Taking a one post pause on legal tech topics to remember the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Here are 36 notable events that have happened since 9/11.
This is a list of 36 notable events – hand selected by me – to illustrate all that has happened in the 25 years since 9/11. Some are milestones, some are inspiring events, some are tragic events. Here are 36 notable events that have happened since 9/11:
- December 3, 2001: Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a series of scandals (and we’re still using their data in eDiscovery demos!)
- March 14, 2002: SpaceX is founded by Elon Musk.
- February 1, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates upon reentry, killing all seven astronauts on board.
- March 19, 2003: The United States invades Iraq and ousts Saddam Hussein, triggering an 8-year war.
- February 4, 2004: Facebook is launched on the campus of Harvard University.
- April 23, 2005: The first video is uploaded to YouTube.
- August 29–31, 2005: Hurricane Katrina kills 1,836 people across the Gulf of Mexico coast.
- March 21, 2006: Twitter is launched.
- October 9, 2006: Google acquires YouTube for US$1.65 billion (a steal by today’s standards!).
- January 9, 2007: Apple announces the iPhone, which goes on sale June 29.
- September 15, 2008: The investment bank Lehman brothers files for bankruptcy with over $600 billion in debt (subsequently, stock markets plunge during the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession).
- January 3, 2009: The cryptocurrency Bitcoin is launched.
- January 15, 2009: US Airways Flight 1549 ditches in the Hudson River in an accident that becomes known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”, as all 155 people on board are rescued.
- April 20, 2010: The largest oil spill in US history occurs in the Gulf of Mexico.
- May 2, 2011: Osama bin Laden is shot dead by United States Navy SEALs in Pakistan.
- February 28–March 13, 2013: Pope Benedict XVI resigns, the first Pope to do since 1415, and Pope Francis is elected, becoming the first Pope from Latin America.
- April 15, 2013: The Boston Marathon bombing happens.
- March 8, 2014: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears from radar while on route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. There were 239 people on board.
- March 9–15, 2016: Artificial intelligence program AlphaGo defeats top Go player Lee Sedol in a series of 5 games, winning 4 out of 5 games.
- April 3, 2016: Panama Papers, a leak of legal documents, reveals information of 214,888 offshore companies.
- October 1, 2017: 60 people are killed in a mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas.
- October 2017: Allegations of sexual abuse against film producer Harvey Weinstein lead to a wave of similar accusations from within Hollywood and other areas of primarily the English-speaking world.
- June 23–July 10, 2018: Twelve boys and their football coach are successfully rescued from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand.
- April 15, 2019: A major fire engulfs Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, resulting in the roof and main spire collapsing.
- March 2020: The US goes into lockdown due to the global pandemic of COVID-19
- May 25, 2020: The murder of George Floyd sparks protests across the United States and the world.
- January 6, 2021: 2021 United States Capitol attack
- February 24, 2022: Russia invades Ukraine, escalating the Russo-Ukrainian War, causing a refugee crisis and tens of thousands of deaths on both sides.
- September 8, 2022: Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96 years old
- November 30, 2022: OpenAI launches ChatGPT
- May 5, 2023: World Health Organization ends the designation of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern.
- October 7, 2023: Hamas attacks Israel; start of the Gaza war.
- April 21 – May 8, 2025: Pope Francis dies, leading to the election of Pope Leo XIV. He is the first pope born in the United States.
- September 10, 2025: Conservative activist and political commentator Charlie Kirk is assassinated.
- January 30, 2026: Three million pages related to the Epstein files are released to the public, mentioning many high-profile public figures worldwide.
- February 28, 2026: 2026 Iran war begins: Israel and the United States launch attacks on Iran, killing many high-profile officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Let’s take a moment and remember the 2,977 people who lost their lives 25 years ago today.
Milestones courtesy of Wikipedia.
Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.