Why Was 2018 Such A Bad Year? 7 Terrible Things That Happened This Year

As 2018 comes to a close, now is a good time to take a look back at the major events of the year.

Here are some of the unfortunate U.S. events that grabbed headlines over the past 12 months.

Hollywood Sexual Assault And Harassment

The high volume of sexual harassment and assault allegations rocked Hollywood, leading to the #MeToo movement that began in 2017 and carried over into 2018. Producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Bill Cosby and actor Kevin Spacey were among the many who found themselves subject to criminal charges. The movement also included allegations on Capitol Hill, most notably in September when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor, made sexual assault allegations against now-Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh.

Parkland Shooting

The country was at a standstill on Feb. 14 when teenage gunman Nikolas Cruz, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, shot and killed 17 people and wounded another 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The shooting prompted student-led action in favor of gun control and gun safety with the hashtags #NeverAgain and #EnoughIsEnough.

Celebrity Deaths

This year was a particularly hard one for celebrity deaths as the world lost many talents to natural causes, disease and self-infliction. Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, both of whom took their own lives, died within three days of each other. Other notable figures who passed away include Stephen Hawking, Aretha Franklin, Burt Reynolds, Penny Marshall, Margot Kidder, Stan Lee, Neil Simon and Avicii, along with political figures George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, John McCain and Kofi Annan.

California Wildfires

The deadliest and most destructive wildfires on record engulfed the nation's most populated state from mid-July through much of August and another round in November. The death toll reached 98 civilians and six firefighters, and there was $3.5 billion in damages from the more than 8,500 fires.

Government Shutdown

The current shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, is still in effect with no end in sight. There are 380,000 government employees on furlough and another 420,000 working without pay, as Democrats are at an impasse with President Trump over the administration seeking $5 billion in funding for the construction of a border wall.

Political Polarization

Another political round of "us vs. them" was ignited this year, as a YouGov poll in November showed 82 percent of Democrats strongly disapproving of Trump, while 56 percent of Republicans strongly approving of him. Some of the tension has involved Trump's attacks against special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Refugee Crisis

The Trump administration's family separation policy drew public outcries starting in June when images began to surface of detention facilities that included metal fencing to separate migrant children from their parents. The New York Times reported that nearly 13,000 migrant children were held in detention centers, often under inhumane conditions.