2016 Was Nuts: Here Are The Most Memorable Stories (So Far)
Can you believe that it’s almost 2017 already? Some of us are probably still getting used to writing “2016” while many can’t wait for what ended up being a pretty memorable year to finally be over. When you look back on 2016, a lot has probably happened in your own life, but so much more has happened on an even larger scale in our world! Celebrity deaths, revolutionary mobile games and an insane election season are just a few of the downright traumatic surprises we’ve had to endure.
So let’s do the reasonable thing and relive all of it right now. Here are the top moments from 2016 so far. We should mention that this is just so far … there are a few weeks left at the time of publication, and 2016 might still have a few surprises up its sleeve.
David Bowie’s Death
One of the most heart-wrenching losses this year was that of our beloved and talented David Bowie. He was never afraid to be who he was, and his music inspired millions and millions of his dedicated fans.
Amazingly, he said goodbye to us in one of the best ways possible: a final new album. Fans were devastated from the loss but excited to have new music that focused on themes of death and his failing health. It was a fitting and personal goodbye. As if this loss wasn’t hard enough, he’s not the only one of our faves to leave our Earth this year.
The Summer of Pokemon Go
Whenever a new video game is released, it automatically gains popularity for a bit. But to use just “popular” as a single term to describe the insane reaction to Pokemon Go would be an extreme understatement. It seems as though everyone and their cat had their hands on this game at some point.
Although no one could stop talking about this game when it was first released, it seems its popularity has been on the decline. The groundbreaking way the game was played is sure to inspire new technologies, so we’re excited to see what the future holds for more incredible apps like this one.
Kim K’s Taylor Swift Video
Snapchat fans went wild this year when Kim Kardashian released footage of Taylor Swift saying on the phone to Kanye West that he had permission to use a line in one of his rap songs that included saying her name.
This might not seem like a big deal hearing the story out of context. But just a little while before this footage was leaked, Taylor Swift had stated several times that she never gave Kanye permission to use the line. The feud split fans and everyone was either on team Kim, Taylor, or team “this is all a publicity stunt set up by their agents.” Regardless of what the truth is, fans ate it up and are still eagerly awaiting what the next chapter in their story is. What team are you on? This wasn’t the only celebrity feud that had us excited this year. Click ahead to read more!
Alan Rickman’s Sudden Death
Harry Potter fans were devastated this year when the actor who played their beloved Professor Snape, Alan Rickman, passed on as well. Alan Rickman was also known for his roles in other big films too, but when you have a big fandom and an important character dies, a huge loss can be felt! Although the final Harry Potter film has already been released, it was still pretty disappointing to fans knowing that he’ll never be in any prequel, sequel, or another related film in the franchise.
It seems 2016 took too many people away from us too soon. We’d love to say Alan Rickman was the last of our favorites to go, but unfortunately, there’s more to come on the list.
Beyonce Drops “Lemonade” & Kanye Releases “The Life of Pablo”
This year was definitely a good one for talented African American musicians. But these two albums, in particular, caused a noticeable stir among fans and haters alike.
Beyonce’s visual album, “Lemonade,” shocked and confused fans by insinuating that she, or someone close to her, was dealing with infidelity in their relationship. She had fans guessing who “Becky with the good hair” was, and left us wondering what the status of her and Jay’s relationship is. Kanye’s new album was another showstopper, stirring up drama among fans of his and Taylor Swift’s with the controversial song “Famous” on his latest album, “The Life of Pablo.” In a year chock-full of insane stories, this wasn’t the last time Kanye carved out a slice of 2016 for himself.
The Pulse Nightclub Shooting
One of the biggest tragedies our country has faced happened just this year at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. What was supposed to be a night of celebration in cultural and sexual freedom resulted in the lost lives of innocent victims from throughout our country.
The shooting claimed the lives of 49 and left an additional 53 people injured, becoming the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history Despite the fact that just one year prior, the Supreme Court had ruled marriage equality the law of the land, Pulse gave LGBT people reason to continue fearing for their lives in the face of hate crimes. But 2016 wasn’t only full of tragedy. We have plenty of good moments left on the list you’ll want to remember.
The Rape Case That Shook the Nation
Televised trials are something that people talk about for decades after the verdict. But for one case involving a Standford University student and swimmer, it only took the verdict for this story to go national. People were outraged after Brock Turner was given a light sentence of only 3 months after raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster in their college town.
