When history looks back at 2016, a couple of words will stick out most prominently: Trump and surprise.
Donald Trump, real estate mogul and reality TV star, surprised everyone - reportedly even himself - by winning the 2016 US presidential elections after polls and experts tipped Hillary Clinton for the job.
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The stories that defined 2016
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As 2016 comes to an end, we take a look back at the year that was.
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The stories that defined 2016
As 2016 comes to an end, we take a look back at the year that was.
But even before that there were other I-don't-believe-this moments over the past 12 months, all the way through to this week (and December is not finished yet).
We take a look at the surprises that shocked the world the most, and some that will continue to shape it in the years to come.
January
Hundreds of sexual assaults by asylum seekers in Cologne, Germany, on New Year's Eve shock European leaders after their mostly welcoming stance in the wake of the 2015 migrant crisis. Hundreds of women report being robbed, threatened or sexually molested, and the number grows over the next few weeks to include reports in other European cities.
Readers are confronted with heartbreaking headlines about the spread of the Zika virus in Brazil, where hundreds of babies are being born with severe brain injuries after their mothers were bitten by Zika-infected mosquitoes. Cue dozens of stories about Zika seeming to come from nowhere to threaten entire populations in Latin America, followed by how it will impact the 2016 Rio Olympics and through it spread to the rest of the world. By the end of January, the World Health Organisation declares the virus is "spreading explosively".
Lara was born with microcephaly in a hospital in Brazil. The increase in microcephaly is connected to the Zika epidemic. Photo: AP
Closer to home, after an earthquake is detected near a known nuclear site in North Korea, it is revealed the rogue state has in fact tested a nuclear bomb. All of a sudden, Kim Jong-un is no longer funny as he continues further tests throughout the year in an effort to assert his global relevance.
With the migrant crisis showing no sign of abating, for the first time European Union countries consider border checks within the Schengen zone. By the end of the month, Sweden says it will send home up to 80,000 asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected and German Chancellor Angela Merkel declares refugees must leave Germany once the wars they are fleeing are over.
February
Pope Francis meets Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba, nearly a millennium after the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity split. They appeal for an end to persecution and killing of Christians in the Middle East. It's the beginning of a busy year for the Pope in which he proves to be unconventionally outspoken on several subjects including refugees, Donald Trump and politics.
Reformers win big in Iranian elections, setting the scene for more turmoil in the Islamic republic.
Trump is no longer a laughing matter after he wins the second presidential primary convincingly. He declares he'll bring back waterboarding "and worse" as an interrogation tool if he is elected.
Now US President-elect Donald Trump. Photo: AP
Two former Jakarta Intercultural School teachers are sent back to jail on sodomy charges in a decision that sends shock waves through the expat community in Indonesia, while in Fiji super cyclone Winston - the worst storm ever recorded in the southern hemisphere - leaves dozens dead and thousands homeless.
March
Super Tuesday is the biggest day of the US presidential primaries and the beginning of a steady stream of surprise wins for Trump. By the end of the month, Trump is hogging the headlines again with several controversial comments, including that women who have abortions should be punished.
An EgyptAir flight is hijacked and diverted to Cyprus but it turns out the suspect just wanted his ex-wife's attention.
The Brazilian political crisis steps up several notches, with millions of people taking to the streets in either green and gold or red, depending on their political leaning, and the world once again worries about the Rio Olympics. US President Barack Obama arrives in Cuba for an official visit, the first US president to set foot in the country since 1928.
Italy continues to pluck hundreds of migrants out of the sea and thousands more attempt to cross the Mediterranean as Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia close their borders.
Refugees try to scramble onto a rescue craft off the cost of Libya. Photo: Getty Images
The world reels from the terrorist attacks in Brussels and from the revelation of their links to the attacks in Paris in 2015.
April
The Panama Papers, a massive leak of documents from the Panama-based firm Mossack Fonseca, sheds light on the shady financial dealings of world leaders, politicians, soccer players and actors. The trove claims its first scalp, Iceland's prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, a few days later.
Hospital bombings in Aleppo grab the headlines, as increased Russian participation in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's war against rebels leaves the world at a loss.
Syrian Civil Defence workers stand in the rubble after air strikes hit a hospital in Aleppo. Photo: White Helmets/AP
Meanwhile, former Australian resident Birgitta Jonsdottir, official "poetician" for Iceland's Pirate Party, admits with some astonishment that she might be her country's next prime minister. Jonsdottir gets close to the job in October but falls short in the final count.
France overhauls its prostitution laws and surprisingly for some still makes it illegal for people to pay for (but not offer) prostitution services.
