As the year is drawing to a close, Simply Charly composed a list of some of the key events of 2015. While it is obviously non-exhaustive and subjective, it shows what transpired in the world of the arts, sciences, technology, and lifestyle. We hope you agree with our choices.
- Academic book: Charles Darwin’s pioneering 1859 book, On the Origin of Species, was voted this year by academic booksellers, librarians, and publishers as “the most influential academic work of all time.”
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Best-selling novel: Although published last year, Anthony Doerr’s absorbing novel, All the Light We Cannot See, has remained on The New York Times’ bestseller list for 85 weeks and has gone on to win numerous awards including this year’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
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Non-fiction book: The Wright Brothers, by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, is the fascinating tale of how two courageous brothers taught the world to fly.
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Literary debut: The Turner House, Angela Flournoy’s National Book Award-nominated debut novel.
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Best song: Adele’s mega-hit “Hello” from her new album 25 has broken nearly every imaginable record breathing new life into a music industry that has been in free fall for over a decade.
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Top-grossing movie: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which grossed $391.1 million on Christmas Eve and setting a domestic box office record, is poised to surpass a billion globally.
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Scientific discovery: Water on Mars. NASA’s satellite images taken from the Mars orbit in 2015, indicate that salty water runs down canyons and crater walls throughout the Red Planet’s summer months.
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Medical innovation: Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit can not only save lives but also prevent complications from strokes.
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Emerging technology: Fuel-cell vehicles, the zero-emission cars that run on hydrogen.
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New travel destination: Cuba. Now that diplomatic ties with the Caribbean nation have been re-established, the island is on its way to becoming a popular tourist destination.
Obviously, we don’t know what breakthroughs lie ahead for 2016, but as Rainer Maria Rilke said, “Welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”
