The narrator reflects on 2016, a year marked by significant global events. The US presidential election dominated the news, with Donald Trump's unexpected win over Hillary Clinton. The UK's Brexit referendum also sparked controversy. The narrator pokes fun at the election, calling it a "reality TV show masquerading as a presidential election."
Other notable events mentioned include the death of Harambe, a gorilla at a US zoo, and the Panama Papers leak, which exposed financial information about powerful individuals and organizations.
The narrator also touches on viral trends, such as Pokémon Go and the "Mannequin Challenge." In the world of science, 2016 was a significant year, with the detection of gravitational waves and the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting Proxima Centauri.
The narrator concludes that while 2016 was a challenging year, there were also positive developments, particularly in the field of astronomy.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Donald Trump announced his presidential campaign in June 2015.
2. Trump was officially selected as the Republican Party's nominee in July 2016.
3. The 2016 US presidential election was between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
4. Hillary Clinton focused on relatability, while Trump focused on making America great again and building walls.
5. A gorilla named Harambe was shot to death at a zoo in the US after grabbing a child.
6. The UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum known as Brexit.
7. 52% of the UK population voted to leave the EU.
8. The Panama Papers leak consisted of 11.5 million documents and revealed financial information about shell corporations owned by powerful individuals.
9. The leak led to the resignation of the Prime Minister of Iceland and implicated several other world leaders.
10. Pokémon Go became a widespread phenomenon in 2016 and was downloaded over half a billion times.
11. The game generated controversy due to accidents and safety concerns.
12. A failed military coup took place in Turkey on July 15, 2016, resulting in over 300 deaths.
13. The coup leaders were part of the Gulen movement, led by an Islamic preacher living in the US.
14. Samsung released the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, which had severe issues with overheating and was eventually discontinued.
15. The company lost an estimated $17 billion due to the mishap.
16. Natural disasters, celebrity deaths, and other public figures passing away occurred in 2016.
17. A revolutionary astronomical observation of gravitational waves was announced in February 2016.
18. A 30-ton meteorite was discovered in Argentina, making it the fourth largest meteorite ever discovered on Earth.
19. An Earth-like exoplanet was found orbiting within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun.
20. The ESA and Roscosmos launched the ExoMars mission to find new life on Mars.
21. The world's largest radio telescope was completed in China and will be used to scan the cosmos for signs of intelligent life.
22. The spacecraft Juno began orbiting Jupiter and photographed the planet's north and south pole for the first time.
23. SpaceX performed a vertical landing on a floating platform, a feat that was previously considered science fiction.