story by Tomi Clark

2016 — a mixture of emotion, and a blur of excitement.

Some saw it as the year dreams flourished and aspirations were accomplished, while others may have viewed it as the absolute worst year of their lives. Either way, the year is over, which means we can now reminisce on everything that happened in the crazy, beautiful year of 2016.

The Best of 2016 . . .

I’m sure we all remember the trends, viral videos, and eccentric news stories. The year 2016 was when the Mannequin Challenge was born, bottle-flipping began, and Pokémon GO took the world by storm.

Viral videos spread across the internet so quickly that it was like an uncontained wildfire. The hysterical and infectious laugh of the masked Chewbacca lady, the contemporary dance: Juju on That Beat, and the infamous ‘what are thooose?’ memes.

Music from artists like Adele, Ariana Grande, Chainsmokers, Drake, The Weeknd, and so many more captivated listeners — and now we can recite every song lyric verbatim. Live video and stories grew popularity which opened doors for social media. Hashtags like #2016RioOlympics, #prayforHarambe, and #rougeone were started.

Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar, alligators were found in Disney World, Donald Trump won the presidential election, and the Cubs won the World Series. It was a monumental year, chock-full of surprises and achievements — well, maybe, except for the alligators.

And the Worst of 2016 . . .

Many terrorist crimes were committed which included many casualties of this undeclared ‘war’. Attacks against Paris, an Orlando night club, Ohio University, and other countries around the world were all examples of fierce brutality from radical groups.

The world also bided a graceful farewell to David Bowie, Harper Lee, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds just to name a few.

The End of 2016

And the last thing we remembered of the 2016 year was watching the New Year’s Eve ball descend onto Time Square, which marked the beginning of what will be a great year. Remember the past and brace yourself for the future. Remember 2016 and welcome 2017 with open arms.