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 explore the key events, impactful news stories, notable music releases, and inspirational quotes that shaped the year 2015.
Events
Take a front-row seat to the incredible events that unfolded in 2015 and witness the power of human achievement.
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.
The pilot faced charges, which were later dropped due to it being an accident.
Feb 25
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.”
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 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.
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.
Dwayne captured 105 selfies on the red carpet at the world premiere of his new film San Andreas.
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 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.
It was a long time coming for many, and the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of the change.
Jul 23
NASA announced they had found “Earth’s bigger, older cousin.”
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.
“After careful thought, thoughtful consideration, and considerable squabbling, Miss Piggy made the difficult decision to terminate our romantic relationship,” Kermit said.
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.
Sep 9
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.
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.
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.
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 27
The San Jose, which sank in 1708, was found near Columbia.
Dubbed the “Holy Grail of shipwrecks,” the ship and its contents were estimated to be worth a staggering $17 billion!
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 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.
1938
2015
Ben E. King
American
Singer
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.
Quotes
Here’s a roundup of the most memorable quotes people said in 2015.
2015 In Music
2015 was a year that filled our playlists with chart-topping hits that we still can’t get enough of!
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.
Check out these music highlights from 2015 that you should know.
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
Numerologists claimed that 2015 would be a year of financial gain and prosperity. It might have been true for some but not for the Chinese stock market that dramatically crashed this year.
In Roman numerals, the year 2015 is written as MMXV. When converted to binary, 2015 is represented as 11111011111, which is a sequence of 1s and 0s that signifies its place value in the binary number system.
Chinese Zodiac 2015
According to the Chinese zodiac tradition, 2015 was officially recognized as The Year of the Goat, an occurrence that takes place once every twelve years.
But did you know that the Chinese zodiac cycle also incorporates the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal), and Water? So this makes 2015 the Year of the Wood Goat, a cycle which happens once every sixty years.
Because the Chinese zodiac follows a lunar calendar, the Year of the Wood Goat commenced on February 19th, and lasted until February 7, 2016.
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.
Kourtney Kardashian and Kevin Hart, born in the Year of the Goat, have achieved fame and success in their respective fields, making them shining examples of this zodiac sign!
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.
