New things happen every year, and 2017 is no exception. Technology is improving exponentially, and humans are achieving new things every day. 2017 has been a wild year in every field, from politics to entertainment, and has seen events that, until this year, have never occurred before.

Politics

North Korea tests first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)- On July 4, 2017, United States officials confirmed that North Korea test-launched an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to US soil. Although the missile only flew 578 miles, failing to even clear the Sea of Japan, the US has been tracking the activity of North Korea and their missile program extra closely.

Danica Roem becomes first openly transgender person to serve on a US State Legislature- The 2017 state elections conducted on November 8 were some of the most memorable in recent memory. Virginia Democrat Danica Roem made history when she was elected to the Virginia State Legislature, becoming the first openly transgender person to be elected to the position in any state.

Technology

First mass-market all-electric car- The mastermind behind the Tesla company, Elon Musk, confirmed in July that his company had started manufacturing the Tesla Model 3, the first all-electric car intended to be sold to the general public. The Model 3 might achieve another first once the deliveries of the vehicles have been completed; Tesla claims that the cars have had hardware installed that, once activated by the company, will enable the car to become self-driving.

First iPhone to use facial recognition- Apple released two phones, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X (pronounced “Ten”) on November 3. The X stole the show at the unveiling ceremony, boasting an OLED display, the absence of the iconic home button and a facial recognition feature used to unlock the phone. The X is the first iPhone to utilize such a feature, which allows the user to unlock their phone simply by holding it up to their face for a second or two. Although some Android phones have variations of this feature, they are notoriously inconsistent, and Apple intends to set the bar for facial recognition technology in mobile phones with the iPhone X.

Entertainment

Neymar becomes first soccer player to cost more than $200 million in transfer fees- Just three years ago, in 2014, Gareth Bale became the first soccer player to command a transfer fee of over 100 million Euros. That record has since been broken multiple times, the most notable occurrence coming on August 3, when Spanish giants FC Barcelona announced that mega-rich French club Paris Saint-Germain had agreed to pay FC Barcelona a whopping 222 million Euros for the services of Brazilian superstar Neymar. Neymar is now the most expensive soccer player of all time- for now.

Jay Z becomes first rapper inducted into the songwriters Hall of Fame- The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted their artists for 2017 on June 15. Legendary New York City rapper Jay Z was one of the musicians on the roster of inductees, becoming the first rapper to cement his place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame- and he did not even show up to the ceremony. Former President Barack Obama starred in a video at the ceremony congratulating Jay Z for his induction, adding that he was probably the only president to listen to Jay Z’s music while in office.

Other

First time Bitcoin hits $15,000 in value- Remember that obscure friend or relative that everyone ridiculed for investing in the digital currency system Bitcoin when it was first launched in 2009? They are probably having the last laugh now from inside their brand-new Mercedes. The value of one single Bitcoin hit $15,000 on December 7, and it has been growing exponentially since. However, economists predict that this surge is only temporary, so investors in Bitcoin should cash out while they can.

First time a rainbow has lasted longer than 6 hours- Taiwan is no stranger to tropical weather conditions- humidity and thunderstorms followed by clear skies, with temperatures in the mid-80s all year long. On November 30, after a particularly intense thunderstorm, some residents of Taiwan were lucky enough to see a rainbow adorning the sky for a full nine hours, shattering the previous record of six hours.

Every year has events that define it- Columbus’s expedition in 1492, the moon landing in 1969, celebrity deaths in 2016. This year has been no exception- and it is not over yet. With the rapid advancement of technology and the current value of Bitcoin, a major world event might have transpired in the time it takes to read this article.