Tag: 10 Things

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: July 13-19

The first Amazon Prime Day, butt covers for cats, and Tom Cruise is crazy. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

The first Amazon Prime Day was a huge flop – except it wasn’t

People complained the deals sucked, and #PrimeDayFail started trending. But behind the scenes, Amazon sold more products than they did on Black Friday. In the decade since, it’s become a massive sales event and helped Jeff Bezos accumulate enough cash to rent out a whole city for his (relatively cheap) $50 million Venetian wedding in June 2025.

Tom Cruise clung to the side of an airplane

The producers of “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” released behind-the-scenes footage of how they did the shot where he clings to the side of an Airbus A400M. Turned out they just strapped him to it and hoped he didn’t die. We knew he did his own stunts, but damn.

Marshawn Lynch’s socks doubled as food storage

The five-time NFL Pro Bowler was helping out at a free football clinic in his hometown of Oakland, CA when he tucked a few chicken wings in his sock to save for later. He ended up suffering a string of injuries that fall (as far as we know, unrelated to the wings) and missed half of the Seahawks’ 2015 season.

Boner-hiding boxers and butt covers for cats

A start-up called Bloxers claimed their special underwear with an inner layer of compression fabric could hide your accidentally engorged junk. Teenage boys rejoiced, but the company only raised $2,400 on Indiegogo.

Meanwhile, a company called Twinkle Tush went viral for selling jewels you could hang off your cat’s tail to hide its butthole. Cat owners loved the gag gift. Cats themselves were predictably nonplussed.

“Ant Man” was Marvel’s 12th movie to open at #1

But with an opening of just $57 million, critics wondered if it would make back its sizable $114 million budget. (It did and then some, grossing $519 million worldwide.) Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” had also just opened to rave reviews, and the first trailer for DC Comics’ “Suicide Squad” landed the same week after debuting at Comic-Con.

Donald Trump said John McCain wasn’t a war hero

At the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, he said, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” Many experts predicted it would be the nail in the coffin of Trump’s campaign.

Barack Obama said Bill Cosby would keep his Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dozens of women had accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them. Obama said there was no mechanism for revoking a Presidential Medal of Freedom (which the comic was awarded in 2002), but called the accusations against him “rape” if proven true. Cosby was found guilty in 2018, but his conviction was overturned in 2021.

50 Cent filed for bankruptcy five years after being worth $500 million

Fans wondered how anyone could blow through that much cash, and it turned out he didn’t. He was dealing with a lawsuit, and it was a strategic business move. He wasn’t really broke.

DMX got six months in jail for ducking child support

He’d been arrested a month earlier for owing $400,000 in unpaid child support. He spent another year behind bars in 2018-19 for tax fraud. Sadly, the rapper died in 2021 of a heart attack, reportedly caused by a drug overdose.

“Game of Thrones” was nominated for 24 Emmys

It went on to snag 12 of them – including Outstanding Drama Series – the most ever for one show in a single year, at the time. If you count miniseries, “John Adams” won 13 Emmys in 2008, but it matters not. “Shōgun” blew them both away with 18 wins in 2024.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: July 6-12

Jared Fogel is a creep, NFL players vs. fireworks, and Oreo Thins make their debut. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

We found out Jared from Subway was a perv.

The FBI raided Jared Fogle’s home in Indiana on July 7, 2015 as part of a child pornography investigation. Subway immediately dumped him as their spokesman. Even worse, his cameo in “Sharknado 3” got cut! He agreed to a plea deal a month later that put him away for 15 years. He won’t be eligible for parole until 2029.

Two NFL players lost fingers playing with fireworks.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated on July 8, 2015, four days after a firework mangled his hand. Bucs cornerback C.J. Wilson also lost two fingers in a fireworks mishap that same Fourth of July. The injury ended Wilson’s career. Pierre-Paul missed half a season and went on to make the Pro Bowl in 2020.

Your odds of winning the Powerball got worse.

They added 10 more balls, but also dropped the number of Powerballs from 35 to 26. All told, it lowered the odds of hitting the jackpot from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292 million, but the odds of winning smaller prizes increased. The changes led to the first $1 billion Powerball jackpot winner just six months later. ($1.59 billion in January 2016.)

Oreo Thins made their debut.

