Yearender: 5 Things That Happened in 2013

Well everyone. Another year has come and gone. And just like that, 2014 is just a few hours to go. With that in mind, let us look back at 2013 and the things that happened despite a few bumps and tragedies that have gone for this year.

5. 3D Printed Body Parts


Despite not being the top news story for the year when it comes to the world of 3D printing (they had more headlines relating to the 3D printed gun), this has been a major breakthrough for the medical industry. Now patients who have lost body parts can now get to have body parts out of a 3D printed without having to fear tissue rejection which has been a huge problem for transplant patients all these years. And 2013 has been a great witness for that feat.

4. Pope Francis



With the resignation of the former head of the largest religious group in the world came the emergence of a new pope in the name of Jorge Mario Bergoglio who is widely known today as Pope Francis. Being the first Jesuit pope and the first pope to ever do and say a lot of radical things, he is now gaining popularity for a lot of his good deeds as a pope and his views on things which has haunted the religious sector for a lot of years.

3. Prince George of Cambridge



The year 2013 also became witness for the birth of England's next heir. This may not be big news for most of the people outside of the Kingdom but this can actually change the course of the world in the years to come. And of course a birth of a child is always a happy thought. Look at that cute little thing and tell me "adorable" isn't the perfect word.

2. Tragedies, Calamities and Natural Disasters



For a large number of people, 2013 has also been a year of a lot of tragedies and calamities that have ravaged a lot of countries. In April, an old factory in Bangladesh collapsed leaving over a thousand people dead and two thousand more injured. The United States was once again a target of a terrorist attack when two brothers bombed the annual Boston Marathon, fortunately only 3 people were killed but leaving a few more injured. Speaking of attacks, a mall in Nairobi, Kenya was attacked by a group of militants leaving 62 civilians dead and 150 injured. Also later in the year my own country the Philippines was struck with two natural disasters namely the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and then Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda - the strongest typhoon to ever hit any country leaving more than 6,000 thousand people dead and missing. These calamities and attacks have been devastating for the people affected, but the resilience of the people and their will to move on has proven to be very effective.

1. Deaths of Celebrities and Prominent Figures

Nelson Mandela

Paul Walker

James Gandolfini

Death is inevitable. Even celebrities and prominent figures are not immune to it. A few of the famous people who passed away this year was the former South African president Nelson Mandela who died at the age of 95. 2013 also witnessed the passing of James Gandolfini, an American actor known for his role as Tony Soprano in the series The Sopranos. Another actor who passed away this year was Paul Walker who was widely known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the movie series Fast and Furious which was on the process of shooting for the 7th installment when Walker and his friend Roger Rodas crashed the Porsche Carrera GT they were driving after a night of partying for a cause.

But despite all of the crazy things that happened in 2013, those who have survived it, well let us just look ahead and hope that 2014 will be a better year than the last. And one more thing, let us just let bygones be bygones, forgive one another let 2014 bring its storm as we will surely weather it. What about you? Do you have some good memories to share for the last year? Don't forget to comment below and share! Cheers mates! Happy New Year!