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2015: Facts & Events That Happened in This Year

2015: Facts & Historical Events That Happened in This Year

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2015 was a really exciting time with lots of positive things happening.

One of the major events was the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement by 195 countries. This agreement aimed to slow down global warming and protect our planet for future generations.

Among other good things that happened, a major decision was made by the Supreme Court, which finally allowed same-sex couples in the US to get married. President Obama also met with the Cuban leader Raúl Castro, marking the first time in over 50 years that the leaders of both countries met!

Also, remember the intense cliffhanger in Game of Thrones? We were all left wondering whether Jon Snow was dead or alive after season 5.

And who could forget the dress that divided the internet? Was it white and gold or black and blue?!

Continue reading to immerse yourself in the events, news highlights, music sensations, memorable quotes, and the lives we mourned in the year 2015.

Events

Join us as we rewind to 2015 and relive the exhilarating moments that made it a year to remember.

Jan 10

A large group of people was poisoned at a funeral in Mozambique.

Mourners at a funeral drank crocodile bile spiked beers. One hundred and sixty-nine people were hospitalized, and 72 lost their lives.

Jan 26

A drone crashed onto the White House lawn.

OTD in 2015: A drone crashed onto the White House lawn.

The pilot faced charges, which were later dropped due to it being an accident.

Jan 29

Missing Malaysian flight MH370 was announced to have been an accident with no survivors.

Jan 31

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko became the youngest golfer to rank No. 1 in the world.

Feb 3

Harper Lee announced plans to publish a sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The sequel, “Go Set a Watchman,” was originally written back in the mid-1950s but was misplaced and only rediscovered in Fall 2014.

Feb 4

Post Malone released his debut single, “White Iverson,” to Soundcloud.

The song was the American rapper’s first true hit, gaining over a million plays in its first month and drawing interest from record companies. Later that year, “White Iverson” was re-released officially under Republic Records.

Feb 13

Drake released his fourth mixtape, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”

Feb 25

Madonna fell on stage while performing “Living For Love.”

OTD in 2015: Madonna fell on stage while performing "Living For Love."

During the act, she was wearing a tight Armani cape and fell backward down a flight of stairs. But Madonna being Madonna, dusted herself off and got on with the show!

Mar 6

NASA’s Dawn probe became the first spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet.

This also made the Dawn mission the first to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies, as it had already achieved orbit with the giant Vesta asteroid earlier in 2011. The dwarf planet that Dawn reached orbit around was none other than Ceres. Ceres has in the past been labeled both a planet and an asteroid.

Mar 10

Music copyright infringement from Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke led to a record payout of $7.3 million to the family of Marvin Gaye.

The duo copied Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up.”

Mar 25

Zayn Malik announced that he would be leaving the boyband One Direction.

OTD in 2015: Zayn Malik announced that he would be leaving the boyband One Direction.

Mar 26

King Richard III of England was reburied at Leicester Cathedral, England.

The remains of Richard III, the last English king killed in battle, were discovered underneath a car park at the former Grey Friars Priory in Leicester in 2012.

Apr 12

Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for US President.

Apr 14

The children’s cooking show, Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch, premiered on CBBC in the UK.

Gordon Ramsay’s daughter, Matilda, was just 14 years old when the first season aired. The young culinary enthusiast wrote and starred in her own series, which covered five series, with 75 episodes in total.

Apr 24

The first-generation Apple Watch was released.

Apr 25

Kathmandu, Nepal, was devastated by a major earthquake.

The 7.8 magnitude quake broke out at 11:56 am. Nearly 9,000 people lost their lives, while 30,000 were injured. 3.5 million homes were destroyed, and the total damage was a staggering $10 billion.

May 17

Blurryface, the fourth studio album by Twenty One Pilots, was released.

It was also the first album ever to have every track gold-certified.

May 20

The US Air Force Space Command launched the Boeing X-37B spaceplane for a classified mission.

OTD in 2015: The US Air Force Space Command launched the Boeing X-37B spaceplane for a classified mission.

Mission USA-261 was the second launch of the second Boeing X-37B, a reusable robotic spacecraft that launched vertically atop a rocket and returned to earth horizontally as a spaceplane. In addition to flying a classified mission, the spacecraft carried a NASA payload of materials to test their exposure to space.

