It was a big year for portable gaming systems! Nintendo released the Nintendo DS, while Sony released the PSP in Japan.
1
In 2004, Shrek 2 was the biggest film of the year in the US.
2
While Spider-Man 2 and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were the second and fourth highest-grossing films of the year.
3
Myspace was the coolest social media site and at the beginning of that year would be the first to get one million users.
4
While Mark Zuckerberg co-launched Facebook at Harvard.
5
Google launched Gmail — in beta form — though many people didn't think it was a real product because they announced it on April Fools' Day.
6
Motorola released its iconic Razr — which cost $499 at the time (and that was A LOT for a phone in 2004).
7
Bratz were among the hottest toys.
8
As were the Robosapien robots. It was even named Toy of the Year by Toy Retailers Association.
9
Apple released the iPod Mini and everyone wanted one because they came in different colors.
10
Apple also released the iPod Photo, which was the first iPod to have a color screen.
11
LiveStrong bracelets were released and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, sported one.
12
Uggs (which were already popular) became an even bigger trend. I am sure you knew someone, or maybe that someone was you, who wore them ALL THE TIME.
13
American Apparel was the coolest store and was a place where "hipsters" shopped.
14
The Da Vinci Code spent a second year atop the New York Times Bestseller List and was an absolute phenomenon.
15
Jude Law was named People's Sexiest Man Alive.
16
Shake Shack opened its first location in New York City and was an immediate hit.
17
McDonald's got rid of Supersizing — they also said the decision to phase it out had nothing to do with the documentary Super Size Me.
18
Low carb/zero carb diets continued to be all the rage.
19
VH1 had us feeling the '90s nostalgia with I Love the 90s.
20
The original Star Wars Trilogy was released on DVD for the very first time. Needless to say, it was a huge hit and made over $100 million in its first-day sales.
21
World of Warcraft was released and would go on to be one of the biggest-selling PC games of all time (selling over 14 million copies).
22
Howard Dean — who was running to be the Democratic presidential candidate — let out his infamous "Dean Scream" while addressing his supporters after coming in third in Iowa Democratic caucuses. The scream would become the butt of many jokes.
23
Ashlee Simpson got caught lip-syncing on SNL and it was awkward.
24
Janet Jackson performed during the Super Bowl Halftime Show and the whole "Nipplegate" controversy happened. Justin Timberlake would go on to throw her under the bus.