2006: a year to remember. An unforgettable year of fashion, music and entertainment. Although the year was unforgettable, I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s unforgettable in the best way. 2006 had its ups, accompanied by some major pitfalls. Nevertheless, it’s still hard to believe that 2006 was a whole decade ago; and a lot has changed in that time. Just in case you’ve forgotten (or just need to be reminded of how old you’re getting), here are a few things that were at their peak in 2006.
The Billboard Top 100 for the year 2006 were filled with a number of artists who were the epitome of the early 2000s. Anyone remember Sean Paul? Well, unless you were living under a rock in 2006, then it’s highly probable that you were forced to listen to “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter way more than you wanted to.
Blast from the past right? Yeah, let’s keep it that way. This was also the year that the "High School Musical" soundtrack was the second best album of the year… Needless to say, 2006 probably wasn’t the best year for music.
Speaking of High School Musical, the movie (along with the #2 soundtrack) debuted in 2006. Yes, ladies, Troy Bolton stole our hearts 10 years ago (even with his lip synced vocals).
And let’s not forget the amazing fashion statement that was capris. You know, the jeans that were too short to be regular jeans but too long to be shorts.
Yeeeeah, we’ll forget that happened. I should also note that during this time, unnecessary accessories were on the rise. Who remembers wearing a tie for no apparent reason? Or wearing a belt on top of your shirt? The horror.
2006 was the year girls all around the world got to live the best of both worlds, through Hannah Montana, of course.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a pop star and hide it from all of their friends?! Umm no one. A number of popular TV shows were released this year: "Ugly Betty," "Dexter," "The Hills" and "The Real Housewives of Orange County."
Social media definitely took a turn in the year 2006 (even though we’ve still come pretty far since then). Facebook opened its doors to anyone over the age of 13 with a valid email account. Wooohoo! Endless poking (on Facebook, of course).
In March 2006, Twitter was also born; you know, the social medium that basically taught you shorthand (140 characters, yay). Where would we be without Kanye’s famous Twitter rants?
2006 was also an iconic year for movies. "The Da Vinci Code" was released, along with 300, and my personal favorite, Disney/Pixar’s "Cars" (don’t tell me this movie didn’t make you love Rascal Flatts, even if for only a split second).
Also, Amanda Bynes—who was still pretty normal at the time—even starred in a feature film that year, "She’s The Man."
Along with all the other iconic entertainment booms, in 2006 Wii changed the game…literally. Wii Sports changed the way we all played sports. And gave those who have no chance of being a pro-athlete or any ounce of athleticism whatsoever, a chance to be a star. Seriously, I think I could beat Serena Williams in Wii tennis.
Although 2006 only lives in our memories—thank God—it is definitely a year we will never forget. It’s hard to believe that just 10 years ago we were walking around in our capris, listening to the "High School Musical soundtrack" on our iPod nanos. But it’s true. Let’s cross our fingers that in 2026, we won’t look back on 2016 and cringe.
