Sports in 2014

MLB: 2015 World Series Kansas City Royals win 4-1 against the New York Mets

• Oct 27...New York 4 at Kansas City 5
• Oct 28...New York 1 at Kansas City 7
• Oct 30...Kansas City 3 at New York 9
• Oct 31...Kansas City 5 at New York 3
• Nov 1...Kansas City 7 at New York 2

NFL: Super Bowl XLIX New England Patriots win 28-24 against the Seattle Seahawks

• Super Bowl Box Score: New England...0 14 0 14-28 Seattle...........0 7 10 7-24

Professional Golf Men's Majors winners:

• The Masters: Jordan Spieth... -18, margin of 4
• US Open: Jordan Spieth, -5 to par
• British Open: Zach Johnson, -15 (PO)
• PGA Championship: Jason Day, -20 to par

Women's Majors winners:

• ANA Inspiration: Brittany Lincicome
• US Women's Open: In Gee Chun
• Women's PGA Championship: Inbee Park
• Women's British Open: Inbee Park
• The Evian Championship: Lydia Ko

Popular Movies

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Jurassic World
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Inside Out
• Furious 7
• The Revenant
• The Martian
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Big Short
• Spotlight
• Popular TV Shows

1. Game of Thrones" (HBO): The fantasy drama, based on George R.R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, continued to be a major hit, drawing millions of viewers and generating extensive discussion online.

2. "The Walking Dead" (AMC): This post-apocalyptic horror series based on a comic book of the same name maintained its position as one of the most-watched shows, especially among younger viewers.

3. "Empire" (FOX): A drama centered around a hip-hop music and entertainment company, it was a breakout hit in its debut season.

4. "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS): The sitcom about a group of scientists and their interactions remained a favorite, consistently ranking high in viewership.

5. "NCIS" (CBS): The long-running procedural focusing on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service consistently drew a large viewership.

6. "Better Call Saul" (AMC): As a prequel to the critically acclaimed "Breaking Bad," this show had a successful debut season and received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.

7. "American Horror Story: Hotel" (FX): The fifth installment of the horror anthology series generated buzz, especially with Lady Gaga's involvement.

8. "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC): Shonda Rhimes' medical drama continued to attract a loyal audience, even in its twelfth season.

9. "House of Cards" (Netflix): The political drama starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright continued to be popular, showcasing the rising influence of streaming platforms.

10. "Daredevil" (Netflix): Another win for streaming services, Marvel's "Daredevil" was praised for its gritty take on the superhero genre and marked the beginning of Marvel's series on Netflix.

 

87th Academy Awards Best Picture: Birdman

Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman

Best actor in a leading role: Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

Best actress in a leading role: Julianne Moore - Still Alice

Best actor in a supporting role: J.K. Simmons - Whiplash

Best actress in a supporting role: Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

Most Popular Books of 2015:

 

1. "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins: A psychological thriller that captivated readers worldwide with its tale of suspense and mystery.
2. "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee: Published as a follow-up to "To Kill a Mockingbird," this book generated significant buzz, although it was met with mixed reviews.
3. "Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian" by E.L. James: A spin-off of James' extremely successful "Fifty Shades" trilogy.
4. "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr: A historical novel that had garnered the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction earlier in the year.
5. "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah: A World War II novel focusing on the stories of two sisters in France.
6. "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates: A profound letter to the author's teenage son about the realities of being Black in America.
7. "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough: A biography that delves into the lives of the men who achieved the first powered flight.
8. "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert: A self-help book focusing on creativity.
9. "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondō: A guide to decluttering and organizing one's living space.
10. "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel: A novel set in the days of civilization's collapse which tells a story about art, memory, and survival.

Most Popular Songs of 2015:

1. "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
2. "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
3. "Hello" by Adele
4. "Hotline Bling" by Drake
5. "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran
6. "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd
7. "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar
8. "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber
9. "Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)" by OMI
10. "Take Me to Church" by Hozier

 

Grammy Awards Record of the Year: "Stay With Me" - Sam Smith Song of the Year: "Stay With Me" - Sam Smith Album of the Year: Morning Phase - Beck Best New Artist: Sam Smith

Nobel Prizes Peace: National Dialogue Quartet (Tunisia) - "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011" Physiology or Medicine: William C. Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura, & Youyou Tu "for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites and discoveries concerning a new therapy for malaria" Economic Sciences: Angus Deaton (UK/USA) "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare" Chemistry: Tomas Lindahl, Paul L. Modrich, & Aziz Sancar "for mechanistic studies of DNA repair" Physics: Takaaki Kajita & Arthur B. McDonald "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass" Literature: Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus) (Note: Due to the length, Pulitzer Prizes for 2015 are not listed, but can be added upon request.)

The above captures key events and achievements in 2015 across various domains. The list is not exhaustive but provides a significant snapshot of the year.

Pulitzer Prizes

Public Service: The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC, for "Till Death Do Us Part", a series on domestic violence.

Breaking News Reporting: The Seattle Times Staff for its digital account of a landslide and its impressive follow-up.

Investigative Reporting: Eric Lipton of The New York Times for reporting that showed how the influence of lobbyists can sway congressional leaders and state attorneys general. The Wall Street Journal staff for "Medicare Unmasked", which disclosed how much Medicare was paying individual doctors.

Explanatory Reporting: Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News for a rigorously reported explanation of how so many U.S. corporations dodge taxes and why lawmakers and regulators have a hard time stopping them.

Local Reporting: Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of the Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA, for their inquiry into widespread corruption in a small, cash-strapped school district, including impressive use of the paper's website.

National Reporting: Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post for her smart, persistent coverage of the Secret Service and its security lapses.

International Reporting: The New York Times Staff for courageous front-line reporting and vivid human stories on Ebola in Africa.

Feature Writing: Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times for her dispatches from California's Central Valley offering nuanced portraits of lives affected by the state's drought.

Commentary: Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle for provocative columns that probed grand jury abuses, leading to a wrongful conviction.

Criticism: Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times for savvy criticism that uses shrewdness, humor, and an insider's view to show how both subtle and seismic shifts in the cultural landscape affect television.

Editorial Writing: Kathleen Kingsbury of The Boston Globe for taking readers on a tour of restaurant workers' bank accounts to expose the real price of inexpensive menu items and the human costs of income inequality.

Editorial Cartooning: Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News for using strong images to connect with readers while conveying layers of meaning in few words.

Breaking News Photography: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff for powerful images of the despair and anger in Ferguson, MO, stunning photojournalism that served the community while informing the country.

Feature Photography: Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer, for his gripping, courageous photographs of the Ebola epidemic for The New York Times.

Fiction: "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Drama: "Between Riverside and Crazy" by Stephen Adly Guirgis

History: "Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People" by Elizabeth A. Fenn

Biography or Autobiography: "The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe" by David I. Kertzer

Poetry: "Digest" by Gregory Pardlo

General Nonfiction: "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert

Music: "Anthracite Fields" by Julia Wolfe, premiered in Philadelphia on April 26, 2014.