What if you woke up after 20 years and the world was completely different?
In 2005, Pluto was still a planet, Facebook was just for college students, and no one had heard of TikTok, Bitcoin, or COVID-19. People still used flip phones and most of the world had never heard the name “Barack Obama.” Now imagine someone falling into a coma back then and then waking up 20 years later, in 2025.
It all started with a tweet.
Someone tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) that a Saudi Prince had just woken up from a 20-year coma and was confused by everything in the world today.
He asked questions like:
“Who won the Premier League?”
“Who is the president of the United States?”
“What happened to Syria? To Britney Spears? To blackberry phones?”
Thousands of people replied with facts that were surprising. The answers they gave were totally true and real, but they sounded unbelievable.
A small football team, Leicester City, an underrated underdog won the English Premier League. The whole world shut down because of a deadly global pandemic. A Black man became the President of the United States, not once, but twice. Women are now allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. The United States Capitol was attacked, and rich people are flying into space just for fun.
All of this may sound like science fiction, but it all happened. While the tweet quickly went viral, behind the humor, people realized something big. They realized that the world has changed a lot in the last 20 years.
So let’s play along. Let us imagine this prince really just woke up in 2025 after falling asleep in 2005. What do you think would shock him the most?
This article will discuss some of the biggest, wildest, and most surprising changes from the last 2 decades. So whether you are the sleeping prince, someone who blinked and missed two decades, or a newborn trying to figure out why people dance on TikTok, this is your ultimate catch-up guide.
Get ready for a wild ride through history.
1. Leicester City Won the Premier League
In 2016, something crazy happened in football. Leicester City, a team that nobody expected to win, became the champions of the English Premier League.
Just a year before, the football club was close to being kicked out of the league; but then, against all odds, they won. The chances of this happening were 5000 to 1.
It was a story that gave people hope and proved that anything was possible.
2. America Had a Black President Twice
In 2008, something historic happened. A name that might have raised eyebrows in a post-9/11 world became a symbol of progress. Barack Obama, the son of a Kenyan father and White American mother, became the 44th President of the United States, and the first Black man to hold the office.
Barack Obama was not just elected, he was adored. His “Yes We Can” chant became a global anthem, his legacy will be marked by healthcare reform, his cool dad jokes, and drone strikes. Obama’s time in office changed how people saw America.
3. COVID-19 Shut Down the World
The world literally stopped.
In late 2019, coronavirus began spreading from Wuhan, China. Within months, the entire world was shut down. Airports were emptied, streets silenced, and Zoom became the new school. Face masks became fashion, and toilet paper became currency.
During this period, more than 6 million people died. Economies collapsed, and the trust in institutions became fractured. The global pandemic did not just change healthcare, it redefined how we now work, live, and relate to one another.
Elbow bumps replaced handshakes and became the new norm. The lockdown gave us Tiger King, made anti-vaxxers go mainstream, and made physically going to work illegal. In the end, the pandemic reminded everyone just how small and interconnected the world really is.
4. Tech Billionaires Took Over the World
Elon Musk was once just “that Paypal guy.” Now, in 2025, he is the richest man in the world (on and off, depending on the stock market). He is the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and—wait for it—Twitter. But it’s not called Twitter anymore, he changed it to “X” when he bought it.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon as a bookstore. He became so rich that he went to space just for the fun of it. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook for Harvard students. Now, Meta owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and your digital soul.
The era of hoodie and plain shirt-wearing billionaires is upon us. They disrupted everything. From taxis (Uber) to hotels (Airbnb), banking (Crypto; digital money), and media (YouTube). These men changed how we shop, talk, and travel, and they did all of these with apps.
5. The Arab Spring Changed the Middle East
The Arab world changed with a revolution that started in 2010.
In Tunisia, a street vendor set himself on fire during a protest. That single act led to several uprisings across some countries, including Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. This led to the fall of dictators and an eruption of chaos in many places, as people stood up to their governments.
Egypt had a revolution and a counter-revolution. Syria descended into civil war. Libya witnessed NATO bombings and Gaddafi’s brutal fall. Yemen became a humanitarian catastrophe. The dream of democracy became a humbling lesson in politics, foreign interference, and internal division.
