2017 in history
Here are some light-hearted facts about 2017, designed to serve as a prep sheet for a radio feature on 2017.
I created this page because when I needed some notes to create a few talking points about 2017 in Ireland I couldn't find any suitable sources, so I thought I'd share what I did find. It applies to 2017 in Britain too.
You can also look at years other than 2017:
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2017
Donald Trump was inaugurated. His press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed it was "the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration"; when this was proven wrong, we were told he hadn't lied but provided "alternative facts".
The remains of America's Hurricane Ophelia enforced a status red weather warning across Ireland, and this was before people were used to the idea of a "lockdown". DCU were mocked after they accidentally posted publicly that they weren't sure if they were a college.
YouTuber Zoella was criticised after her name was used on an advent calendar that cost £50, but its gifts were described as "tat".
A TV interview went viral after the expert was interrupted by his kids running into the room.
Big Ben was silenced for maintnance work.
The disasterous Fyre Festival took place.
The "Distracted Boyfriend" meme went viral.
The Academy Awards saw La La Land announced as the Best Picture winner, when Moonlight really nabbed the prize.
The hashtag #MeToo became one of the biggest talking points of the year, as the scale of abuse within Hollywood and elsewhere started to be discussed.
The shock 2017 general election saw Theresa May lose her majority but remain Prime Minister. One memorable moment was a vox pop in which Brenda from Bristol said "not another one".
Under pressure to provide an answer, Theresa May told a reporter that the naughtiest thing she had done was run through a field of wheat.
Theresa May’s conference speech was marred by the letters falling of her sign, an awkward coughing fit and a heckler who handed her a P45 form.
Priti Patel unknowingly sparked a social media frenzy as thousands of people tracked her flight back to the UK, knowing she would be sacked for holding secret meetings when it landed.
US President Donald Trump sent a strange tweet about "covfefe", causing everyone to wonder what on earth he was on about.
Irish mobile brand Meteor merged with Eir.
Leo Varadkar replaced Enda Kenny as an Taoiseach.
2017 Launches
Ed Sheeran's album '÷' was released. All of its 16 songs reached the UK top 20, causing a new rule to be introduced limiting artists to a maximum of three tracks in the chart at any one time.
Microsoft Teams was launched.
Fortnite was released, and the 'floss' became a famous dance.
2017 in Film
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi was the biggest film of the year.
Other big films include Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, It, Thor: Ragnarok, Despicable Me 3, The Fate of the Furious, Dunkirk, The Lego Batman Movie, Get Out, The Boss Baby, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Cars 3 and War for the Planet of the Apes.
2017 in TV
Big TV shows of the year (not premiers): Strictly Come Dancing, I'm A Celebrity, Sherlock, Broadchurch, Britain's Got Talent and Call The Midwife.
The Crystal Maze relaunched with Richard Ayoade.
Blue Planet II was new on TV.
The Weakest Link was relaunched with Romesh Ranganathan.
Al Porter hosted the Irish version of Blind Date.
Dancing with the Stars began on RTÉ One.
While these facts about 2017 have been checked against third-party sources (and have been used on air before!), they are provided in good faith to inspire your research and no guarantee is made about their accuracy or their uniqueness. You can use the facts however you wish: most people just take a couple of points they remember and talk around then.
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