2016 — A look back
2016 has been a year of many tales; some left us filled with warmth and happiness, while others made us trek through times of misery and despair. Yet another 365 days around the sun have gone by and we have all hopefully become better, wiser human beings off it. Here’s a look back at some of the wackiest events that the last 12 months will forever be remembered for:
Oscar Pistorius gets half a dozen years in the slam:
The Paralympian gold medalist sprinter was found guilty of culpable homicide for the fateful shooting and killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in the wee hours of Valentines day, 3 years ago . The defense argued that Pistorius’ disability made him vulnerable, and that he fired his gun at whom he thought was an intruder. Pistorius, now incarcerated, has professed that he never harbored any malice towards his girlfriend. The conviction has left millions of fans boggled and thousand others infuriated — lawmakers and attorneys who lobbied for a murder conviction have chided the purportedly ‘meek’ sentence — ‘Culpable homicide’ which is essentially manslaughter or known better as ‘second degree murder’ in some western countries.
Meme Time:
Above: An artist’s creation was one amongst a flurry of ‘Dat Boi’ memes that flooded the Internet.
On the third of April, came one of the most riveting events in history. The ‘Dat Boi’ meme went viral, filling the Internet with pictures of a poorly processed green frog riding a unicycle. Origins of the suspicious green amphibian goes back to July 2014 when a photoshopped image of a boy with the caption ‘most wanted criminal arrested’ surfaced.
Pesky Zika makes buzz in South America:
The Zika epidemic had gathered wide-spread notoriety after the WHO officially declared the outbreak a Public health emergency. The turn of the outbreak saw a significant slash in tourism, and this didn’t augur well for Brazil, which was set to host the Summer Olympics in august 2016. However, constant checks and stringent inspections of Olympic venues ensured that the turnout ( in terms of both spectators and athletes ) was fairly on par with projected numbers.
Above: Zika sends shivers down the spine of South America as Health Emergency gets declared due to the pandemic.
Zika can be transmitted sexually , new-borns can be affected with microcephaly ( impaired neurological development ), which is the reason why half of the women in brazil are currently avoiding pregnancy.
Three’s a crowd no more:
Who donated the mitochondria?
A major breakthrough in genetic sciences saw the first three parent-baby successfully delivered, in Mexico. The baby inherits DNA from its parents, along with the genetic code of a donor. This is basically IVF with an extra step — mitochondrial replacement which, studies have proven to successfully ward off life threatening diseases.
Straight outta EU:
Brexit; a portmanteau of ‘British Exit’ left billions baffled all over the world. 52% of votes in a referendum held on 23rd June were cast in favor of the UK government leaving the European Union. This sets the government on the formal procedure to leave the EU by the end of March 2019. This marks the end of the UK as a part of the then EEC ( European Economic Community) which was set up in 1973 as a solution to continuous conflict and economic instability.
Never Forgotten:
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden saw what most describe as the gravest incident in the history of mankind. On the 28th of May a 3 year old boy climbed into the Gorilla enclosure and was taken by a Western Low Land Gorilla. Harambe — the Gorilla was shot dead by a zoo worker fearing for the boy’s life. The event was highly controversial and brought out debate across the world on its tragic demise. Further, Harambe’s status has been immortalised through Internet memes and a wild following. From songs to video games, this animal has become an idol of pop culture. The wildest uproar came when statistics came through that over 10,000 people had voted ‘Harambe the dead Gorilla’ for President in the US elections.
The surprises never stopped coming; with events like the massive US electoral vote upset leaving billions baffled all over the world. However, it has all now come to an end.
So begins a new year with infinite possibilities to grow and love.
2017; so far so good.
This article was written for Festember: The Renaissance by Shivesh Sivakumar & Vishnu Deepak
