Year in review: remembering all the big events and moments of 2025
Updated 5 days ago by Emma Horn
Let's take a look back at all the news that was fit to print in 2025.
From sport to politics to memes and musicals, these are the 'concepts of 2025'.
Cementing our entrance into the twilight zone, Dictionary.com's word of the year was a number (it's pronounced six seeeeeeveeeeen).
Pantone announced its colour for the incoming year will be white (it's pronounced 'cloud dancer').
And Time magazine crowned the person of the year as *checks notes* ... The architects of artificial intelligence... What a world.
#Auspol's eye-watering election wins and eye-rolling stunts
A hard-fought campaign came to a head in May when Anthony Albanese won a landslide second term for Labor in the federal election.
In news that delighted parents and dismayed their teenagers, the Australian government introduced world-leading legislation to ban users under the age of 16 from social media platforms.
The year in politics would be incomplete without a few shenanigans from the larikin set of politicians.
During a press conference in August, Bob Katter threatened to throttle a Channel Nine reporter when he was asked about his Lebanese heritage.
Katter called the question "racist", despite having gathered the press together in Brisbane to discuss his involvement with an anti-immigration March for Australia rally the following weekend.
Proving her antics to be timeless, One Nation senator Pauline Hanson recycled her own political stunt from 2017 by returning to parliament in November of this year wearing a full burqa.
She said the stunt was in protest to the senate her bill to outlaw full face coverings in public.
For her troubles, the Queensland senator was suspended for a week after the stunt in November.
To end out this year in politics, long standing Nationals MP and former deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce officially announced his defection to One Nation.
What kept true crime fans talking this year
After a nearly 11-week trial, notorious deathcap mushroom cook, Erin Patterson, was found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
The jury in Morwell returned the verdict in July, and in September Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 33-year non-parole period.
In July 2023, Patterson murdered three of her estranged husband's relatives and seriously injured a fourth by serving deathcap mushrooms inside a beef Wellington.
Alleged cop killer and self-proclaimed 'sovereign citizen' Dezi Freeman went on the run forcing police into a widespread manhunt in Porepunkah, Victoria during August 2025.
He is accused of killing officers Vadim De Waart-Hottart and Neal Thompson before fleeing into the dense bushland of Mount Buffalo National Park.
A lone hero, Ahmed el Ahmad became the face of bravery after wrestling a gun from an attacker during a terror attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach in December.
The father and son gunmen went on a rampage in a targeted attack against Sydney's Jewish population who had gathered at Bondi Beach for the start of Hanukkah
The long and short of 'life changing' missions to outer space
NASA's crew-9 astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth after 286 days stranded on the International Space Station.
Returning to Earth in March, Williams told reporters she had a "really good grilled cheese sandwich" to celebrate her successful re-entry.
Meanwhile, in some of the most relatable news of the year ...
Katy Perry spent a 'life changing' 11 minutes in space onboard the all-female Blue Origin New Shepard voyage.
After landing, and dramatically kissing the group, the pop star told reporters the journey made her fell "super connected to love".
"I think this experience has shown me you never know how much love is inside of you - how much love you have to give and how loved you are - until the day of launch".
Oh no, what's he done now? The year in US politics
Donald J. Trump returned to the presidential office with a star-studded yet somewhat technologically maligned inauguration ceremony in January.
He certainly went to work putting his mark on things once again, demolishing the White House's East Wing to begin construction on a ballroom.
His construction work faced a temporary halt when the privately-funded National Trust for Historic Preservation sued seeking congressional approval for ballroom.
Despite levelling the former wing to the ground, Trump did tell reporters the new construction "won't interfere with the current building, describing himself as being "the biggest fan" of the existing building because "it's my favourite". If that's what he does to his favourites...
Speaking of favourites... Trump's very public spat with former friend and Department Of Government Efficiency advisor, Elon Musk.
In news that really shocked no-one, the president's loud refrain of "I love Tesla" quickly turned to a "I'm very disappointed in Elon".
A tense reception with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House sent political shockwaves - and internet memes - around the world back in March.
In March, Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs had the world head scratching because that math just ain't mathing. He eventually walked back a lot of the imposed tariffs, including on Australian beef and agricultural exports to the US.
Protesters in the United States took to the streets to demonstrate in the anti-Trump 'no kings' marches in October.
Controversial right-wing political activist and founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk was assassinated while hosting a Q&A session at Utah University on September 10.
'Papa Americano' and a brazen museum heist
Air India Flight 787 bound for London crashed soon after take-off in June, hitting a residential building in Ahmedabad, India.
