25 things turning 25 in 2025

NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" was released on January 17, 2000.

In January 2000, boy band NSYNC released "Bye Bye Bye" as the lead single for their album "No Strings Attached."

The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and the music video became a cultural phenomenon, staying in first place on "Total Request Live" for 25 days. It was even nominated for Video of the Year at MTV Video Music Awards.

Ricky Martin's hit single "She Bangs" is turning 25.

Twenty-five years ago, Ricky Martin released "She Bangs," and the single climbed the charts. It reached 12th place on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 18 weeks.

"I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack was also released 25 years ago.

When Lee Ann Womack released her country single "I Hope You Dance" in 2000, it became a hit. It reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and she earned a Country Music Association Award for single of the year.

Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out" also turns 25 this year.

When Baha Men first released "Who Let the Dogs Out," it flopped, barely reaching the top 40. But slowly, the single gained popularity in the early 2000s, as the catchy lyrics and tune caught on.

Bon Jovi carried their career into the new decade with "It's My Life," released May 8, 2000.

In the '80s and '90s, Bon Jovi released massive hits like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name," but the band released another hit single in 2000: "It's My Life." The song eventually climbed to the top of the charts, carrying the band into another decade of success.

Coldplay's debut album, "Parachutes," was released in July 2000.

Bandmates Chris Martin, Will Champion, Jonny Buckland, and Guy Berryman released their debut studio album, "Parachutes," in July 2000 under the name Coldplay.

The album featured the song "Yellow," which remains a fan-favorite.

The fourth book in the "Harry Potter" series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," was released in July 2000.

Following the success of her three other books in the "Harry Potter" series, JK Rowling published her fourth book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," in the summer of 2000.

In 2020, Screen Rant reported that the book has sold about 65 million copies, making it the second-most popular book in the series.

Twenty-five years since the book's release, the franchise is still extremely successful, with a film series, amusement rides at Universal Studios, a show on Broadway, and an upcoming TV series.

However, Rowling herself has been the subject of controversy in recent years.

It's been nearly 25 years since Julia Quinn released the first two books in the "Bridgerton" series, "The Duke and I" and "The Viscount Who Loved Me."

In the nearly 25 years since their release, Quinn's books have become the source material behind one of Netflix's most popular series to date: "Bridgerton."

The show, and its spinoff series, "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," attracted 189 million views in the first half of 2024, with season three of "Bridgerton" accounting for 92 million in less than two months following its releases in May and June.

Season four is currently in the works.

"Erin Brockovich," starring Julia Roberts, came out in 2000.

"Erin Brockovich" is a biographical film about the real-life woman — played by Julia Roberts — who battled a California power company after it was accused of polluting a city's water. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture. Roberts took home the Oscar for best actress.

The movie "Almost Famous" is turning 25.

"Almost Famous" became a cultural juggernaut when it came out in 2000. The movie follows a high schooler who's writing an article for Rolling Stone about a new rock band.

It features an all-star cast, including Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin, and Zooey Deschanel. The film went on to be nominated for four Academy Awards, but it only took home one for best original screenplay.

Christian Bale took on the iconic role of Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho," released in April 2000.

Twenty-five years ago, a then 26-year-old Christian Bale starred as Patrick Bateman, a banking exec who moonlights as a psychopathic killer, in "American Psycho." The movie quickly became a cult classic — in 2013, the film was even turned into a Broadway musical.

The first "Scary Movie" was released in July 2000.

In the summer of 2000, "Scary Movie" was released to parody the most popular horror films of the time, including "Scream," "Sixth Sense," and "The Blair Witch Project." It went on to be a success, launching Anna Faris' acting career and sparking multiple sequels.

In October 2024, Marlon, Shawn, and Keenan Wayans announced they're returning to the franchise for "Scary Movie 6."

It's been nearly 25 years since Russell Crowe played Maximus in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator."

In 2000, Russell Crowe starred as Maximus, a vengeful Roman general, in "Gladiator." The following year, the film was nominated 12 times at the Academy Awards, winning best picture. Crowe also took home the trophy for best actor.

Its sequel, "Gladiator II," was released in 2024 and starred Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington.

In August 2000, "Bring It On" was released.

