LIFE IN 2016

What was the world like in 2016?

Remember the blockbuster hit ‘Finding Dory’? No? Here’s a snapshot of the 2016 cultural landscape.

By Maryam Rahaman

IF YOU’RE DOUBTFUL that anything’s changed in the past five years, take a look at these highlights.

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

2016 was unforgettably the year that brought reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump into office. Trump beat Hillary Clinton with 304 electoral votes to her 227. It was a New York election, with the lifelong Queensite taking on a former New York senator.

TOP FILM

The year’s highest-grossing film was highly anticipated by toddlers and children alike: “Finding Dory.” The Pixar film wasn’t particularly remarkable for anything except being a sequel. But the film was followed by Star Wars prequel “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and one of the dozens of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, “Captain America: Civil War” – the three top films all being part of Disney acquisitions proved the company’s continuously growing dominance in media.

TOP SONG

Drake’s “One Dance” became the biggest hit on Spotify – the song has cemented nostalgia for the summer of ’16 five years after. The use of Spotify stats as the metric for “best song” also shows how streaming has completely changed the way we talk about music.

Trump shocked the nation when he beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

TOP SHOW

To really put time in perspective, Season 6 of “Game of Thrones” was 2016’s hottest show – only to become the “Show Who Must Not Be Named” a few years later with a disastrous final season. The sixth season was the first to not be partially adapted from an already published novel.

TOP GAME

It’s hard to believe, but Pokémon Go was a video game that actually got people outside. Though the hype quickly died, crowds swarmed in public to catch rare Pokémon like Chansey and Vaporeon across the globe. The phenomenon also

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Addabbo Jr.

Colin Kaepernick became a lightning rod when he refused to stand for the national anthem. caused then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to say, “I want to figure out how to get them to have Pokémon Go to the polls.”

SPORTS FLASHBACK

Colin Kaepernick chose to take a knee during the national anthem to protest the idea of pride for a country where Black men are murdered by the police. His decision was highly publicized and scrutinized by many, but he was also joined by other football players and athletes outside of the sport.

TOP VIRAL CHALLENGE

If you had the (mis)fortune of knowing any preteen-to-teen boys in 2016, you’re probably familiar with the water bottle flip challenge. The trend was popularized by a viral video of a teenager flipping a water bottle at a talent show. It resulted in millions of plastic water bottles being halfdrunk and thrown until it landed upright on a flat surface.

WHERE WERE THEY?

Letitia James: Serving as New York City public advocate, and, in a preview for what lay ahead, she was suing the city Education Department, saying it wasn’t properly serving students with disabilities. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Working as an organizer for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign for president. Andrea Stewart-Cousins: Serving as the state Senate minority leader, not yet as one of the famous “three people in a room.” ■