2015 in Anniversaries

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.