🇬🇧United Kingdom · 10s
Brexit
Britain voted to leave the EU, David Bowie died, and Leicester City won the league.
5 milestones of 2016
The United Kingdom voted 52-48% to leave the European Union. Cameron resigned the next morning. The pound crashed. 'Take back control' had won. Nobody quite knew what happened next.
Deeply divisive — present both sides fairly, acknowledge ongoing impact
David Bowie died of cancer aged 69, two days after releasing Blackstar. Brixton's mural became a shrine. He'd turned his death into art. The year began with loss and never quite recovered.
Leicester City, 5000-1 outsiders, won the Premier League. Claudio Ranieri's team of journeymen and bargains achieved the impossible. Jamie Vardy had a party. It was the greatest sporting fairy tale in English history.
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist in Birstall, West Yorkshire, a week before the referendum. She was 41. 'We have far more in common than that which divides us.' Her death shocked the nation.
Political murder — honour the victim, acknowledge far-right extremism
Theresa May became Prime Minister after Cameron's resignation. 'Brexit means Brexit,' she said. Nobody knew what that meant either. The task of delivering the referendum result fell to someone who'd voted Remain.
70% local · 30% international
I, Daniel Blake
Ken Loach — Palme d'Or winner. Newcastle. Benefits system. Devastating and necessary.
Bridget Jones's Baby
Sharon Maguire — Renée Zellweger returns. Still chaotic. Still loveable.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
David Yates — Eddie Redmayne in the Wizarding World. J.K. Rowling's screenplay.
Eddie the Eagle
Dexter Fletcher — British ski jumper. Loveable loser. Hugh Jackman coaches.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Gareth Edwards — Welsh director. Felicity Jones leads. Filmed at Pinewood.
Brexit Night Coverage
Jun 2016 — The most extraordinary night in British politics. Nobody expected Leave to win.
Planet Earth II
Nov-Dec 2016 — David Attenborough returned. Those iguanas and the snakes. 13 million viewers.
Fleabag
2016-2019 — Phoebe Waller-Bridge broke the fourth wall and broke hearts. BBC Three.
The Night Manager
2016 — Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie. Le Carré adaptation. Golden Globe winner.
Bake Off Moves to Channel 4
2016 — The BBC lost Bake Off. Mary Berry stayed loyal. The nation mourned.
Currency: GBP
Inflation: 0.7%
Post-referendum pound crash. Import prices rising. Inflation about to return. The economic consequences of Brexit beginning.
Inflation-adjusted values
Pokémon Go
Augmented reality game took over parks and streets across Britain.
Amazon Echo UK launch
Alexa arrived in British homes — voice assistants mainstream.
TikTok (Musical.ly)
Short-form video app growing among teens.
VR headsets
PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift — virtual reality consumer launch.
Contactless payments
Tap-to-pay overtaking chip-and-pin for small purchases.
Download or share cards from this year
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