It is now 2017, and people are looking forward to a new beginning or at least a year having nothing to do with the year we recently left behind. The year of 2016 had numerous heartbreaks across the world that began with turmoil continuing in the Middle East, which claimed the lives of thousands-- many of them little children. Too many celebrity lives and young lives were taken-- David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman and the mother-daughter duo, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher. And let us not forget the Presidential election in which divided our nation, spread hate into our schools, social media feeds and even families. However, while all of this sadness was happening, positive events did occur that may have been forgotten or looked over due to the negativity. I found that while 2016 definitely wasn't the best of years, which I agree with, here are some great events that we should remember:

1. Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar

2. The United States dominated in the Rio Olympics in swimming and gymnastics

3. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series after 108 years of a “championship drought”

4. More than 20 countries agreed to protect the oceans and spent $5.3 billion to create 40 new marine sanctuaries

5. Norway became the first country to attain no deforestation

6. McDonald’s pledged to remove corn syrup from its hamburger buns and to remove antibiotics from its chicken

7. In Canada, families started to take in Syrian refugees

8. The World Tiger population rises from 3,200 in 2010 to 3,890 in 2016

9. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that Harriet Tubman will replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill

10. The United States Unemployment rate hits it’s all-time low since 2007 at 4.6%

11. The United States high school graduation rate rose to 83% of students receiving their diplomas, significantly higher than 71%, recorded in 1999

12. The Yellowstone National Park turned 100 years old on August 25, 2016

13. The Catholic and Orthodox leaders met for this first time since 1054, when the Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome

14. Following the tragic Pulse Nightclub shooting that claimed the lives of 49 people, people of Orlando, The Orlando Shakespeare Festival, dressed as angels to protect Westboro Baptist church protesters from interrupting a funeral for one of the victims of the shooting. This proves that faith in humanity can be restored in a horrible time.

15. Michael Jordan donated $2 million in hopes to help community-police relations after having lost his own father to a senseless act of violence.

16. NASA successfully landed the spacecraft Juno on Jupiter and continues to make tremendous progress in Space

Aside from the tragedies and turmoil, 2016 was a year of progress and record breaking numbers in the environment, politics and economics that we can’t look past. Keeping these positive events in mind, let’s make 2017 an even better year of records and peace between nations and people.