ABC News noted the thinner, snappier version took longer to soften when dunked in milk – 37 seconds vs. 19 for the O.G. (They also reported Thins were only 7 fewer calories, but it’s actually 18 fewer.)

The Women’s World Cup Final was the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history.

26.7 million Americans tuned in to watch the U.S. score four goals in the first 16 minutes and beat Japan 5-2. The ratings record stood for seven years until the Men’s World Cup Final between Argentina and France narrowly topped it with 26.73 million in 2022.

Meek Mill had his first #1 album.

“Dreams Worth More Than Money” went on to become the first platinum album of his career. His 2018 album “Championships” also went platinum.

A kid passed his driving test, then his mom crashed into the DMV.

It happened at a DMV in Huntsville, Alabama. She claimed the brakes didn’t work, but her son had just passed his test in the same car, so…

Taylor Swift gave $50,000 to an 11-year-old fan with cancer.

Naomi Oakes’ cancer went into remission a year later. She graduated from high school in 2022. 

LucasFilm announced a Han Solo spinoff was in the works.

“Solo” came out in 2018 and made $393 million, but cost $275 million to make. By “Star Wars” standards, the $118 million profit was considered a modest success.

“Minions” was a massive hit.

The “Despicable Me” spinoff outgrossed the original, raking in $336 million. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” made even more in 2022, leading to a third Minions movie that was announced in July 2024.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 29-July 5

Joey Chestnut loses, Ben Affleck gets divorced, and Donald Trump hears, “You’re fired.” Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

Joey Chestnut lost the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

It was the first time in nearly a decade that he didn’t win. Competitive eater Matt Stonie ate 62, while Chestnut only managed 60. It’s the only time Chestnut lost between 2007 and 2023. He won eight straight, lost to Stonie in 2015, then won another eight in a row before sitting out in 2024 due to a sponsorship issue.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their divorce.

“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce.” The announcement came one day after their 10th anniversary. He eventually got back together with former flame Jennifer Lopez, and married her in 2022. They split up two years later.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis secretly got married.

They tied the knot on July 4th, 2015, 17 years after first meeting as cast members on “That ’70s Show”.

Donald Trump heard “you’re fired” over and over again.

NBC, Macy’s, NASCAR, and others dumped Trump after he launched his presidential campaign and made disparaging remarks about Mexicans: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Diddy fell in a hole at the BET Awards.

He was performing with Lil Kim, Mace, Faith Evans, and others while celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bad Boy Records.

Rihanna did something no other artist had done.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced she was the first artist to rack up more than 100 million gold & platinum song certifications.

“The Tonight Show” was on hiatus after Jimmy Fallon almost lost a finger.

His wedding ring partially ripped his finger off when he tripped on a rug and grabbed a countertop to catch himself. He suffered a “ring avulsion” and was in the ICU for 10 days. They had to take a vein out of his foot and rebuild the digit. “The Tonight Show” resumed taping two weeks later in mid-July.

“Crypto” was giving people diarrhea.

A disease called cryptosporidium – or “crypto” for short – was infecting pools and hot tubs and making people ill. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies wouldn’t take off in a big way for another few years.

People were wondering if “South Park” would make it to 20.

In the lead up to Season 19, co-creator Matt Stone calmed fans’ nerves by saying, “We won’t stop until we get canceled. We’re renewing. They have to f*cking cancel us, goddammit!” Season 27 of the show (which premiered in 1997) is set to start July 9th, 2025.

The trailer for “Creed” was released.

Fans of the “Rocky” franchise were wondering if the spinoff – starring Michael B. Jordan as Apollo Creed’s illegitimate son – would even work. It ended up grossing $174 million at the box office, leading to “Creed II” in 2018 ($214 million), and “Creed III” in 2023 ($276 million).

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 22-28

Spider-Man, fo’ shizzle, Diddy crime, and mattress actors. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

The new Spider-Man was an actor you’d never heard of.

19-year-old Tom Holland was relatively unknown, but did have some cred for his performance in 2012’s “The Impossible” with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. (Really needed his web slingers in that one. Spoiler: the tsunami wins.)

Leonardo DiCaprio invested in a mattress startup.

He knows his way around a bedroom, so folks laughed. Fellow mattress enthusiasts Adam Levine and (ex Spider-Man) Tobey Maguire were also early investors. The up-and-coming mattress company was Casper.