6. Women Now Drive in Saudi Arabia
In 2005, Saudi women could not legally drive. However, in 2018, a symbolic and practical victory occurred in the kingdom’s push towards reform and modernization.
Under the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has tried to make progress and rebrand itself. Now they allow concerts, movie theaters, and even wrestling shows. However, not everyone agrees that things are truly better, especially after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which shocked the world.
7. Pop Culture Blew Up
Let’s talk about celebrities.
Britney Spears had a meltdown, she shaved her head, and was under a legal rule called a conservatorship, but eventually broke free. Beyoncé became a music, fashion, and feminist icon. Taylor Swift reinvented herself multiple times.
Kanye West…well, in summary, he married Kim Kardashian, ran for president, and said some very controversial things…very controversial things.
Speaking of Kim: the Kardashians redefined celebrity, monetized every part of their lives, and created an empire out of it. Reality TV became mainstream, influencers replaced movie stars, and going “viral” became a career.
8. Streaming Killed DVD
Remember DVDs, those shiny things? In 2005, everyone rented or bought movies that way.
Now they are gone. Netflix, which was once a DVD rental company, has become the biggest entertainment platform on Earth. It allows people to watch movies and shows online. Other platforms like Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, and Apple TV+ started doing the same.
Now, your screen is a buffet of endless shows, including true crime, documentaries, and so on. Blockbuster didn’t stream into the future, but it will always buffer in our hearts. Rest in peace, you big blue legend.
9. The Smartphone Became an Extension of the Human Body
The prince may still remember Nokia’s indestructible bricks or the early BlackBerry phones, but in 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone. That moment rewrote civilization.
Today, smartphones are wallets, cameras, encyclopedias, newsrooms, and social lives in our pockets. We can use these smartphones for so many things that are important for our daily lives and it doesn’t end there. The use of smartphones gave birth to new industries like mobile gaming, dating apps, and influencer marketing.
10. Climate Change Got Worse
In 2005, climate change was a debate, but now, in 2025, it is a daily headline and the signs are everywhere. From Australian wildfires to melting glaciers. From devastating floods in Pakistan to record-breaking heat waves in Europe. Planet Earth is obviously in crisis.
Greta Thunberg became the face of a global youth movement. In response to the movement and crisis, the government made promises, and corporations went “green.”
Even oil-rich nations, like Saudi Arabia, are scrambling to reduce their reliance on oil and diversify their economy before the carbon clock runs out.
11. New Money: Bitcoin, NFTs, and the Rise of Crypto
Imagine telling the prince that people now buy digital pictures of monkeys for millions of dollars. Imagine also telling him that money isn’t just paper anymore.
There is now what we call digital currency, that is, money you can’t touch. Bitcoin, the first successful digital currency, was created in 2009 and it started the crypto revolution. Then its siblings came along: Ethereum, Dogecoin, Solana, and even the weird world of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which are like digital collectibles.
While some people saw crypto as the future of finance, others saw it as a Ponzi scheme. However, by 2025, the hype died down. Although it is still very much around, regulations have been tightened.
12. A New Cold War with China (and TikTok)
China’s rise to a top global spot was expected, but a digital dominance? Who would have thought?
TikTok is a Chinese app and it became the most downloaded platform worldwide. This app had a huge impact on music, comedy, politics, and even protests. However, some countries are worried about the app. The United States sees it as a national security threat, worried that it could be used to spy on people. Some countries like India banned the app completely.
At the same time, China and America are in a tech rivalry, competing over things like computer chips and AI.
13. Robots Can Now Talk, Draw, and Think
In 2005, artificial intelligence (AI) was just a science fiction idea, but now in 2025, it is real. The last thing the Prince knew about computers was that they are devices that can be typed on, but they are different now; they talk back.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek can write stories, make pictures, give advice, and even pretend to be human. AI is changing education, law, journalism, and warfare. It is now used in schools, businesses, hospitals, and more.
Are we living in a sci-fi movie? Maybe.