In 2000, Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union starred as rival cheerleading captains Torrance and Isis in the hit teen movie "Bring It On."

The success of the film prompted several sequels in the following years.

"Survivor" made its debut in May 2000.

"Survivor" premiered on CBS on May 31, 2000. In the reality TV competition, strangers are placed in a remote and isolated location, then they have to find food and shelter, while also competing in challenges.

Each contestant is voted off the island one by one until there's only one standing survivor. That person wins $1 million. Over the last 25 years, "Survivor" has had 47 seasons, all of which have been hosted by Jeff Probst.

Another CBS show, "Big Brother," also debuted 25 years ago.

After "Survivor," CBS premiered another hit reality competition show in July 2000: "Big Brother."

The series follows a group of strangers who are forced to live together in a house while under constant surveillance. They compete in challenges and, in the end, one person wins $500,000.

Through the years, the show became increasingly popular, prompting spin-offs like "Celebrity Big Brother." So far, there have been 26 seasons, all hosted by Julie Chen Moonves.

The world's first camera phone was introduced 25 years ago.

Although camera phones are common today, the first phone for sale with a camera was released in 2000. The phone was called J-SH04, and it had just a 0.1-megapixel resolution.

A 2002 version of the J-Phone is pictured above.

The popular dating website eHarmony launched in 2000.

Before there was Tinder or Bumble, clinical psychologist Dr. Neil Clark Warren created eHarmony, a website designed to help you meet your perfect match.

The site initially had users answer more than 450 questions to help them better enter long-term relationships. Since then, the site has cut down its questions, but remained one of the top online dating services. In 2017, for example, eHarmony had 750,000 paid subscribers and 10 million active users.

The first "The Sims" game is turning 25, too.

The popular computer game, "The Sims," made its debut on February 4, 2000, and since then, the franchise has sold 200 million game copies, according to The Washington Post.

One of the most recent editions of the game, "The Sims 4: Life and Death," was released on October 31, 2024.

The teen clothing brand Hollister opened in 2000.

In 2000, Abercrombie & Fitch launched a new brand called Hollister, geared toward teenagers. The clothing store markets itself as laid-back attire, inspired by California's relaxed lifestyle.

Today, there are more than 500 Hollister stores worldwide.

2025 will also be the 25th anniversary of Jennifer Lopez's iconic sheer green Versace dress.

In a February 2024 "Life in Looks" interview with Vogue, Lopez said that her stylist at the time, Andrea Lieberman, asked her not to wear the dress.

"My stylist was like, 'Please don't wear it. Somebody else has worn it,''" Lopez said, adding, "I was like, 'Well, you bought it, and it looks the best, so I'm going to wear it.' And so I did. And it caused quite a stir."

Lopez isn't wrong — the world has her and that dress to thank for Google Image Search, according to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

It's also the 25th anniversary of the 2000 World Series — dubbed the "Subway Series" — as the Yankees took on the Mets.

In the end, the Yankees became champions, winning its third consecutive World Series four games to one.

Venus Williams will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of her first Wimbledon women's singles final win.

At just 20 years old, Venus Williams lifted the Wimbledon trophy for the first time in her career after defeating Lindsay Davenport.

Williams went on to win the Wimbledon singles' trophy four more times. She also has won six Wimbledon doubles titles.

It's been 25 years since the legendary 2000 presidential election, which ended with a Supreme Court case.

Twenty-five years later, it's easy to forget how close the 2000 presidential election was.

Democratic nominee Al Gore and Republican nominee George W. Bush went head to head, but on election night, it was unclear who won.

With the votes so close in Florida, the state ordered a recount. After a slew of legal fights around the recount in Florida, the Supreme Court decided that the initial results would be counted, giving Bush the election. He won by a .009% margin, or 537 votes.

The International Space Station is also celebrating a 25-year milestone: Its first live-in crew arrived in 2000.

Although President Ronald Reagan ordered NASA to build the International Space Station in 1984, it wasn't until 2000 that people actually lived on it.

Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko, and Sergei Krikalev became the first three to reside on the ISS and live there for several months. Since then, more than 270 people from over 20 countries have visited the ISS, according to NASA.