Things Turning Older This Year (This Might Make You Feel Old, Too)

Here is a recap of famous faces and familiar fun things that have birthdays in 2017.

Pradyoth Velagapudi, Managing Editor
January 12, 2017

Let’s face it. 2016 was a rough year. Between Alan Rickman’s death, the endless Harambe memes, and the sudden yet brief “Pokemon GO” obsession, everyone’s ready for a little stability (and being able to walk 10 feet without seeing someone flip a bottle). To start off the year with some optimism, and some familiar faces, here are several things that turn 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 years old in this year.

Books, Magazines, and Newspapers

  • The first Harry potter book, “The Philosopher’s Stone,” will turn 20. The final book, “Deathly Hallows,” was published 10 years ago. Harry himself will turn 37 this year.
  • The Rolling Stone magazine turns 50.
  • The Newberry Award-winning book,“From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” turns 50.
  • Bram Stoker’s, author of “Dracula,” 170th birthday.
  • Jane Austen’s, author of Pride and Prejudice, 200th birthday.

Movies and TV

  • The “Bee Movie” turns 10.
  • The movie “Titanic,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, turns 20.
  • “Barney & Friends” turns 25.
  • “Cartoon Network” turns 25.
  • “The Princess Bride” turns 30.
  • “Star Trek: The Next Generation” turns 30.
  • “The Jungle Book,” the last movie Walt Disney ever directed, turns 50.

Games and Entertainment

  • The 3-D First Person Shooter video game genre turns 25. The first one was “Wolfenstein”  released in 1992 for the MS-DOS PC.
  • “Final Fantasy” turns 30.
  • The classic board game “Battleship” turns 50.

Law and Government

  • The Cold War officially ended 25 years ago.
  • The 25th Amendment (order of succession) turns 50.
  • The First African-American Justice, Thurgood Marshall, was sworn in 50 years ago.

Technology

  • Kindle e-book readers turn 10.
  • Text messaging turns 25.
  • The JPEG file format turns 25.
  • ATMs turn 50.
  • Countertop microwaves turn 50.
  • Handheld calculators turn 50.

Food

  • The USDA food pyramid turns 25.
  • The Big Mac turns 50.
  • The Slurpee turns 50.
  • Cap’n Crunch cereal turns 50.
  • Pringles chips turn 50.
  • Girl Scout cookies turn 100.
  • Moon Pies turn 100.

Celebrities

  • Miley Cyrus turns 25.
  • Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” turns 25.
  • John Boyega, who played Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” turns 25.
  • Selena Gomez turns 25.
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger turns 70.
  • Morgan Freeman turns 80.

Here’s to a stable, meme-less 2017!