2017 has been deemed, "The Year That Just Doesn't Want To End."

Whether the solar eclipse is to blame, the glaring revelations of sexual assault, or you're still upset with the election, it seems that everyone is ready to ring in a fresh start.

But before we break out our 2018 calendar, let's take a look back at all of the stories that defined our year, from royal engagements to "The Silence Breakers, from The Women's March to North Korea, it's been quite a year in the headlines.

Entertainment

7. Megan Markle and Prince Harry

It's a royal wedding part 2!

Just after Thanksgiving, Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle announced their engagement. Taking a page out of Grace Kelly's book, Markle announced plans to retire from acting once she and Harry say their "I Dos."

You're probably thinking, "I'm not English, why would anyone care about the private life of a ceremonial figurehead?" Well, of all the bad that seemed to happen this year, a royal engagement seems like a nice way to end it.

6. Manchester Arena bombing

On May 22, just after the conclusion of an Ariana Grande concert, a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb was detonated in the foyer of the Manchester Arena, killing 23 people and injuring over 500 others.

Two weeks later, on June 4, Grande and a host of other musicians and performers, performed a benefit concerted entitled "One Love Manchester." Free tickets were provided for those who had attended the concert on the night of the attack, and all other ticket proceeds - a total of £ 10 million - was raised to support the victims.

5. Kardashian triple pregnancy rumors

Love them or hate them, the Kardashian-Jenner Klan dominated headlines in 2017. From Kendall's Pepsi commercial seen 'round the world to the Rob-Blac Chyna social media feud, it was nearly impossible to go a day without seeing their names in the headlines.

But, no Kardashian story caused as much uproar as the rumor of a possible triple sister pregnancy. On September 22, TMZ broke the story of a rumored pregnancy between Kylie, 20, and Travis Scott, 25. Almost immediately, tabloids began speculating that both Khloe and Kim were also expecting new 2018 bundles of joy.

As of this publication, only Kim has announced her pregnancy via surrogate.

4. Suicides of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell

In the early hours of May 18, Variety magazine reported that Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell had died by suicide.

Two months later, on July 20, TMZ reported that Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park and long-time friend of Chris Cornell, had also committed suicide.

Fans were heartbroken to discover that two of modern Rock 'n Roll's most iconic artists had been quietly suffering from depression. Their deaths shed light on the stigma surrounding mental illness and the heartbreaking truth that nearly 14 million American adults are afraid to find the help that they truly need.

3. Taylor Swift's "Reputation"

2016 was the year in which the Taylor Swift kingdom came crumbling down.

Amid a myriad of celebrity feuds (the now infamous Kardashian-West Snapchat revelation), highly-publicized relationships, a curated squad of pretty, white supermodels, and a refusal to side with either presidential candidate, 2016 finally revealed cracks in the carefully constructed Swift image.

After a year of social media silence and absence from the public eye, Swift announced the launch of her sixth studio album, Reputation, in August. On November 10, the album's first single, "Look What You Made Me Do," was released amid a whirlwind of rumors and speculation as to who the lyrics and songs were about.

One thing that seems to be true? Swift has acknowledged that her old, constructed, and tailored (pun intended) image was no longer a feasible media model, and it was time for a new era of Taylor to emerge.

2. #MeToo

Tying into the story below, the #MeToo movement began circulating through social media in October. Long used by activist Tarana Burke and popularized by actress Alyssa Milano, encouraged women - and men - to speak out about experiences with sexual misconduct and assault.

In its first 24 hours, the hashtag had been used by more than 4.7 million Facebook users and elicited a discussion of assault and misconduct within Hollywood, the music industry, the workplace, and other institutions.

1. Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and "The Silence Breakers"

There seemed no bigger story in entertainment this year than that of the rampant sexual assault in Hollywood. But beyond the boundaries of Los Angeles, "The Silence Breakers" ushered in an era of accountability that spread from director's offices and movie sets, to political campaigns and workplaces.

The #MeToo movement and the "The Silence Breakers," were important beyond just the famous faces tied to them. They gave a platform and a support system to the women and men who have felt silenced and victimized by their assaulters.

They brought down a Hollywood powerhouse, a long-respected actor, and derailed a political campaign.

World News & Politics

8. Total solar eclipse

Perhaps the sole reason for all of the good and bad that happened in 2017, the total solar eclipse swept across the contiguous United States on August 21.

The first eclipse to pass across the US since 1979, the event caused many to take a long weekend and travel to one of the cities within the path of totality. While the moon covered the sun for only 2 minutes at most, the celestial event was still one of the most talked about at summer's end.

