About this quiz

The 2000s gave us the iPod, MSN Messenger, the Nokia 3310 and the very first YouTube video. This nostalgia quiz has twenty questions on the decade’s gadgets, films, music, TV and big moments, mostly from a British point of view.

If you grew up with a flip phone and a Bebo page, most of these should come flooding back. Every answer comes with a short fact, so there’s something new even for noughties experts.

Answers explained

Show the answers (spoilers)

  1. Which Apple music player launched in 2001?

    iPod. Apple sold it with the promise of “1,000 songs in your pocket”.

  2. Which boy wizard’s first film came out in 2001?

    Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone reached cinemas in November 2001.

  3. Which messaging service had “nudges” and was used by teens every night after school?

    MSN Messenger. Microsoft retired it for most users in 2013.

  4. Which social network did Mark Zuckerberg launch from his university dorm in 2004?

    Facebook. It began as “TheFacebook” and was open only to Harvard students at first.

  5. Which Nintendo console used motion-sensing remotes?

    Wii. The Wii launched in 2006 and sold more than 100 million units.

  6. Which ogre starred in his own animated film in 2001?

    Shrek. Shrek won the first ever Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

  7. Which Nokia phone is famous for being almost indestructible?

    Nokia 3310. The 3310 came out in 2000 and sold more than 100 million units.

  8. Which video site was founded in 2005?

    YouTube. The first video ever uploaded, “Me at the zoo”, is just 19 seconds long.

  9. Which phone did Steve Jobs unveil in 2007?

    iPhone. Jobs introduced it as an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator in one.

  10. Which TV talent show launched in the UK in 2004 with Simon Cowell as a judge?

    The X Factor. It replaced Pop Idol, which had made a star of Will Young in 2002.

  11. Which 2008 film introduced Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man?

    Iron Man. It was the very first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  12. Which block-building game was first released to the public in 2009?

    Minecraft. Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, with more than 300 million copies sold.

  13. Which band sang “Mr. Brightside”?

    The Killers. The song has spent hundreds of weeks in the UK Top 100 since 2004.

  14. Which currency did 12 European countries start using as notes and coins in January 2002?

    The euro. The euro had existed for banks since 1999, but the cash arrived on 1 January 2002.

  15. Which reality show locked contestants in a house full of cameras, with its first UK series in 2000?

    Big Brother. The first UK winner, Craig Phillips, gave his £70,000 prize to a friend who needed an operation.

  16. Which singer had a 2003 hit with “Crazy in Love”?

    Beyoncé. It was the lead single from her first solo album, Dangerously in Love.

  17. Which Sony handheld console launched in 2004?

    PSP. PSP stood for PlayStation Portable, and it played films on small discs called UMDs.

  18. Which girl group had hits with “Round Round” and “Push the Button”?

    Sugababes. The Sugababes had six UK number one singles.

  19. Which brand’s velour tracksuits were a 2000s celebrity favourite?

    Juicy Couture. Many had the word “Juicy” printed across the back.

  20. Which song was the UK’s best-selling single of the 2000s?

    Will Young – “Anything Is Possible / Evergreen”. It sold more than a million copies in its first week in 2002.