2017. Thank God it's over. It's been a ghastly 12 months, with Trump as President, Brexit talks taking place, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, cases of sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism and transphobia around every corner...I think I speak for everyone when I say I'll be glad to see the back of this year.
However, it's just as important that we remember the good times this year gave us, as well as the bad, because I promise there were actually good times! 2017 brought us hilarious memes, marriage equality, empowering street protests, the downfall of horrid politicians, new music, new movies, new laws, new baby humans, new iPhones and so much more. So, I've compiled a list of just a handful of things which made 2017 just about bearable.
The Women's March
2017 started as it meant to go on as six million across the globe united for the Women's March to protest against President Trump and his beliefs.
Victims of sexual assault said "#MeToo"
A well overdue dialogue was opened up in 2017 as victims of sexual assault came forwards to tell their stories and, in many cases, they were listened to and believed.
Roy Moore lost a special election for the US senate
The Republican candidate in Alabama lost to Doug Jones, and rightly so, after being accused by many women of preying on them when he was in his 30s.
Price Harry and Meghan Markle got engaged
Love or loathe the Royal Family, a royal engagement is always a lovely little bit of news. Prince Harry popped the question to his American actress girlfriend this year and the pair are to marry in Spring 2018.
Australia legalised same-sex marriage
Australia FINALLY achieved marriage equality, becoming the 25th country to do so. The vote which was held showed the country were overwhelmingly in favour of LGBTQ+ couples having the right to marry.
A hijab-wearing Barbie was unveiled
Barbie designed a sporty, hijab-wearing doll who was modelled on Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim American woman to win an Olympic medal. She said that she hopes the doll will inspire other girls to embrace what makes them unique.
Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen
The far-right, anti-immigrant French politician lost out on the chance to become President in the election in May. Winning would've only allowed bigotry to prosper further so her defeat was a win for all.
Women in Saudi Arabia were granted permission to drive
At last, women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to drive. A small victory, yes, but a victory nonetheless and a huge one, in fact, for those who have fought tirelessly for women's rights.
80 bystanders formed a human chain to save a drowning family on a beach in Florida beach
These heroes, all strangers of different races and genders, acted quickly and thought on their feet to save six relatives all trapped by a strong current, as well as three others who became stuck when they tried to rescue them.
A 30 year old man saved lives during the deadly Las Vegas shooting
A shooting which took place at a music festival in Vegas earlier this year became the worst mass shooting in US history, however, where is bad, there is good and just one of the heroes was Jonathan Smith. He raised the alarm, shouting that there was an active shooter, and led people to safety on a carpark. He also got shot in the neck trying to protect girls who weren't covered.
Israeli scientists announced a new treatment for ALS
The ALS ice bucket challenge, which was very popular a few years ago, led to real progress in treating and curing the disease. The money raised has helped fund research for the rare disease and so scientists have now found a way to stop the increased activity of glial cells, restoring the nervous system's immune defenses and increasing life expectancy.
Carter Wilkerson's Tweet became the most retweeted Tweet in history
No matter how annoying you may have found this guy, you've got to admit that his idea was rather smart. He Tweeted Wendy's asking for free chicken nuggets. They told him he could have a year's free supply if his Tweet reached 18 million retweets. He achieved 3.6 million, beating the Ellen Degeneres' iconic Oscar selfie to become the most shared Tweet. The internet can be a nasty place so it's nice when people bring a little fun to it.
Southwest Airlines flew a plane full of puppies to help them escape from Hurricane Harvey
When such horrific things happen, it's always nice to be reminded that there is still good in the world. Animals are affected by the devastation caused by hurricanes too so Southwest Airlines stepped into rescue over 60 animals from overcrowded shelters following Hurricane Harvey!
Scientists invented a spray gun which shoots stem cells onto burn victims to regrow their skin without scars
RenovaCare developed a device called the SkinGun. It sprays victims with their own stem cells, cells which help the damaged skin regrow free of scars. The device has already proven successful in both the US and Germany.
Florida high school students started a club so that no one has to eat lunch alone
Eating lunch by yourself is never fun so these students took it upon themselves to ensure everyone feels like they have someone to talk to. The group at Boca Raton Community High School set up We Dine Together to people make friends and start conversations.
A woman donated all the food from her cancelled $30,000 wedding to feed the homeless
With homelessness being such a massive issue across the globe, any small attempt to help combat it is great, but Saran Cummins went above and beyond when she invited the homeless to enjoy her wedding venue and food after it was cancelled.
Mamma Mia 2 was filmed
The sequel to the smash hit film Mamma Mia was filmed this year, starring the original cast. The feel good film is a favourite worldwide so everyone was excited to learn that Mamma Mia 2... Here We Go Again! Shall be hitting cinemas next year.
The first Zero Waste Shop in the UK opened
Customers bring their own reusable jars and fill them up with however much of the product they want. Saving the planet is easier than it seems.
Zimbabwe put a ban on the beating of all children in the country
In March, Zimbabwe took a step in the right direction on the world's journey to combating violence against children! A word without violence is the world we should be striving for.
A homeless man who helped young survivors of the Manchester attack was given a home
Inspired and touched by this man's brave and kind acts, people raised enough money to help the 35 year old rent a house for six months, getting him off the streets and proving that karma is real.