May 22

Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson set a Guinness World Record for the Most selfies taken in three minutes.

OTD in 2015: Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson set a Guinness World Record for the Most selfies taken in three minutes.

Dwayne captured 105 selfies on the red carpet at the world premiere of his new film San Andreas.

May 29

Jurassic World, directed by Colin Trevorrow, premiered in Paris.

Jun 3

A Texan doctor performed the world’s first successful partial skull and scalp transplant.

55-year-old Jim Boysen had suffered from significant head wounds after receiving cancer treatment. Dr. Michael Klebuc was the lead surgeon in the transplant, which was the solution to the previous damage caused.

Jun 16

Donald Trump announced he was running for President.

Jun 23

NASA’s Mars Odyssey completed its 60,000th orbit around Mars.

Named after the best-selling novel, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the Mars Odyssey spacecraft originally entered orbit on October 23, 2001.

Jun 26

Same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 states.

OTD in 2015: Same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 states.

It was a long time coming for many, and the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of the change.

Jul 9

Comic-Con celebrated its 48th yearly event in San Diego.

Jul 14

Harper Lee’s second novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” was published.

Jul 17

American superhero movie “Ant-Man” by Marvel was released.

Jul 23

NASA announced they had found “Earth’s bigger, older cousin.”

OTD in 2015: NASA announced they had found "Earth's bigger

The discovery was made by their Kepler mission, and the planet is believed to be 1,400 light-years away from Earth.

Aug 4

Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog took to Twitter to tell the public that they had broken up.

OTD in 2015: Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog took to Twitter to tell the public that they had broken up.

“After careful thought, thoughtful consideration, and considerable squabbling, Miss Piggy made the difficult decision to terminate our romantic relationship,” Kermit said.

Aug 6

Jon Stewart hosted his last episode of “The Daily Show.”

Aug 12

Former President Jimmy Carter had a lesion removed from his liver.

He also announced that his cancer had spread to his brain.

Aug 30

Rapper Kanye West publicly announced his plans to run for president at the MTV Video Music Awards.

OTD in 2015: Rapper Kanye West publicly announced his plans to run for president at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Sep 9

Queen Elizabeth II became Great Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in history.

OTD in 2015: Queen Elizabeth II became Great Britain's longest-reigning monarch in history.

Elizabeth became Queen at age 25 after her father’s death, King George VI, on February 6, 1952.

Sep 10

Archaeologists and scientists discovered a new human-like species inside caves in South Africa.

The species named Homo Naledi closely resemble modern-day humans and are thought to live in Africa three million years ago.

Sep 14

14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested at school after bringing in a homemade clock, which was mistaken for a bomb.

Mohamed’s English teacher at a school in Irving, Texas, reported the clock to the principal after suspecting it to be a bomb. Police were called, and Mohamed was arrested. The clock incident caused an uproar about racial profiling and Islamophobia in Texas.

Sep 28

NASA announced that they found running water on Mars.

The discovery was made by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Oct 19

University of California scientists found evidence that life on Earth probably began 4.1 billion years ago.

OTD in 2015: University of California scientists found evidence that life on Earth probably began 4.1 billion years ago.

Previous estimations were 300 million years earlier than this. This discovery means life may have started on Earth soon after it was formed.

Oct 23

English singer-songwriter Adele achieved the record of the first song to get over 1 million downloads in a week with her third studio album “Hello.”

Oct 29

China increased its one-child policy to two children per family.

Communist officials cited an aging population and the need to “balance social demographics” as the main reasons for relaxing the regulation.

Oct 31

The Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 was destroyed by a bomb.

The disaster happened over North Sinai, Egypt, and all 224 onboard lost their lives.

Nov 5

Japan recognized its first legal same-sex couple.

OTD in 2015: Japan recognized its first legal same-sex couple.

Koyuki Higashi and Hiroko Matsuhara were officially the first same-sex couple to register their relationship in Tokyo, Japan.

Nov 9

In San Diego, California, SeaWorld announced that it would phase out its orca shows following protests.

OTD in 2015: In San Diego

SeaWorld announced that it would instead show the whales more naturally. This decision was made following the release of the documentary Blackfish, which showed how whales are mistreated in captivity. The documentary sparked protesters to fight for animal rights and better living standards for whales in captivity.

