The Big 5-0: Cultural icons that turned 50 in 2025

For the younger crowd, it was the year of 6-7. But for us here at Nifty50+, we’re all about the big 5-0. Based on the name of our site, it’s no wonder that we’re partial to 50, so we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the reasons why 50 was in the spotlight this year.

From big birthdays, to anniversaries, to milestones, here are 10 reasons why 50 was nifty in 2025.

‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat’

If you were a youngster when Jaws came out, you probably remember how terrifying it was the first time you saw it. It was the first major summer blockbuster to hit theaters and it changed the entire industry (not to mention beach-going habits). By today’s movie standards, it may not seem all that scary, but no one can take away its status as a groundbreaking piece of filmmaking that launched Steven Spielberg to stardom and impacted our culture in so many ways. For its 50th anniversary this year, the film was re-released on the big screen and celebrations included events where the movie was filmed (Martha’s Vineyard), museum exhibits, and documentaries that brought some cast members together to reminisce.

The 50 homerun club in 2025

There were lots of big sluggers knocking balls out of the park during the 2025 MLB season, but only four of them got to be part of a fairly exclusive club. Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge each hit 50 home runs this year, tying a 1998 record for having the most 50-homer players in a single year. And Raleigh hit 60.

Big Gen X birthdays

If there’s one thing that the people turning 50 this year have in common, it’s that they make 50 look good. Some of our faves include:

• Drew Barrymore: How can the little girl from E.T. be 50? Crazy, but it’s true, and many of us literally grew up alongside this Hollywood icon.
• Bradley Cooper, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Winslet: I mean, if they aren’t the poster children for “50 is the new 30,” I don’t know what to tell you.
• Tobey Maguire: If you have older kids, you probably had to watch his Spider-Man movies on repeat, but incredibly, he found himself caught in the 50-year-old web this year.
• David Beckham and Tiger Woods: Sports legends hit the big birthday milestone this year, too, including soccer’s Beckham and golf pro Woods.
• 50 Cent: Because he’s got the cool name to match, we had to give the “In da Club” rapper a special shout-out for turning 50 this year.

Windows into our past

Our generation is probably the last to remember life before personal computers in the home, but when a little company founded 50 years ago called Microsoft came along, it changed our lives forever. Kudos to Bill Gates and Paul Allen who founded this iconic American technology brand 50 years ago, pulling all-nighters in a garage.

50 years ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Before there was AI or CGI, there was a movie special effects visionary, George Lucas, who founded the company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) back in 1975. The reason? To create special effects for his upcoming movie, Star Wars, so it could look futuristic and cool. The film blew audiences away and ILM changed movie making forever.

A dark chapter ended

This year also marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war, the fall of Saigon. On April 30, 1975, the North Vietnamese Army captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, marking the end of the brutal war that killed so many of our brave young soldiers and divided the nation. While it wasn’t an outcome anyone wanted, it is a part of our history worthy of reflection and remembrance.

Talk about a time warp

As the film’s most famous song says, “It’s astounding. Time is fleeting.” Yes, the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” had its 50th anniversary this year. It celebrated with a convention in Los Angeles, special screenings, and tours featuring original cast members. Not bad staying power for a movie that started out as a flop.

“Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?”

Some songs seem to get more popular with time, or experience a resurgence in pop culture, but few tunes can hold a candle to the now-50-year-old-but-still-super-relevant “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. First released as a single in 1975, the song made a comeback with the “Wayne’s World” movie in 1992, and then again with the biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2018. Even cooler? BoRhap  has the distinction of being the most streamed song from the 20th century.

“Live from New York,” it’s a major milestone

There was a lot of celebration and fanfare to celebrate the 50th birthday of Saturday Night Light this year, and with good reason. The sketch comedy show, created by Lorne Michaels, first premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, and is still a major part of our pop culture a half a century later. Some fun facts (h/t to NBC):

• The original cast was known as the “Not Ready for Primetime Players.”
• The first cast member to say “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night,” was Chevy Chase.
• Kenan Thompson is the cast member with the most seasons on SNL, now in his 22nd season.
• Our 50th birthday girl, Drew Barrymore, was the youngest person to ever host the show when she was 7.
• Anthony Michael Hall (who is now 57) was the youngest cast member ever at 17 years old in 1985.

Space Mountain

When it was launched (no pun intended) 50 years ago, Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain became the first ever roller coaster to be controlled by computer. The grand opening featured appearances by NASA astronauts and, of course, fireworks. It’s still a fan favorite at the theme park to this day, and it’s since been added to other Disney Park locations around the world.

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