Cincinnati Zoo Gorilla Death Hits the United States Hard

On the morning of May 29th, 2016, a four-year-old boy slipped into the Cincinnati Zoo’s Gorilla World exhibit. In the midst, Harambe, a seventeen-year-old, 400 pound, critically endangered Silverback gorilla, was shot and killed by zookeepers in order to protect the child. “The zoo security team’s quick response saved the child’s life,” defended Cincinnati Zoo director, Thane Maynard, “We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically-endangered gorilla.” Harambe’s tragic death has been felt by animal welfare activists across the country, and has brought long-awaited attention to the questionable morality of the captivation of wild and endangered animals in the United States.

Top Trending 2016 Memes

Mannequin Challenge Faces the Internet

The month of November brought a new viral sensation to social media: The Mannequin Challenge. Groups of people, ranging from five to even fifty, gathered to freeze into place while doing the craziest poses they could think of in front of the camera. “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd became the anthem of the new craze, played in the background of most Mannequin Challenge videos.

Mannequin Challenge Underwater

Bob Dylan Refuses to Accept The Nobel Peace Prize

The Largest Powerball: $1.6 Billion

2016’s Powerball reached it’s largest value of $1.6 billion. Of the 1-in-2.92 billion odds of winning the jackpot, 3 winners were drawn from California, Tennessee, and Florida. “It’s almost like we won, even though we didn’t, because our community won,” said a Chino Hills resident, a community of only about 80,000 people. The remarkable value of this year’s Powerball brought Canadians over U.S. borders to try their luck, and tickets were even sold to residents of China online.

Bill Cosby: Ordered to Stand Trial

10 years after his first accusation of sexual assault, 78-year-old comedian, Bill Cosby, will go to trial for sexual misconduct. Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by over fifty women. Each of Cosby’s charges have a maximum sentence of ten years; however, if this case’s judge feels it is fair, they can give Cosby the privilege of serving each sentence concurrently, allowing Cosby to serve one ten year sentence for all fifty cases of sexual assault. Many of the accusations were made twelve years or more after any act of assault was committed, making the trial that much more tricky. Despite the appalling number of accusations, Cosby is unlikely to stand trial for several of the accusations due to the fact that the statutes of limitations have passed.