The fall of 2016 was an eventful year, from politics, to sports and entertainment; it was a time we will not soon forget.
The presidential election of 2016 caught many people by surprise. The election was Donald Trump for the Republican candidacy, with Mike Pence as his vice president, and Hillary Clinton for the Democrat candidate, with Tim Kaine as her running mate. To the surprise of many Americans, Trump won the election. Hillary won the popular vote, with a 48.2 percent popular vote, wile Trump only had 46.1 percent of the popular vote. This is only the fifth time this has happened; the first was in 1824 with John Quincy Adams, the second was in 1876 with Rutherford B. Hayes, the third was 1888 with Benjamin Harrison and the fourth was the 2000 election with George W. Bush. In the past, the more money that was thrown into a political campaign, the more likely you were to win. In this election, Trump spent only spent slightly more than half of what Hillary did. Just because the experts say that one party will win, it doesn’t mean that they will.
In the world of sports, the MLB World Series was played between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. Game one was won by Cleveland, with a score of 6-0. On the second game, Chicago came back and won 5-1. For games three and four, the Indians won with scores of 1-0 and 7-2. However, like many sports teams in 2016, the Indians blew a 3-1 lead. The last three games, the cubs came to play. Chicago went on a three-game winning streak, with scores of 3-2, 9-3 and to win the world series, 8-7. The last time that the Cubs won the world series was in 1908, a 108-year gap between their wins. Although the odds were never in their favor, they beat incredible odds. If this teaches us anything, it is that anything can happen, even when you least expect it.
When it comes to cinema, there were many blockbusters to hit the scene in fall 2016. “Suicide Squad,” released on August 5, is a film about the DC antihero squad. “The Magnificent Seven” came out on September 23, and it’s a western where a town hires a group of mercenaries to help free their town.
November was a big time for movies. “Doctor Strange” was released on November 4. Dr. Stephen Strange is caught in a car accident and ends up battling to defend the world. “Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them” was released on November 18. This is a spin-off of the beloved film series, “Harry Potter.” A prequel to the series, “Fantastic Beasts” is the story of Newt Scamander, who has a mishap in New York where his bag of magical creatures escape. “Moana,” released on November 23, is a Disney movie where the daughter of the chief goes on a journey to find the demigod, Maui, when her island starts to have problems with fishing and farming. To end the year, December was host to the multi-award winning “La La Land,” released on December 9. Mia, an aspiring actress who serves coffee in between auditions, and a jazz musician, who plays at cocktail parties, enjoy a romantic relationship as their careers begin to take off. “La La Land” was picked to win Best Picture, but the movie did not. This just shows that–like with the election–if you are expected to win something, it doesn’t mean you will. The last big blockbuster for fall of 2016 was “Star Wars: Rogue One.” Released on December 16th, this is the story of how the rebels got the plans of the Death Star. The movie is placed in between the prequels and the original trilogy.
If 2016 had a life lesson one could learn from it, it would be to not expect the expected. Life is full unexpected surprises, so be sure to keep an eye out for the next one.
by John Sharp, Staff writer
