To say that 2016 was a disaster is nothing short of the understatement of the century. With its ridiculous twists and turns, it seems like the year has had more failures than successes.
However, as 2016 is quickly approaching its end (for the better, honestly), I figured it would be beneficial for all of us if we end this cringeworthy ride with some positivity. As a fan of pop culture, I figured that there's no better way to evaluate the year we've had than by looking at some of the accomplishments that celebrities, filmmakers, and athletes have had this year.
And now, without any more stalling, here’s a list of some pretty great things that happened in pop culture this past year:
- Beyoncé released her iconic visual album, “Lemonade,” this year.
- Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things” was also released this year, causing millions across the nation to fall in love with Nancy Wheeler’s relatable best friend, Barb (and the whole cast, honestly).
- Netflix also blessed us with "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," which goes perfectly with coffee and a multitude of delicious yet unhealthy snacks.
- And how can we possibly forget about other incredible works of art, such as “Deadpool,” “Zootopia,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Moana,” “Finding Dory,” the all-female “Ghostbusters”...let’s face it, this year was amazing in the eyes of film industry.
- Two high schoolers surprised one of their teachers, Tonya Andrews, with two kittens after the passing of her 16-year-old cat, Blondie.
- Leonardo DiCaprio FINALLY won an Oscar (about time, in my opinion).
- Despite the haters, Pokémon made an incredible resurgence in popularity with Pokémon Go, which encouraged nerds and nostalgic adults alike to go outside.
- Daniel Lara, of “Damn Daniel” fame, donated his gift of a lifetime supply of Vans shoes to kids in the hospital.
- Kim Kardashian dragged Taylor Swift's reputation in order to defend her husband, Kanye West, thereby proving she was the shade queen we all knew she was.
- Despite your personal opinion of Hillary Clinton and the fact that she lost the election, the fact that we finally had a female candidate for president is pretty awesome. Girl power!
- For those of you who are into the sports, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in over 100 years.
- Speaking of sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship (in addition to the Lake Erie Monsters winning a championship as well), making Cleveland fans a little less embarrassed of the city’s record. They’re also no longer mad at LeBron James; it’s nice that being good at basketball can eliminate some of the hate in the world.
- The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which occurred mainly in the summer of 2015, led to a significant breakthrough in ALS research this year.
If you feel like you need more uplifting, check out this article that lists 15 more heartwarming things that happened this year. Now, try to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling right up to 2017! Good luck!
