You Won't Believe These Pop Culture Moments Happened 10 Years Ago

The Twilight saga brought to life Stephenie Meyer's fantasy romance novels in late 2008, as crazed fans became hypnotized by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Edward and Bella. Although the film received a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it scored big at the box office, making way for four more films.

Beyoncé certainly had an eventful 2008. Not only did the star marry her longtime boyfriend Jay-Z in April, but she introduced the world to her alter ego by releasing the album I Am . . . Sasha Fierce. The album made way for a glove-toting Beyoncé era as the songstress busted out "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "If I Were a Boy," and "Halo". The music video to "Single Ladies" spawned a dance craze that encouraged a breadth of imitation and even a certain disagreement between Kanye West and Taylor Swift (one that is still very much alive today) when the video failed to win at the MTV Video Music Awards the following year.

The Coen brothers' film No Country for Old Men won big at the 2008 Academy Awards, scooping both best picture and best director, while Daniel Day-Lewis topped up his Oscars shelf with his second of three best actor in a leading role awards. Best actress went to Marion Cotillard for her portrayal of Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose and Javier Barden and Tilda Swinton added to the stellar foursome winning for supporting roles.

There's no comeback like a Britney comeback, and you only have to look to 2008 for proof. After starting the year fighting a custody battle and being hospitalized, Britney went on to win best female video, best pop video, and video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards, later releasing her sixth studio album Circus. It went on to become one of the fastest-selling albums of the year, selling four-million copies worldwide, and earning Britney a Guinness World Record for becoming the youngest female artist to have five albums debut at number one in the US.

Christopher Nolan's trilogy take on Batman continued in 2008 with The Dark Knight. Christian Bale reprised his role as Bruce Wayne, while Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker. The actor sadly passed away on Jan. 22, 2008, before the film's release. The Dark Knight went on to receive broad critical acclaim, becoming the 31st-highest-grossing film of all time. The film received eight Academy Award nominations in 2009, with Ledger being posthumously awarded best supporting actor.

In an unbeatable trio with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford returned as Indiana Jones in the fourth installment of the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film also starred Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, and Shia LaBeouf and became the second highest-grossing film of 2008 behind The Dark Knight.

In 2008 we said farewell to High School Musical's Troy and Gabriella with final film of the trilogy, High School Musical 3: Senior Year. The film received a rating of 65% on Rotten Tomatoes and had the biggest opening day for a musical film of all time, until Les Miserables was released in 2012.

In early 2016, 10 years after the first film in the trilogy, Disney announced that there would be a fourth High School Musical film.

Sex and the City brought Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda to the big screen in 2008 in a feature film sequel to the HBO series of the same name. The film was a commercial success grossing over $415 worldwide from a $65 million budget, and led to a not so well-received sequel in 2010. A third film was announced in December 2016 with an approved script, but Sarah Jessica Parker shut down speculation in October 2017 saying the film would unfortunately no longer be going ahead, adding "I'm disappointed. We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story."

Katy Perry rose to fame on a cherry Chapstick in 2008 thanks to her hit single "I Kissed a Girl" from album One of the Boys, bolstering her into the charts. The song reached number one in the Billboard Hot 100 with the album selling 7 million copies worldwide. After wrapping her Warped Tour the same year, Katy hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards (wearing an iconic Barack Obama dress, no less), winning the award for best new act.

In late 2008 after a passionate campaign that projected themes of change and hope, Barack Obama won the United States of America presidency vote against Republican John McCain, and delivered a victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park. He was inaugurated the following year and served as the 44th President until 2017.