A Look Back at the Most Viral Moments of the Decade

By Alina Kelly

As 2019 comes to an end, it’s worth reflecting on the memorable moments of the past ten years. Let's look at nine noteworthy events that took the world by storm this past decade.

April 2010: First iPad 
Apple unveiled its first ever iPad in January, and the tablets went on sale on April 3, 2010. The release of the iPad captured the eyes of many and showed how innovative Apple was. The revolutionary device was designed for browsing the web, sending emails, playing games, and watching videos. The iPad included 12 apps as well as over 140,000 apps on the app store. 

May 2011: Planking Challenge 
Starting in May of 2011, thousands of people were seen planking everywhere they went as part of a viral internet challenge. However, this planking wasn’t your typical ab workout. It consisted of lying in a face-down position, mimicking a wooden plank. The art of planking became viral all around the United States and was even featured in the 2011 fall season premiere of The Office. 

July 2012: “Gangnam Style” 
The song “Gangnam Style” by PSY became an internet sensation almost immediately after its release on July 15, 2012. Since the release, the video has been viewed over 3.4 billion times on YouTube.  After the video went viral, thousands of people could be seen doing the “horse dance.” Although the video was surpassed as the most viewed video on June 10, 2017, by the See You Again music video, its impact is still remembered. 

February 2013: The “Harlem Shake” 
The “Harlem Shake” went viral in early February of 2013, prompting people all around the country to upload YouTube videos highlighting the dance. The video begins with one person dancing alone, surrounded by other people not paying attention, or unaware of the one person dancing. When the bass drops, the video cuts to the entire group dancing for the rest of the video.

April-July 2013: “The Cup Song” from Pitch Perfect
The cup song became an internet sensation after the release of Pitch Perfect, in which Anna Kendrick’s character performed “When I’m Gone” at a tryout for an acapella group. Kids could be seen performing this song everywhere with water bottles and cups, especially in lunchrooms at schools across the nation.

July-August 2014: The Ice Bucket Challenge 
The Ice Bucket Challenge, also known as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, promoted awareness for the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The challenge involved dumping a bucket of ice cold water over your head after nominating friends to participate in the challenge. Videos of people completing the challenge and raising money for ALS circulated all over social media, and compilations of ice bucket challenge fails were popular on YouTube as well. The challenge was inspired by Pete Frates who lived with ALS and recently passed away at age 34. The impact left from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge still remains today and revivals of the challenge are occuring in remembrance of Pete Frates. 

February 2015: What Color is the Dress?
A photo of a dress became an internet sensation after people began a debate over its color. No one could agree if the dress was white and gold or blue and black because of their differing perspectives. The photo has an ambiguous set of conditions that causes the brain to use it’s internal model. However, each person’s internal model is different, which causes people to see the dresses in differing shades. Since the debate, it has been revealed that the dress was actually black and blue. 

May 2016: Harambe 
A zoo worker shot and killed Harambe, a gorilla in the enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, after a three-year-old child climbed into the enclosure and was dragged around by Harambe. After Harambe’s death, “#RIPharambe” became viral as millions were upset that he was killed because of a child entering an enclosure that he should not have been in to begin with. Harambe is still remembered today, especially by the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, who released a song titled “RIP Harambe” in mid-2019.
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October 2016: Vine Shuts Down
The popular app Vine was shut down in 2016 after becoming immensely popular in the three years it was available. The app was launched in February 2013, allowing creators to upload funny six-second videos on the app. Similar to #RIPharambe, Vine also gained a hashtag, #RIPvine, after it shut down. Vine is still in the hearts of many, and vines can still be watched on YouTube where there are hundreds of compilations.