2016 was lit. The US
. South Korea pretty much
and Peter Thiel took down Gawker. Lin-Manuel Miranda made Alexander
great again. Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin made
.
got baked. We saw too many
And said RIP to
started. Then ended. So did
.
Rob and Chyna had a
. Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize, and
.
Sean Penn interviewed
in the woods.
was robbed. Beyonce made
.
Leo
and got that Oscar.
Donald Trump
...as in the next President of the United States. He appealed to working class voters
with the message that they've been ripped off by the political elite, who've been sending those voters' jobs overseas. And that he's the one who can flip the status quo. Those voters turned out big league. A lot of people
)
Hillary Clinton
…as in the runner up. Hillz was the first female candidate nominated to a major political party. She picked up more
than any other losing candidate ever but lost the Electoral College. That's because a lot of her votes came from the coasts – aka states that don’t win elections. Clinton struggled to
.
That’s in part because of the FBI’s investigation into whether she mishandled classified info by using a private email server as sec. of state
(they decided she didn't. Twice
).
Now, Hillz is swapping pantsuits for
Russia
...as in everyone’s favorite cyberstalkers. Yesterday, the Obama administration slapped sanctions on some Russian intelligence officials and agencies
for interfering with the presidential election. That's
with Russia. Reminder: during the presidential campaign, the US intelligence community agreed that hacks into the DNC and the Clinton campaign were
. After the election, the
concluded that the goal was to try to help Trump win. Trump has said
But Senators from both sides of the aisle say the attacks are a threat to national security and have called for more
Brexit
…as in the UK divorced the EU. And made everyone say ‘blimey.’ The UK is the first country to consciously uncouple from the fam. Ever. Problem, since it's also one of the EU’s largest economies. Following the vote, David Cameron
. Theresa May
.
Markets
.
And then said,
Messy
The Olympics
...as in Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, and friends went to Rio and came home with a lot of bling. Phelps now officially has more Olympic medals than anyone
(ever
).
US women’s gymnastics double somersaulted its way to the top
).
Syrian refugee swimmer
had everyone cheering her on. Ryan Lochte went gray and
.
Technical difficulties
…as in it was a rough year for Silicon Valley.
had a fake news problem. Twitter’s still dealing with
. Snapchat keeps trying to make
happen. Things heated up for
.
And Yahoo got
.
. Now, Verizon’s having
Terrorism
...as in ISIS is
in Iraq and Syria. But its supporters are carrying out
more attacks on Western countries
.
See: truck attacks in
and
,
the
bombings, and the
airport attack. And then there was the shooting at a gay club in
Aleppo
...as in Syria’s almost
went from bad to worse. Aleppo – once Syria’s largest city – has been at the center of the fighting for years. After months of intense fighting and heavy
, Syrian President Assad finally
from rebels, marking a major turning point in his favor. The international community watched - and did nothing - as Assad's forces bombed the city into the ground and executed civilians on the spot in the final push to clinch the city. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed since this war started. Millions have fled for places like the EU, leading to the
worst refugee crisis on the continent since WWII
Balls
...as in
left the field with a ring when he led the Denver Broncos to a
over the Carolina Panthers. The
did OK too. ‘Bron ‘Bron & Co
Chicago Cubs
...As in the team hit it out of the park. They beat the Cleveland Indians to win
their first World Series title
People we will miss
…as in
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, and
Fidel Castro
…as in the
died
DAPL
…as in the reason you saw Facebook check-ins at “Standing Rock.” The Dakota Access Pipeline is the massive oil pipeline project that runs through four states, including North Dakota. A Native American tribe that lives along the proposed pipeline route in ND was joined by supporters to protest its construction
,
saying that it could contaminate the local water supply and destroy sacred sites. After a lot of legal back and forth, the US gov officially said
Things we can’t stop watching
...as in
new
eps,
and
The Supreme Court
...as in
earlier this year. And all eyes have been on his empty seat ever since. Without him, the court is tied between right and left-leaning justices. President Obama nominated Merrick Garland – a judge known for being pretty much right down the middle. Garland has to be confirmed by the Senate. But the Senate GOP said
Zika
...as in BYO bug spray. The virus spread by a certain type of mosquito continued to be
a big problem in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mother Nature
...as in
found itself under water. Parts of the
found themselves on fire after a long dry spell.
hit Haiti, and it was the
Turkey
...as in part of the military
failed to launch a coup to overthrow the government
.
Local police departments
...as in the deaths of
in Louisiana,
in Minnesota,
in Oklahoma, and
in North Carolina. All four were killed by police officers at a time when there have been lots of questions about the police's use of excessive force, especially against black men. Sterling and Castile’s deaths were followed by retaliatory attacks on police. Five officers were shot and killed in
,
and three in
Flint, MI
...as in it’s
not all water under the bridge
. Back in 2014, Flint left Detroit's water system to save some cash. It started taking water from the Flint River in what was supposed to be a temporary move. Then
people noticed that their water looked and smelled funny
.
And children's blood tests started showing higher levels of lead. Lead can affect brain development and cause behavioral changes in kids. Now a lot of people are
Wells Fargo
...as in the bank that was
Roger Ailes
...as in
. The founder and CEO of Fox News found himself out of the job when former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson claimed she was forced out after refusing his sexual advances. After that, lots of other women came forward to say he’d sexually harassed them too. That includes
, one of the network’s top stars, who’s still deciding whether to re-up her contract. 21st Century Fox (Fox News’ parent company, and a minority investor in theSkimm) settled with Carlson for a reported $20 million. And Ailes reportedly pocketed a
EpiPen
...as in your friend with a peanut allergy is pissed. Mylan bought EpiPen – which is used to treat life-threatening allergy attacks – almost a decade ago. Back then, the cost for a two-pack was about $100. Earlier this year, it had
.
Oh, and the company’s execs have been paid pretty well in the meantime. Congress, which already had
pharma companies under the microscope
Pokemon Go
...as in everyone and their gaming mother was
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