1

Kathleen Kennedy

Image: Thea Hdc

Kathleen Kennedy has been a part of many of the greatest movies of the last 35 years. She’s been involved with almost every Steven Spielberg movie since Raiders of the Lost Ark, but also Back to the Future, The Goonies, The Sixth Sense, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , to name a few. Also, she is the president of Lucasfilm following its sale to Disney.

2

Reed Hastings

Image: Jakob Owens

Netflix’s co-founder Reed Hastings is a big name in the entertainment business, helping distribute some of the world’s most-viewed television shows over the last years.

With a background in technology and software, Hastings capitalized on the changing media consumption behaviors and created something that took the media business by storm.

3

Bob Iger

Image: Clyde He

Quite probably the most influential person in Hollywood, Bob Iger presides over the industry’s largest and most influential entertainment business, the Disney brand. Add 21st Century Fox, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar , and a few other things, and you have a modern-day media empire.

4

Kevin Feige

Image: Brands&People

Arguably the most successful film producer of all time, Kevin Feige has championed the superhero cinematic universe that has swept over Hollywood in the last decades, whether you like it or not.

5

Dana Walden

Image: J. Schiemann

Dana Walden was a key figure in Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox TV , which she built into a powerhouse over two decades. She is also in charge of ABC Studios, ABC Entertainment, Freeform, and Hulu .

6

Oprah Winfrey

Image: Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov

A true household name, Oprah Winfrey is one of America’s most trusted stars . She also writes bestsellers, has her own cable network (OWN), and is involved in infinite ventures in the entertainment landscape.

7

J.J. Abrams

Image: Billy Freeman

The name behind some of the biggest blockbusters of the last 30 years, J.J. Abrams, is one of the most sought-after directors and producers in all of Hollywood. He is responsible for movies like Armageddon, several Mission: Impossible installments, and a couple of Star Wars films , to name a few.

8

Shonda Rhimes

Image: Jakob Owens

As the creator and showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton, Scandal, Private Practice, How to Get Away with Murder , and many other series, Shonda Rhimes has been a strong presence in Hollywood since the early 2000s and has been featured multiple times in the Times 100 Most Influential People on the World list.

9

Steven Spielberg

Image: Mirko Fabian

Probably the person most of us would expect to be on this list, Steven Spielberg has shaped America and the world’s pop culture with some of the most successful and influential films ever made . His presence has been a force to be reckoned with and a strong influence in Hollywood since the mid-1970s.

10

James Cameron

Image: Kyle Loftus

The man behind blockbusters like Titanic, Terminator, and Avatar , among many others, has kept himself busy diving to the deepest point in the ocean, creating documentaries, series, producing, directing, writing, and more for a few decades now and his work is embedded in pop culture, in a similar way to Spielberg and our next entry.

11

Stephen King

Image: Vitalii Onyshchuk

The man responsible for some of the biggest film classics, not just in the horror genre but in many others as well, didn’t even intend to go into the movie business in the first place.

As one of America’s more successful contemporary writers, Stephen King has created stories that started as bestsellers and eventually found their way into Hollywood. From Carrie, Cujo, Pet Sematary, The Shining, to Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Stand By Me , and countless others, his stories are the basis for some of the biggest blockbusters that Hollywood has ever seen.

1

It had a different name

Image: Luke Michael

Originally, the lyrics came from a poem titled "Defence of Fort M’Henry," written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The sight of the American flag still flying after the battle inspired him.

The poem was printed in newspapers and set to music, but it wasn’t until more than a century later that it officially became the national anthem we know today.

2

It has four verses

Image: Serena Koi

Most of us only belt out the first one, but did you know "The Star-Spangled Banner" actually has four verses? The other three are rarely heard .

Francis Scott Key wrote additional verses exploring themes of resilience and freedom, but most people have never read those stanzas.

3

Key wasn’t a musician

Image: Steve Johnson

Contrary to what you might expect from the author of the nation’s most patriotic song, Francis Scott Key wasn’t a musician .

He was a lawyer and an amateur poet. He didn’t collaborate with a composer or choose a melody to set his lyrics to, either. He simply wrote the poem, which was later published nationally by The Analectic Magazine .

4

The tune was actually borrowed

Image: Ylanite Koppens

So how did the anthem get its music, then? A relative of Key realized that the lyrics of his poem fit perfectly with the tune of an already popular song, "To Anacreon in Heaven."

