As the first quarter of the 21st century comes to a close, the dawn of the millennium really does feel like a very long time ago.
In 2000, there were no iPhones (they were invented in 2007) and no Instagram (2004). And not many people, presumably, predicted they would be affected by a worldwide pandemic in their lifetimes.
In the past 25 years, the world has witnessed terrorist attacks, natural disasters brought on by climate change, a social media revolution and increasing political polarisation.
But it’s also seen sporting triumphs, scenes of solidarity and of course, pop culture moments that broke the internet.
These are the unforgettable photographs that defined the first quarter of the 21st century. Scroll to the top of the article to view the full gallery.
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Few images are as seared into global memory as the planes striking New York’s World Trade Center.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, killed 2,977 people and reshaped international relations. The attack marked the beginning of the “War on Terror” as well as changes to global security, surveillance and air travel.
The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland sent a vast ash cloud into European airspace, grounding 100,000 flights across the continent for eight days.
It highlighted just how interconnected the world had become.
A selfie was taken by actor Bradley Cooper at the Oscars in 2014. Featuring Ellen De Generes, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts among other stars it became the most retweeted message of all time.
On January 6 2021, Donald Trump supporters made history when they stormed the Capitol building in Washington to protest Donald Trump losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
Four people died during the insurrection.
Illustrating the stark loneliness that many people felt during successive lockdowns imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II had to attend her husband’s funeral alone.
Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021 aged 99. They had been married for 73 years.
Sport provided one of the era’s most joyful pictures when Lionel Messi lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy after Argentina’s dramatic win against France in Qatar in 2022. His team won the final 4-2 on penalties in one of the competition’s most thrilling matches to date.
Activists from Just Stop Oil threw Heinz tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s famous “Sunflowers” painting in the National Gallery in London on October 14, 2022. The pair of activists then glued their hands to the wall and demanded immediate action to address the climate crisis.
The painting itself was behind a plastic sheet so was not damaged, but the incident sparked outrage and admiration, and was but one example of escalating direct action protests.
