Look Back To The 2010s: The Whole Decade
Two royal weddings, a home Olympics, a referendum that split the country and the decade streaming took over.
Below is the decade in sections, and a link to every single year from 2010 to 2019.
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Funny and warm birthday cards, blank inside, printed in the UK with kraft envelopes. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
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Happy Birthday Bab (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
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Happy Birthday Handsome (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
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You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card)
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Happy Birthday Card For The World's Best Sister-in-Law
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The music
- Adele's 21 in 2011 and 25 in 2015 were the two biggest-selling albums of the decade in Britain.
- Streaming began counting towards the official chart in 2014, and by the end of the decade it decided it.
- Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' in 2017 became one of the most-streamed songs ever released.
- Ladbaby took the Christmas number one three years running from 2018, raising money for the Trussell Trust.
- Grime broke through properly with Skepta and Stormzy in the middle of the decade.
- One Direction, formed on The X Factor in 2010, became the biggest British act of the early decade.
The news
- The coalition government was formed in May 2010, the first since the war.
- Prince William married Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011; Prince Harry married Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018.
- The EU referendum on 23 June 2016 voted to leave by 52 to 48.
- The Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017 killed 72 people.
- The Scottish independence referendum was held in September 2014.
- The Queen became the longest-reigning British monarch in September 2015.
On screen
- Netflix launched in the UK in January 2012, and streaming changed how everyone watched.
- Game of Thrones ran from 2011 to 2019 and was the last drama the whole country discussed weekly.
- The Great British Bake Off moved to BBC One in 2014 and then to Channel 4 in 2017.
- The Marvel films became the default cinema trip for a decade.
- Downton Abbey, Line of Duty and Peaky Blinders all began in the first half of the decade.
Everyday life
- Contactless cards, then phones, replaced cash for most small purchases.
- Instagram, Snapchat and later TikTok changed what a photograph was for.
- Deliveroo, Uber and Airbnb arrived and became normal within a few years.
- The 5p carrier bag charge came in in England in October 2015.
- Smart speakers, streaming boxes and on-demand everything ended the television schedule as a fixed thing.
Year by year
- 2010 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2011 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2012 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2013 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2014 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2015 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2016 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2017 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2018 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
- 2019 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
How to write it so it lands
- Each year has its own page with the charts, the news and the everyday detail.
- For a party, pull three facts from one year and run it as a guess-the-year round.
- For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 2019
- Look back to 2018
- Look back to 2017
- Look back to 2016
- Look back to 2015
- Look back to 2014
- Look back to 2013
- Look back to 2012
- Look back to 2011
- Look back to 2010
- 2010s party playlist
- Phone party games
- How to run a quiz night
- Decade music round questions
- Guess the year quiz
- The 2020s so far
- The 2010s: the whole decade
- The 2000s: the whole decade
- The 1990s: the whole decade
- The 1980s: the whole decade
- The 1970s: the whole decade
- The 1960s: the whole decade
- The 1950s: the whole decade
- The 1940s: the whole decade
- The 1930s: the whole decade
- The 1920s: the whole decade
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
- Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
- Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
- Decade films: best movies and directors by era
- Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Retro party supplies
- Nostalgia birthday party by decade
- Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
- Care home reminiscence quiz
- Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
- Milestone birthday cards
- Shop birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Wedding cards
- Wedding cards guide
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
When did streaming start counting in the UK chart?
Audio streams were included in the official singles chart from July 2014.
When was the EU referendum?
23 June 2016. The result was 51.9 per cent to leave and 48.1 per cent to remain.
What was the biggest-selling album of the 2010s in the UK?
Adele's 21, released in January 2011.
When did Netflix launch in the UK?
January 2012.
Do you sell anything to do with this decade?
We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. The pages themselves are free to read and free to copy.