2014 was a big year! Huge moves for equality were made. We lost important people. Twitter became the main outlet for today’s wasted youth. Foreign trouble reached America. It’s a lot, so let’s revisit the highs and lows of the year.

Sochi Olympic Games

Arguably the best comedy of the year came from the journalists stuck in Sochi to report on the games. Unfinished hotels, broken bathroom doors, the fact that Sochi is one of the warmest parts of Russia (Really, Russia? Had to do the games in Sochi?); all of it was perfect. On top of that, Bob Costas contracted pinkeye. The festivities were cut short by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, though. Sochi was a gift wrapped in systematic corruption.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (or, The Year of the Five-Minute Meme)

As pointed out by The Cut, 2014 was the year of the DGAF Teen. This year, we weren’t that badly behaved, or rebellious, or active, for that matter. Instead, we took to Twitter with the force of a million side-eyes and came up with the best short-lived memes in recent history. Let’s appreciate a few: #alexfromtarget, Ellen’s Oscar selfie, Pharrell’s hat, Sad Kanye, the Ice Bucket Challenge, this could be us but you playin’, blockin’ out the haters, makeup transformation, feels frog, broom broom, and starter packs were probably the best. But that’s none of my business. Bye, Felicia.

Flappy Bird

Before Trivia Crack, or 8 Ball Pool, or even Kim Kardashian Hollywood, there was Flappy Bird, and it was beautiful. The nearly impossible game was everyone’s collective fury compressed into one addictive experience. In a matter of weeks, the game went from anonymous to meme, as did its creator, Dong Nguyen, when he announced in February he was pulling it from the App Store. Like all good things in life, Flappy Bird, in its brief existence, was extinguished too soon. We’ll miss you in 2015.

Frozen’s Continued Success

Frozen came out in 2013, but it really is 2014’s movie. The behemoth continued to rake in cash this year, surprising no one when it reached a milestone of $1 billion in March. Frozen, like it or not, is now the most successful animated movie in history. Get ready for a bad sequel.

Kim Kardashian’s Best Contribution to Society

In the wake of Flappy Bird, a legend was born. Kim Kardashian Hollywood shattered expectations of what a game app could be, and no, that isn’t an exaggeration. It’s funny, subversive, and is such an obvious cash grab (she’s expected to earn $85 million) that Kim Kardashian comes away looking brilliant for agreeing to do it. Good for her, I guess.

Iggy Azalea

The song of the summer was irrefutably “Fancy,” the anthem we all detested but sang along to gladly. Most recently, and hopefully it doesn’t last, Iggy was being dragged on Twitter for appropriating black culture. However, we can all agree that the nickname Igloo Australia (coined by rapper Azealia Banks) is perfect.

Ferguson

The tragic murder of unarmed black teen Mike Brown by white cop Darren Wilson became the summer’s biggest and most divisive issue. The social upheaval of 2014 is one of the most commendable actions in recent history, especially with the ongoing protests around the world. We all have our own opinions, so let’s just all agree, at the very least, that stealing is not cause enough to be murdered in cold blood.

The Rebirth of Feminism

A few years ago, many people thought feminism had run its course. This year proved them wrong. At the VMAs, Beyoncé stood unflinchingly as the word feminist, in all caps, lit up the stage behind her. Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who survived an attack by the Taliban, won the Nobel Peace Prize. Ellen Page gave a stirring address for LGBT rights where she came out as gay. Emma Watson delivered a powerful speech on feminism. Laverne Cox became the first transgender woman to be on the cover of Time. Let’s hope that there will only be more wins for gender equality in 2015.

Celebrity Deaths

We lost a few huge names this year. Philip Seymour Hoffman died this February of a drug overdose, causing many to look back at his long and successful career. Maya Angelou died in May, leaving behind a huge and important body of work. Robin Williams passed away in August of an apparent suicide, bringing discussion over mental health issues to the mainstream. Joan Rivers also passed away this September during surgery, making Hollywood remember her huge victories for marriage equality.

Bill Cosby

This issue is shrouded in mystery, so I’ll keep it brief: we lost Bill Cosby this year.

Ebola

Sadly, Ebola was the biggest  punchline of the year. A disease that killed thousands, and will continue to do so, seemed like a joke until it finally arrived in America, when everyone promptly freaked out. Hopefully that vaccine is real.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

Remember when that airplane disappeared? It was the most bizarre and mystifying stories of the new year. They still haven’t found it.

Serial

Podcasts have never really been taken seriously before. That changed this year. Sarah Koenig’s perfectly produced true crime show Serial hit five million downloads faster than any podcast and has amassed a cult-like following. Serial follows the 1999 murder of high school student Hae Min Lee and the witch hunt surrounding her ex Adnan Sayed, who went to prison for the murder. Listen to it. It’s very good.

Looking back, 2014 wasn’t that bad. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near the awful 2013. Hopefully the good parts of 2014 will extend into 2015. Hopefully.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Bobsledder Johnny Quinn had to get out of the bathroom in Sochi somehow. Photo by Dallas Robinson.