48 Fun Facts About Y2K and 2000s Pop Culture

What did the 'K' in Y2K stand for?

Y for year, 2, and K for 1000: 2K meant 2000. It was also called the millennium bug.

The Y2K bug arose because many programs stored years as how many digits?

Years were stored as two digits, so 1985 became '85' and 2000 was indistinguishable from 1900; fixes included expanding to four digits or 'windowing' the century.

Which programmer first publicly flagged the year-2000 problem after noticing it in 1958?

Bob Bemer noticed the two-digit year problem in 1958 while writing genealogical software at IBM, then spent twenty years failing to get IBM, the US government and standards bodies to take it seriously.

Which peer-to-peer service, launched by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker in 1999, defined the MP3 era?

Napster, launched in 1999, peaked at about 80 million registered users; a leaked demo of Metallica's 'I Disappear' spreading on it helped trigger the lawsuits that shut it down in 2001.

Which 'indestructible' phone, launched in 2000 with Snake II built in, sold over 100 million units?

The Nokia 3310 sold 126 million units worldwide, replaced the 3210 and became the subject of endless internet durability jokes.

Which ultra-thin flip phone, introduced in 2004, became the must-have handset of the mid-2000s?

The Motorola Razr V3 was wildly popular; upgrades like the V3x and V3i followed, and the Razr2 arrived in 2007, months after the iPhone.

Wikipedia launched on which date, celebrated annually as Wikipedia Day?

It began as a side project to Nupedia, an expert-written encyclopedia founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.

In which month did the first iPhone actually go on sale in the US?

The first iPhone went on sale on 29 June 2007, five months after Steve Jobs unveiled it in January; Apple built it in secret with Cingular, later AT&T.

Which Fox singing contest debuted in June 2002 with judges Jackson, Abdul and Cowell?

American Idol premiered on Fox on 11 June 2002 with judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell; Kelly Clarkson won the first season.

Who was the runner-up on the first season of American Idol in 2002?

Justin Guarini finished second to Kelly Clarkson in September 2002; the pair then co-starred in the 2003 spring-break musical From Justin to Kelly, a notorious box-office flop.

Tina Fey based the 2004 film Mean Girls on which 2002 non-fiction self-help book by Rosalind Wiseman?

Queen Bees and Wannabes had no plot, so Fey wrote one from scratch and named characters after friends; 3 October is now 'Mean Girls Day'.

Which Fox teen drama, created by Josh Schwartz, ran from 2003 to 2007 and gave the world 'Chrismukkah'?

The O.C. stands for Orange County, where Ryan Atwood is taken in by the Cohens of Newport Beach.

Which ABC series began on 22 September 2004 with a plane crash and ran 121 episodes over six seasons?

Lost followed Oceanic Flight 815's survivors as they met the Others, the Dharma Initiative and a smoke monster; the finale aired in May 2010.

Which Disney Channel movie, directed by Kenny Ortega, premiered on 20 January 2006 to a then-record audience for the network?

High School Musical became the most commercially successful Disney Channel film; Troy the basketball star and Gabriella the maths whiz audition for the school show.

Which 2001 film won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?

Shrek won the first Best Animated Feature Oscar in March 2002, beating Monsters, Inc. and Jimmy Neutron; it had also competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2001.

Which 2002 song became the first hip-hop track to win the Oscar for Best Original Song?

'Lose Yourself', from 8 Mile, won Best Original Song at the March 2003 Oscars; it was also Eminem's first Hot 100 number one, staying there for twelve weeks.

Beyoncé's 2003 solo breakthrough 'Crazy in Love' samples which 1970 Chi-Lites song?

The horn riff is lifted from the Chi-Lites' 1970 song 'Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)'; Jay-Z guests and co-wrote, and the video won three MTV VMAs in 2003.

Who wrote, produced and performed OutKast's 2003 hit 'Hey Ya!' almost single-handedly?