Diddy was maybe going to jail.

He got arrested for aggravated assault after a dust up with a coach at UCLA, where his son was playing football. The charges were eventually dropped due to a “lack of evidence,” but it was later alleged he’d fought the coach, choked out an intern, and put another staff member in a headlock. The good news is he was able to put his legal troubles behind him…

Dustin Diamond was definitely going to jail.

He got four months for stabbing a dude in a bar brawl on New Year’s Day. Served three, got out on probation. Sadly, we lost Screech less than six years later. Dustin (who was not a smoker) lost a battle with lung cancer in early 2021.

“Fo’ shizzle” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Even the snobby, fancy dictionaries had caved and were leaning into the new 21st century vocab. “Sext,” “hot mess,” “autotune,” and “stanky” also made it in that year.

A cat won Dog of the Year.

You’ll know why when you remember the footage. A loose dog tried to rip a kid’s leg off in Bakersfield, CA, but the family cat kicked its ass. 7-year-old tabby Tara took home spcaLA’s highly coveted National Hero Dog Award. Ask your pup, it’s quite the honor.

Paris Hilton wasn’t in a fiery plane crash.

An Egyptian prank show caught heat for making her think her plane was going down. But TMZ later reported she was in on the prank, supposedly pocketing a cool $1 million for the stunt. The collective reaction was wow… she’s a better actress than we thought.

Rumor had it Tom Cruise might do a “Top Gun” sequel.

The rumor picked up steam when he later said he’d do it if there was “no CGI on the jets.” “Top Gun: Maverick” came out seven years later in 2022 and grossed $1.5 billion at the box office. They did use real jets – with a dash of CGI.

The first “Inside Out” was a huge hit with (most) kids.

Unfortunately, a group of excited kiddos in Ohio were left traumatized after a projectionist accidentally screened the horror flick “Insidious: Chapter 3” instead. Scarred for life.

Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris were together and rich as hell.

“Forbes” named them the world’s highest-paid celebrity couple with combined earnings of $146 million. Beyoncé and Jay-Z were next at $110.5 million.

Taylor and Calvin dated for just over a year. She eventually moved on to car wash owner and Campbell’s Chunky souperfan Travis Kelce. “Forbes” doesn’t do the list anymore, but Tay Tay and Trav would be high up on it.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 15-21

It’s time for another nostalgic look back at the good, the bad, and the just plain weird. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

1.  Trump announced he was running for president, and everyone chuckled. He descended his golden escalator, formally entering the fray on June 16th, 2015, and no one thought he had a chance. Hillary Clinton had announced her candidacy two months earlier that April.

2.  The Rachel Dolezal scandal broke. The former president of Spokane’s NAACP chapter resigned after it was revealed she was extremely caucasian. She made headlines again in 2024 when her OnlyFans page got her fired from a teaching job in Arizona.

3.  “Jurassic World” had the biggest opening weekend ever – $208.8 million. But the record only stood for six months. “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” opened to the tune of $248 million that December.

4.  Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig’s made-for-TV movie premiered on Lifetime. “A Deadly Adoption” was a typical Lifetime drama. The only comedy that existed was the fact that Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig decided to do a typical Lifetime drama.

5.  A-Rod got his 3,000th hit, and the fan wouldn’t give him the ball. His 3,000th hit was a homer snagged by pro ballhawk Zack Hample. Two weeks later, Hample finally traded the ball for some signed swag, free All-Star tickets, and a $150k donation to the charity Pitch in for Baseball.

6.  Brian Williams got banished to MSNBC for his B.S. helicopter story. He’d been suspended by NBC News earlier in the year after claiming he was on a helicopter that got hit by an RPG in Iraq.

7.  Sean Penn and Charlize Theron broke up. Yeah, they dated for a minute – or more like 18 months between 2013 and 2015. Their 15-year age gap may have been an issue, and also the fact that he’s known to be… difficult.

8. A divorced guy literally split everything down the middle. A woman in Germany left her husband of 12 years. He went viral after doing the only mature thing and sawing their possessions in half.

9.  Even Michael Jackson’s son thought the name “Blanket” was dumb. News broke that he’d started going by Bigi at school because he was sick of being bullied. (It was just a nickname anyway. Bigi was born Prince Michael Jackson II. MJ introduced him in 2002 by dangling him off a balcony with a towel on his head. Normal dad stuff.)

