In the beginning was the word — and the word was “Crikey!”

As much as Crikey enjoys having the last word, though, things didn’t quite end there. Things have changed a lot over the past 15 years — in the media, in Australian politics and in the world at large. And over the next 30 weeks, we will be bringing you a timeline of events, with a recap of each year posted here every fortnight.

In the years since that awkward Valentine’s Day at the Imperial Hotel, we’ve seen Australia follow the most powerful country in the world into two deeply unpopular wars. We’ve seen the leaders of our country torn down and dragged up again as the unrelenting news cycle pits politicians against an increasingly unforgiving public. We’ve seen the launch of Facebook, Twitter and Google (launched the same year as Crikey itself), without which we can’t imagine our world. And we’ve watched the rivers of gold dry up for print newspapers as advertisers and readers turn to the digital market.

Throughout this uncertainty, Crikey has risen from the most popular website in Parliament House (finally, something Latham said that we can agree on!) to a widely respected — if not always liked — news outlet bringing its trademark combination of irreverence and depth to everything from the latest leadership coup (should be another one along any day now) to proposed changes to data retention laws.

Swing by every fortnight to follow the memes, memories and madness that have made the last 15 years so much fun to write about. Along the way, we’ll be telling a few yarns from Crikey’s own journey, writ large.

Read the first entry in our media revolution timeline.