To be fifteen in Canada in 2010 was to have “Baby” by Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris everywhere, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on every screen, and Republic of Doyle on after school. That year, gas cost $1.05/L and The iPad was the new thing. Born in 1995? You turned 15 in 2010 — a teenager from 2008 to 2014, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.
Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.
California Gurls — Katy Perry feat. Snoop DoggSnoop's cameo and candy-coloured synths made a landlocked Canadian summer feel briefly like the California coast.
Love the Way You Lie — Eminem feat. RihannaEminem and Rihanna set the whole toxic-love thing to a hook you screamed anyway, windows down.
OMG — Usher feat. will.i.amUsher's autotuned rush was the beat that turned the community-centre dance into an actual event.
Over — DrakeDrake sounding lonely at the top made even small-town kids feel the weight of everything ahead.
I Believe — Nikki YanofskyMontreal's teenage Nikki Yanofsky gave the Olympic winter a jazzy anthem that stuck around all summer.
A kid from Stratford, Ontario became the biggest pop star on the planet that year — "Bieber Fever" wasn't a metaphor in Canadian school hallways, it was just Tuesday.
the year-end #1 was Peaked at #3 on the Canadian Hot 100 in early 2010 (not #1, but the era-defining single and cultural phenomenon of the year) from Bieber's debut album My World 2.0.
what topped the Canadian box office in 2010
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Toy Story 3
Inception
Twilight: Eclipse
Iron Man 2
the tv shows you are binging in 2010
Republic of Doyle
Being Erica
Flashpoint
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Vancouver 2010 Olympics broadcast (CTV consortium)
the games you are playing in 2010
Just Dance 2
Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Kinect Adventures
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Red Dead Redemption
Mass Effect 2
what things cost in 2010
What things cost in 2010
a gallon of gas
$1.05/L
minimum wage
$10.25/hr (Ontario)
a movie ticket
~$8.50
a first-class stamp
57¢
the average income
~$41,500/yr (approx.)
trending this year
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympic_Cauldron_lit_at_2010_Winter_Olympics_opening_ceremony.jpg · Public domainVancouver 2010 Winter OlympicsPhoto by Michael Francis McCarthy (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010_VANCOUVER_WINTER_OLYMPICS_THE_CHAMPIONS_OF_THE_GAMES_ALEXANDRE_BILODEAU_GOLD_MEDAL_CEREMONY_1.jpg · CC BY 2.0Canada's record 14 gold medalsPhoto by mark.watmough (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sidney_Crosby_gloves,_stick_and_puck_from_%22Golden_Goal%22_(4758357195).jpg · CC BY 2.0The Golden GoalPhoto by Commodore Gandalf Cunningham (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G-20_Toronto_June_2010_(9).jpg · CC BY 2.0G20 Toronto SummitWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPad-WiFi-1stGen.jpg · Public domainiPad arrives
the gadgets you just got
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPad-WiFi-1stGen.jpg · Public domainiPadWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_4_-_front.jpg · CC0iPhone 4Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:XBOX_360_Kincet.jpg · Public domainXbox 360 KinectPhoto by edans / Enrique Dans (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BlackBerry_Torch.jpg · CC BY 2.0BlackBerry TorchPhoto by Yuri Samoilov (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Instagram_app_icon_on_smartphone_screen_(perspective_render)_(49897226292).jpg · CC BY 2.0Instagram (launches)
what everyone is snacking on
Photo by Hannah Clover (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ketchup_chips.jpg · CC BY 4.0Ketchup chipsPhoto by Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NanaimoS1370051.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Nanaimo barsAI-generated illustrationHickory SticksWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coffee-Crisp-Split.jpg · Public domainCoffee CrispAI-generated illustrationMr. Big bar
what everyone is drinking
Photo by Tungyi (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Hortons..jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Tim HortonsPhoto by Fmvh (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_Dry_ginger_ale_can.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Canada DryPhoto by AirIntake at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caesar_Cocktail.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0Clamato CaesarPhoto by Kiliweb (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President%27s_Choice_Cola.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0President's Choice ColaAI-generated illustrationSchool vending-machine iced tea
what made the news in 2010
The iPad launches in Canada (May 2010)
The Chilean miners' rescue captivates the world (Oct 2010)
A census long-form controversy becomes a national political debate
Justin Bieber and Drake both break out as global Canadian pop-culture exports
Photo by Tim Hipps (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Team_Canada_at_2010_Winter_Olympics_opening_ceremony_2.jpg · Public domainVancouver 2010 Winter Olympics open with the whole country watching (Feb 12, 2010)Photo by Elliot (Castro Valley, California) (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crosby,_Sidney.jpg · CC BY 2.0Sidney Crosby scores the overtime "Golden Goal" to beat the US for hockey gold (Feb 28, 2010)Photo by popejon2 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vancouver_2010_Olympic_cauldron_at_night.jpg · CC BY 2.0Canada wins a record 14 gold medals — the most ever by a Winter Olympics host nationPhoto by Loozrboy (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010_G20_Toronto_(2).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0G20 Toronto Summit draws mass protests and a controversial police response (June 2010)Photo by Logan Abassi / UNDP Global (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haitian_national_palace_earthquake.jpg · CC BY 2.0Haiti earthquake prompts a major Canadian relief and adoption response (Jan 2010)
what everyone is saying
"Own the Podium"the funding push behind Canada's record medal haul
"Golden Goal"shorthand for any clutch, last-second win after Crosby's OT winner
