to stumping me, though- I couldn't remember much about that year.