In 1998, a self-proclaimed “happier, more grounded” 39-year-old Madonna made a show of change. Evolution had been constant for her throughout the preceding 15 or so years of fame, but recent milestones had suggested that this shift was different, beyond skin deep. She’d given birth to her first child, Lourdes, in…

You should never fully trust someone who’s trying to sell you something, but looking back at the press for Mariah Carey’s 1997 album Butterfly, which turns 20 on Saturday, it’s staggering how right she was. “This time period, and this album is about me putting more realness in terms of myself into the music and into…

Twenty years ago today, Fiona Apple—only 19—took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards and spoke her truth.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of a show that launched a thousand jokes, careers, and imitators, ABC re-aired the very first episode of veteran journalist Barbara Walters’ passion project The View in its entirety Friday morning. As a not-infrequent View viewer, I was excited to see exactly how much the show has…

If, today, you encountered social media, a periodical, or—in any likelihood—another person, you undoubtedly learned, quickly, that this was no common Monday. Or perhaps you already knew. In any case, exactly twenty years ago, J.K. Rowling’s debut novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—the first in a magical…

Twenty years ago today, P.J. Hogan’s My Best Friend’s Wedding hit theaters. It would eventually become the ninth-highest grossing film of 1997—oddly sandwiched between the Special Edition of Star Wars (#8) and Tomorrow Never Dies (#10)—and one of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time. But in the pantheon…

TLC touched down at the tail end of 1991 in a neon blaze, and it took a minute for people’s eyes to adjust. The trio’s debut single, “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg,” was released November 22, 1991, and though it was a hit, it wouldn’t reach its peak on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 6) until a full five months later. There was a…

Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise was released in theaters on May 24, 1991, which means its been exactly 25 years since Geena Davis (Thelma) and Susan Sarandon (Louise) decided to “just keep going” and drive their Thunderbird into the Grand Canyon. But though the movie is probably best known for that tragic final scene,…

Twenty years ago today, Fear entered theaters and scared the living daylights out of parents and teens everywhere. Despite having the plot of a bad Lifetime movie, its solid performances and handsome production (the kind plenty of undeserving ‘90s movies were given) made Fear hard to laugh at. Even in 2016, it remains…

A decade ago today, Amanda Bynes, pre a few difficult years, starred in the best movie I’ve ever seen.

Marge Gunderson, introduced to the world 20 years ago in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Fargo, is one of the great characters in movie history. A pregnant cop who sees things no one else does while shuffling unperturbed through the perpetual snow of a Minnesota winter, Gunderson (played by Frances McDormand in a perfect…

The Golden Girls, a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1985 to 1992, is currently on American television—specifically the cable channel Hallmark—three hours every weekday. At six episodes a day, you could watch the entire series in about six weeks, at which point Hallmark would pop in the disc one of their complete series…

Wow, time goes by really fast, doesn’t it? It was a decade ago that Jessica Simpson, American cultural icon, first launched her namesake clothing line, enabling us all to wear slightly platformed peep-toe pumps in varying shades of patent, and to stand tall among giants.

Sports Illustrated is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its annual swimsuit issue this year. Here, we examine all 50 covers to see how "sexy" has evolved since 1964. Or didn't. (Hint: still boobs.)