2023: A Year in Review
by Chris Petry
Well, that’s a wrap on 2023! Oh, and what a year it was! Just in case you forgot, here are some of the major news stories that broke over the last twelve months:
The Israeli/Hamas War.
A Norfolk Southern train derails in East Palestine, OH and burns for two days, releasing hazardous chemicals into the local air and water.
The Silicon Valley Bank in the San Francisco Bay Region crashes, resulting in the largest bank failure since the 2008 global financial crisis.
Open AI launches GPT-4, igniting a public discussion regarding the pros and cons of advanced artificial intelligence.
Finland joins NATO.
More than three years after the first reported cases, the World Health Organization declares Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
Scientists create the first synthetic human embryo from stem cells.
Wildfires break out in Canada, resulting in an evacuation of nearly 70% of the Northwest Territories. The smoky air makes its way into the Northeastern, United States, producing record smog.
In a historic vote, Kevin McCarthy is removed as the Speak of the House.
US surgeons in New York City, announce the world’s first whole eye transplant.
The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA both went on strike.
Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon dropped 50%.
Of course, that was just a taste of the major stories that filled headlines this past year. Now, for the fun stuff!
Essential Movies to Watch
Barbie
Oppenheimer
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Poor Things
The Iron Claw
The Exorcist: Believer
The Holdovers
Past Lives
Killers of the Flower Moon
Evil Dead Rise
Godzilla Minus One
The Little Mermaid
Essential TV to Stream
The Last of Us (Season 1)
Poker Face (Season 1)
Succession (Final Season)
The Fall of the House of Usher (Miniseries)
Reservation Dogs (Final Season)
The Bear (Season 2)
Beef (Season 1)
Only Murders in the Building (Season 3)
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Season 1)
The Curse (Season 1)
One Piece (Season 1)
Fargo (Season 5)
Justified: City Primeval (Miniseries)
A Murder at the End of the World (Miniseries)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Season 1)
Lessons in Chemistry (Season 1)
Ted Lasso (Season 3)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 16)
Essential Albums to Hear
Boygenius, The Record
Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan
Olivia Rodrigo, Guts
Paramore, This is Why
Taylor Swift, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) & 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Victoria Monet, Jaguar II
Metallica, 72 Seasons
Alice Cooper, Road
Wednesday, Rat Saw God
SZA, SOS
Lana Del Rey, Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
Greta Van Fleet, Starcatcher
Bully, Lucky for You
100 Gecs, 10,000 Gecs
Spiritbox, The Fear of Fear EP
Peter Gabriel, I/O
Essential Books
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1) by Rebecca Yarros
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
My Effin’ Life by Geddy Lee
Holly by Stephen King
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Up with the Sun by Thomas Mallon
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
What’s coming in 2024? Well, here are a few of the expected highlights:
An economic turnaround. It’s expected that after 2 years of interest increases and record inflation, things will be looking up.
2024 will be the year of sequels with new installments of Dune, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Mad Max, Planet of the Apes, Deadpool, Inside out, Sonic, Joker, and even Mean Girls.
It’s a leap year, so February will feature 29 days this calendar year.
There will be a presidential election.
World governments will work together to implement safety protocols in existing and incoming AI programs.
The first human space mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, Artemis II, is expected to launch.
Mickey Mouse will enter the public domain.
Super Bowl LVIII will be held in Las Vegas.