This case was not something unfamiliar to our country, but it seemed as though the fury of the light sentencing was felt a little harder this time around than it has been in the past. It goes to show how effective social media is in making stories go viral, and yet there is still not much we as citizens can do when we feel something unjust has occurred.
Rob and Chyna Get Together
As if we didn’t already have enough Kardashians to keep up with, two new ones have been added to the list. That would be the soon to be Angela Kardashian, better known as Blac Chyna, and her and Rob Kardashian’s newborn baby, Dream Kardashian.
We first got wind of this story when it was rumored that Blac Chyna and Rob were dating. This caused controversy as Blac and Rob’s sister, Kylie Jenner, fought over the same man, Tyga at one point. Tyga is Blac’s first son’s father and is also currently Kylie’s boyfriend. Then out of nowhere, Blac and Rob were engaged with a baby on the way! Confused yet? Maybe 2017 will be an easier year to keep track of what’s going on in this family. Blac and Rob aren’t the only couple to be causing a big fuss this year…
Brangelina Splits
Brad and Angelina. Angelina and Brad. At first, fans hated seeing Angelina steal Brad away from our beloved Jennifer Aniston. But after the sting of betrayal wore away, we began to fall in love with the couple as much as they were in love with having children. They seemed to have it all. They were one of the most attractive couples in Hollywood, are filthy rich, and can pretty much get whatever they want, whenever.
But this year we learned that that isn’t all true. Every couple still has their issues and Brangelina is no exception. The couple filed for divorce this year and are currently in a custody battle. 2016 is just the start of this couple’s downfall so we’re pretty eager to see what 2017 holds for them.
The Death of Prince
We’ve already discussed new music that made headline after headline this year, but even more prevalent than the music gains were the music losses in 2016. That’s right, 2016 took away another one of our beloved musicians, Prince! The Purple One was always known for being unapologetically himself. He was confident, talented, and put on a shows that blew minds for decades.
While some celebrity deaths (like David Bowie) were telegraphed this year, Prince was unexpected, so we didn’t have a final album to say goodbye with. Prince was also known for being very secretive and it’s rumored he has music and movies stashed away in his vault that no one has seen yet. Could 2017 hold the possibility of more Prince art being released? Let’s hope!
The Primaries
The past couple years have been exciting in the political world as political parties gathered to attempt to put in place the perfect candidate to get their party into the White House. No matter what party you were in or whether or not you cared about politics in the first place, it was hard to look away from the election this year. It seemed each party was divided as they scrambled to find a candidate that was suitable enough to beat the other.
Everyone had their fair share of fun with memes and viral videos of their favorite and least favorite candidates. It was a tight race until it was finally decided to have Hillary Clinton as the Democrat’s candidate and Donald Trump as the Republican choice. What was seemingly the build up was just the beginning of politics in 2016…
Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris Split
People love a good celebrity couple, especially musically talented ones! Fans loved seeing Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris together, as they were seemingly perfect for each other. Taylor has been known for a while as having more short term dates than long term relationships, so seeing her so committed was a pretty big change for fans.
But then these two, just like many on the list, ended their relationship as well. And it wasn’t pretty. Almost right after breaking things off with Calvin, Taylor was seen out and about with her new beau, Tom Hiddleston. Calvin wasn’t shy either about sharing just how he felt about Taylor on social media. With all of these celebrity splits, who’s going to be the hot couple of 2017?
Racial Tensions Are Higher Than Ever
No matter what you believe or what hashtag you use, there’s no doubt 2016 has been a year full of racial tension. Many people feel as though our president-elect Donald Trump has racist opinions and has said problematic things, while others feel as though he’s done nothing wrong. It seems as though this alone is enough to cause a racial divide in our country, but a lot more has been going on this year.
Riots have exploded over protesting the police shootings of unarmed black men, and one man was beaten on camera for admitting he had voted for Trump. Every day there’s a new issue within the realm of our racial divide, and it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. We are all definitely curious to see what 2017 holds as far these issues are concerned.
The Legend of Harambe
Memes, hashtags, and viral videos are shared constantly every second throughout the day. But one trend that still doesn’t seem to be going away is the gorilla Harambe who was killed this year at the Cincinnati Zoo. After a toddler fell into Harambe’s exhibit, the massive gorilla approached the boy, holding him and dragging him while terrified zoo guests watched behind iron bars.