Denmark became debt free this past March for the first time in 183 years
This is a massive deal for a person alone, let alone a whole country, but Denmark rid itself of its foreign debt!
A dad's children interupted his BBC interview... and it was everything
Blissfully unaware of the importance of the interview that their dad was filming for BBC news, a daughter and baby charged into the room where he was filming, desperate to get in on the action, only for their mother to storm in to rescue him. It was iconic, to say the least.
Someone vandalised the Hollywood sign...
Most of us couldn't believe our eyes when images emerged online of the Hollywood sign which had been changed to 'Hollyweed' when a prankster managed to climb up Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills area.
One Love Manchester
A terrorist attack on Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande concert in May claimed the lives of 22 innocent people. In June, Ariana returned to the city, along with a bunch of famous musical friends, to host a benefit concert which raised millions and showed the true power of music.
Nicki Minaja taking off to Prague
We welcomed another meme into the world this year in the form of Nicki Minaj heading to her aeroplane to jet off to Prague. Her video went viral and quickly became a 'challenge,' causing fans all over the world to make their own funny versions.
Bella Hadid’s
sneaker shopping
Yet another meme which took off as Bella Hadid went shopping for sneakers and caused hysteria on Twitter as she said, "If homeboys coming thru with these then, it's quiet. But if homeboys coming thru with theses then homeboy's gonna like... get it."
ThE SpOnGeBob MemE
The mocking Spongebob meme took over the internet in 2017. It originated from a section of a Spongebob Squarepants episode and, soon enough, people were using it when they wrote something which deserved a mocking tone.
Bill O'Reilly was fired from Fox News
Finally, Bill O'Reilly was removed from TV screens over sexual harassment, after invading living rooms with aggressive behaviour and lies for two decades.
The Oscar Going to La La Land by mistake
La La Land won big at the Oscars this year, however, chaos ensued as the Best Picture award was awarded to them instead of Moonlight. It's a mix-up that the organisers won't be forgetting any time soon!
Gucci Mane cutting his $75K wedding cake with a sword
Gucci Mane needed a sword to slice into his blinged-up cake. It took three days to bake and was over 10ft tall!
Frank Ocean’s Panorama T-shirt
Why be racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic when you could just be quiet?
Mariah Carey suing her ex for $10 million for wasting her time
The queen of Christmas herself reportedly received a settlement package between $5 and $10 million from her ex-fiance James Packer. She's also allowed to keep the large diamond engagement ring he gave her, which is worth less than $10 million.
Donald Trump's Twitter account was deactivated
A customer service employee deactivated Donald Trump's Twitter account on his last day in the job. It was down for 11 minutes and they were probably the most precious 11 minutes of the year.
Lena Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy award for comedy writing
Lena Waithe made history at the 69th Emmy awards as she won a trophy for co-writing the Thanksgiving episode of Master of None.
NFL players took a knee
NFL players took a knee against Donald Trump's racism and comments made against Colin Kaepernick, showing wonderful solidarity and fighting for an issue so much bigger than football.
One Direction solo careers
After their hiatus began in December 2015, One Direction left fans, (basically) to rot throughout 2016, however, they couldn't have been busier this year as each member embarked on successful solo careers, releasing songs, albums, music videos and even movies.
Michael Kors and Gucci went fur free
The two designer brands went fur free, which will hopefully inspire other companies to do the same. A future without fur is within reach!
George Clooney became a dad!
On 6th June, Amal Clooney gave birth to twins! A daughter named Ella and a son, Alexander.
Beyoncé gave birth to twins
The Formation hitmaker sent the internet into meltdown earlier this year when she announced, via a very beautiful Instagram photo, that she was expecting twins. She gave birth to Rumi and Sir Carter in June.
The iPhone X was released
The iPhone X was announced on 12th September and, naturally, had tech fans camping outside stores for days in the hopes of being one of the first people to get their hands on one.
NASA found 219 possible planets
NASA added 219 possible planets to its growing catalogue of worlds beyond our solar system, including 10 that are potentially temperate, rocky worlds like Earth.
Wonder Woman
The Wonder Woman movie was released back in May, a movie in which Gal Godat gives male superheroes a run for their money and young girls a strong female role model to look up to.
Trump's trans military ban was blocked
A district court blocked Trump's proposed ban, which prevented trans people from serving in the military, once again taking a stand against transphobia and fighting for trans equality.
So, there we have it, just a few reasons why 2017 may not have been as terrible as we think. At times, it was awful and, at times, we thought it couldn't get any worse. But, despite the heartache, the grief, the anger and the violence, we still found things which gave us hope that good remains in the world, that humanity does exist and that there will always be something to laugh about.
Let us enter 2018 with positive mental attitudes, determined to make the next 12 months as amazing as possible. Let us enter the new year willing to make crazy mistakes but to learn from them also. Let us vow to stand up for what is right and always support our brothers and sisters. Let us always laugh and never let go of the things which make us glad to be alive. Let us be prepared for the sad times but also never forget the good and truly cherish every moment 2018 has in store.
Make 2018 a year of lessons, adventures and memories and spend every waking moment in awe of the beautiful, diverse, crazy, chaotic, magical world around us.
Happy New Year, friends.
Love, Emily :) xx
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