Each New Years, we can count on a few things to happen in the upcoming 365 days: Beyonce will mae us all proud, the Republicans will get fed up with Obama, and Meryl Streep will get nominated for an Oscar. However, as January 1st rolls around and your Twitter timeline fills with dozens of tweets saying “New year, same old sh*t,” we should each keep in mind that each year comes with its own twists and turns. And just to provide testament to that, here’s a recap of a few things that happened in 2015, because this year some new sh*t actually went down.
1.Donald Trump ran for president. Although there had been rumors of a presidential campaign from Trump, I’m not sure anyone really took it any more seriously than we take Kanye West’s threat to run. I’m sure no one expected him to make it thus far with 39% of voters in the polls, nor do I think anyone expected him to be called out by Hilary Clinton as “ISIS’s best recruiter.”
Predictions for 2016: Only 2016 will tell us how successful Trump will prove to be
2.Water was discovered on Mars: On September 28, 2015, NASA revealed that they have discovered liquid, flowing water on Mars, breeding hope to the idea that there may be some form of life on Mars. NASA also received the first ever close-up pictures of Pluto this year (revealing a Pluto-the-dog shaped figure on it!).
Predictions for 2016: Life on Mars?!?!?!
3. Falcon 9 rocket successfully returned to Earth: On December 21, 2015, SpaceX launched and landed the Falcon 9 rocket, a reusable rocket. The success of this type of rocket seriously decreases the cost of a launch, thus increasing the possibility of commercial space travel.
Predictions for 2016: Commercial space travel???
4.South Caroline took down their Confederate Flag: On July 10, 2015, South Carolina officially removed the Confederate Flag from statehouse grounds, after having been flown there since 1961. Although controversy over the Confederate Flag has existed since the Civil Rights Movement, the push for its removal in South Carolina began after a shooting occurred outside of an African American church in Charleston, SC in June, killing 9 African Americans.
5.Star Wars set records in the Box Office: After releasing on December 18, 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed $325.4 million domestically in just five days, making it the fastest grossing movie in history.
6.Africa goes an entire year without any new Polio viruses: July 24, 2015 marked a full year since any new Polio viruses were diagnoses in Nigeria, the last country in Africa to have stopped the transmission of the virus.
7. Riots broke out in Baltimore: On April 28, 2015, a funeral was held for Freddie Gray, an African American man killed by six white police officer in Baltimore, MD and, hours later, riots broke out in Baltimore, protesting the mistreatment of Gray. As a result, a curfew was imposed on the city, schools were closed for days, and Baltimore was declared in a State of Emergency. The officers involved are currently under trial for homicide, the first of which occurred on November 30 and was declared a mistrial.
Predictions for 2016: All six trials will be held in 2016. The death of Freddie Gray has led to a push for a reconsideration of the status of equality and Civil Rights in our country, which will hopefully make strides in the upcoming year.
8. Full House is returning on Netflix as Fuller House: On April 20, 2015, John Stamos revealed that he, among other former cast members of Full House, will return on Netflix original series called Fuller House. 90’s kids everywhere went nuts.
Predictions for 2016: A Netflix Original Series has yet to let me down so I’m going to assume that the show, scheduled to release on February 26, 2015, will be a hit but only the new year can confirm that.
9.Paris attacked by ISIS – On November 13, 2015, Paris, France underwent a series of terrorist attacks resulting in the deaths of 130 people, a tragic and unprecedented level of violence for Paris. ISIS took responsibility for the event.
Predictions for 2016: Such an attack has increased fear around the world of more terrorist attacks. Time will tell how the United States chooses to respond to it.
10. Gay marriage was legalized: On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States. Although it was certainly a long time coming (and not necessarily something we “never expected to happen”), the legislation was certainly historical and a major victory for gay-rights activists across the nation
11. FDA lifts ban off homosexuals donating blood: On December 21, 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted their lifetime ban off gay men donating blood, another, at least partial, victory for gay rights activists. The criteria was modified so that men who have abstained from sex with another man for at least a year may donate.
12. Steve Harvey announces the wrong Miss Universe: On December 20, 2015, Steve Harvey crowned Miss Columbia as Miss Universe when she was actually only first runner up; Harvey had to remove her crown and announce that the actual winner is Miss Philippines. Oops.
Predictions for 2016: Steve Harvey is contracted to host the Miss Universe pageant for a few years to come and hopefully he won’t make the same mistake again.
13. Iran nuclear deal adopted by United States: In November, 2015, the United States formally adopted the Iran nuclear deal, limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting some economic sanctions on the country. While President Obama fought for this deal to go through, the GOP strongly opposed and got in his way, believing that we need to impose harsher regulations on Iran.
14. Adele made a comeback: On October 18, 2015, “Hello” by Adele dropped and our lives were forever changed. The song was the first single released off Adele’s album 25, released on October 23, 2015, her first album in five years.
Predictions for 2016: What looks like a fantastic tour for Adele and hopefully many more albums in years to come.
15.Justin Bieber made a comeback: Surpassing his released nude photos, the release of “What Do You Mean,” followed by many other hit songs, brought millions back under the title of “Beliebers.”
