So many things have happened this year you couldn’t even remember. For example, did you know the Winter Olympics happened in January? Yes, it has really been that long.

2018 has been a weird year for the U.S.A. So many events have happened this year that makes it seem like it was four years ago. Another “highlight” of 2018 would be a local Colorado man surviving both a shark and a bear attack. What are the odds of being chewed on by a shark and being mauled by a bear in the same year? And surviving? I can tell you those odds are definitely once in a lifetime experience. Events like that are just so seemingly odd, are now a common event.

Feats of technology that feel as if they should have been completed years ago are now a reality and progressing quickly, the example I am referring to Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot.

This seemingly simple robot has humanoid features and a smart navigation system. These robots are already in use in controlled scientific conditions, such as the International Space Station. The Robonaut 2 was deployed in 2011 and there are more variants for this model coming soon according to NASA. The main focus of the bots is to perform spacewalks and hazardous repairs that could result in human casualties. With the use of robots, repairs like that can be completed without any chance of death occurring. These robots are getting to the point of being an extension of a human’s body. They are almost able to mimic all human interactions including flexing of the fingers and movement of legs. Another addition the example of the theme of technology is MIT’s self-driving car that can navigate unmarked roads. Just another step towards creating fully self-automated cars.  

On to the pop culture of 2018. The “big issue” has been resolved! Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s bad blood has been fixed. Although a minor thing that has happened this feud has lasted years. Something that seemed to be from years ago, Bill Cosby was convinced for three sexual assaults.

There were so many deaths that will affect the world mostly in pop culture and the science realm. These deaths included Stephen Hawking, Stan Lee, Colin Kroll, Steve Ditko, Stephen Hillenburg, Gary Kurtz, and Burt Reynolds. You have probably heard of more than 90% of people on this list.

Stephen Hawkins was a groundbreaker in the scientific theory world. Early in his life, he was diagnosed with ALS. He is credited for the theory of string theory. Stan Lee was a legend in the superhero world. He was the mind behind some of the most iconic superheroes to this date including Spiderman and the Fantastic Four. Colin Kroll was the creator of the popular app HQ and co-founder of the much-beloved app, Vine. Steve Ditko was an artist that was responsible for bringing the visions of Stan Lee into the real world through comic books. Stephen Hillenburg was the voice of the children’s show, Spongebob Squarepants. Gary Kurtz was not really known to the public of what he did but without him, there would be no iconic Force. Kurtz was the producer for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Reynolds also passed away.

Reynolds starred in Smokey and Bandit, and in Boogie Nights.

For Millimuians and Gen Z’ers there have been so many iconic people passing away but that said there has been massive amounts of scientific progress in the world we live in.