Even with a month and a half remaining, there can be no doubt that 2016 will be considered a memorable year. From the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union to the current political tension in the United States, it can easily be seen that this year has been one of controversy and conflict. However, before you claim that 2016 has simply been a year of doom and gloom, here is a list of some good things that have happened in 2016!

• Leonardo DiCaprio finally received an Oscar for his depiction of gritty frontiersman Hugh Glass in “The Revenant”.
• The first ever flower has been grown in space! On January 16, astronaut Scott Kelly shared photos of a beautiful, blooming zinnia flower growing in NASA’s Veggie system on the International Space Station. 
• The country of Myanmar, located in Southeast Asia, had its first opening session with their first freely elected Parliament in its capital, Nay Pyi Taw.
• Fiji became the first country to formally ratify the United Nations climate deal, known as the Paris Agreement #ClimateChangeIsReal
• Brighten up! On February 4^th, the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant (located near Ouarzazate, Morocco) was switched on by His Majesty Mohammed VI of Morocco.
• One hundred years after Einstein’s death scientists have discovered gravitational waves (ripples in the fabric of spacetime) following the merging of two black holes. This confirms one of the main predictions of Einstein’s theory of relativity.
• In the Altai Mountains, scientists recently discovered 50,000-year-old female Neanderthal remains that contain traces of DNA from Homo sapiens. This means that interbreeding between species occurred much earlier than previously thought, and is now thought to be about 100,000 years ago.
• Potterheads rejoice! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling officially premiered in London, England on July 30^th, 2016.
• On July 31^st, 2016 Yuriko Koike was the first woman elected as the Governor of Tokyo.
• The 31^st Summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5^th through August 21^st.
• On April 5^th, San Francisco, California became the first city in the United States to approve of six full weeks of paid parental leave.
• Due to conservation efforts, wild tiger populations have actually increased for the first time in decades! How could they not? Tigers are adorable.
• We all became real-life Pokémon trainers when the first real-world mobile game, Pokémon Go, was released on July 6^th. Gotta Catch ‘Em All!
• On July 5^th, NASA’s Juno spacecraft finally entered Jupiter’s orbit and began studying the planet.
• Some great movies came out this year, including Zootopia, Captain America: Civil War (foreshadowing, anyone?), Deadpool, The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Suicide Squad, and Kubo and the Two Strings.
• The world didn’t end! I can’t promise about next year, but for now the world is here and you are (hopefully) alive, unless the zombie apocalypse has begun. If so, good luck.