Twin terror attacks in Paris and the first Briton to jet to the International Space Station were among the biggest news stories in a mixed year of joy and tragedy. This video captures it all.
In January and November Paris bore witness to two terrorist attacks that left over 130 people dead. The cities of Sousse in Tunisia and Ankara in Turkey also became targets of so-called Islamic State. In response, early December saw Parliament vote in favour of airstrikes in Syria against the terrorist group.
The issues of gun control and race came to the fore once again in the United States. Police officers in many states were criticised over deadly shootings of unarmed black Americans, and in June – the same month Donald Trump announced he was running for President – a white man in Charleston carried out a mass shooting inside a church of black worshippers.
2015 was also the year of the general election in the UK – won by the Convervatives with a majority after five years of coalition government with the Liberal Democrats.
The result prompted the resignations of party leaders Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, and Nigel Farage, though the Ukip leader’s departure lasted only a weekend. And while Britian went to the polls, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed Princess Charlotte into the world.
In September, Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party.
The world of show business saw Eddie Redmayne win the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking. Also, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released to much hype and received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from fans and the press (our critic gave it four stars). The legendary actor Sir Christopher Lee, who starred in the Star Wars prequels as Count Dooku, passed away in June, and the UK lost another national treasure in August with the sad death of Cilla Black.
The UK didn’t fare too well in any sporting events this year. England became the first host nation of the Rugby World Cup to be knocked out in the group stages, and Australia won the Cricket World Cup.
2015 ended on a high though, with the UN agreeing an historic global climate change deal to cut carbon emissions. And Tim Peake became the first British astronaut to go on a mission to the International Space Station.
Watch the video for the full story of 2015.
