0TH
OCT. 21: MARTY MCFLY’S ARRIVAL IN THE FUTURE
It’s been more than two decades since Back to the Future Part II, in which Michael J. Fox’s character traveled to … 2015. Your social-media feeds will be flooded by people disappointed we’re not all riding around on hoverboards.
50TH
MARCH 7: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S FIRST MARCH FROM SELMA
It would take three attempts before the marchers finally made it from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., during a year full of civil rights milestones. Retrospective coverage will likely also focus on the assassination of Malcolm X on Feb. 21 in New York City.
75TH
MAY 15: MCDONALD’S OPENING
Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first restaurant to bear their name in San Bernardino, Calif. Ray Kroc later took the franchise global; today, there are more than 35,000 locations worldwide.
5TH
JAN. 21: CITIZENS UNITED DECISION
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down regulations on corporate political spending. As the 2016 elections approach, those freed-up dollars are likely to flow.
10TH
APRIL 23: FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO
Its 16.7 million views would be nothing for a top post today. But the 18-second clip, “Me at the Zoo,” starring YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, is likely to be heavily rewatched as it reaches its 10-year milestone.
50TH
MARCH 2: FILM PREMIERE OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Julie Andrews as Maria was a revelation. “[The movie] satisfies,” TIME wrote in its original review, “nearly all the requirements for what moviemakers tout as wholesome family entertainment.”
150TH
APRIL 9: END OF THE CIVIL WAR
The sesquicentennial of the U.S.’s bloodiest conflict is about to draw to an end, as the date arrives on which Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. And April 14 marks the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
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- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
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- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com