By: Tydus Chase 

2025 was a year defined by scientific advancements, political changes, wild weather, action packed sporting events, and shakeups in the music and entertainment industry. So, whether you are into baseball, genetics, artificial intelligence, WWE, or true crime, there was something this year to interest you. The year started off with some heat in the natural disaster sector. 

Natural Disasters 

Palisades Fire 

     The Palisades Fire started in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles County, California on January 7 and destroyed 9,489 hectares of land before it was extinguished. The fire claimed the lives of 12 people and destroyed over 6,800 structures. The fire was the third most destructive in California history, and the most destructive in the history of the city of Los Angeles. The cost of the damage exceeded over $20 billion, and, when taking into account the other January Los Angeles Fires, this was one of the costliest wildfires in recent history.  

     When investigating the cause of the fire, authorities determined that it was caused by the reignition of a smaller fire. On October 8, Federal Authorities arrested Jonathan Rinderknecht in Florida and charged him with one count of destruction of property by fire, one count of arson affecting interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire. The trial is set for early 2026 

Myanmar 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake 

     On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar, the country’s second largest city. The earthquake was one of the most powerful to strike Myanmar in recent history and the second deadliest. The damage from the earthquake was felt not only in Myanmar but also in Thailand, China, and Vietnam. There were over 5,000 fatalities and over 11,000 injuries. The earthquake caused over $11 billion USD in damage.  

South Korean Wildfire Outbreak 

     Starting on March 21, South Korea experienced their worst wildfire outbreaks to date. The outbreak included over 20 separate fires occurring across the country. The outbreak claimed the lives of 32 people, three of which were firefighters. Over 37,000 people had to be evacuated, as the fire burned around 104,788 hectares of land. The outbreak caused about $1.35 billion USD in damage before it was extinguished on May 15.  

8.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes off the Coast of Russia 

     On July 30, the most powerful earthquake since 2011 struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. Although the earthquake was very strong, it caused very little damage compared to those of similar magnitude. The tsunami that followed was also much weaker than expected with waves only reaching about three feet in height. Locally there was high run-up that flooded river valleys. The earthquake claimed one person’s life and injured 25 others.  

Hurricane Melissa 

     Although this was a very quiet Atlantic hurricane season for the United States compared to previous years, there were still strong hurricanes, one of those being Hurricane Melissa. Melissa became a tropical storm on October 21 and intensified to a category five hurricane on October 27. On October 28, Melissa made landfall with Jamacia causing mass destruction on the island. The storm weakened over the island and hit Cuba the next day and weakened to a category one. Melissa then intensified into a category two hurricane as it neared Bermuda, before weakening again. The remnants of the hurricane passed Newfoundland before fully dissipating on November 4. Melissa caused over 100 deaths and 140 injuries. Many people lost power for weeks. There was over $10 billion USD in damage done by the storm with many public buildings being destroyed.  

European Heatwave 

     Europe experienced multiple heatwaves over the summer with temperatures soaring past 120℉ in some countries. These temperatures broke multiple records, such as in Spain where the temperatures reached a staggering 115℉. Europe’s lack of air conditioning made these heatwaves worse for many.  These heatwaves fueled the death of at least 24,000 people and made this summer the hottest on record for many countries.  

Sports, Music, and Entertainment  

Superbowl 59 

     The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chief faced off in Super Bowl 59, hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Eagles, coached by Jamestown native Nick Sirianni, came into the game hot holding the Chief’s to only 23 yards of offense in the first half. During half time, Kendrick Lamar delivered a captivating performance including his hit song “Not Like Us.” The Squire asked Junior, Kinzlea Chase to describe the performance. She stated, “[It was] excellent, I loved how he brought out SZA; she really added to the show. I also liked how Kendrick referenced his feud with Drake.” After the half-time show, the Chiefs found their first score in the third quarter and went on to score 16 points in the fourth quarter. This late effort wasn’t enough though, as the Eagles came out victorious with a final score of 40-22.  

A Minecraft Movie 

     April saw the release of the widely anticipated movie A Minecraft Movie. The movie saw the skills of stars like Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, and Jennifer Coolidge, along with many others. The film had a budget of $150 million and went on to gross nearly $958 million in the box office. Sophomore, Collin Montgomery, elaborated that his favorite part of the movie was when the villager got to the nether. Montgomery also added, “[The chicken jockey meme] was funny at first but the overuse of it made it get annoying.” The movie saw a lot of love from fans but also shared an equal amount of dislike. A sequel is scheduled to be released in 2027.  

