The year 2017 has come and just about gone. However, despite the rapid passing of the year, 2017 was filled to the brim with epic events and stories. So, it’s time for the annual OK WASSUP! Top 10 Stories of 2017. Let’s take a look at this year’s highlights:
#10.) iPhone X
The #10 story of our Top 10 Stories Of 2017 comes from the newly opened Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA.
It’s hard to believe, but 10 years ago in 2007 Apple launched the original iPhone and revolutionized not only the concept of a cellphone, but also how we communicate. Fast-forward 10 years to 2017 and Apple’s introduction of its 10th-anniversary edition iPhone X. Edge-to-edge screen, FaceID recognition and more are just a few of the standout features of this futuristic communication device.
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#9.) Solar Eclipse
August 21, 2017, was the date of a total solar eclipse across America. People from around the world traveled thousands of miles to grab a spot in southern Illinois, Kentucky, Nashville, and other points along the direct path to witness day turn to night — and then back to day again. Interestingly, the last total solar eclipse viewed from the contiguous United States was on February 26, 1979. The next annular solar eclipse that can be seen within the continental United States will not occur until October 14, 2023.
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#8.) Trump inauguration/Messy White House
One of the most polarizing times in modern history makes our list of the Top 10 Stories Of 2017. On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated and officially assumed the reigns as Commander-In-Chief. Immediately following, a comedy of errors ensued.
After an embarrassingly low turn out on Inauguration Day, Trump forced the narrative that his swearing-in party was the BEST and MOST ATTENDED inaugural EVER! It wasn’t! Only days into the administration, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned amid charges that he engaged in illegal contact with Russia. The FBI director was fired. The White House Press Secretary resigned. The new communications director was hired, then fired 8 days later. Oh, and a special prosecutor was named to investigate Donald Trump, the Trump family, and the Trump campaign regarding their ties to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
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#7.) Take A Knee
In 2017, NFL star quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the practice of taking a knee instead of standing during the singing of the national anthem at NFL games. His actions were in protest of police brutality aimed primarily at African-Americans and led to him being blackballed from playing the game. Soon, other black NFL players picked up the fight where Kap’ left off and also began to take a knee, prompting Donald Trump to chime in and encourage owners to fire any football player who refused to stand. So much for the land of the free and the home of the brave!
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#6.) California Wildfires
In November of 2017, California experienced its worst wildfires in history. More than 505,900 acres have gone up in flames so far in Southern California, which is triple the area of Chicago. Damage estimates have topped $10 billion. However, since the fires are still burning, this number is expected to grow.
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#5.) Passages
Perhaps the most touching news among the Top 10 stories of 2017 involves the many beloved icons in the political, sports, and entertainment arena who left us. We honor and remember them:
CIVIL RIGHTS: Roy Innis (black activist), Roger Wilkins (civil rights activist), Dick Gregory (comedian and activist).
TELEVISION/FILM: Mary Tyler Moore, John Hurt, Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica), Bill Paxton, Judge Joseph Wapner (The People’s Court), Chuck Barris (Gong Show), Don Rickles, Charlie Murphy (“Chappelle Show,” brother of Eddie Murphy), Erin Moran (Happy Days), Jonathan Demme (Director), Roger Moore (original James Bond), Adam West (Batman), Martin Landau, John Heard (Home Alone), Sam Shepard (“The Right Stuff”), Jerry Lewis, Jay Thomas (actor/comedian), Bernie Casey (actor), Monty Hall (“Let’s Make A Deal”), Robert Guillaume (“Benson”), Della Reese, David Cassidy, Jim Nabors, Dick Enberg (Sportscaster).
MUSIC: Al Jarreau, Chuck Barry, Cuba Gooding, Sr., Gregg Allmän (The Allman Brothers), Prodigy (Mobb Deep rapper), Glen Campbell, Max Roach (noted jazz drummer), Tom Petty, Fats Domino, Mel Tillis (country singer).
POLITICS: Zbigniew Brzezinski (Jimmy Carter presidential adviser), Manuel Noriega (former dictator of Panama), Jim Bunning (former Sen. and baseball HOF), Helmut Kohl (former German Chancellor), Sen. Pete Dominici (NM GOP).
