2016 has definitely been a year to remember. It's had its positives and negatives and people seem to be focusing on the negatives. Here's a list of some of the positive things that happened in 2016 that may give you a new perspective on "the year we don't talk about".
1. Physicists confirmed the existence of gravitational waves.
2. Catholic and Orthodox leaders met for the first time in 1,000 years.
3. The world tiger, manatee and panda counts rose for the first time.
4. Harriet Tubman will appear on the twenty dollar bill.
5. Teen birth rate reached an all-time low.
6. Team USA brought home the gold from the Rio Olympics.
7. The National Park Service turned 100.
8. The Americas became measles-free.
9. The world's largest marine reserve was established near Antarctica.
10. The unemployment rate hit a pre-recession low.
11. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.
12. US high school graduation rates hit an all-time high.
13. New chemotherapy breakthroughs increased the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer 16 percent to 26 percent.
14. Child mortality rates rapidly decreased.
15. Pokémon Go players placed lure modules near hospitals so the patients could play.
16. California is now powering over 6 million homes with solar power.
17. Volunteers in India planted 50 million trees in 24 hours.
18. Starbucks figured out how to donate perishable food safely.
19. 500 elephants were relocated to a bigger and safer home.
20. We made massive strides in Alzheimer's prevention.
21. The ozone layer is repairing itself.
22. A new therapy developed in Israel could cure radiation sickness.
23. The Orlando Shakespeare Festival showed up with angel wings to block funeral-goers for the Orlando Pulse victims, view from anti-gay protesters.
24. Death by heart disease decreased by 70 percent in the US.
25. Two brothers saw color for the first time thanks to specially-designed glasses.
26. Portugal ran its entire nation solely on renewable energy for four days straight.
27. A retiree is launching a project to transport 80 endangered rhinos to an Australian reservation to save them from poaching.
28. 200 strangers attended the funeral of a WW2 veteran who had no family.
29. A teen battling cancer married his sweetheart.
30. Over 800 Boko Harem Hostages were rescued by the Nigerian Army.