A battle brews in North Carolina over transgender law and transgender people's right to use public toilets. It spreads far and wide, drawing reaction from US presidential candidates, US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron among others, in the process guaranteeing readers are a lot better informed about the subject.
May
EgyptAir hits the headlines for a second time after flight MS804 goes missing over the Mediterranean Sea. Within two weeks the wreck is found, followed by the black boxes. Islamic State claims responsibility for an explosion on board.
Brazil suspends president Dilma Rousseff and installs an interim government led by vice-president Michel Temer to allow for her impeachment trial to take place. It's now only a few weeks until the Rio Olympics and world leaders and sports fans are uncertain the Games will proceed as planned. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declares a state of emergency as the country heads for an economic meltdown.
Taiwan elects Tsai Ing-wen president in a landslide victory prompting close scrutiny from Beijing, which is also rattled by the US's promise to keep conducting "freedom of navigation" patrols in the South China Sea as the dispute over territories there escalates.
Barack Obama, in another first for a serving US president, visits Hiroshima. He also goes to Vietnam, riling China again.
On May 14, Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' answer to Trump, is elected president despite his infamous vigilante approach to crime as mayor of Davao. He doesn't take over until June 30, but almost immediately, extra-judicial killings begin as police and vigilantes are emboldened by his crime-fighting agenda. By late July, 300 so-called "drug pushers" are killed without judicial process, and the surprise is that Duterte openly brags about it and the world does nothing. At last count, the killings numbered nearly 6000.
Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is elected president of the Philippines in May. Photo: AP
June
A gunman opens fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and injuring another 53. Speculation turns to whether the perpetrator was an Islamist terrorist or a suppressed gay man. It prompts unprecedented scenes after Democrats shut down the House over a gun control bill. They use broadcasting app Periscope to air their demands.
The Dump Trump movement gains momentum as some Republicans try anything to stop him securing their party's nomination at the Republican convention in July, while 51 US diplomats call for strikes against Assad over Aleppo, surprising most with their open lack of diplomacy.
WikiLeaks begins dumping hacked emails from the Democratic Party in the US.
The world is left agape after Britons vote to quit the European Union. As per British elections in 2015, pollsters got it totally wrong with Brexit, with the Leave campaign beating the Remain side marginally in what our correspondent Nick Miller described as an earthquake in the politics of Europe. Leave campaigner Nigel Farage announces the referendum result is "independence day" for Britain, Donald Trump gets a push along, stock markets crash and British Prime Minister David Cameron falls on his sword. Soon enough it becomes clear that the disunited kingdom has a lot of work ahead of it if it wants to reconcile.
Leave won the day. Photo: Bloomberg
July
Terrorists attack a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 22 people, before other attacks in quick succession prompt the question: where is the outpouring of grief for Muslims? Then a lone wolf mows down 82 people on the Nice beachfront on Bastille Day. It's the eighth terror attack in France in 19 months.
Questions are raised over what damage a constant cycle of violent news does to people.
Turkey thwarts a military coup and begins months of crackdown, jailing thousands of judges, public servants, teachers and military personnel accused of siding with US-based Islamic teacher Fethullah Gulen.
Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags after a military coup was foiled. Photo: Getty Images
Oscar Pistorius receives a "shockingly light" sentence of just six years for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Indonesia grants a surprise last-minute reprieve to 10 inmates on death row, after carrying out four executions.
Donald Trump is anointed as the Republican Party's presidential candidate.
August
Creepy clowns start popping out of the dark woods of South Carolina and children are not pleasantly surprised. The sightings spread to other states and even to Australia, where by Halloween police are issuing warnings saying such pranks will not be tolerated.
An Australian woman, Sara Connor, is named a suspect in the alleged murder of a Balinese police officer on the beach. Indonesian police re-enactments keep Connor in the headlines for weeks. Her trial resumes in late December.
The first reports of evidence of Russian tampering with the US presidential election begin to filter in.
A strong earthquake hits central Italy, killing at least 159 people and destroying entire towns.
A view of Amatrice, central Italy after an earthquake struck on August 26. Photo: AP
The Rio Olympic Games are held in earnest and with a few exceptions, including the surprising stupidity of a certain American swimmer, it goes smoothly, with no Zika, no terrorism and only some small crime news. The country's president, Dilma Rousseff, is impeached and removed from office.
September
Mother Teresa is canonised in a ceremony at the Vatican.
