Throughout the past year, the world has been witness to countless shocking and at times, disheartening events. This past year, we have mourned the dozens of lives lost in mass shootings that were carried out from everywhere to nightclubs to churches. We have seen terrorism both at home and abroad, in France, in Turkey, and perhaps most prominently in the genocide of thousands of Syrian civilians. Towards the end of 2016, much of the United States was disheartened by the outcome of an unprecedented Presidential election. As the year draws to a close, and the world is reflecting back on it, it is easy to become weighed down in the trials we have faced in 2016. But true resilience comes when silver linings can be found, even in the darkest of times.

1.For the first time in hundreds of years, animals who previously faced extinction now have hope. Giant pandas have moved up off the endangered species list and the population of wild tigers has increased for the first time in one hundred years.

2. The “ice-bucket” challenge of 2015 has funded a breakthrough for the ALS disease. The money raised from the challenge helped in the discovery of a gene now known to commonly contribute to the disease.

3. Researchers of from MIT and University of Leeds have discovered that the holes in the ozone layer have begun to close. The hole over the South Pole has shrunk by more than 1.7 million square miles since 2000. Scientists estimate the hole will close by 2050.

4. The United States will soon begin producing currency stamped with the faces of famous women, people of color, and combinations of both. The updated currency will include the faces of Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., Sojourner Truth, and several others.

5. Sweden has become so good at recycling their waste, they have actually run out of trash and have begun to important garbage from their neighboring countries. Millions of homes in Sweden are heated by the incineration of waste.

6. Toys “R” Us stores in the United Kingdom offered quiet shopping hours for patrons with autism during the holiday season.

7. Through the tireless efforts of protesters both on the scene and off, the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline over a Native American tribe’s reservation was halted. As a result, the land belonging to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation will not be disturbed.

8. Through online crowdfunding, over $1 million was raised to send the children of two victims of police brutality - Alton Sterling and Philandro Castille - to college.

9. Hillary Clinton, although perhaps not the first female U.S. President, was still the first woman to accept a nomination from a major political party. However, several other women made history on election night - Senator Kamala Harris of California became the first Indian American woman to be elected to the Senate, Senator Catherine Cortes Masto of Nevada was the first Latina elected to the senate, Representative Stephanie Murphy of Florida became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress, and Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota became the first Somali-American and the first former refugee elected to Congress.

10. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar! After six nominations, DiCaprio, who has been heavily favored for an Academy Award of the last ten years, was finally awarded his golden statue for his role in The Revenant.