It’s a Global News tradition for Mike Armstrong to take an alphabetical look back at the year that was. Here’s what made 2014 memorable, from A to Z.
A is for awareness and the Ice Bucket Challenge. Sometimes viral videos serve a purpose. Not often. They’re usually about cats. But in this case the Ice Bucket Challenge videos got people talking about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and raised upwards of $100 million.
B is for bass, as in the Meghan Trainor‘s hit song “All About That Bass.” There are songs you love to hate and those you hate to love. Embarrassing confession: I love this song.
C is for comeback. Sure, Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team won gold in Sochi. But, do you remember how the women won their gold? A post, a tying goal and a win in overtime.
D is for Donetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine in the middle of a civil war. I visited twice this year and probably think about it everyday.
E is for experiment. Could this video of a woman getting catcalled more than 100 times really be what it’s like to walk around New York City?
SEE MORE: Top social experiments on video in 2014
F is for Ferguson. The story of the police shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown was sad from start to finish. But, when does it finish?
READ MORE: From Selma to Ferguson and NYC: ‘This action now is a movement’
Timeline: Jian Ghomeshi charged in sex assault scandal
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H is for hero. Hero is a word that is overused. But for the doctors and nurses fighting Ebola, it’s completely appropriate.
READ MORE: Ebola fighters named 2014 Person of the Year by Time magazine
I is for ignore, as in “I wish I could ignore ISIS and not put them on this list.” Moving on.
J is for Jean. I still have hockey legend Jean Béliveau‘s home number in my phone. Even though he passed away on Dec. 2, I just don’t want to erase it.
K is for Kylo Ren, a character in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I consider this trailer one of the biggest stories of the year. (Hey, it’s my list.)
L is for lip sync, one of the fun segments from the new “King of Late Night,” Jimmy Fallon, who took over as host of The Tonight Show in February.
M is for MH — the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, over eastern Ukraine in July, and the mysterious disappearance of Flight MH370 in March. The two airline disasters were tragic for so many families.
N is for New Brunswick. I saw Moncton under siege, following a shooting rampage in which three RCMP officers were killed, but I left the New Brunswick city inspired.
O is for the second letter in Nobel. If you’re looking for a little more inspiration, read up on this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners — Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi.
P is for privacy, which some hacker decided celebrities don’t deserve.
READ MORE: Investigators probe leak of 100s of celebrity nude photos
Q is for quit. Please, folks. Hold your camera (or smartphone) horizontally. Let 2014 be the last year people shoot vertically.
R is for Robin. You can’t help but wish Robin Williams had seen what he meant to people.
READ MORE: Death of Robin Williams top pop culture story for Canadians: poll
S is for standoff, as in the B.C. teachers and the government. That was a serious struggle for parents, for months.
T is for tears. There were many tears in a small Quebec town in January, after a fire swept through the L’isle Verte seniors residence.
U is for upset. I’m disappointed that the late Chris Farley isn’t around for a Rob Ford movie.
V is for Vickers, as in Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers. Let him be the takeaway from the attack in Ottawa in October.
W is oil well. I am aware there are negatives to the low price of crude, but I’ve really enjoyed the price at the pump.
X is for excuse me. I’m sorry I didn’t fit in Bill Cosby, the NFL, #BeenRapedNeverReported, the Rosetta comet landing and a bunch of other stuff. This list is already too long.
Y is for why is this so catchy? Back to “All About That Bass.” I desperately want to hate it. (The video is at the top if you need to hear it again.)
Z kinda resembles a backwards S. This year I want to finish with service. This was a moment in downtown Moncton after three RCMP officers were killed — citizens saying thank you. The moment was unplanned and beautiful. This is how I want to remember 2014.
Care for a flashback to last year? Check out Mike Armstrong’s A to Z review of 2013.
With files from Nick Logan
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