Alright, so 2016 hasn’t been a great year. We had a bloodbath of an election and the United Kingdom is in the middle of a messy divorce with the rest of Europe. We lost Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, David Bowie, Anton Yeltsin, Leonard Cohen, and Prince. It’s projected to be the warmest year in history and the refugee crisis is now of epic proportions. But it wasn’t all bad. Right?
Here are 10 reasons 2016 wasn’t completely rotten:
Wild Tiger Population
For the first time in a century, the number of wild tigers in the world has increased. WWF has reported that are now nearly 3,900 tigers in the world. That’s up from the previous number of 3,200.
Ice Bucket Challenge
Remember that one time we were all dumping ice cold water over our heads and filming it in the name of ALS? Well, it paid off, with money donated to research they were able to find a gene that’ linked to ALS and are one step closer to eliminating it. Pretty awesome.
Trees…. In India
50 million trees were planted in India in 24 hours. That’s a world record and a lot of trees.
Portugal and Solar Power
Portugal, like the whole country of Portugal, was able to run for four whole days only on solar power. Four entire days.
WWII Vet Funeral
Ok, so it’s not great that a WWII vet died. It’s also not awesome that he didn’t really have any surviving family. It’s definitely not awesome that he was homeless. But 200 strangers came to his funeral. That’s what’s awesome.
Heart Disease
Death by heart disease in America is down by 70%. More people to enjoy 2017.
The Ozone Layer
It’s healing itself for the first time ever. Pretty great right!
If you're a Cubs fan then you really don’t need any reminding but hey, even if you’re not, it’s good to know that anyone can come back from anything. Even a 108-year losing streak.
Leonardo DiCaprio
He won an Oscar! Finally. Again, if you don’t succeed, just like keep trying and eventually you’ll get there.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
For those of you who are upset over Alan Rickman’s death and miss Severus Snape and maybe Harry Potter in general. Even if you hates the play and movie it is nice to see the world of Harry Potter alive and well.
So there you have it. That's what happened in 2016 that wasn't absolutely awful. Best thing to do it to keep your head up and let's all make 2017 a better year.