The zoo’s staff acted fast and shot the gorilla in order to protect the young boy. People on the internet lost their minds after the story broke. They felt it was the mother’s fault for not watching her son and wanted justice against her. Others thought the zoo did what it had to do and thought the whole thing was nonsense. No matter what you felt, people could not stop talking about Harambe. Do you think we’ll stop hearing about him in 2017 or is he here to stay?
Chicago Cubs Finally Take the Series
Even if you aren’t a Cubs fan, one of the biggest things to happen in our country this year was the World Series in Chicago and Cleveland. These games are a big deal to every baseball fan, but this one held something a bit more. Both teams made it all the way to game seven, each with three wins.
They were running a close game throughout as well, despite a rain delay. Everyone was enthralled with their TV screens as they watched the Cubs win the game within the last moment of the series. There’s no doubt this is one of the most intense World Series games we’ve seen, and people will not soon forget the Cubs’ great win in 2016.
Kim Kardashian Attacked in Paris
Even the biggest haters of Kim Kardashian were shaken this year at the news that she was bound, gagged, and robbed of millions in jewels in her rental room in Paris, France, this year. Kim Kardashian is a model, socialite, and businesswoman who has always been known for showing off her wealth in the clothes she wears and events she attends. She’s big on showing off her glam on social media, and it definitely landed her in a tricky spot this year.
After exposing all the jewelry she had on during Paris Fashion Week on Snapchat, her hotel was broken into and she lost a lot of money in jewelry. Since the robbery, the once oversharing model has now hidden away with her husband and children, avoiding the limelight at all costs. So, was 2016 the end of Kim’s reign? What do you think about her year?
Celebrity Political Endorsements
Election years are always intense throughout, and celebrity endorsements are nothing new. But this year, as social media grows larger and more popular, there was no way to escape from celebrity endorsements. With two candidates with such differing ideas, it’s not surprising that everyone took to either siding with one or the other.
Many celebrities were not shy about publicly denouncing Donald Trump, and some, including Chrissy Teigen and Lena Dunham, often found themselves fighting with people on Twitter over politics. At this point, the political posts have faded as we begin to phase into a new presidency, but 2016 was definitely one of the more contentious election years, especially in celebrity circles.
Shocking Donald Trump Footage
Throughout the entire year, both political parties spent time trying to damage the other’s image by using bad photos, footage, and audio recordings of the other. But one release that shook the nation was that of Donald Trump’s leaked audio of him partaking in some sexually aggressive language between himself and TV host Billy Bush.
The released footage scared some as it was strange to hear a presidential candidate speak with such vulgarity so casually. Others felt it was nothing more than “locker room talk.” No matter what you might have felt, this was a news story that was not going away soon, and popped up right at the biggest heat of the election. It also made us wonder what other recordings of other important people might be lurking in the backstock footage rooms of TV stations everywhere. Who do you think is next on the list to have some scandalous footage released?
Kanye’s Hospitalization
One of the most recent big news stories to hit us this year was that Kanye West had canceled the rest of his tour and was instead headed to the hospital. Kanye spent 2016 stirring up controversy with what he said on stage and with what he said about other celebs. It seemed he couldn’t keep out of the headlines, and he always had something crazy going on.
His recent admission to a hospital reminds us all that celebrities are people too, and sometimes when we’re ill, we do wild things. Hopefully, Kanye and his family are getting the help they need, but what does this mean for their future? Was 2016 the last year we’d be hearing from Kanye and his wife, Kim? Will we be free of Kardashian news in 2017?
Donald Trump Will Be Our Next President
The biggest story of 2016 is that in 2017, Donald Trump will be our next president. It’s pretty wild to think that just a few months ago people were campaigning for various candidates and whittled the field down to just two. But in one day, our country’s history changed forever.
Whether you think this is the best news of the year or the worst news for our country, there’s no doubt that this was the biggest story of the year. Sure, we’ve seen a lot of celebrities break up, pass away, and endure some insane stories. But getting a new president might change our lives much more than what these celebrities do to stay in the limelight. What do you think was the best news story of the year? The worst? We’d love to hear from you! Share with your friends to find out what they think, too!