The first debate in the US presidential election pits Trump against Clinton and debate host Lester Holt. Clinton wins on points, but observers are surprised Trump doesn't do worse. Clinton puts Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe, in the headlines again and scores extra points for Latinos and women's rights. The fact-checkers have a field day.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton campaigns with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado. Photo: AP
October
Colombians stun the world by rejecting a peace deal with FARC guerillas, sending negotiators back to the table, and the rest of the globe wondering if not even peace has a chance. Here, too, pollsters got it wrong. A week later, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos wins the Nobel Peace Prize anyway.
Trump gobsmacks readers with his now infamous "Grab them by the pussy" audio tape. It seems common sense will now relegate the businessman to the also-rans come election day. The condemnation rains down on his campaign but Trump continues to evoke Mad Men and the Rat Pack, in the words of our chief correspondent Paul McGeough.
Then Michelle Obama excoriates Trump in a powerful speech and becomes the surprise PR darling of the campaign and supporters wish she had run for the Democrats in Hillary Clinton's place. Michelle takes to the road for her pal Hillary instead.
First lady Michelle Obama, alongside former president Bill Clinton, was a highlight of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Photo: AP
By late October, Hillary Clinton's woes have taken another turn with news that the FBI will probe her private server emails again, this time in connection with her aide's estranged husband Anthony Weiner. It appears the election could be undone by a man drummed out of Congress for his habit of sending dick-pics to women he met online, as Fairfax's Nick O'Malley puts it.
In South Korea a scandal starts to baffle observers as it transpires "eight fairies and a shaman" could spell the end for the country's first female president, Park Geun-hye.
November
With little more than 24 hours to go to the US election, FBI chief James Comey clears Clinton and the polls all point to a Clinton victory. Every major media outlet believes the research and predicts Clinton will win, despite many portraits of middle America pointing to the tide turning away from the establishment.
But Donald Trump trumps all by winning the US presidential elections against all odds. Clinton wins the popular vote but Trump secures 306 electoral college votes to her 232.
Donald Trump with his wife, Melania, and their son Barron on election night. Photo: New York Times
The scandal surrounding Park Geun-hye grows along with the size of the crowds demanding her resignation each weekend. Her best friend and confidante is arrested, accused of corruption and influence peddling. Park is accused of being a puppet. She apologises profusely but the protests grow. By December, Parliament votes to impeach her. Now she waits for her trial to begin.
The Indian government sends its population into a panic by announcing the withdrawal of 1000 and 500 rupee notes overnight. As people rush to banks to deposit old money during an amnesty, it's revenge time as the rich beg the poor for help.
A Bolivian plane carrying the Brazilian Chapecoense team crashes in Colombia killing 75 people and almost the entire team. The international community mourns with the fans and players' families as it transpires the team, from a small town, had tasted glory before tragedy.
December
Thai Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn accedes to the throne to become King Rama X and Thais breath easier than at any time in the 50 days since the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In Indonesia, Jakarta's ethnic Chinese Christian governor is charged with blasphemy in a move seen as a measure to stop more violence erupting in the majority Muslim nation. While Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, widely known as Ahok, is on trial, our Jakarta correspondent Jewel Topsfield writes that democracy is the one really in the dock.
It's the Italians' turn to contradict pollsters and vote 'no' to a referendum the government thought it couldn't lose. They reject constitutional reform that would have delivered a faster political system and cost savings, and Italian PM Matteo Renzi resigns, having staked his future on the vote.
The day after, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key shocks all by resigning. The popular PM who never meant to be a career politician says it's time to retire. Bill English is confirmed as his replacement a few days later.
Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, claims victory in Aleppo, where thousands of rebels and civilians have perished in a relentless aerial bombing campaign. Eastern Aleppo is almost completely evacuated but a solution to the six-year Syrian civil war is still not apparent.
As the UN presses for people not to forget the atrocities of Aleppo, an off-duty police officer assassinates Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov while he delivers a speech at an art gallery in Ankara. He shouts "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria" and the Turkish government links him to the Gulen movement and July's foiled coup attempt. But the world looks to jihadist videos and suggests Mevlut Mert Altintas was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology.
Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas shoots and kills Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey. Photo: AP
On the same day, a truck ploughs through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, bearing all the hallmarks of another terrorist attack. With the main suspect released, and Islamic State claiming responsibility, German police urge people to stay alert. Sadly, most are no longer surprised by such horror.
Before the year is out, the world trembles at the revelation of a terror plot to attack Melbourne on Christmas eve. As authorities try to reassure Australians everywhere that security has prevailed, and the suspect of the Berlin Christmas market attack is shot dead in Italy, police here, in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, US and Europe work overtime to ensure no more terror this year.
Read also: 2015: a year of triumphs and setbacks
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