PERSONALITIES: Dorothy Mengering (mother of David Letterman), Roger Ailes (Fox News), Barbara Sinatra (widow of Frank), Hugh Hefner (Playboy Klub), Charles Manson (serial killer).
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#4.) Las Vegas Shooting
On the night of October 1, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers outside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, leaving 58 people dead and 546 injured. Paddock used a rapid-fire semi-automatic rifle to mow down the unsuspecting revelers with a non-stop shower of bullets. The shooting reignited the gun law debate and is now the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the United States.
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#3.) Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria
HARVEY: On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey formed in the Gulf of Mexico and grew to a major Category 4 cyclone by the time it struck parts of Texas. Houston was hit horribly hard, with portions of the city flooded and completely underwater, similar to the flooding of New Orleans during 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Many Houston residents were trapped on their rooftops or in their homes, needing rescue by boat from authorities and/or good Samaritans. All in all, 17,000 people were rescued, 30,000 were displaced from their homes, 91 people were killed, and $200 billion dollars in damage was recorded.
MARIA: Then, on September 18, 2017, Hurricane Maria formed in the Caribbean and grew to a deadly Category 5 storm. It struck the island of Barbuda and completely erased everything and everyone from the map (the once tropical island is now an entire wasteland). By September 20th, it reached the island of San Juan, Puerto Rico, knocking out power to a majority of the island, flooding homes, and leaving residents without drinking water. After the Mayor pleaded with Donald Trump to leave his golf course and provide immediate assistance to the US territory, Trump eventually made a 2-hour visit to the island and threw paper towels and toilet paper to residents in dire need.
In the end, Maria wreaked havoc on Dominica, Guadeloupe, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Turks and Caicos Islands, and The Bahamas. By last count, 547 people were registered as killed by the hurricane, although officials in Puerto Rico say that number is much higher due to a gross undercalculation on the island. The damage is estimated at more than $105 billion dollars.
To date, large portions of Puerto Rico are still without power. Residents have been forced back to the dark ages simply to eat and maintain ample drinking water.
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#2.) Russia Investigation
On May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to investigate Donald Trump, the Trump family, and the Trump campaign regarding their involvement in Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. To date, several members of the Trump campaign and administration have already been indicted as a result of the investigation, including former NSA Director Michael Flynn, former adviser George Papadopoulos, former adviser Rick Gates, and former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
On October 30, 2017, Manafort and his business partner Gates surrendered to the FBI and were placed under arrest. Reportedly, the 2 men, as well as Papadopoulos, have struck deals to tell all they know in exchange for immunity.
Since the investigation is still ongoing, this runner-up in the Top 10 Stories of 2017 will certainly carry over into 2018. In the end, it could bring the entire Trump White House come crashing down in a “Nixonesque” defeat.
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AND THE #1 TOP 10 STORIES OF 2017 IS:
#1.) #MeToo Sexual Misconduct Scandal
The year 2017 saw women from all walks of life come forward to say they had been sexually harassed and/or assaulted by very powerful men in the political and entertainment industries.
The first charges came against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of inappropriate behavior toward hundreds of women over several years. He resigned from his movie production company in shame and has since become an outcast in Hollywood.
Others who were forced to resign, were suspended, or were outright fired include Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, former NBC Today Show host Matt Lauer, former CBS This Morning host Charlie Rose, PBS talk-show host Tavis Smiley, celebrity chef Mario Batali, and at least 100 others.
Ironically, the biggest perpetrator and pervert of them all is none other than the self-admitted “pussy grabber” himself, Donald J. Trump, who still sits in the Oval Office today while others who have done less have lost their careers and livelihoods. Talk about a double standard!
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Current Events
Did we cover everything? Did we leave anything out? What do YOU consider to be the absolute #1 story of 2017? Tell us in the comments below.
I’m glad you still do this tradition because I always look forward to it. Some of the people who died this year I forgot about so it’s good to be reminded.Happy New Year to you DJ and everybody.