Happy birthday, Yorba Linda High School! As YLHS celebrates its ten year anniversary of its opening, the world as a whole also has reason to remember the culture and current events of 2009.

Ten years ago, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America as the nation’s first African-American president alongside Joe Biden as his vice president. The effects of the global recession of 2008 were still felt in 2009, during which the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Taiwan, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Romania, Mexico, Thailand, South Africa, Switzerland, Chile, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, and Turkey entered the recession. Toward the end of the year, however, Singapore, Canada, Portugal, Thailand, Cyprus, Brazil, and Sweden were able to leave the recession.

Ten years ago, the music industry was in a frenzy. Famous singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson passed away. Kesha released her hit single “Tik Tok”, and the top five songs of the year according to Billboard Charts were “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas, “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, and “Love Story” by Taylor Swift.

Ten years ago, Brazilian soccer star Neymar made his professional debut for Santos and was only seventeen years old at the time. Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year at a ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland.

Ten years ago, 2009 was filled with high-profile celebrity marriages that captivated the public. Some of these marriages have interestingly ended precisely ten years later, including Fergie and Josh Duhamel; Anna Faris and Chris Pratt; and Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. No matter their marital status, these influential celebrities continue to be recognized and adored in the public eye today.

Ten years ago, director James Cameron released Avatar starring Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. Avatar quickly rose to critical and financial success and remains the highest-grossing film of all time, according to IMDb. Its long-awaited sequel is in production and will be released in 2020. Academy Award-winning The Blind Side was also released in 2009; its leading actress, Sandra Bullock, was awarded an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics’ Choice Award for her performance.

Ten years ago, Yorba Linda High School opened its doors to the public and to a few hundred students who were presented the intimidating task of paving the path on campus establishing clubs, activities, and, most of all, Mustang pride. After a walk through the museum of the history of YLHS, Sarah Kim (11) is “in awe by how far our school has come.”

Happy birthday, YLHS!