15 Most Memorable Moments Of 2016

 

7. Zika Virus Outbreak

It was the very first month of the year when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak of the Zika virus. Narrowly spreading from Africa to Asia, the virus reached across the Pacific Ocean to America and an epidemic was initiated.

Unable to be prevented by vaccines or medications, the Zika virus was hailed as the biggest concern in the world of medical sciences until WHO declared that it was no longer a global emergency in November.

 

6. Brexit

There are not many events that have literally changed the map of the world but this was definitely one of them. The United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union after a referendum held in June.

Widely known as Brexit – a portmanteau of “British exit”, 52% of the votes favored the United Kingdom be no longer part of the European Union.

Though the exact terms of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal have yet to be negotiated; as of this writing, it remains a full member of the European Union.

 

5. Apple vs. FBI

Perhaps the biggest dispute between technology and law enforcement of all time, the multi-national technology company Apple Inc. engaged in a legal battle against America’s intelligence and security service Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Following the 2015 San Bernardino attack, the FBI intended to access shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone and took court permission to ask Apple Inc to decode it, which is routine. However, the FBI also asked Apple to create a backdoor for the FBI to access any iPhone in the future.

Knowing perfectly well that it will give the FBI the ability to hack any iPhone easily and if leaked somehow this would put all the iPhones in the world in harm’s way, Apple straightforwardly refused and that was the beginning of the publicized legal battle between the two parties. In a strange turn of events, the FBI later dropped the case after claiming that it got what it wanted but refused to share how it did it.

 

4. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Divorce

Though the action-comedy movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith received mixed reviews, it was noted for the striking chemistry between megastars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Though the latter was married to Jennifer Aniston, rumors spread like wildfire that the two co-stars are engaged in a steamy affair.

To raise further suspicions, Pitt and Aniston divorced four months after the release of the movie and that was the beginning of Hollywood’s most publicized couple. Pitt and Jolie began dating and got married in 2014. Described as a rare successful celebrity marriage, it was too good to be true when the couple unexpectedly divorced this year.

 

3. Panama Leaks

Tax evasion, fraud, illegal corporations, kleptocracy, and evading international sanctions are just a few of the many things men with power such as politicians and high-profile actors tend to get away from until 11.5 million leaked documents collectively known as the Panama Papers opened everyone’s eyes.

Revealing with explicit details of how such people are part of offshore companies, a series of alarming questions were raised throughout the globe. While opening an offshore company is not a crime, the means of opening it with a stupendous amount of money certainly can be.

 

2. Leonardo DiCaprio Finally Wins an Oscar

For over two decades, critically acclaimed actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been seeing actors less talented than him winning the most coveted prize in the entertainment industry but this year definitely belonged to him.

With an extraordinary performance in The Revenant, the actor finally won the Oscar for Best Actor, defeating Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, Bryan Cranston, and previous year’s winner Eddie Redmayne along the way.

With five nominations before, the sixth definitely was a charm. 42 years old and still in his prime, Dicaprio is one of the few actors who does not have even a single bad movie in his résumé so one might wonder whether it would be the only Oscar win for Hollywood’s biggest star today.

 

1. Donald Trump Becomes President

Threatening immigrants, making fun of women, mocking Asians, and planning to build a wall around America while promising to make it “great again” were among the many things Donald Trump did during his campaign yet the impossible happened and the businessman-turned-politician defeated Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin to become the President of the country.

Undoubtedly the most shocking and painfully memorable moment of the year, Trump’s win was hardly expected. Scheduled to take office as the 45^th President on the January 20^th of next year, only God knows where America is headed to.

Did we miss any of the most memorable moments of 2016? Please let us know in the comments below!