Nov 16

The president of France, François Hollande, declared war against ISIS.

Nov 27

The San Jose, which sank in 1708, was found near Columbia.

OTD in 2015: The San Jose

Dubbed the “Holy Grail of shipwrecks,” the ship and its contents were estimated to be worth a staggering $17 billion!

Dec 3

The US Defense Secretary announced that the US Military would open all combat roles to women.

Dec 14

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, had its world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

Dec 16

The mayor of Flint, Michigan, declared a state of emergency over contaminated water.

The city, which the mayor declared was “experiencing a man-made disaster,” changed water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The thing is, the Flint River had been avoided as a water source since the 1960s, as it was full of industrial pollutants.

Dec 29

The Ebola epidemic in Guinea was declared by The World Health Organization.

Two thousand five hundred people died over the course of two years.

Famous Deaths

Here’s a glimpse at a few famous people who bid us farewell in 2015.

1922

2015

Christopher Lee

English

Actor

Christopher Lee

1922

2015

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee was an English actor born on May 27, 1922. He died on June 7, 2015, at age 93 in Chelsea, London, England, UK.

Died On:

Jun 7, 2015 (Age 93)

Died In:

England, UK

1938

2015

Ben E. King

American

Singer

Ben E. King

1938

2015

Ben E. King

Ben E. King was an American singer born on September 28, 1938. He died on April 30, 2015, at age 76 in Hackensack, New Jersey, USA.

Died On:

Apr 30, 2015 (Age 76)

Died In:

New Jersey, USA

1939

2015

Wes Craven

American

Film Director

Wes Craven

1939

2015

Wes Craven

Wes Craven was an American film director born on August 2, 1939. He died on August 30, 2015, at age 76 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Died On:

Aug 30, 2015 (Age 76)

Died In:

California, USA

Quotes

Here’s a roundup of the most memorable quotes people said in 2015.

Jan 7

Je suis Charlie

Joachim Roncin

French Journalist

2015 In Music

2015 brought us a diverse range of musical gems that had us tapping our feet and singing along from the very first note!

From the upbeat anthem “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars to the empowering melody of “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten, these songs brought joy and inspiration to our ears, making 2015 a year to remember.

Here are some music highlights from 2015 that are worth remembering.

Album of the Year

Beck’s mesmerizing alternative album “Morning Phase” struck a chord with listeners in 2015, earning him the prestigious Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Song of the Year

Sam Smith touched souls with their emotional track “Stay With Me” and won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2015.

Best New Artist

Sam Smith’s soulful voice and heartfelt ballads won them the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2015, establishing them as a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter.

Eurovision Song Contest Winner

Vienna, Austria, played host to the 60th Eurovision Song Contest in 2015, marking a milestone in the competition’s history.

Måns Zelmerlöw, a charismatic singer from Sweden, lit up the stage with his captivating performance of “Heroes,” a catchy and empowering anthem that ultimately earned him the top spot.

2015 in Numbers

Let’s dive into some interesting number facts! In Roman numerals, 2015 is MMXV, and in binary, it’s 11111011111.

Chinese Zodiac 2015

Chinese Zodiac 2015: Year of the Wood Goat

There are twelve Chinese zodiac signs, which cycle through and change every year, and for 2015, it was the Year of the Goat.

The Chinese zodiac isn’t just animals though, they also include five elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal), and Water. This makes 2015 the Year of the Wood Goat, which only comes along once every sixty years.

In the Chinese zodiac system, the Year of the Goat in 2015 actually began on February 19th, marking the unique lunar-based New Year celebration.

Those born in the Year of the Goat are gentle, kind-hearted, and creative. They have a strong appreciation for beauty, possess an artistic flair, and are often known for their nurturing and compassionate nature.

Among the famous people born in the Years of the Goat, we find Kourtney Kardashian, Tyler, the Creator and Kevin Hart.

2015 Trivia

Did you know that in 2015, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year was the “face with tears of joy” emoji?

This is the first time since the tradition began in 2004 that a pictograph was chosen as a Word of the Year.

There were lots of other great options, but was the one that won the title.

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