André 3000 wrote, produced and sang 'Hey Ya!' himself, starting it in December 2002 at Stankonia Studios; it was released alongside Big Boi's 'The Way You Move' from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

Rihanna's 'Umbrella' spent how many consecutive weeks at UK number one in 2007?

Jay-Z guests; the beat began with a GarageBand hi-hat that producer Tricky Stewart was 'messing around with'.

Which rapper features on Shakira's 2006 hit 'Hips Don't Lie'?

Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-born former Fugee, co-wrote and raps on 'Hips Don't Lie', which gave Shakira her first US Hot 100 number one in June 2006.

Which 2008 Danny Boyle film about a Mumbai game-show contestant won eight Oscars?

Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars in February 2009, including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle; Dev Patel made his film debut in a story loosely based on Vikas Swarup's novel Q & A.

Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) earned him a posthumous award in which Oscar category?

Best Supporting Actor went to Ledger posthumously, along with BAFTA and Golden Globe awards; he died of an accidental overdose in January 2008.

Which peripheral-maker, fresh from Konami's GuitarFreaks hardware, teamed with Harmonix in 2005 on Guitar Hero?

RedOctane, which had built guitar controllers for Konami's GuitarFreaks, published Guitar Hero in November 2005 with Harmonix developing; Activision bought RedOctane in 2006 and the plastic-guitar franchise later spawned DJ Hero and Band Hero.

Wii Sports, bundled with the 2006 console, sold roughly how many copies?

That makes it the best-selling Nintendo game and the fourth-best-selling game ever; Katsuya Eguchi produced it to reach non-gamers.

World of Warcraft, launched in 2004, peaked at how many subscribers in 2010?

World of Warcraft peaked at about 12 million subscribers in October 2010, around the Cataclysm expansion; Blizzard said in 2014 that more than 100 million accounts had been created over the game's life.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) caused a scandal over which hidden mini-game?

The 'Hot Coffee' mod unlocked a hidden sex mini-game left in the game's code, prompting the ESRB to re-rate San Andreas Adults Only in July 2005 until Rockstar shipped a patched version.

The Tamagotchi name combines the Japanese word for 'egg' with which English word?

Tamagotchi blends tamago, Japanese for egg, with the English word 'watch'; Bandai released it in Japan in 1996 and worldwide in 1997, and a 2004 relaunch kept the fad alive through the 2000s.

Which doll line did MGA Entertainment launch in 2001 with Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin?

Bratz launched in May 2001 with the original four dolls Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin, took a big bite of Barbie's market and drew years of lawsuits from Mattel.

Which foam clog brand was founded in 2002 by three Colorado friends as a boating shoe?

Crocs was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 2002 by Scott Seamans, Lyndon Hanson and George Boedecker Jr., who saw the potential of the Croslite foam; the first clog was shown at the Fort Lauderdale boat show that year.

The trucker-hat brand Von Dutch was named after which Kustom Kulture pinstriping artist?

Kenny Howard, who signed his pinstriping 'Von Dutch' and popularised the flying-eyeball motif, died in 1992; his daughters licensed the name, and the trucker-hat label became a celebrity staple in the early 2000s.

Which brand's velour tracksuits, founded by Skaist-Levy and Nash-Taylor, were the 2000s luxury uniform?

Juicy Couture was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, who had started in 1989 with the maternity label Travis Jeans; the velour tracksuit arrived in 2001, and Nash-Taylor married Duran Duran's John Taylor.

Heelys, the 2000s playground craze, were shoes with what hidden in the sole?

Shift your weight to your heels and roll; the maker recommends protective gear that almost nobody wore.

Which social network, launched in 2003, dominated before Facebook and had a customisable 'Top 8'?

Myspace launched on 1 August 2003, was bought by News Corp for $580 million in 2005 and peaked at roughly 115 million monthly visitors worldwide in 2008 before Facebook overtook it.

Which gadget launched in 2001 with the slogan '1,000 songs in your pocket'?