7. Hurricane Harvey

On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas making it the first major hurricane in over a decade to hit the coast of the United States. It quickly moved along the southern coast, finally dissipating on September 3rd, but not before displacing nearly 30,000 people and necessitating the rescue of 17,000.

Harvey is considered the costliest natural disaster in US history, with damages totaling $198 billion.

6. The Women's March

Whether or not you support the issues and reasons surrounding The Women's March, you would be a fool to say that it wasn't the biggest story of the new year.

As a result of backlash and outrage following the 2016 election, a group of organizers took to social media to rally women and men to march on the Saturday following the inauguration of Donald Trump, in support of a variety of legislation and policies, including human rights issues. Many of the organizers stated that the protests were not specifically targeting Trump, but due to the timing and an increase in opposition and defiance leading up to it, many believe that the march came as a direct result of the election.

In total, it was estimated that between 3 million and 5 million people participated in The Women's March in the US, with similar protests occurring on the same day in 84 countries worldwide.

5. Mandalay Bay shooting

In a city known for promoting an escape from reality and endorsing a good time, the night of October 1 would be remembered by many as one that ended in tragedy.

On the night of the Route 91 Harvest music festival, across the street at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, a shooter (who will remain nameless in this article because it's not about the perpetrator but about the victims) opened fire shortly after 10 pm, killing 58 and injuring more than 500 others. Law enforcement estimates that nearly 1,100 rounds were fired in the course of 10 minutes and question still remain about the shooter's motive.

The shooting reignited the gun control debate, focusing particularly on the legality of bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic the firing capacity of fully automatic weapons.

4. Firing of FBI director James Comey

On May 9, it was announced that James Comey, the 7th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, was terminated effective immediately.

Following criticism in regards to his handling of the investigation into the Hillary Clinton email controversy and the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election, President Donald Trump wrote a letter of termination citing advice from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Ross Rosenstein.

Speculation has arisen surrounding the dismissal, most of it concerned with whether the timing of the termination had anything to do with the investigation into the President's ties with Russia. Others wondered if the tense relationship between Trump and Comey in the months leading up to his firing had anything to do with the President's decision.

Comey has since been succeeded by Christopher A. Wray, a former Assistant Attorney in the Criminal Division under George W. Bush.

3. North Korea's missile program

While US-North Korean relations have always been tense, 2017 saw a rise in serious suspicions from both nations as North Korea began to further develop their military nuclear weapons program.

Throughout the year, North Korea has been conducting a series of launch tests, sending most of their testing missiles into the Sea of Japan. On September 3, North Korea successfully tested a thermonuclear bomb and corresponding seismic activity in the area reminiscent of 6.3 magnitude earthquake was reported by the USGS - 10 times more powerful than previous detonations.

On November 20, President Trump announced that North Korea was relisted a State sponsor of terrorism, a move praised by Japan and South Korea in hopes of pressuring North Korea into denuclearization.

2. Net Neutrality

"internet neutrality" is the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally - whether data, messaging, streaming, or emails. According to Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu, "the best way to explain network neutrality is that a public information network will end up being most useful if all content, websites, and platforms are treated equally."

The idea of net neutrality first entered the American consciousness in 2015 after it was discovered multiple large cable and internet service providers had been "throttling" (slowing) access to certain internet applications that competed with aspects of their own service (i.e. Comcast slowing uploads from peer-to-peer sharing applications like BitTorrent). The FCC reclassified broadband access as a telecommunications service - preventing any major provider from monopolizing the market.

The biggest issue that net neutrality works to prevent - as shown in the infographic above - is the unnecessary upcharging of different platforms and services based on the bandwidth that each uses. Currently, all internet access is wrapped up into one neat package - all services for the price of one. The fear that comes with repealing net neutrality is that cable and internet providers will then be able to charge more for separate services, regardless of your actual usage of that service. In an era where the internet has become a necessity rather than a commodity, this presents a huge problem for many Americans.

As of this publication, the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality rules.

1. Russian-US election scandal

Since the results of the 2016 election, the headlines have been dominated by varying reports on possible Russian influence and suspicions about President Trump's ties to Russian officials.

In January 2017, an assessment by the Office of The Director of National Intelligence stated that Russian leadership preferred presidential candidate Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton and that Vladimir Putin personally ordered an "influence campaign" to harm Clinton's electoral chances and to "undermine public faith in the US democratic process."

Since then, multiple investigations have been underway by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, the FBI ( see Comey, above), as well as inquiries into possible ties between the Kremlin and Trump associates.

So, with all of this fresh in your mind, may you leave 2017 hopeful and optimistic that a better year will take its place.

Cheers to 2018!