Morgan Jones | Web Editor-in-Chief

As 2019 concludes after what seems like an everlasting eternity, it marks the end of a decade. From Gaga’s meat dress in 2010 to the 2016 release of Pokémon Go, the past ten years have been inarguably iconic and downright phenomenal.

Since it’s easy to lose sight of all the good happenings in the world, here are the most positive things from this decade, both big and small.

1. In Sept. of 2010, Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw meat to the VMAs and it was instantly hailed by TIME as the “top fashion statement of the year”. There were a lot of questions and raised eyebrows.
2. In 2011, dip-dyed hair became a die-hard trend, and someone had the bright idea to put cake on a stick and call it a CakePop. Rebecca Black released her hit song “Friday“, which would go down in the books as one of the most classic internet memes.
3. 2012 had it going for the human race. Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became the first video to ever hit one billion views on YouTube. At the same time, some of us believed that the world would come to an end according to an old Mayan calendar – admittedly, we all felt a little silly when we woke up in one piece the next morning.
4. In the first half of 2013, everyone learned “The Cup Song” to the iconic tune “When I’m Gone” by Anna Kendrick. “The Harlem Shake” also went viral.
5. In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge rose to popularity, raising a total of $115 million for ALS research. With even celebrities participating, what ensued was pretty hilarious – if you were nominated and you backed out, you successfully missed one of the biggest trends of the decade.
6. A dress sent the internet into a frenzy in 2015 when a photo of it went viral overnight. Some claimed the dress was white and gold, while others saw black and blue. For the record, the dress was totally #blackandblue. 1D also went on a hiatus, never to return.
7. 2016 was hailed as a year-long meme when the world went nuts over Pokémon Go and Harambe, a gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo. We also lost Vine. May it live in infamy.
8. In 2017, Donald Trump discovered Twitter. We also had a total solar eclipse, a rare occurrence that left most classrooms underpopulated and had parents calling their kids in sick. Lady Gaga dominated the halftime show at Super Bowl LI, and fidget spinners ruled classrooms across the nation. The Pope also got a white Lamborghini.
9. Blockbuster Black Panther was released in 2018 and Logan Paul faced backlash after filming a dead man in the Aokigahara Forest (dubbed the Suicide Forest) in Japan. The Yanny and Laurel debacle broke the internet almost as much as Childish Gambino did when he dropped his single “This is America“.
10. On Instagram in 2019, a picture of an egg garnered more likes than Kylie Jenner’s previous record of 18.4 million in just under ten days. Later, the egg rose to 45 million likes, officially becoming the most-liked post on any social media platform. The egg currently sits atop a throne of 54,089,071 likes as of 12/31/19. Minecraft also fought its way back into pop culture and reigned as the best-selling game of all time when it surpassed Tetris with over 176 million copies sold.

The Echo also caught up with two students, junior Ella Fanning and sophomore Alia Embry, to reflect on the last ten years with questions about pop culture and life experiences. You can see their responses on our Instagram page, @avonecho.

As New Year’s commences, know that resolutions are meant for breaking, and that we’re as close to 2050 as we are to 1990. Here’s to 2020, where the best is yet to come.