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Top five surprises that shook the world in 2016

By Julia Pelech

Looking back on 2016, there were some weird things that happened. From getting a new president to exploding cell phones, this recap on a crazy year should make you laugh a little bit.

 

1. New President

As we all know, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, ended up winning the election on November 8. Whether you are happy or sad about this, I think everyone can agree that it was a surprise. When he first announced his candidacy, many thought he was a joke, saying that he would not make it past the primaries. With great opposition by many members of his party, he made it all the way to the General Election. With all of the controversy about Hillary Clinton, people were uneasy and Mr. Trump was able to slip into the lead right at the end, winning him the White House.

 

2. Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar

After being nominated six times, Leo finally won his first Oscar and the internet exploded. People were so proud that someone who had been in the movie industry since 1989 finally won his first Academy Award. This delay may have been due to the fact that Dicaprio is a bit picky about what movies he stars in. In his entire career, he has only starred in 36 movies.

 

3. Cubs win World Series

The entire Chicagoland area was on edge for one week straight during the World Series. The Cubs had not won a World Series championship since 1908. When the playoffs started against the Cleveland Indians, another team with a long championship losing streak, the only conversation topic seemed to be about the competition. When the last game rolled around, the Cubs and Indians were in a dead tie and the seventh game went into extra innings. The Cubs pulled through at the end, but it was a struggle for both teams.

 

4. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall

Recently there have been reports of people who just bought a new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 having it literally blow up in their faces. Videos have been circulating the internet of phones that are burning or producing heavy smoke. This set off an alarm at the Samsung company and a recall was issued on October 13.

 

5. Brexit vote

On June 23, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. They will not actually start to leave the Union until March 2017, but the decision has been made. Economists have predicted a recession and Britain has tried to fend one off, but the BBC says it’s “not all that unlikely.”

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