Taylor Swift Tops the Billboard Hot 100 

     Many stayed up past their bedtime to hear Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl on October 3. The album was a hit with the 12 songs on it taking the top 12 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also saw massive sales with over 1.3 million vinyl copies being sold in the first week. The album was another smashing success in Swift’s unprecedented career.  

Dodgers Win The 2025 World Series  

     The Dodgers made their second consecutive World Series appearance this season, facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays. This was the Blue Jays first appearance since 1993 when they won back-to-back in 1992 and 1993. This season showed much improvement for the Blue Jays after finishing last in their division in 2024. 

     The series started off close, with the Blue Jays winning game one and the Dodgers winning game two. Game three lasted 18 innings with the Dodgers coming out on top. The Blue Jays prevailed in both games four and five leaving the series at 3-2 at the end of the fifth game. The Dodgers then went on to squeak out a victory in game six, tying the series 3-3, going into the seventh and final game. The Blue Jays went into the final game swinging and took an early lead and held onto a one run lead going into the ninth. Miguel Rojas scored the tying run for the Dodgers, sending the game into extra innings. Both teams then had a scoreless tenth inning. Will Smith hit a home run to lead the Dodgers to victory and their ninth World Series Championship.  

Political Affairs 

Second Presidency of Donald Trump  

     On January 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47 President of the United States of America. The inauguration was held inside the Capital rotunda due to freezing temperatures. Trump’s Inauguration was not without opposition. Protests were held across the United States as many people disagreed with his platform. The inauguration was watched by 10’s of millions with viewership peaking at around 34.4 million people, which was less than Joe Biden’s inauguration as well as Trump’s first inauguration. 

     Trump’s second term has not been free of controversy. Trump has signed over 215 executive orders, many of which are being challenged in court. He has pushed for increased deportation as well. At the start of his term, he created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce federal funding, which was led by Elon Musk. This led to mass layoffs as well as many federal agencies being dismantled.  

     Trump also called for the East Wing of the White House to be demolished for the building of a ballroom. As of December 11, the East Wing is demolished, and no architectural plans for the ballroom have been released to the public. This is after the “One Big Beautiful Bill” reclassified architects as a nonprofessional degree.  

     Trump is the first President to have a felony conviction, as well as the oldest person to become US President.  

Yoon Suk Yeol Arrested 

     Yoon Suk Yeol was the 13 President of South Korea until he was removed from office on April 4. Yoon declared Martial law on December 3, 2024, to “rebuild and protect the free republic of Korea.” Hours after this the National Assembly voted to end the Martial Law and Yoon complied. Days later, the National Assembly voted to put in motion an impeachment of him and it passed. His duties were subsequently suspended. Yoon was arrested on January 15. On April 4, Yoon was formally impeached and moved back to his personal house.  

The Vatican  

     Pope Francis passed away on April 21, at the age of 88. His death was followed by a nine day mourning period. During this time, the Cardinals met in Rome and decided to start the Conclave on May 7. The Conclave lasted only two days, with Robert Francis Prevost being selected as the new Pope. Prevost is the first person born in the US to be selected to serve as the Pope. Prevost chose the name Leo and subsequently is known as Leo XIV.  

Honorable Mentions  

Woolly Mice and Dire Wolves  

     Strong advances in the genetics field led to the creation of the Woolly Mice and Dire Wolves. The Woolly Mice were created using Woolly Mammoth DNA, which gave the mice thick golden-brown fur. Dire Wolves were also recreated by the same company, Colossal Biosciences. They used ancient Dire wolf DNA to give Gray Wolves the appearance of the Dire Wolf.  

Artificial Intelligence 

     2025 saw many advances in AI, such as the release of Chat GPT-5 and an overall deeper integration of AI into our lives, as well as AI machines gaining more intelligence and reason. This has not come without negatives. Many people are using AI to cheat on schoolwork as well as using it to do tasks for them at work. This has left many wondering whether the advancement of AI is positive or negative for our society.  

Texas Floods  

     On July 4, Texas saw the start of some of the worst flooding in the US in years. The flooding lasted for several days causing the death of 135 people, 28 of which happened at Camp Mystic. The flooding caused over $1.1 billion in damage and was made worse by Kerr County not having a flood warning system.