#MeToo hashtag went viral on this day in 2017, sparking a global reckoning

On October 15, 2017, a single tweet turned a long-standing phrase into a global rallying cry. Actor and activist Alyssa Milano urged women who had experienced sexual harassment or assault to post "Me too" as a status update. Within hours, tens of thousands had adopted the #MeToo hashtag, transforming an individual call into a mass expression of solidarity.

The phrase itself was not new. Social activist Tarana Burke had introduced "Me too" roughly a decade earlier as a way to support survivors, particularly young women of colour. Milano's tweet brought that groundwork to a far wider audience, and the hashtag quickly became a shorthand for speaking out against sexual violence.

The moment arrived amid a broader cultural reckoning over harassment and abuse, and it spurred conversations across workplaces, institutions and social media platforms worldwide. October 15, 2017, is now remembered as the day the #MeToo movement went viral, reshaping how survivors are heard and how allegations are discussed in public life.

The date also carries other historical weight. In 1991, the U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court by a 52-48 vote despite sexual harassment allegations raised by Anita Hill. Other events on October 15 include Napoleon Bonaparte's arrival on St. Helena in 1815, the execution of Vichy France premier Pierre Laval in 1945, Hermann Goering's suicide in 1946, Hurricane Hazel's landfall in 1954, the first U.S. vice-presidential debate in 1976, Andy Green's supersonic land-speed run in 1997, the Staten Island ferry crash in 2003, and the death of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen in 2018.