In case you weren’t made aware, Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was held on Sept. 19. But what you probably weren’t aware of is the incredible list of strange pop culture anniversaries it coincided with.
The world looked on at the funeral as history as one of the most culturally important moments of the 21st century, but how exactly does it stack up with other major events of the 21st century, namely bizarre moments in internet history? Very, very humorously, is the answer. Kicking it off large with a big one, the funeral shares the same date as the creation of none other than Bowsette.
Yes, the internet’s favorite Rule 34 character for a solid few weeks in 2018. Voted one of the best video game memes of 2018 by Newsweek, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more famous fan creation.
It doesn’t end there, with a now-ancient meme also sharing the day with destiny just a decade before Bowsette. One fateful September day in 2008, Troll Face was born out of the creative hands of Carlos Ramirez, an 18 year-old student. There may not be a meme quite as impactful on modern culture than Troll Face.
If you’re in more of a sitcom mood, you’ll be pleased to know the pilot for How I Met Your Mother aired on Sept. 19, 2005. Now an icon of pop culture, even if its finale pulled an elaborate troll face on its entire viewership in 2014. Perhaps the biggest one is next, though, with the first recorded Steamboat Willie screening happening on the date in 1928. You simply cannot escape Disney.
Whether or not people will remember Her Majesty as fondly as they do Bowsette or the Troll Face remains to be seen. Oh, and we didn’t even mention the funeral lining up on National Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day, either.