2016 Recap

2016: Year in Review

As the sun sets on 2016 and we usher in the new year, it’s time to reflect and review the year gone by. 2016 was a mixed year with several positives and negatives but most notably, it was a year of significant changes and, dare I say, upsets. From Brexit to Donald Trump’s presidential victory to currency demonetization in India, 2016 featured major political and economic shifts with far-reaching global consequences. The full scale of these changes will probably be felt in the coming year and their implications on the world remain to be seen. Environmentally, there’s finally something to cheer about as efforts to control global warming and wildlife endangerment started to bear fruit. We also made several technological breakthroughs from solar-powered planes to self-driven taxis. In the sporting world, 2016 will be remembered as the year of the underdogs with fairytale victories of Leicester City and Chicago Cubs. However, 2016 was also marred by several notable deaths such as those of Muhammed Ali, John Cruyff and Fidel Castro.

So, without further ado, let’s look at the top stories of 2016 in our yearly roundup: 2016- year in review.

BREXIT

Aleppo Crisis

Leicester City's Fairy-tale Win

Ozone Layer Heals

World Population (Billion)

Countries have reduced carbon emission

Infant mortality rate per 1000 births

%

Population has access to electricity

World

Britain votes to leave the European Union (EU)

David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister of UK after Brexit and former Home Secretary Theresa May took over the position

In a historical upset, Donald Trump won the US presidential election despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton

Panama Papers (11.5 million files) exposed offshore dealings of stars, revealing how the rich hide their money offshore

Rodrigo Duterte, President of Philippines, declared “war on drugs” after joining office in June. The bloody war has since claimed 5,927 lives.

On a short notice of 4 hours, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, demonetized Rs. 500 & Rs. 1000 notes in a sudden crackdown on black money, corruption and smuggling

In July, a faction of Turkish military attempted a coup to overthrow the government which failed within hours

El Chapo, world’s most sought after drug-lord & billionaire, with a narcotics empire stretching across continents was arrested

Environment

Giant Pandas are not endangered anymore thanks to collective efforts of science, political will & common people

Tiger population of the world has increased for the first time in a century. With increased protective measures, the number has risen to 3890 from 3200 recorded in 2010.

India sets world record by planting 50 million trees in 1 day to fight against climate change

195 nations signed the Paris Agreement that binds them to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase due to global warming to 1.5°C

Scientists have announced that the vast hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica has started to heal, proving that collective efforts from people can set the world back on the right track.

182 nations agreed on a total ban on trading pangolins and the closure of domestic ivory markets

World Health

  • % of population having access to water 91%
  • % Married women (aged 15-49) using contraception 62%
  • % of undernourished population 10.9%
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Zika Virus Outbreak

The outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil forced Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador & Jamaica to recommend women to delay pregnancy for up to 2 years.

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Malaria free

Europe became the first continent to wipe out malaria. Sri Lanka was also declared malaria-free.

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End of Ebola

2016 marked the ending of the Ebola outbreak which had claimed at least 11,310 lives in the 3 most affected countries.

Technology

After almost a 5-year long journey, NASA’s spacecraft Juno successfully entered the mighty Jupiter’s orbit

North Korea conducted its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb

Solar Impulse 2, a solar powered plane completed its first round-the-world journey

Donations through the viral campaign “Ice Bucket Challenge” has funded a huge breakthrough in research of ALS disease by identifying the responsible gene

A major breakthrough in the field of neural interfaces has made significant advancements to allow people to control a robotic arm using just their thoughts

Singapore comes up with world’s first self-driven taxi launched by NuTonomy

Sports

In a fairytale campaign, Leicester City won the English Premier League 2015-16 title. The team, promoted to EPL only a year back, finished 14th in EPL 2014-15 and the odds of them winning were 5000-1.

After waiting for 108 years, Chicago Cubs finally win the World Series championship

Swimmer Michael Phelps ended his professional career as the most decorative Olympian with 28 medals

In a tragic accident, a Bolivian plane carrying players of the Brazilian football team, Chapecoense, crashed in Colombia killing 71 on board. The team was travelling to play the final of the Copa Sudamericana.

Amidst rising refugee crisis due to several conflicts, wars & human rights violations, 10 refugee athletes from 4 countries participated together as the Refugee Olympic Team in Rio Olympics 2016

In the thrilling final cricket match of the T20 World Cup, West Indies needed 19 runs off the last over. With Brathwaite’s extraordinary 4 consecutive sixes, West Indies was able to pull off this massive task & lift the cup.

Crisis

War

Syria, South  Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen & Burundi

Earthquake

Ecuador, Italy, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand

Mass Shooting

Orlando Gay nightclub in US,  Bacha Khan University in Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq

Terror Attack

Brussels, Baghdad, Dhaka, Istanbul, Lahore, Syria, Nice, Ansbach (Germany)

Most Talked About Topics: Top 10 Twitter Hashtags

Top talked about topics: Top 10 Twitter Hashtags in 2016

Data Source

Notable Deaths

Muhammad Ali

Alan Rickman

Mahasweta Devi

King Bhumibol Adulyadaj

Harper Lee

George Michael

Leonard Cohen

Fidel Castro

Paul Daniels

Rick Parfitt

David Bowie

John Cruyff

John Glen

Sources:

  1. 2016 World Population Data Sheet- NPR
  2. 2016 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics- World Hunger
  3. Top Twitter Hashtags
  4. CNN
  5. BBC