NEWS

Just like the years before, The Big ‘25 was a year full of ups and downs that made lasting impacts on political, historical, societal, and cultural climates.

Starting from the beginning, the rise of artificial intelligence became impossible to ignore. On February 10-11, the AI Action Summit was held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.

This event brought world leaders, tech executives, and researchers from over 100 countries together to discuss the logistics and ethics of AI.

One of the most significant events that happened in 2025 was the death of Pope Francis. 

The pope died on April 21 and his funeral was held on April 26.

He was a leader known for his progressive activism and the efforts he took to modernize the Catholic Church.

On May 8th, a Chicago native Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new Pope. Prevost chose the papal name Leo XIV after being appointed. 

Later, on September 10, the American right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.

During an outdoor campus debate at Utah Valley University Kirk was shot in the neck in front of about 3,000 people. 

And then, in a moment that seemed like a movie scene, the greatest heist of the year was pulled on October 19 in Paris, France.

Eight individuals broke into one of the most famous museums in the world, the Louvre Museum,  and stole over $100 million worth of historical jewelry. 

Also in 2025, natural disasters devastated the globe.

The Palisades and Eaton fires took over the Los Angeles area in January, China faced flooding in June through August, the South & Southeast Asia cyclones appeared in November, and Hurricane Melissa affected Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. 

Within the chaos of the year, a symbol of hope was also brought into 2025 when professionals announced a promising cancer vaccine.

The notion is still under development, but early trials show encouraging results in clinical trials for melanoma, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers.

The social environment of the year was just as prominent. Like every other modern year, trends and influences made the rounds.

The “Group 7” trend bonded the media over being assigned to a specific number group.

The deciding factor of which group one ended was whichever one you saw first, or in some cases more.

So for example, if the first video you saw about the trend was about Group 7 then you were in Group 7, or others decided that if you saw more videos about Group 4 than Group 7 after seeing the first video then you were in Group 4.

Then came the debate, “100 men vs. one gorilla” where classes, experts, influencers, and others argued over whether or not 100 men would be able to fight and win against one gorilla. 

An obsession that took over the globe was the Labubus.

These are collectible dolls that became famous from the unboxing, memes, fashion moments, and celebrity endorsements that spread in the media.

Overall, The Big ‘25 was eventful in positive, negative, and neutral circumstances. It brought more to the world and succeeded in adding another tick on historical timelines, actually. 

Looking back, 2025 will be remembered as a year that forced the world to pay attention. It was a year of development, momentum, hope and mourning.