What happened in the 2000s?
The 2000s brought the smartphone, social media and streaming, and a world reshaped by 9/11 and a global financial crisis.
44 events, oldest first.
Timeline of The 2000s
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2000
Cathy Freeman wins Olympic 400 m gold
She had lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony.
History of sport
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2000
Steve Redgrave wins a fifth Olympic gold
He won golds at five Games in a row.
History of sport
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2000
The first crew arrives at the Space Station
People have lived aboard the station continuously ever since.
History of exploration
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2000
The last Pyrenean ibex dies
In 2003 scientists cloned one, but the kid lived for only a few minutes.
Natural history & deep time
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2000
The Millennium Bug passes
Billions were spent fixing Y2K, and very few systems failed.
Science & technology history
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2001
Shrek is released
It won the first-ever Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Pop culture history
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2001
The iPod is released
Its slogan promised '1,000 songs in your pocket'.
Science & technology history
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2001
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy begins
Filmed entirely in New Zealand, it boosted the country's tourism for years.
Pop culture history
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2001
The Netherlands legalises same-sex marriage
It was the first country in the world to do so.
Politics & society history
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2001
Wikipedia launches
Its predecessor, Nupedia, managed only a couple of dozen finished articles.
Science & technology history
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2002
East Timor becomes independent
It was the first new sovereign state of the 21st century.
Politics & society history
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2002
Euro notes and coins enter circulation
It was the biggest cash changeover in history, across 12 countries at once.
Politics & society history
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2002
Steve Fossett flies a balloon solo around the world
It was his sixth attempt.
History of exploration
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2003
Concorde makes its final commercial flight
It had flown passengers for 27 years.
Modern history
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2003
England win the Rugby World Cup
Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal won it in the final minute of extra time.
History of sport
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2003
Roger Federer wins his first Wimbledon
He went on to win a record eight Wimbledon men's titles.
History of sport
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2003
Skype launches
Its name grew out of 'sky peer-to-peer'.
Science & technology history
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2003
The Human Genome Project is completed
It took 13 years and cost about $3 billion.
Science & technology history
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2004
A giant squid is photographed alive
Japanese researchers caught it on camera about 900 metres deep in the Pacific.
Natural history & deep time
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2004
Facebook launches
It started as a website for Harvard students only.
Pop culture history
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2004
Shanghai's maglev train enters service
It reaches 431 km/h on its run to the airport.
Science & technology history
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2004
The Indian Ocean tsunami
Waves struck coasts in more than a dozen countries.
Natural history & deep time
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2005
Angela Merkel becomes German chancellor
She was Germany's first female chancellor and served for 16 years.
Politics & society history
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2005
Ellen MacArthur sets a solo round-the-world record
She sailed around the world alone in about 71 days.
History of exploration
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2005
Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans
About 80% of the city flooded.
Natural history & deep time
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2005
Liverpool's 'Miracle of Istanbul'
They were 3-0 down at half-time in the Champions League final but won on penalties.
History of sport
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2005
The first YouTube video is uploaded
'Me at the zoo' is 19 seconds long and features elephants at San Diego Zoo.
Pop culture history
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2006
Pluto is reclassified as a dwarf planet
Pluto was officially a planet for just 76 years.
Science & technology history
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2006
The first tweet is sent
Jack Dorsey's first tweet read 'just setting up my twttr'.
Pop culture history
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2006
The Nintendo Wii is released
Its motion controls drew in many people who had never played video games.
Pop culture history
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2007
The first iPhone is released
Steve Jobs unveiled it in January 2007 and it went on sale that June.
Science & technology history
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2008
Apple's App Store opens
It launched with about 500 apps.
Science & technology history
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2008
Barack Obama is elected US president
He was the first African American elected to the office.
Politics & society history
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2008
Lehman Brothers collapses
It was the largest bankruptcy in US history.
Modern history
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2008
Lewis Hamilton wins his first F1 title
He clinched it on the final corner of the final race.
History of sport
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2008
Michael Phelps wins eight golds at one Games
He broke Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics.
History of sport
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2008
Spotify launches
It was founded in Sweden, where music piracy was rife.
Science & technology history
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2008
The Large Hadron Collider is switched on
It broke down nine days later, and repairs took more than a year.
Science & technology history
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2008
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault opens
It is built into an Arctic mountain to safeguard the world's crop seeds.
Natural history & deep time
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2009
Avatar is released
It became the highest-grossing film of all time.
Pop culture history
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2009
Minecraft is first released
It went on to become the best-selling video game of all time.
Pop culture history
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2009
The first Bitcoin block is mined
Its creator, known only as Satoshi Nakamoto, has never been identified.
Science & technology history
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2009
The Staffordshire Hoard is found
A metal detectorist found the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered.
History of exploration
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2009
Usain Bolt runs 100 metres in 9.58 seconds
His top speed during the race was about 44.7 km/h.
History of sport
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