And just like that, almost half a decade is complete. With only weeks away until 2026, it is time to look back on all the memories from 2025. Each month brought with it new developments and intricacies across the board. Let us reminisce on the major highlights of each month that took place over the course of this year.
January: The beginning of the year is often an opportunity for a fresh start, with many people still following their New Year’s resolutions and goals for the year ahead. To start off the month, after four years, President Joe Biden completed his term, and President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated for his second term. Secondly, there were legal pressures from the U.S. government towards the Chinese company ByteDance, the creator of the social media platform TikTok, which led to a global shutdown of the app for 13 hours. President Trump signed orders to reach a deal between ByteDance for them to sell the platform to an American owner. Also during this month, for 24 days, southern California was plagued by immense wildfires caused by severe drought and harsh winds. There were 400,000 Californians forced to evacuate, and many homes were damaged, including those of celebrities like Leighton Meester, Paris Hilton and Adam Brody. Lastly, a deadly midair collision of a U.S. Army helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington, DC caused the loss of 67 lives.
February: While the shortest month, it was also one of the most chaotic. Super Bowl LIX took place in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome; the St. Louis Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year, playing against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles dominated the game and broke the Chief’s winning streak. During halftime, Kendrick Lamar performed hit songs from his new album, GNX. Celebrities like SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, and Serena Williams surprised viewers by making appearances during the show. Sophomore Caleigh Pacheco expressed, “I feel Kendrick’s halftime show was okay. I expected more from him and was very disappointed.” Lamar not only performed at the Super Bowl, but he also received the Grammy for “Song of the Year” for his song “Not Like Us.” The 67th annual Grammy Awards honored and fundraised for those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires. Beyonce took home her 35th Grammy, securing her first “Album of the Year” award win for her album Cowboy Carter.
March: With the onset of March, Lynbrook students started their preparation for Class Night with dances and skit rehearsals. Outside of Lynbrook, events such as the return of the astronauts from space, Trump’s pausing of all military aid to Ukraine, and the war in the Middle East occurred. After nine extensive months, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth. With minor health effects, Williams and Wilmore had to gradually readapt to Earth’s gravity. Secondly, as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine intensified, President Trump reacted by pausing all U.S. military aid to Ukraine. The reasoning for the U.S.’s response was aiming at a 30-day potential ceasefire. The war between Israel and Palestine lingered; Israel continued to conduct airstrikes in Gaza. The UN Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing acts of genocide and war crimes.
April: With the weather getting warmer, flowers starting to bloom, and more hours of sunlight, spring finally began to emerge. Extinct animals being brought back to life was just the start of April. Colossal Biosciences announced its creation of the hybrid dire wolf puppies. Dire wolves were a species of wolf that have been extinct for over 13,000 years. The company is currently working on resurrecting the extinct wooly mammoth. In early April, a 10% baseline tariff was placed on all imports from other countries. Higher tariffs were placed on specific countries such as China, Vietnam, and India. In late April, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church for 12 years, passed away due to complications from a stroke. Lastly, taking over social media was the question, “Who would win: 100 men vs. 1 gorilla?” This question left people with a variety of answers and reasonings.
May: This was an impactful month for the arts and entertainment world with the Met Gala, Italian brainrot, and Taylor Swift’s albums. With the search for a new pope, conclaves were held to succeed Pope Francis; there were 135 eligible candidates. Two candidates withdrew due to medical reasons, leaving 133 viable candidates. Pope Leo XIV was elected, and he is now serving as the first American pope. The 75th annual Met Gala event was themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”. The dress code theme was “Tailored for You”, focusing on menswear. Many celebrities shocked audiences with their right-on-theme looks such as Jenna Ortega, Rhianna, and Janelle Monae. Next, A.I.-generated characters flooded all social media platforms in a series of internet memes with Italian rhyming names, with examples such as Tralaleo Tralala, Tung Tung Tung Sahur, and Ballerina Cappucina. Although the names are not traditionally Italian, they still gained the moniker Italian brainrot. Taylor Swift purchased her first six albums – Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation – from previous owners, Shamrock Capital, for a staggering $360 million. Reputed years of drama with Swift and Scooter Braun seemed to finally come to rest.
June: This month emerged with few school days left, finals review, and summer just around the corner. The war between Russia and Ukraine continued to intensify with a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia set off drones to attack cities in Ukraine which damaged buildings and took the lives of many people. Meanwhile in the U.S., the FIFA World Cup 2025 tournament was held. Chelesa FC emerged as the winner. The final match saw Chelsea defeat Paris Saint-Germain. A popular fad was the Labubus, a toy for children, which went viral, causing many adults to knock them off the shelves. Labubus released in April, and reached their peak sales in June. These small, plush creatures became the new fashion accessories on purses, backpacks, and tote bags. Sophomore Noor Mayan said, “I personally haven’t become interested in Labubus despite their popularity. I think they are just another trend used to make people spend unnecessary money on something they will eventually throw out.”