That song was actually a British drinking tune frequently sung in 18th-century gentlemen’s clubs. The melody was catchy, but its origins were anything but patriotic.

5

It was first sung in a Baltimore tavern

Image: andrew welch

One account claims that the anthem’s first public performance wasn’t at a grand concert or a government event, but in a Baltimore tavern in 1814.

According to the story, just weeks after Key wrote the lyrics, a local actor sang them to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven." The crowd loved it, and the song quickly spread.

6

It wasn’t the first choice

Image: Wesley Tingey

Believe it or not, "The Star-Spangled Banner" wasn’t America’s first choice for a national anthem. For over a century, songs like "Hail, Columbia" and "My Country, ’Tis of Thee" filled the role. It wasn’t until 1931 that Congress, under President Herbert Hoover, officially designated Key’s anthem as the nation’s song.

7

The tradition of singing it before sports

Image: Frankie Lopez

The tradition of singing the anthem at sporting events began during the 1918 World Series . The crowd’s emotional response was so powerful that more and more baseball games adopted the practice.

Today, it’s hard to imagine a baseball game without it. Many other sports—including American football, hockey, and basketball—have since followed suit.

8

Aretha Franklin’s rendition is the longest

Image: Stas Knop

Aretha Franklin's rendition of "Star-Spangled Banner" is the longest recorded performance of the national anthem, lasting an impressive 4 minutes and 55 seconds . In contrast, most renditions take under two minutes!

She performed it in 2016 at an NFL game, breaking the previous record set by Alicia Keys three years earlier, whose version lasted 2 minutes and 36 seconds.

9

An unsuspected first recording voice

Image: Sudhith Xavier

The first known recording of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was made in 1915 by Margaret Woodrow Wilson . Yes, the daughter of President Woodrow Wilson.

Her rendition, though not as polished as modern versions, marked the anthem’s entry into the world of recorded music. Who would have thought the president’s daughter would be a trailblazer?

10

Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock performance

Image: Xie lipton

Jimi Hendrix’s electric guitar rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock in 1969 remains one of the most famous—and controversial—performances of the anthem.

His distorted, soulful, and modern interpretation hypnotized the crowds and became a powerful cultural statement amid the turbulence of the 1960s. Some saw it as a protest; others, as a masterpiece. Either way, we still talk about it.

11

A song for all occasions

Image: frank mckenna

Originally, "The Star-Spangled Banner" wasn’t intended solely as a national anthem. It was a patriotic song for all occasions —political rallies, public celebrations, and more. The anthem is as popular as it is versatile, and so it has been played in endless scenarios—and in countless versions!

1

Amazon: From books to everything

You might remember ordering a book via Amazon as one of the first transactions in our online lives. Amazon was just a modest virtual bookstore when it launched in 1994. In fact, Jeff Bezos allegedly named his company after the South American rainforest because he wanted it to be the biggest bookstore in the entire world.

Over time, it evolved into a global e-commerce and technology powerhouse that fundamentally changed consumer behavior and logistics. Amazon popularized one-click ordering, introduced personalized product recommendations, and pioneered fast home delivery, turning long weekly waits into a one-day or same-day process.

2

eBay: The auction that went global

eBay officially started in 1995 when founder Pierre Omidyar sold a broken laser pointer for $14.83 to a collector on his experimental auction site, showcasing that practically anything could be sold. It then revolutionized global commerce by turning the internet into a giant, peer-to-peer garage sale where ordinary people could buy and sell unique items from anywhere in the world.

Before eBay, selling goods to a mass audience required a physical storefront or a large wholesale budget, but eBay let anyone list household items, collectibles, or crafts directly from a home computer. To reassure the skeptics, it also pioneered a mutual feedback and rating system that held buyers and sellers accountable, proving that strangers could safely trade goods online.

3

Google: The search that changed everything

We wonder what navigating the internet would even be like without the famous Google search. Even though its name has to do with a mistake (it's the misspelled version of "googol," which is the number one followed by 100 zeros), since its launch in 1998, it's transformed the internet from a chaotic library into an organized system — fundamentally changing how humanity finds information , navigates the physical world, and handles daily tasks.

Google replaced slow directory browsing and keyword-stuffed portals with a clean, minimalist homepage. Its targeted advertising networks reshaped how businesses find customers and how digital content is funded online. Google Maps (launched in 2005) replaced static paper maps and slow early web tools with a fluid "slippy map," changing how we travel and get anywhere, forever.

