While many of us eagerly anticipated the start of the new year, one that would bring a clean slate for all that looked forward to new beginnings and an abundance of opportunity, many of us may have neglected to rejoice in some of the most significant moments of 2016 that were just as groundbreaking as they were heart warming. Starting from the very first month, a period of transition that gave momentum for the rest of the year to unfold, each month to follow brought a series of events that made for some of the most talked about viral news stories in history. From viral stories of the UK to viral stories of the US, award winners to those that had the fortune of making the Forbes list, ’16 had just as much controversy as it did celebratory moments. So, is 2016 the worst year ever? After a thorough reflection of the past year and our illustrative representation that can be found below, one may begin to believe that 2016 was not as bad as they once thought it was, after all. (Article continues below)
Politics
2016 was infamous for it’s multitude of political breakthroughs and ended on a startling note as we saw the multi-billion dollar business mogul, Donald Trump, who had no political background, become elected as the 45th President of the United States. Adding to the hype of 2016, scandals unravelled in the political world - recall Hillary Clinton’s controversial emails? Feminists worldwide gained a huge win as female leadership came to office in lands that held only male dominance. Viral stories of the UK honored stories of Sadiq Khan, Queen Elizabeth, Theresa May, and David Cameron. A seemingly not so boring year, wouldn’t you agree?
Money
highlight on the viral news stories regarding commerce worldwide put much emphasis on Alphabet, Google’s parent company, surpassing Apple as the world’s most valued company. The top viral stories of the U.S. included Forbes’ richest list naming Bill Gates as No. 1 most wealthy individual with a net worth of $75 billion.
Science
The top viral stories of 2016 surfaced within the world of Science as significant developments unraveled within research, microgravity, DNA testing, and mitochondrial transfer. Joining the subject of development were remarkable scientific discoveries. We also hit record breaking time for flight lengths and visits to and from space.
Weather
Record snow volumes appeared in twenty U.S. states and to date, the month of February charted as having the warmest temperatures ever to be recorded.
News
The most popular international viral news stories of 2016 surfaced in countries such as Egypt, France, England, Scotland, U.K. and the U.S.. Notable deaths of 2016 included the murder of Jo Cox and the notable death of Harambe, a gorilla in the Cincinnati zoo of the U.S.. Last but never least, let us remember how viral the release of Pokemon Go was,, a game that had little to no marketing prior to it’s release.
Sports
The multi-faceted area of sports in 2016 was a prosperous one as many athletes felt the high of victory and honor of having the title as award winners on multiple occasions. Forbes’ list welcomed athlete Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest paid athlete and the coveted Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the NFL; however, the NFL did not have a total loss as it’s super bowl had revenues of over 620 million dollars in sales.
LGBT
For those that believe in the equality of all sexes and sexual orientation, the LGBT community celebrated the support from popular brands like Nike and Paypal as well as the support that came from the U.S. defense.
Culture
There were numerous moments to glorify within the Culture of 2016. Mother Teresa, a highly respected figure in the Catholic community, was canonized by Pope Francis. The sellout by Paul Beatty was named winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize for fiction.
Discoveries
More top viral stories of 2016 include its discoveries, which surfaced in the fields of Science, Technology, and Astronomy.
International
In International news, 2016 was explosive with Viral news stories that derived from Colombia, Brazil, Italy, and Venezuela. We also witnessed the discovery of the oldest known case of neanderthal-human sex.
Entertainment
Finally, we have the world of entertainment. The top viral stories of 2016 included the release of many successful movies that earned prosperous numbers which broke revenue records. The fantasy films include Star wars, Batman VS. Superman, and Harry Potter. Well known celebrities such as Beyonce and Honey G made viral headlines while BBC three became the first uk television network to have an online only outreach.
So, there you have it - a comprehensive list of the most significant events of 2016 that should not go unnoted. For our pessimists at home that deem 2016 to be the year ever, it seems as though our list has proven otherwise.
Please include attribution to BargainFox.co.uk with this graphic.