2000s History: Key Events, Politics And Culture
Millennium, 9/11, Iraq, the smoking ban and the financial crisis.
Below: the key events of the 2000s, the politics of the decade, the social changes that came with them, the culture people still talk about, and what ordinary life looked like.
Written for quizzes, reminiscence sessions, school projects and anyone working out what a relative lived through.
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Key events of the 2000s
- The millennium arrives without the Y2K disaster on 1 January 2000.
- The 11 September attacks in 2001, and the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
- The 7 July 2005 London bombings, the day after the 2012 Olympics are awarded.
- The smoking ban in enclosed public places: Scotland 2006, England and Wales 2007.
- Northern Rock's queues in September 2007 and the crash of autumn 2008.
- The MPs' expenses scandal breaks in 2009.
Politics and government
- Blair wins in 2001 and 2005; Gordon Brown takes over in June 2007.
- The Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Human Rights Act taking full effect.
- The Hunting Act 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
- Banks are part-nationalised in October 2008 to stop the system failing.
- The Iraq war splits the Labour party and brings a million onto the streets in February 2003.
Social change: rights, work and family life
- Civil partnerships began in December 2005.
- The Equality Act 2010 pulled the discrimination laws into one act.
- The smoking ban came in across the UK in 2006-07.
- EU enlargement in 2004 brought large-scale migration from central and eastern Europe.
- Tuition fees rose to £3,000 in 2006 and student debt became normal.
Culture and entertainment
- Big Brother, Pop Idol and The X Factor build Saturday night around voting.
- The iPod (2001), then iTunes and the end of the album as the unit of music.
- Facebook opens to everyone in 2006; YouTube starts in 2005.
- The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films dominate the box office.
- Indie guitar bands, grime emerging from east London, and the download chart from 2005.
Everyday life
- Broadband replaces dial-up; Freeview replaces the analogue aerial.
- Low-cost flights make a weekend in Europe normal.
- Chip and PIN from 2004, and contactless trials by the end of the decade.
- Text messaging becomes the default way to arrange anything.
Years covered in the 2000s
- 2000 - The Millennium Dome, the fuel protests and Big Brother arriving from nowhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2000
- 2001 - Foot-and-mouth, 11 September and the first iPod. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2001
- 2002 - The Golden Jubilee, the death of the Queen Mother and Pop Idol fever. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2002
- 2003 - Iraq, a record-breaking heatwave and England winning the Rugby World Cup. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2003
- 2004 - Strictly and The X Factor both started, and the year ended with the tsunami. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2004
- 2005 - The Olympic bid, the 7 July bombings and the Ashes coming home. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2005
- 2006 - Arctic Monkeys, the Wii and another World Cup penalty shoot-out. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2006
- 2007 - The iPhone, the smoking ban, the floods and the run on Northern Rock. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2007
- 2008 - The banking crash, a brilliant Olympics and Lewis Hamilton on the last corner. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2008
- 2009 - Recession, MPs' expenses and a Christmas number one campaign that worked. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2009
- That is every 2000s year we have written up so far: 2000 to 2009.
How to use this
- Quiz round: read an event and ask for the year, or read a year and ask for the prime minister.
- Reminiscence: ask where they were for one of the events above. The answers are always better than the facts.
- School project: pair this page with the decade calendar for a year-by-year timeline.
- Anyone born in 2000 turns 50 in 2050, 60 in 2060 and 70 in 2070.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop prints and posters Look back to 2000 Look back to 2001 Look back to 2002
How to write it so it lands
- Pair this with the decade calendar if you need the events in year order.
- For a reminiscence session, read one event and let the conversation go wherever it goes.
- Politics and everyday life rarely moved at the same speed. Both sections are here for that reason.
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Where to shop next
- Look back to 2000
- Look back to 2001
- Look back to 2002
- Look back to 2003
- Look back to 2004
- Look back to 2005
- Look back to 2006
- Look back to 2007
- Look back to 2008
- Look back to 2009
- 2000s calendar: year by year
- 2000s trivia: fun facts
- 2000s art and artists
- 2000s films and directors
- 2000s music: albums and artists
- 2000s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
- The 2000s: the whole decade
- Retro gift guide: the 2000s
- 2000s party playlist
- 00s quiz questions
- Dial-up, MSN and MySpace
- Adverts we can still recite
- Decade music round questions
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
- Decade films: best movies and directors by era
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Decade quiz: test your memory
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Milestone birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What were the most important events of the 2000s?
The millennium arrives without the Y2K disaster on 1 January 2000. The full list above covers the events that defined the decade.
What was happening politically in the 2000s?
Blair wins in 2001 and 2005; Gordon Brown takes over in June 2007. The politics section above covers the governments, laws and arguments of the decade.
How did society change in the 2000s?
Civil partnerships began in December 2005. The social change section above lists the laws, rights and shifts in work and family life that defined the decade.
What was life like in the 2000s?
Broadband replaces dial-up; Freeview replaces the analogue aerial. The everyday life section above covers homes, money, work and shopping.
What was popular culture like in the 2000s?
Big Brother, Pop Idol and The X Factor build Saturday night around voting. There are fuller guides to the decade's music, films, television and fashion linked from this page.
Can I use this for a quiz or a school project?
Yes, freely. Print it, read it out, copy it - no permission needed. We make greeting cards and prints; these pages are free.