July: Summer finally came, and July 2025 was filled with laughs, tragedies, and entertainment. Former CEO of Astronomer, Andy Byron, was caught on the jumbotron kiss camera at a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium while hugging fellow Astronomer Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. Both had other spouses. When they realized they were on the big screen, they tried to cover their faces. This viral moment became a huge sensation, with jokes all over social media, many featuring reenactments of the moment. The month of July did not only contain highs but also many lows. July brought the devastating death of the “Prince of Darkness”, Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne passed away at age 76 from a heart attack. He was surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife and children. Then, an 8.8 megathrust earthquake struck the eastern coast of Kamchatka, Russia. This intense earthquake lasted for four minutes and 30 seconds, with numerous aftershocks that triggered tsunamis and destruction. This was the most powerful earthquake recorded worldwide since 2011.
August: In the words of Taylor Swift, “August slipped away like a moment of time.” August was a life-changing month for Swift. Not only did she announce her engagement to St Louis Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce, but she also announced the release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The engagement announcement was made via an Instagram post with the caption, “Your English teacher and gym teacher are getting married”, causing Swifties across the world to react in delight. Then in August, most who thought the “Black Death” was just a disease learned about in history were proven wrong by a resident of California and New Mexico. The rare disease was contracted by being bit by an infected flea, refuting the idea that the plague was spread by rats. Lastly, the global girl group Katseye starred in a Gap commercial for the brand’s new denim line. Dancing to the song, “Milkshake” by Kelis, the dance emerged as a TikTok trend, with users posting videos imitating the routine.
September: September is the month where beach bags are swapped for backpacks, towels for books, and sunscreen for pencils. In early September, young Republican political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while holding a rally for students of Utah Valley University. This was the first stop of his fall 2025 tour. Kirk was shot in the neck with a rifle from 142 yards away. This death left America devastated, with many memorials held in his memory. September 2025 meant a new school year and a new iPhone. The iPhone 17 was released with its new camera look and five new colors for the 17 Pro and Pro Max. This iPhone received some hate for the shape of its camera, as it features a long rectangle lens that takes up the top, back half of the iPhone. Additionally, the number “67” has become a major meme throughout all of Gen Alpha. Its origin arises from NBA player LaMelo Ball, who is six feet, seven inches tall. Accompanied with a hand gesture, most adults have heard a child say “six-seven” all the time. Dictionary.com officially named “67” as the Word of the Year. Research teacher Kathleen Dias shared, “I feel that “67” should not be named as ‘Word of the Year’ because it is not a word.”
October: It was the season of Halloween, from everything flavored pumpkin, to carvings, costumes being ordered, and candy for trick or treaters. This is the season for all things scary. October also included the U.S. government shutdown. This government shutdown was due to the Congress’s failure to pass a bill regarding the budget for the 2026 fiscal year. Soldiers, air traffic controllers, and other government workers were required to work with no pay. The Louvre heist was another notable event. Disguised as construction workers, four thieves took less than eight minutes to steal eight pieces of priceless jewelry from the Louvre in Paris. Thieves used a ladder and cut through a window in broad daylight. These suspects were not immediately caught and rode away on scooters. The thieves were only approximately 270 yards away from the Mona Lisa painting. With what they stole, they reportedly became $102 million dollars richer after their heist. Next, blizzards bombarded the northern side of Mount Everest. Many climbing the world’s tallest peak were hit with snow and winds on the Tibetan side of the mountain. This ultimately trapped climbers at a high altitude in the freezing cold.
November: November is a month to celebrate thanks with the leaves changing and the onset of crispier weather. This month started off with debates and a presidential election. Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, was elected New York City’s next mayor. With the majority of the population of New York City being registered Democrats, this did not come as a surprise to many. The Mamdani campaign included proposals for making city buses fare free and providing universal childcare. He is the first Ugandan man to serve in the NYS Assembly, as well as the first from Africa. He is also only the third Muslim to ever be a member of the body. The government shutdown came to an end on Nov. 13, becoming the longest in U.S. history. November marked the arrival of winter with days becoming shorter and nights becoming longer and cooler. Daylight savings were marked on the first Sunday after Halloween. The debate still lingers as to the benefits of daylight savings or if it should be eliminated entirely. Long, cool nights have also turned into chilly days. New York has seen its first season of snow earlier than usual. Heavy winds kept the temperature feeling cooler with afternoon averages in the low to mid 40’s. As of this month, two men were arrested and have been formally charged with organized theft and criminal conspiracy in the Louvre heist. Other arrests have been made, and some suspects have been released. The eight stolen pieces of jewelry, however, with an estimated value of €88 million, still remain missing. One crown was recovered at the scene, but the other seven pieces have not been found.
No one can predict what all of December will hold to wrap up 2025. In the meantime, you can get your resolutions and party decorations ready to celebrate the second half of the 2020 decade.
