As we approach the end of another year, it’s bewildering to think about all that has happened within the past 365 days. While some may believe that the celebration of a new calendar year is insignificant, I disagree. Although it may seem to just be a change of numbers on the calendar date, it is so much more. In the past 365 days, we’ve been through it all-- the good, the bad, and the ugly-- but we’ve been through it all together. For the more fortunate part of the population, the biggest obstacles we had to face were our end of semester finals. And for others, we dealt with larger obstacles such as tragedy; whether it was losing our homes to natural disasters, or losing a loved one. But no matter what degree of tragedy or how big of an obstacle we dealt with this year, we conquered it. And with the help of social media, we’ve documented it all. Here are a few pivotal moments and highlights of the year, 2016, through hashtags:

1. #QueenBOn February 7th, Beyonce’s Superbowl halftime performance debuted her brand-new and extremely controversial album, Lemonade. It addressed controversial topics such as domestic violence, adultery, and the Black Lives Matter Movement.

2. #OscarsOn February 28th, after 20 years and 8,054 days since his first nomination, Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins an Oscar for his movie, The Revenant. In a wave of gifs and tweets, the internet rejoiced in celebration for the long-awaited award.

3. #BlackLivesMatterBlack Lives Matter is “an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people”. Throughout the year, many people-- both civilians and police officers-- lost their lives fighting in this movement. Its controversy brought attention to and, with the help of social media, exposed the mistreatment of members African-American community in areas of our nation. However the movement also wrongfully labeled and generalized police officers as corrupt-- instigating the opposing argument, #AllLivesMatter.

4. #ThankYouKobe, #MambaOut, #GOAT, #24On April 13th, Kobe Bryant played his very last NBA game ever. Kobe Bryant’s retirement created one of the most iconic moments in history, dropping 60 points in his very last game against Utah Jazz. He left as not only a Lakers legend but also a legacy within the basketball community.

5. #PurpleRainOn April 21st, the legendary pop icon, Prince, died. One of his most influential platforms was shattering gender norms. He is survived through his music and remembered through his eccentric music, outfits, and personality.

6. #MuhammadAliOn June 3rd, Muhammad Ali, the world’s greatest heavyweight boxing champion of all time died after battling Parkinson’s disease for 32 years. His legendary slogan, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” continues to live on forever.

7. #Euro2016On June 29th, Portugal shocked the world by defeating Argentina in penalty kicks to win the European Champion for the first time.

8. #OrlandoStrong On June 12th, in one of the worst in the history of mass shootings, the lives of 49 victims were taken at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando Florida. This was both an attack of terrorism and an attack on the LGBTQ community.

9. #NBAFinals
On June 19th, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, in game 7 to win their first NBA Championship title since 1964. The Cavaliers clenched the title by coming back from a 1-3 deficit in the final series, upsetting Bay Area fans everywhere.

10. #Brexit On June 23rd, with Great Britain shocked the world by voting to exit the European Union. “The referendum roiled global markets, including currencies, causing the British pound to fall to its lowest level in decades.”

11. #PokemonGo

On July 6th, the app Pokemon Go was released and became the biggest trend of the summer of 2016. The app was developed in hopes of encouraging children to step outside into the real world, instead of staying inside and glued to the television or playing video games all day. In a much more futuristic sense, the game was another step towards virtual realities.

12. #PrayForNiceOn July 14th, Bastille Day, a cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating the country's independence day. This attack resulted in 86 deaths and 434 injured victims. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed that the attacks were motivated by their organization, confirming that they were acts of terrorism.

13. #GameOfThronesOn July 30th, HBO announced that the eighth season of Game of Thrones would also be the last season of the hit television series.

14. #Rio2016 #FinalFive The US Women’s Gymnastics team won Gold at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In her Olympic debut, US gymnast, Simone Biles, brought home the victory with four gold and one bronze medal.

15. #FlyTheWOn November 2nd, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in game 7 to Chi-Town’s first World Series title in 108 years. This hashtag trended on the Chicago Cubs twitter page as promo to their sponsor, American Airlines, as well a including reference to their latest victory-- hence “the W.” The Cubs fought for their title, coming back from a 1 to 3 deficit. And of course, Bay Area fans were more than ecstatic to help celebrate such a win against Cleveland-- as vengeance for the NBA Championship.

16. #MakeAmericaGreatAgainOn November 8th, Donald Trump was elected as the next President of the United States.

17. #ImWithHerOn November 8th, Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. However, her election campaign fueled the hopes of millions of young women everywhere, proving that the glass ceiling was capable of being broken.

18. #FreeKodakOn December 1st, Kodak Black was released from County jail in South Carolina.


19. #MannequinChallengeOne of the most recent internet sensations that is taking people of all ages by storm. From the White House, to school pep rallies, to family dinner’s this freeze-frame challenge along with the song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmand ft. Gucci Mane

20. #DAPLOn December 4th, the US Army ruled in favor of not passing the Dakota Access Pipeline, protecting the sacred land and primary drinking water source of the Sioux Native American tribe. This was a tremendous victory for Natives throughout the nation.

And while the thought of many of these moments may bring tears to your eyes, both happy and sad, you are still here despite it all. No matter how unbearable the bad and the ugly got, we persevered; holding onto all that was still good in the world. Happy New Year, bring on 2017.