The good things that happened in 2016

FARC leader Timochenko (pictured) signs a long-awaited peace deal. His pen: a bullet. The symbol carries great weight after 50 years of guerrilla warfare against the Colombian government, which claimed over 260,000 lives and displaced millions. The public still wants harsher punishments for the leftist rebels. Nevertheless, Colombia's peace efforts were a high point this year.

South Korea led by example in peaceful protests. A bizarre corruption scandal involving a mysterious confidante of President Park Geun-hye unleashed mass protests and plunged her approval ratings to 4 percent. Before her impeachment, millions marched on Seoul for weeks with almost no violence. Police also exercised restraint at the demonstrations, which some described as "festive."

Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton did what no other woman in the history of the United States has ever done: She clinched the presidential nomination on a major party ticket. Roughly a dozen women have attempted and failed to become president since the late 1800s, but none of them made it as far as she did. Bitter as her defeat is for her supporters, the milestone still deserves a mention.

A highly effective vaccine against Ebola was unveiled this week. Trials beginning in 2015 in Guinea showed 100 percent protection against one strain of the deadly virus. The news arrives at the tail-end of an epedemic that rampaged through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing at least 11,000 people. With 300,000 emergency doses on hand, manufacturer Merck is now awaiting regulatory approval.

Solar Impulse landed in Abu Dhabi in July, ending an aviation odyssey powered by the sun and the willpower of two Swiss dreamers. Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg flew the solar-powered plane around the globe in 16 stages, surviving on cat naps in an unheated, unpressurized cockpit the size of a phone booth. Their 40,000-km flight has been lauded as a first for aviation and clean energy.

At 1 p.m. on May 8, a perfect mixture of sun and wind produced nearly enough energy for all of Germany's power grid. The event stands out in the country's transition toward more renewable energy. The "Energiewende" hasn't been without its growing pains, even the day Germany lived off natural energy, if only briefly. With no forewarning of a surplus, electricity prices nosedived. If only briefly.

It was the year of the underdog. Syrian Yusra Mardini swam on the refugee team at Rio2016. Even more remarkable was her journey to the Olympics. In 2015, the swimmer helped save the lives of fellow refugees as their dinghy gave out in the Mediterranean. She along with several others swam the boat to shore, a grueling journey that took over three hours in the choppy open sea.

But by far the most delightful underdog story was when Europe learned about the Viking Clap. No, it's not an STD. It's the bone-chilling war cry of the soccer squad from Iceland, whose unexpected victories landed them in the quarter finals. France and the rest of Europe were heart-warmed by the underdog spirit of their northern neighbors. Especially when they beat England.

Leonardo DiCaprio, of course! The heart-throb finally won an Oscar for his leading role in "The Revenant." Apparently, sixth time's the charm? After he pivoted from pretty-boy roles in the 90s to more serious fare in the 2000s, fans had been calling foul for years at numerous snubs and missed opportunities for the 42-year-old actor.

When the going gets tough, the tough post animal photos. That's what we learned when Brussels tweeted cat pics during a lockdown. That, and the Tokyo hedgehog cafe, are too cute to ignore. Other honorable mentions: the US clampdown on drilling in Antarctica, the ozone repairing itself, new Gilmore Girls, and Leicester City winning the Premier League at 5,000:1 odds. See, it's not all bad news.