4

Spotify: The moment music became endless

Spotify was founded in Sweden in 2006 and launched in 2008. It officially entered the American market in 2011, revolutionizing the music industry forever. The years between its founding and U.S. launch included extensive licensing negotiations with music rights holders.

When it arrived, it offered its signature "freemium" model, helping disrupt the paid-download era dominated by Apple’s iTunes Store, with streaming becoming the new blueprint for music consumption . This transition shifted how recorded music generates revenue, with many artists increasingly relying on multiple income streams, including touring, merchandise, vinyl and other physical products, and unique experiences. Getting a song placed in a commercial or video game can provide another source of income, with synchronization deals offering upfront fees and, in some cases, additional royalties.

5

Facebook: When friends went online

Chances are you have a Facebook account and possibly even reconnected with a long-lost friend (or love) on the platform. There’s no doubting it: Facebook revolutionized the way we live by turning personal relationships, daily communication, and digital identity into a massive global network since its launch in 2004.

It replaced many habits: physical letters, landline calls, and basic emails gave way to instant messages, wall posts, and digital timelines. The need to use our real names and photos when creating our profiles helped people build a single, permanent online identity to stay connected across different life stages. After introducing features such as the News Feed, Like button, and Facebook Ads, the platform surpassed 3 billion monthly active users in 2023, changing how we connect, communicate, and consume information online.

6

YouTube: When everyone became a broadcaster

Do you remember the first video you ever watched on YouTube? Incredibly, the platform was originally conceived as a video-dating site with the idea of singles filming what they wanted in a partner, alongside the slogan "Tune In, Hook Up," before becoming something else entirely by democratizing broadcasting.

Before YouTube, traditional media and television networks controlled video distribution and production. Now, anyone with an internet connection and a basic camera could instantly share their voice, art, or daily life with a global audience. The platform created the profession of "YouTubers," allowing independent creators to build direct relationships and careers outside of mainstream media. From cat videos to cooking lessons , YouTube has not only changed what we watch, but also who gets to be seen.

7

Netflix: Goodbye, "next week at 9"

What show are you watching? Anything you’d recommend? Netflix has made these questions commonplace by changing how the world watches entertainment, replacing fixed TV schedules with its iconic DVD-by-mail rental service beginning in 1998, and its instant, on-demand service beginning in 2007. Viewers gained the freedom to watch movies and shows anytime, and suddenly traditional weekly TV schedules and cable bundles began to lose their grip on daily routines, making "next week at 9" a thing of the past .

In addition, releasing entire seasons at once popularized "binge-watching." Shows like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black helped prove that original online content could rival traditional networks.

8

Instagram: When photos took over

For those of us who started using it from the beginning, we might still have a favorite filter. Instagram changed the way we live by turning everyday visual sharing into a global culture . Launched in October 2010, the app transformed quiet photo albums into public, fast-paced feeds (where one could say everything tends to be quite perfect, too).

Among the key areas it’s impacted are travel, where photos of scenic views and trendy cafes can now influence our vacation choices and hotel selections; going out to eat, since meals are styled for cameras before anyone takes a bite; and modern selfie culture, including the push for an idealized personal brand and the rise of "influencers."

9

Zoom: Created before video calls became unavoidable

The idea of video calls existed long before Zoom, but Zoom’s launch in 2013 helped transform video conferencing into a global lifeline for work, education, and socializing during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Daily meeting participants rose from 10 million in December 2019 to 300 million by April 2020. Since then, many offices have moved into living rooms, schools have replaced homework with virtual rooms, and "Zooming" has become a standard verb for happy hours, family gatherings, and even weddings, keeping people close during lockdowns or long-distance, and transforming the way we communicate ever since.

10

TikTok: When strangers became the feed

You’ve heard of "TikTok challenges" or maybe even filmed one or two. Although TikTok is another social media platform, it has helped change social media by putting a greater emphasis on its "For You" feed, where an algorithm serves up highly personalized content rather than simply showing posts from the accounts you follow.

In other words, the app shows content from strangers based on users’ behavior; its endless, easy-to-navigate feed keeps them engaged with rapid, bite-sized videos; and competitors like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have adopted similar short-form video formats. It has become especially popular among younger users and highly influential in music discovery, trends, and brand marketing. Talk about a revolution, one TikTok at a time.