Time flies, and it’s impossible to remember every important thing that happened in the last year. 2023 was full of highs and lows, from Congressional battles and a former president’s indictments to a summer of flamboyant outfits for “Barbenheimer” and the “Eras” and “Renaissance” tours. It was a year full of big wins for the Denver Nuggets, Vegas Golden Knights and the Texas Rangers, winning their first franchise title, and for the writers, hotel workers and auto workers striking for what’s right. Let’s look back on the year’s biggest headlines. 

January

• Jan. 7: Kevin McCarthy is named Speaker of the House after four days of successive voting, negotiations within the republican party and 15 ballots. The inability to find a speaker almost caused a government shutdown.

February

• Feb. 2: Defense officials inform people that a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon is being tracked over some Western states in the US. Two days later on Feb. 4, the balloon was shot down over the coast of South Carolina. 
• Feb. 5: The 65th annual Grammys are held, where Beyoncé broke the record for most wins by any artist in Grammy history. 
• Feb. 7: LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to take the number one spot on the NBA’s all-time regular-season scoring list with 38,387 points. 

March

• March 12: The 95th Academy Awards ceremony (The Oscars) was held, awarding films released in 2022. The film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” swept the ceremony, winning seven awards out of 11 nominations. Michelle Yeoh made history as the first Asian woman to win in the Best Actress category. Her co-star, Ke Huy Quan, made history as well, becoming the first Vietnamese person to ever win an Oscar. 
• March 17: Taylor Swift kicked off her “Eras Tour” in Glendale, Arizona. With Swift playing 151 shows across five continents, it’s the highest-grossing tour of all time, and the first tour to surpass one billion dollars in revenue. 

April

• April 24: India surpassed China in becoming the most populated country with 1,425,775,850 people according to the UN’s projections. Since the UN began keeping global population records in 1950, China has always been number one. 

May

• May 2: The Writers Guild of America went on strike due to unsuccessful pay raise negotiations. The strike put an abrupt halt on most TV and film productions. It ended nearly four months later on Sept. 27. 
• May 10: Beyoncé began her “Renaissance World Tour” in Stockholm, Sweden. Over the year, she played 56 shows and ended her tour in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 1. 
• May 11: The WHO (World Health Organization) declared the end of COVID-19 as a public health emergency, which is now an established and ongoing health issue. 

June

• June 6: Wildfires in Canada intensified and caused air quality alerts and evacuations for many in Canada and the US. 
• June 18:  “Titan,” a submersible that was operated by expedition company OceanGate was announced missing after it failed to resurface at its scheduled time on a dive to visit the Titanic shipwreck. Four days later on June 22, debris was found, and the United States Navy’s sonar detection of an acoustic signature was consistent with implosion. 
• June 29: The Supreme Court ended affirmative action in college admissions in a 6-3 ruling. 

July

• July 14: With the WGA strike ongoing, Hollywood came to a complete standstill when the Screen Actors Guild went on strike as well. The strike focused on asking for better pay and working conditions, as well as provisions regarding artificial intelligence. The strike ended on Nov. 9, 2023. 
• July 21: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were released in theaters. The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon launched both films to the top of the box office, with “Barbie” being the highest-grossing movie of 2023 and “Oppenheimer” being third.
• July 21: Lionel Messi makes his MLS debut with Inter Miami FC. In his first game, he scored the game-winning goal with a free kick. 

August

• Aug. 8: Wildfires in Maui spread rapidly due to increased wind speeds from Hurricane Dora. The fires destroyed almost the entirety of the town Lahaina. 
• Aug. 24: Former president Donald Trump turned himself in to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Ga., after a grand jury indicted him on charges of election racketeering and issued an arrest warrant. A mugshot of Trump was taken and released to the public, which spawned a line of merchandise. 

September

• Sept. 15: United Auto Workers go on strike against Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Stellantis. It ended a month and a half later on Oct. 30. 

October

• Oct. 3: The House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from his role as Speaker of the House, sending the chamber into chaos. Twenty-two days later, republican Mike Johnson was elected as the new speaker. 
• Oct. 28: Matthew Perry passed away at 4:17 p.m. after being found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home. His death was revealed to have been caused by the effects of ketamine.

November

• Nov. 8: Popular video chat site Omegle shut down after 14 years following user complaints of abuse. 

December

• Dec. 1: House of Representative members voted 311-114 to expel New York Republican George Santos from Congress. Santos violated ethics and fraudulently exploited his house candidacy as a way to seek personal financial growth. He is the sixth House member to be expelled from Congress.
• Dec. 28: After serving eight years for second-degree murder of her mother, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison. Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, described by MedlinePlus as “a mental illness and a form of child abuse. The caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick.”