The Decade Past: Remind Me Again?

WSJ montage: I could name about 80% without looking anyone up.

There were no World Wars or moon landings, but the past decade did have its share of memorable events that will have an impact far into the future. The WSJ's Decade in Review shows just how much happened and how much we may have forgotten.

Every year had at least eight such items. Below is your humble blogger's entirely subjective assessment of the top three each year:

2010: 1) iPad introduced; 2) Obamacare signed; 3) Deepwater Horizon explodes.

2011: 1) Arab Spring; 2) Japan quake and tsunami; 3) Steve Jobs dies.

2012: 1) Facebook IPO; 2) Xi Jinping is leader of China; 3) Obama re-elected.

2013: 1) Pope Francis named; 2) Boston Marathon terrorism; 3) U.S. #1 energy producer

2014: 1) Ferguson riots and verdict; 2) Malaysia Flight 370; 3) Trade with Cuba ok'ed.

2015: 1) Gay Marriage legal; 2) Apple joins Dow; 3) Paris Accord.

2016: 1) Brexit; 2) Trump elected; 3) 4 states approve recreational marijuana.

2017: 1) Hurricanes Harvey and Maria; 2) New tax bill passes; 3) Harvey Weinstein resigns.

2018: 11) Tariffs imposed; 2) North Korea diplomacy; 3) Wildfire destroys Paradise, CA.

2019: 1) 737 MAX grounded; 2) Hong Kong protests; 3) Trump impeached (kind of).

There is a possibility that none of the above will be regarded with importance in a few years. It may turn out that we'll all be dead from climate change by 2030 or that life extension science will enable human beings to live well past a hundred.

But very few people are betting hard dollars as if either of those are coming to pass, and neither am I.