2015: A SUMMARY
As the New Year approaches, let's take a look at some of the most significant moments of 2015.
January
Dubbed ‘Three Days of Terror’, January 7th-9th marked a shocking start to 2015 when brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi broke into the offices of satirical magazine ‘Charlie Hebdo’ in Paris, killing eleven people and prompting two more days of attacks. More importantly, what followed was support for the magazine from across the world, with #JeSuisCharlie trending for days and roughly two million people – including over 40 world leaders – meeting in Paris on January 11th for a demonstration of unity. Cities across the world held similar rallies, refusing to back down.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-attack-thousands-join-vigils-in-paris-london-and-around-the-world-9963618.html
February
On February 12th, actress Jamie Brewer – best known for her roles in 'American Horror Story' – made her modelling debut when she became the first model with Down Syndrome to walk the runway, during New York Fashion Week. Brewer featured in Carrie Hammer’s “Role Models Not Runway Models” show, alongside other inspirational women such as 'Black Girls Code' founder Kimberley Bryant.
http://vergecampus.com/2015/02/first-model-with-down-syndrome-new-york-fashion-week/
March
Beginning at 8:30am on March 20th, a total solar eclipse took place – visible across Europe, with views of totality from Svalbard and the Faroe Islands. Coincidentally, this eclipse ended at the North Pole on the Spring Equinox; a combination not expected to reoccur for thousands of years. While an eclipse will be visible across North America in August 2017, the UK will have to wait until 2026 to experience one on this scale again.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/solar-eclipse-faroe-island-svalbard-5368848
April
April 25th saw the worst natural disaster to hit Nepal since 1934 – with an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 leaving over 9,000 people dead and a further 23,000 injured. It also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest and deadly aftershocks that continued until May 12th. Once again, countries across the world were quick to show support – with the UK donating £83m in aid, of which £50m was raised by the public.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4424524.ece
May
On May 23rd, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote, with 62% of voters saying yes to equality – followed by days of celebration across the country. Cabinet minister Leo Varadkar stated “It wasn’t just a referendum. It was more like a social revolution” adding “that makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world”. This was shown to be true when America followed suit just one month later…
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/referendum/gay-couples-may-be-able-to-legally-marry-before-end-of-july-31252260.html
June
The United States Supreme Court ruled in favour of same-sex marriage on June 26th. At the time, there were fourteen states with a ban on gay marriage, which could no longer be enforced as of this ruling. Couples began to wait in line to get married just minutes after the announcement, and many American brands changed their Twitter logos to the iconic rainbow colours – even the official account for the White House did so.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11701633/Gay-marriage-now-legal-across-America-live.html
July
NASA’s New Horizons probe performed the first fly-by of Pluto on July 14th. It brought us the first close up images of the dwarf planet –revealing a partially red surface with a distinct heart shape, and bringing into question once again whether or not it should be considered a planet. In order to capture the photos, the probe was travelling at about 31,000mph, and zoomed within 7,800 miles of Pluto’s surface.
http://www.space.com/30046-amazing-pluto-photos-glaciers-atmosphere.html
August
N.W.A, the group responsible for the introduction of West Coast Hip Hop into mainstream America, had their biopic released in the form of ‘Straight Outta Compton’ on August 14th. The film received positive reviews and has made over $200m worldwide, having become the world’s highest grossing music biopic of all time.
https://cinemaxplorer.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/films-of-summer-2015h/
September
The 2nd of September saw a shocking image of a drowned Syrian boy go viral. Three-year old Aylan Kurdi was found on a beach near the resort town of Bodrum, Turkey, alongside other Syrians who had died while trying to reach Greece and escape the war in their homeland. These were just some of the thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach Europe, but the photo of Aylan in particular sparked outcry online and trended with the hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik ("humanity washed ashore").
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34133210
October
October 21st 2015. We were officially in the future. This day was full of celebrations for its significance in the 'Back To The Future' trilogy – in which it is visited by characters Marty and Doc in the second film. The internet was busy making lists of what they had predicted correctly, complaining about our lack of hoverboards, and declarations that from this day on, “the future is now in the past”. Great Scott!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/10/21/five-things-back-to-the-future-part-ii-got-right/
November
Arguably the most anticipated album of the year, November 20th marked the release of Adele’s latest album ‘25’. Since then it has shattered records – becoming the first album to sell over 3 million copies in a week, and it is the UK’s biggest selling No1 album ever. It has sold a total of over 7 million copies in the US to date and it doesn’t look like the number one spot is going away any time soon.
http://www.musictimes.com/articles/51885/20151022/adeles-25-release-date-artwork-tracklist-new-single-hello.htm
December
Thirty-eight years after the release of 'A New Hope', the 'Star Wars' saga is back with 'The Force Awakens'. Yet another record breaker, it has already claimed the title of the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time, and has made $1bn in the fastest time – just 12 days. The film, directed by J.J. Abrams, is the first in a new trilogy set approximately thirty years after 'Return of the Jedi'.
http://www.allthatsepic.com/movies/star-wars-day-more-the-force-awakens-set-pics-and-character-details/