With 2015 coming to an end, it is time to think about what stories captured out hearts, thoughts and bewildered us.
From the tragedies which occurred in Paris in January and November to the viral phenomenon of the dress or “dressgate”, 2015 brought us a mixture of stories. Here are a few that could not have been missed:
“The Dress“:
- Who would have thought a photo of a dress would cause a worldwide debate? Well in February 2015, it did. Was it black and blue? Or white and gold? That was the height of the argument. It has become such an ongoing topic that it is supposedly under scientific investigation as to why some people will see black and blue and why some will see white and gold.
- Perhaps the most shocking event of 2015 as it was so close to home for us Londoners. In January and November, Paris was struck by a series of terrorist attacks, with the most notable one being at the Bataclan theatre with an ongoing gig, which led to the most casualties. The coverage, as expected, was extensive and it is still a talking point in the media today.
Donald Trump running for US president:
- The property tycoon’s stance on immigration has been the main talking point of his campaign so far. He claimed that Muslims should be banned from entering the US for a period of time due to threat. As a result of his comments, a petition was set up to ban Trump from the UK which gained 500,000 signatures making it eligible for a parliamentary debate.
- As of June 2015, same sex marriage was legalised in all states in the US. Previously, only 36 states were issuing same sex licenses to marry. It was about time that the US undertook this action and that is why the story did gain so much attention. Meanwhile in May, people voted in favour of same-sex marriage in a referendum in the Republic of Ireland.
- In March, a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the French Alps, killing all 150 passengers and staff on board. The story gained high coverage because of the cause: Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately locked the pilot out of the cockpit after he had gone to the bathroom, then flew the plane into the side of a mountain.
- European migrants – something we all became familiar with in 2015. Although debates about immigration have been a hot topic for UK newspapers for years, the migrant crisis furthered that as more people than ever tried to seek asylum in Europe. Syria was the country that was mentioned frequently but migrants also came from Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa. Some papers, especially the Daily Mail, posted many distressing pictures of children trying to cross borders. The picture of the dead Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, was shown around the world and reflected the tragedy of the migrant crisis.
- The Kardashians, that family who you would only have missed if you happen to have been on a secluded island all your life continued to dominate celebrity magazines, newspapers, television, radio on a daily basis. Married to Kris Jenner for 13 years, Caitlyn was a regular on the Kardashian’s reality TV show. Caitlyn Jenner then did a shoot with Vanity Fair, in June 2015, publicly announcing her new identity after undergoing gender transition. Vanity Fair revealed that sales of that edition were the highest they had been since 2011, when they did a cover shoot with Johnny Depp.
Featured image by Loco Steve via Flickr CC