What, a year?

December 2015

Christmas presence

BB8 becomes the hottest selling toy this Christmas as The Force Awakens brings the magic back to the Star Wars franchise.

January 2016 1/2

David Bowie, 1946–2016

A condition called anisocoria (an unequal size of the eyes’ pupils) gave David Bowie’s eyes the illusion of a difference in colour.

January 2016 2/2

US Blizzards

New York is one of eleven states to declare a state of emergency as up to 91cm of snow buries parts of the Mid‑Atlantic and Northeast United States.

February 2016

Chinese New Year
(of the Monkey)

March 2016 1/3

Fault

Maria Sharapova is banned for up to four years after failing drug tests at The Australian Open.

March 2016 2/3

Brussels nail-bombings

35 killed (including the three perpetrators). 300+ injured.

March 2016 3/3

George Martin, 1926–2016

The man – who signed an unknown Liverpool band and went on to produce them – acknowledged by many, including Paul McCartney, to be most deserving of the ‘Fifth Beatle’ moniker.

April 2016 1/2

Prince, 1958–2016

The purple reign ends

April 2016 2/2

Exposed

11.5 million leaked documents (the ‘Panama Papers’) reveal how wealthy individuals and public officials have kept personal financial information private, many for illegal purposes, including fraud, kleptocracy, tax evasion, and evading international sanctions.

May 2016

In Seine

Paris floods.

June 2016 1/2

Muhammad Ali, 1942–2016

The Greatest

June 2016 2/2

Britain leaves Europe

July 2016

Pokemon Go

hits the streets.

August 2016

Down

Australia’s first online census crashes as millions of households attempt to log in on deadline night.

September 2016

The Split

October 2016

The Backflip

Within three months of announcing a ban on the greyhound racing industry in his state, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird spectacularly reverses that decision.

November 2016

Trumped at her own game