10.  Utah Valley University invented cellphone friendly stairs. Three separate lanes for walking, running, and texting. It’s been a decade… how has this design not become ubiquitous?

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 8-14

It’s time for another nostalgic look back at the good, the bad, and the just plain weird. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

1.  American Pharoah won the Triple Crown.  He was the 12th horse to do it, and the first since 1978.  It happened again three years later when Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018.  No other horse has done it since.

@worldhorseracing

10 years ago, Triple Crown 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 was made… 🇺🇸👑 @thenyra #belmontstakes #americanpharoah #triplecrown

♬ original sound – WHR – WHR

2.  The most popular wedding song was “All of Me” by John Legend.  According to Spotify, the #1 first dance song was “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.

3.  Pizza Hut announced their Hot Dog Bites Pizza was coming to the U.S.  They’d already offered it in the U.K., Australia, Canada, and several countries in Asia.  Unfortunately (or thankfully), it was only a limited-time thing.  It came with a side of French’s mustard for dipping.

4.  The Warriors and Cavs were in the NBA Finals.  Golden State won it in six games even though the Cavs had LeBron James.  It was the second time they had him – he’d just rejoined Cleveland after four seasons with the Miami Heat.

5.  Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were still together.  They were spotted flying coach to France with their six kids.  They announced their divorce about a year later in 2016, but it wasn’t finalized until 2024.

6.  “Best,” was becoming the go-to word for ending an email.  A report found “best” and “thanks” were the top two words people used.  In the early 2000s, only around 5% were using the word “best.”

7.  Kim Kardashian rented out the Staples Center.  It was so her then hubby Kanye West could play basketball on his 38th birthday.  Other players included Justin Bieber, Tyga, Pusha T, and Russell Westbrook.

8.  Florence and the Machine scored their first #1 album.  “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” shot to #1, beating Taylor Swift’s “1989” album at #2.

9.  Raven-Symoné replaced Rosie O’Donnell on “The View.”  She’d guest hosted dozens of times already, but only ended up being a full-time host for two seasons.  The other hosts back then were Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, and Nicolle Wallace.

10.  We found out the “Brady Bunch” kids were all hooking up behind the scenes.  Susan Olsen (Cindy) told an Australian news outlet there were lots of make-out sessions on set.  Cindy and Bobby, Jan and Peter, Marcia and Greg.  (It’s fitting that Cindy was the one to spill the beans. She was always such a tattle-tale!!)

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 1-7

It’s time for another nostalgic look back at the good, the bad, and the just plain weird. Remember where you were when this stuff happened? Here’s what was in the news 10 years ago this week.

1. Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself to the world. She’d come out as trans in an interview with “20/20” that April, but we didn’t really meet her until the “Vanity Fair” spread landed on June 1st, 2015.

2. Kim Kardashian announced she was pregnant again. She revealed the news in a teaser at the end of the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” mid-season finale. She gave birth to her son Saint that December – her second of four kids with now former husband (and former sane person) Kanye West.

3. Thongs were going out of style. “The New York Times” did a story on how thong sales were slipping and young women were opting for the much more comfortable granny panty option.

4. YouTube’s 10th birthday video was trending. It marked the 10th anniversary of YouTube’s beta version, which launched in May 2005.

5. The Duggars were in full meltdown mode. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar from TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” did their first interview after news broke that their oldest son Josh “improperly touched” five victims, including four of his younger sisters. The show was cancelled that July.

6. Tracy Morgan did his first interview following his horrible car crash. He’d nearly died almost exactly one year earlier when a Walmart truck plowed into the back of his Mercedes Sprinter van. Tragically, his longtime collaborator James McNair didn’t survive the crash.

7. IHOP updated their logo to make it happier. They decided their old one looked like a frown, so they turned it upside down.

8. A guy’s long-neck mugshot went viral. He was accused of stealing $3,000 worth of antique coins from a store, but all anyone wanted to know was how much llama DNA he had.

📸 Parkersburg Police Department

9. The Broadway casts of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” got stranded at an airport together. The airport sing-off that ensued was of epic proportions.

10. The trailer for “Sharknado 3” was released. It was one of six “Sharknado” movies that came out between 2013 and 2018 – all of them benchmarks in cinematic brilliance.

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