Jan. 7: 12 were killed in a terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine in Paris. The two shooters claimed to belong to a subgroup of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. The magazine’s jokes about Islamic leaders and its controversial depiction of Muhammad were said to be the main motive for the attack. The slogan “Je suis Charlie” was adopted around the world in support of the magazine.
April 24: Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender in an interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC News. In June, the 66 year-old debuted her new identity on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine and in a documentary titled “Call Me Caitlyn.”
May 2: Five-division world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in what was called “The Fight of the Century.”
May 21: An old police report revealed that Josh Duggar molested five underage girls as a young teen. Four of them were his siblings. Months later, it was revealed that Duggar had an Ashley Madison account and was unfaithful to his wife. Just in case that was not enough, Duggar was also charged with sexual assault against a pornographic actress.
June 15: Donald Trump launched his campaign for president. He has been stirring up controversy ever since.
June 17: Nine were killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Police arrested the shooter, 21 year-old Dylann Roof, at a hideout in North Carolina. He claimed he intended to start a race war with the attack.
June 26: In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Supporters celebrated nationwide, and the White House lit up in rainbow colors that night.
Sept. 1: Google noticeably redesigned their logo for the first time since 1999. The sleek animated logo was met with mixed reactions and many claims that the company had “ruined people’s childhoods.”
Oct. 23: Adele released her single “Hello.” It became the first song ever with over a million downloads in its first week.
Nov. 13: Suicide bombings and mass shootings at three locations in Paris left at least 129 dead. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took responsibility for the terror attack. A week later, the suspected leader of the attacks was killed in a police raid. Social media users adopted the phrase “Pray for Paris” in support of the city.
Dec. 14: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. It has grossed around $1.9 billion, making it the highest grossing film of 2015 and currently the highest grossing film in North America.
Dec. 20: Host Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant. Ariadna Gutiérrez of Colombia was initially given the crown, only to be told on live television that Harvey had announced the wrong name. The winner was actually Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines.
