the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2005 in America

To be fifteen in America in 2005 was to have “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz everywhere, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith on every screen, and American Idol on after school. That year, gas cost $2.30 and YouTube was the new thing. Born in 1990? You turned 15 in 2005 — a teenager from 2003 to 2009, 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.

▶ Play your 2005 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 2005

Feel Good Inc. — Gorillaz

  1. Feel Good Inc. — GorillazThat cackling bassline was headphones on the back of the bus, feeling like the future itself.
  2. Mr. Brightside — The KillersThe jealous rush everyone still screams at full volume, forever, at every party since.
  3. Beverly Hills — WeezerWeezer at their goofy, talk-box best — a Playboy-mansion daydream that turned every basement misfit into a summer rockstar.
  4. Hollaback Girl — Gwen StefaniGwen's stomping, spelling chant was the ridiculous, unshakable earworm of the whole summer.
  5. Gold Digger — Kanye West ft. Jamie FoxxKanye's soul-flip banger had the entire party shouting the hook with their hands in the air.

▶ Play your 2005 reel

why this one mattered

The MTV2 / 'Demon Days' anthem that defined being a music-discovering teen in 2005. The De La Soul cackle, the windmill island, the bassline — it was the cool-kid alternative to the radio, the ringtone everybody wanted. It hits a 15-year-old of 2005 far harder than the year-end adult-R&B ballad.

the year-end #1 was We Belong Together — Mariah Carey.

the movies you are watching in 2005

  • Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Batman Begins
  • War of the Worlds
  • Wedding Crashers

the tv shows you are binging in 2005

  • American Idol
  • Lost
  • Desperate Housewives
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

the games you are playing in 2005

  • Mario Kart DS
  • Pokémon Emerald
  • Nintendogs
  • Sonic Rush
  • Star Wars: Battlefront II
  • Resident Evil 4

what things cost in 2005

What things cost in 2005
a gallon of gas$2.30
a movie ticket$6.41
a Big Mac$3.06
minimum wage$5.15/hr
a first-class stamp$0.37
the average income$46,242

trending this year

YouTube
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_YouTube_(2005-2017).svg · Public domain
YouTube
Xbox 360
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microsoft-Xbox-360-Pro-Console-FL.jpg · Public Domain
Xbox 360
iPod nano
RENATO20303, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
iPod nano
Google Maps
Santeri Viinamäki / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Google Maps
The Office (US)
Crew (Unsplash) — CC0 public domain, no attribution required
The Office (US)

the gadgets you just got

Apple iPod nano (1st generation)
RENATO20303, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Apple iPod nano (1st generation)
Microsoft Xbox 360
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microsoft-Xbox-360-Pro-Console-FL.jpg · Public Domain
Microsoft Xbox 360
Motorola RAZR V3
Photo by Raimond Spekking (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motorola_RAZR_V3-4899.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Motorola RAZR V3
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sony-PSP-1000-Body.png · Public Domain
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)
BlackBerry 7290
Photo by Maximilian Schönherr (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackberry_7290_German_edition_2004,_unboxing.gif · CC BY-SA 4.0
BlackBerry 7290

what everyone is snacking on

Lay's Stax
Evan-Amos, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Lay's Stax
Hot Pockets
Tony Branston, originally on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_Pocket_Cooked.jpg) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Hot Pockets
Doritos
Bananasoldier, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Doritos
Cheetos
annulla, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cheetos
Pop-Tarts
Evan-Amos, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Pop-Tarts

what everyone is drinking

Red Bull Energy Drink
Oto Zapletal, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Bull_energy_drinks.jpg) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Bull Energy Drink
Coca-Cola Zero
Veronidae, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lata_de_Coca_Cola_y_Coca_Cola_zero.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0
Coca-Cola Zero
Monster Energy
Bxxiaolin, edited by Pittigrilli, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Can_of_Monster_Energy_drink_sold_in_China_(0.33_l),_on_white_background.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Monster Energy
Gatorade
Fotonovela, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gatorade_Thirst_Quencher.jpg) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gatorade
Starbucks Frappuccino
Vikiçizer, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starbucks_frappuccino.JPG) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Starbucks Frappuccino

what made the news in 2005

  • Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans as failed levees flood the city, killing over 1,800
  • Pope John Paul II dies in April; Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected as Benedict XVI
  • Coordinated suicide bombings strike London's transit system on July 7, killing 52 commuters
  • Lance Armstrong claims a record seventh consecutive Tour de France title
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Niemi (public domain) · Public Domain (US Government / US Coast Guard, 17 U.S.C. 105)
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
Pope John Paul II dies; Benedict XVI elected
Ricardo Stuckert/PR — Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR · CC BY 3.0 BR (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Brazil)
Pope John Paul II dies; Benedict XVI elected
London 7/7 terrorist bombings strike the Underground and a bus
Hugh Llewelyn, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
London 7/7 terrorist bombings strike the Underground and a bus
YouTube is founded, launching the online video era
Photo by YouTube (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_of_YouTube_(2013-2015).svg · Public domain
YouTube is founded, launching the online video era
Hurricanes Rita and Wilma cap a record Atlantic storm season
NASA (MODIS/Terra); processing Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison — public domain · Public Domain (NASA — work of the US federal government)
Hurricanes Rita and Wilma cap a record Atlantic storm season

what everyone is saying

  • "Truthiness"Coined by Stephen Colbert on the debut of The Colbert Report in October 2005
  • "Lazy Sunday / The Chronic-WHAT-cles of Narnia"Viral SNL Digital Short rap by Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell, premiered December 2005
  • "That's hot"Paris Hilton's signature catchphrase popularized on The Simple Life
  • "Numa Numa"Gary Brolsma's webcam lip-sync of O-Zone's Dragostea Din Tei peaked as a defining viral video in 2005
  • "Pimp My Ride"Catchphrase from the MTV car-customization show hosted by Xzibit, at its peak in 2005

top-performing stocks in 2005

Top-performing stocks in 2005
CompanyTickerPriceChange
Allegheny TechnologiesATI$72+135%
Peabody EnergyBTU$41+95%
SunocoSUN$78+90%
Valero EnergyVLO$52+125%
Phelps DodgePD$144+45%

worst-performing stocks in 2005

Worst-performing stocks in 2005
CompanyTickerPriceChange
CalpineCPN$0.30-92%
DelphiDPH$0.70-92%
General MotorsGM$19-52%
MaytagMYG$18-37%
Eastman KodakEK$23-29%

the summer of 2005.

the best of it still feels like it's coming.

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 2005 goes.

Turn 2005 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 2005 reel with sound