2016 is coming to a close and yes, I know many of you are extremely excited about that! However, as the year comes to a close, I invite you all to take a step back and see all that has happened in politics, pop culture, and everything in between.
1. The most immature, yet politically captivating Presidential Election happened in 2016.
Starting off with a world full of liberals splitting the vote for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders matched a world full of conservative citizens voting for Donald J. Trump. On November 8, 2016, the United States sat on the edge of their seats until about 3 a.m. the next morning to either celebrate or mourn President Elect Donald J. Trump. Shortly after Hillary Clinton's defeat, memes of Joe Biden and Barack Obama filled the internet--Joe Biden being the pettier of the two; you could say he isn't enthused to have the orange-skinned-tiny-hand man in office after his inauguration on January 20, 2017.2. The Cincinnati Zoo stood in high waters after the death of our beloved Harambe (RIP).
A small, 4 year old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo earlier in the year. People say the gorilla, Harambe, was trying to help the boy. However, zookeepers, sprang to action by unfortunately killing the beloved Harambe. Since the incident in the early summer season, the internet has been outraged at the gorilla's death after 17 years in the zoo.
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3. The summer olympics in Rio, where one of my own high school's alumni competed in the 200 meter butterfly stroke.
Hali Flickinger, a competitive swimmer who specializes in the butterfly, freestyle, and individual medley events took on the 2016 Rio Olympics, and she had her entire town to cheer her on. The 22-year-old, York County native swam in the qualifying round, losing by just seconds and finishing in seventh. However, she impressed her hometown of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. We hope to see the University of Georgia student in the 2020 Olympics!
4. With great sadness in my heart, I will address those that 2016 has taken from us.
Gone but never forgotten; Pat Harrington, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Dan Haggerrty, Glen Frey, Abe Vigoda, George Gaynes, Tony Burton, George Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Robert Horton, Joe Santos, Joe Garagiola, Ken Howard, Peter Brown, Gary Shandling, James Noble, Patty Duke, Doris Roberts, Prince, William Schallert, Morley Safer, Alan Young, Mohamed Ali, Anton Yelchin, Noel Neill, Gary Marshall, Steven Hill, Gene Wilder, Hugh O'brien, Arnold Palmer, Robert Vaughn, Florence Henderson, Ron Glass, Van Williams, John Glenn, Alan Thicke, Bernard Fox, Zsa Zsa Gabor, George Michael, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Renolds.
At this time, I would also like to address those that have passed away in the Brussels bombings, the death of Blue Angels pilot, Captain Jeff Kuss, those who were killed in Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL, 2-year-old Lane Graves, those did not survive the flooding of West Virginia, those involved in the Istanbul airport attack, the shooting of Alton Sterling, the shooting of Philando Castile, the shooting of the five police officers of Dallas, Texas, Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, the three officers killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, those who did not survive the flooding in Louisiana, those who did not survive Hurricane Mathew, those who did not survive the Chattanooga school bus crash, those who did not survive the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfires, and many more.
We keep you all in our hearts as we move into 2017.
5. Chewbacca Mom fell into our hearts.
6.Papaw was sad that no one came to his BBQ, so we made his dreams come true!
Kenny Harmon, Pawpaw wanted to have his grandchildren over for dinner in March. When only one grandchild showed up, he went to the internet for help. Harmon's grandchildren did eventually stop by, and after the 10k retweets about Harmon's dinner, Harmon was able to make burgers for his new found internet friends!
7. FSU football player sat with a sixth-grader at lunch to combat bullying.
After noticing an autistic sixth-grader sitting by himself at lunch, Travis Rudolph kept the child company. Rudolph brought a tear to the mother's eye, as well as many others who had seen the story on social media.
8. Freedom and Liberty take on the United States of America.
A live cam inside of a bald eagle's nest captured the births of two eagles at the U.S. National Arboretum in D.C. Born in March, the two took flight in June.
9. Leonardo DiCaprio finally got his Oscar.
10. Harriet Tubman will officially appear on $20 bills.
Announced last April, Harriet Tubman will take Andrew Jackson's place on the $20 bill. For those who do not know, Harriet Tubman was a former slave who helped hundreds of slaves escape through the underground railroad. Maybe Tubman will be more fitting on the bill, I mean... at least she didn't hate paper money like Jackson did. This is a big step for the United States due to the last American woman being on a form of currency was over a century ago; her name was Martha Washington.
As this year comes to a close, I expect greatness to come. I wish you all a happy and healthy new year. May you all be safe and stick to your resolutions. I will see you in 2017!