Is it cool? Yes.
Is it terrifying? Also, yes.
14. People Fought for Justice Loudly
In 2020, a man named George Floyd was unnecessarily killed by a police officer in the U.S. His death sparked protests all over the world under the banner of Black Lives Matter. Statues fell, slogans rose, and corporations awkwardly tweeted their support.
People also stood up against sexual abuse. The #MeToo movement exposed sexual abuse in Hollywood, politics, and media. There were also pride parades; people fought for LGBTQ+ rights and demanded fairness and equality.
Terms like “intersectionality”, “microaggressions,” and “gender fluidity” became a part of mainstream vocabulary. Although the world made progress, there was still some backlash here and there. But the world is no longer afraid to confront injustice.
15. America Was Almost Overthrown By Americans
On January 6, 2021, the supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building. They did not want to accept that Joe Biden had won the election. Some of them waved Confederate flags and many were violent. It looked like something out of a movie.
At the end of the whole thing, five people died. It was a scary moment for democracy in the U.S.
16. Russia Invaded Ukraine Again
In 2014, Russia took over Crimea. In 2022, the country attacked Ukraine with a full military invasion. Cities were bombed, burned to the ground, and millions of people had to flee and find shelter elsewhere.
While the war was just between Russia and Ukraine, it affected other parts of Europe and the world. It showed that big wars can still happen today. The war also showed us how warfare has changed as drones, memes, and Twitter diplomacy became part of the battlefield.
17. Electric Cars Took Over the Roads
In 2005, electric vehicles (EVs) were very rare. A lot of people thought they were slow, boring, or just for rich people to show off.
Fast forward to 2025, and electric cars are everywhere. Companies like Tesla, led by Elon Musk, made them look cool. Now even big car manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, and BMW are making electric vehicles.
How do we charge them?
Well, there are charging stations popping up here and there, just like gas stations. They are becoming so prominent that many countries are planning to ban gas cars in the next decade.
EVs are fast, quiet, and better for the planet (at least in theory). They have changed how people drive, and how they think about the future of travel. The era of roaring engines is quietly fading. Now it is all about the silent hum of the battery.
Oh! One more thing,
Cars can now drive themselves. (Well, sort of. Just don’t fall asleep at the wheel…yet.)
18. Queen Elizabeth Died
We know she wasn’t supposed to live forever, but still, her death shocked the whole world. Queen Elizabeth II passed away in 2022 at the age of 96. She was the world’s longest-reigning monarch and a symbol of continuity for almost a century.
Her death was a big moment in history, it marked the end of an era. Her son, King Charles III now sits on the throne.
19. Gender, Identity, and Language Evolved
In 2005, a few people outside academic circles discussed pronouns and how they should be used.
In 2025, the conversation around gender identity has gone mainstream. Schools, workplaces, and even apps ask for preferred pronouns. It has now gone beyond just female or male/he or she.
Now we have non-binary, trans, and genderqueer identities. It has led to a very strong cultural debate because while some people support this change, others do not understand it.
For the prince, this might require the biggest mental leap of all.
20. The Middle East Is Not What It Used to Be
We are back on the topic of war. Iran signed a deal to stop making nuclear weapons, but then things fell apart. Some Arab countries made peace with Israel. Turkey is more involved in politics, and Saudi Arabia is trying to get more tourists and host big events like gaming tournaments.
Although things are still complicated, there are signs of change. The region is evolving, sometimes rapidly, sometimes painfully, at the detriment of a few citizens.
Welcome Back, Your Highness!
Twenty years ago was a totally different time.
For the Saudi prince, and even for the rest of us, the world of 2025 is exhausting and endlessly complex; it can be hard to keep up with all the changes. In two decades, humanity has achieved things we once thought were impossible.
Technology has grown fast, society has shifted, the world has fixed some big problems, and also broken things that it is still trying to fix.
So if you are feeling overwhelmed by it all, don’t worry. Even those of us who didn’t just wake up from a coma are still trying to make sense of it.
What would shock you the most if you woke up today after 20 years? Think about it, and share this with someone who might need the reminder that we have all come a long way.
