Summer Olympics:

The 2016 Summer Olympics kicked off on Aug. 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this year’s Olympics, the United States came in first place, with a total of 121 medals, and 46 of those medals being gold. United States Olympian Michael Phelps also became the most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals and 22 gold. The Olympics wrapped up on Aug. 21.

Dallas Shooting:

On July 7 a shooting took place in downtown Dallas. The shooting occurred at a peaceful march which was focused on the violence committed by officers in recent events. The gunman killed five officers who were at the march, and later was killed himself in a police standoff. #DallasStrong trended on many social media platforms, bringing the people together in this situation.

Tony Awards:

The 70th Annual Tony Awards took place on June 12, returning to the Beacon Theatre in New York City, after being held three years at Radio City Music Hall. This year, the awards were hosted by James Corden and included performances by Gloria Estefan and the cast of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan. The musical Hamilton stole the awards however, with a total of 16 nominations and 11 wins, including Best Musical.

Death of Muhammad Ali:

After battling Parkinson’s disease for 32 years, on June 3, world renowned boxer Muhammad Ali passed away at age 74. Well known for his 56 wins and 37 knockouts, Ali was an Olympic Boxer and athletic icon. Ali also rose above barriers between race and religion by becoming a racial pride activist and philanthropist. As the boxer himself once said, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

Cleveland Cavaliers win NBA Championship:

The Cleveland Cavaliers prevailed as the 2016 National Basketball Association champions after defeating the number one seed Golden State Warriors in a seven game series. The final score of game seven at the Oracle Center was 93-89, naming the Cavaliers the best team in the nation. This led to Lebron James winning his third NBA finals most valuable player award.  The Cleveland Cavaliers are the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 game deficit in a series.

Candidates Confirmed:

The Republican National Convention was held from July 18 to 21, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. At the convention, it was announced that Donald Trump was elected as the party’s presidential nominee. From July 25 to July 28, the Democratic National Convention was held at the Wells Fargo Center, in Philadelphia, PA. At the convention, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton was elected as the Democratic party’s nominee for the 2016 presidential election, by a 56.7% vote over Senator Bernie Sanders. The candidates also announced their running mates; Senator Tim Kaine was chosen as the Democratic party’s nominee for vice president, while Governor Mike Pence was chosen as the Republican party’s nominee for vice president.