2016 has certainly been an interesting year. And while people tend to focus on the negative aspects of the past 12 months -- of which there have been many -- there are also many positive aspects of 2016.

1. Seven women made history in the United States election.

Senator Kamala Harris won the race in California, becoming the first Indian-American in the Senate. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada became the first Latina to be elected into the Senate. Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois is the first female senator to have served in a combat zone, the second Asian-American woman ever elected to the senate, and the second female Senator from her state, according to ThinkProgress. Representative Stephanie Murphy of Florida is the first Vietnamese-American woman to be elected to congress. Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington is the first Indian-American woman elected to Congress. Representative Ilhan Omar became the first Somali-American legislator, and is a former refugee. And while she didn't win, Hillary Clinton was still the first female presidential nominee of a major US political party.

2. Giant Pandas are no longer endangered, and the Wild Tiger population increased for the first time in more than a century.

Due to some intense conservation actions in the past decades, the populations of these two species has increased in the past year. Panda numbers have increased so much so that they are now listed as "vulnerable" rather than "endangered" by the IUCN. Tigers are up from 3,200 in 2010 to 3,890, according to the World Wildlife Fund. While these species are still in need of assistance and conservation, these improvements showcase the positive efforts done by those who have helped, and how far a little assistance can go.

3. Harriet Tubman is going to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

Need I say more?

4. Harry Potter is back.

Regardless of your opinions on Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, it's evident that the Wizarding World is coming back to us and we couldn't be happier.

5. "Deadpool" happened.

6. Volunteers in India planted 50 million trees in 24 hours.

On July 11th, India broke the Guinness World Record for most trees planted in one day. This initiative is part of an agreement made by India at the Paris Climate Conference in December of 2015 to reforest 12% of its land.

7. The "Ghostbusters" remake was solid.

The all-female remake of the 1984 classic is important, regardless of whether you liked it or not. Seeing four amazing women kick butt on screen without any romantic undertones or men saving the day is inspiring to young women and girls everywhere.

8. A solar-powered plane circumnavigated the globe.

While there were some complications, a Swiss aircraft called Solar Impulse 2 has made its way entirely around the globe proving that solar powered aircraft are possible.

9. Margaret Hamilton got recognized for her exquisite contributions to the Apollo Space Program.

Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton was one of the most important contributors to the Apollo space mission at NASA. Her Softwares were critical in the mission to send men to the moon. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in November.

10. The child mortality rate was the lowest in history and is continuing to drop.

In 1990, the under-5 death rate was at 9%. In 2013, that dropped to 4.6%. In 2016, it's 4.25%.

11. Vinyl is coming back.

Hipsters, rejoice! When Record Store Day was started in 2008, it was originally a way to draw people to independent record stores. On top of doing that, it caused a surge in record sales -- they are the highest they've been in 28 years.

12. "Sherlock" is officially returning.

The last time we had a full season of BBC's Sherlock was in 2014. And after this hiatus not only did we start 2016 off with the special "The Abominable Bride," but it was announced that season 4 had begun filming and will begin airing next year. So that's something to look forward to!