2016 was a hectic year. With an election that will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the craziest periods in American history, it's been a ride. I've compiled a list of things that should remind you, no matter your political affiliation, happy things to reflect on during 2016.
1. Giant pandas are no longer endangered
Yay! Humans have made an impact on the environment and animals, so it's exciting to see that our efforts to help the helpless have started to work.
2. We are steps closer to finding the cure to HIV
In the United Kingdom, the first patient to be treated with the new medicinal advancements has shown "remarkable" results in improvement.
3. New women of color were elected to Senate
This is actually also a record of women elected to Senate! We now have an Indian-American senator, a Somali-American Muslim senator, and Vietnamese-American senator to join the already elected Hawaiian senator. Considering the fact that not even one hundred years ago women couldn't vote, and it's amazing that women of color are able to have an influence on our government today.
4. The Ice Bucket Challenge actually made a difference
While popularized in 2015, the gene responsible was found in 2016 and means we are much closer to a cure!
5. Portugal ran on renewable energy for 107 hours straight
It's possible to completely run on renewable energy! We are just steps away from figuring out a way to do this long term, and that helps everybody.
6. 200 people attended a funeral for a World War II veteran that had no known family
After serving in one of the deadliest wars in American history, it's wonderful to see people coming together to honor his efforts.
7. Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar
The only sad thing to come out of this is the loss of all the memes.
8. The Lizzie McGuire Movie is available on Netflix
This movie deserves an Oscar as much as Leo did pre-2016.
9. India planted 50 million trees in one day
This broke a world record! On average, 2.47 million trees are cut down everyday. We need to everything we can to combat this.
10. Death by heart disease has lessened by 70% in the United States
This is the number one killer of Americans, so maybe we should start thanking Pokemon Go and Michelle Obama's turnips.