The crash killed 241 people onboard and five people on the ground, leaving a fuselage embeded into the medical college hostel it hit as it burst into flames.
Only one passenger - a British national - survived the crash.
The deathtoll climbed for weeks after Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court caught alight in November. It was the city's worst disaster in 75 years.
Seven of the eight buildings burned, with firefighters struggling to contain the growing fire as it tore through each of the building's 31 storeys.
A new pope was elected after the death of Pope Francis. Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV became the first pope to come from North America. Making him officially... the first Papa Americano.
In what was far more reminiscent of a Hollywood movie plot rather than real life...
Thieves made off with millions of dollars worth of historic jewellery during a daylight robbery at the Louvre Museum that lasted less than eight minutes.
Dressed as construction workers, on October 19, the thieves used a staircase lift to access the outside of the gallery from the Seine side of the building.
Spending just four minutes inside the Galerie d'Apollon, the thieves managed to get away with eight crown jewels.
They fled the scene on motorscooters.
Amazingly, during their exit, they dropped the Crown of Empress Eugénie in the street.
The jewels have yet to be recovered since the heist, but, nine suspects have been detained throughout the subsequent investigation. Charges have been filed against five people.
Authorities consider to say they are unsure of the motive behind the theft. Clearly, they did it for the plot.
If we all have the same 24 hours in a day as those guys, we can definitely be doing more for the hustle. Let's get that priceless antique bread.
Big news for Swifties, Beliebers, and Wicked fans
Speaking of expensive jewellery, Swifties were all in a flap in August when the pop star announced her engagement to Travis Kelce.
It was a big month for Taylor Swift, with her twelfth studio album The Life Of A Showgirl announced days before the engagement on August 12, 2025.
All in all, not a bad year for Travis Kelce, despite his team the Kansas Chiefs losing the superbowl to the Philadephia Eagles. It was all looking up from there.
In most memorable meme moments this year, Justin Bieber and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo created a few of the more quotable memories. Both Bieber's 'standing on business' statement and Erivo's wild, excited hand gestures became the internet's favourite ways to react.
We'll be contemplating the concept of that for years to come. IYKYK.
'Nothing beats a meme-able moment!'
A CEO of a tech company called Astronomer became a headline and a meme when his illicit relationship with a HR manager was revealed to the world via kiss cam at a Coldplay concert.
In July, Andy Byron was captured on screen embracing his chief people officer Kristen Cabot, while both of their respective partners were none-the-wiser about their apparent relationship.
Public scrutiny of the company following the viral moment led to both Byron and Cabot resigning from their positions.
Shockingly, ugly collectible dolls by the name of Labubus had a renaissance this year, becoming the hot ticket item of 2025.
The company is now well underway to becoming a billion dollar business.
Tiktoker Lily Feltham went viral in mid-2025 claiming online to have the "one and only solid 24k gold Labubu".
A song from 2015 by Jess Glynne began trending and provided the soundtrack to your doom-scrolling with the constant reminder that "nothing beats a Jet2Holiday"!
It's life but make it artificial: the rise of AI in 2025
Meanwhile, the rise of artificial intelligence brought back a 90s favourite club song. A series of AI-generated remixes of Sisqo's 'Thong Song' hit social media. Who knew a song about women's underwear could slap so hard as a Motown 1950s gospel choir song.
Unsurprisingly with artificial intelligence everywhere, the term 'AI slop' was crowned the word of the year. AI generations filled social media feeds with the song of the summer, the source of our nightmares, and truly some of the worst commercials ever seen.
In between the robotic crashouts, Beijing also hosted the first ever World Humanoid Robot Games in August.
It's all coming up Gout Gout: greatest sporting achievements
But truly, nothing will ever beat watching feats of human endurance and strength in the wonderful world of professional sports.
Teenage sprinter Gout Gout smashed records in his World Championship Debut, breaking the 200 metre national record which had stood for 56 years. He then broke his own record again just six months later!
The Socceroos managed to finish second in their group at the World Cup qualifiers in June with a 2-1 comeback against Saudi Arabia.
The win cements their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Four-time Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus announced her retirement from competitive swimming in October.
The 25-year-old said she was looking forward to prioritising other life goals and her family. She said competing at the Paris Olympics helped her realise she no longer had the "fire in the belly" to compete at that level.
The world unites behind a daschund and a Peruvian bear
In unexpected feel-good news, Valerie the beloved daschund captivated the world after surviving 529 days on Kangaroo Island.
She was rescued by wildlife volunteers and returned to her paw-parents Josh and Georgia Fishlock in April.
And finally, the world united in welcoming the adorable life-sized Peruvian bear, Paddington, star of his very own musical in London's West End.