The iPod launched in November 2001 with a 5 GB hard drive that held about 1,000 songs; the iTunes Store followed in April 2003.

Which HBO mob drama, running from 1999 to 2007, was the first cable series to win the Outstanding Drama Emmy?

The Sopranos won Outstanding Drama Series in 2004, the first cable show to do so, and again in 2007 after its final episode aired; its cut-to-black diner ending became one of TV's most debated finales.

Which 2003 reality show sent Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to live on an Arkansas farm?

The Simple Life made comedy of two wealthy socialites struggling with farm work and cleaning rooms; MTV's The Hills followed Lauren Conrad from 2006.

Which MTV show, hosted by Ashton Kutcher from 2003, played hidden-camera pranks on celebrities?

Punk'd ran on MTV from 2003 with Ashton Kutcher producing and hosting the celebrity pranks; Xzibit hosted Pimp My Ride, Cribs toured celebrity homes, and Chance the Rapper fronted a 2020 reboot on Quibi.

Which Peter Jackson trilogy closed in 2003 with a film that won every one of its 11 Oscar nominations?

The Return of the King's clean sweep set the record; its 11 wins tie Ben-Hur and Titanic.

Which 2003 Pixar clownfish film was directed by Andrew Stanton, inspired partly by his dentist's fish tank?

Finding Nemo, released in May 2003, was directed by Andrew Stanton; Albert Brooks voiced the anxious father Marlin and Ellen DeGeneres the forgetful Dory, and it won the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

Which 2003 swashbuckler based on a Disneyland ride earned Johnny Depp his first Oscar nomination?

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl earned Depp a Best Actor nomination; he based Captain Jack Sparrow on Keith Richards, reasoning that 18th-century pirates were the rock stars of their day.

Which 2008 Stephenie Meyer adaptation made Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart famous?

Twilight, released in November 2008, grossed over $390 million worldwide; Team Edward versus Team Jacob became a schoolyard divide, and Summit picked up the rights after Paramount's MTV Films let its option lapse.

Which 2007 Diablo Cody comedy about a pregnant teenager won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar?

Juno won Diablo Cody the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in February 2008; Elliot Page played the title role, and the soundtrack built around Kimya Dawson songs topped the Billboard 200.

Which band behind 'How You Remind Me' and 'Photograph' became the 2000s' most mocked act?

Nickelback's 'How You Remind Me' topped the US Hot 100 in December 2001 and was Billboard's number-one song of 2002; Silver Side Up went eight-times platinum in Canada, and the Alberta band's ubiquity made it a punchline.

Which Beyoncé-fronted Houston group released 'Survivor' and 'Bootylicious'?

Destiny's Child formed in Houston in 1990 as Girl's Tyme and signed to Columbia in 1996; 'Survivor' and 'Bootylicious' came from the 2001 album Survivor, with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams completing the final trio.

Justin Timberlake's 2002 solo album Justified followed his exit from which boy band?

Justin Timberlake was NSYNC's breakout star; he had met bandmate JC Chasez on The All New Mickey Mouse Club, and Justified, released in November 2002, came after the group went on hiatus that year.

What did T-Mobile call the swivel-screen Danger Hiptop keyboard phone of 2002?

T-Mobile sold the Danger Hiptop as the Sidekick from 1 October 2002; Danger was co-founded by Andy Rubin, who went on to create Android.

Which yellow silicone bracelet, launched in May 2004, started the cause-wristband craze?

The Livestrong band was launched in May 2004 by Nike and the Lance Armstrong Foundation and sold for $1 to fund cancer programmes; tens of millions were sold, and the charity renamed itself the Livestrong Foundation in 2012.

Which Computerworld writer's 1993 article 'Doomsday 2000' was likened to Paul Revere's midnight ride?

Peter de Jager's 'Doomsday 2000', published in Computerworld in September 1993, was the wake-up call that earned him the 'Paul Revere of Y2K' tag; the Y2K acronym itself is credited to David Eddy's June 1995 e-mail.