The year has finally come to an end, and it has been one of the most surprising and unpredictable in recent memory. Marked by unforeseen events, it leaves behind a mix of shock, grief, disbelief, and lasting memories. From cyclones and droughts to accidents, deaths, and the loss of public figures, the world witnessed a relentless stream of crises. Ongoing conflicts such as the Russia–Ukraine war and the Israel–Palestine war continued without resolution, adding to the global unease.
The year was also shaped by political turbulence and unexpected developments, particularly in the United States, where the newly elected president generated repeated moments of controversy and disbelief. Some events were serious and tragic, others bizarre and almost unbelievable—stories that made people pause and reread the headlines to ask: Did this really happen?
As the year draws to a close, we look back at six incidents that shocked many and defined the year’s chaotic nature. While it is impossible to document everything that unfolded, these moments capture the strange, serious, and surreal episodes that made this year one to remember.
A Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on July 16, 2025, went viral after the kiss cam showed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron hugging the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin joked on stage about the moment, “Look at these two... either they’re having an affair or they’re shy.” This prompted laughter from the crowd as the clip spread rapidly on TikTok and X.
Byron, who is married with two children, was seen trying to hide when he appeared on the big screen, while Cabot covered her face. The incident triggered widespread online criticism, and Byron’s wife later removed his surname from her social media before deleting her account. The event happened during Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour in Boston.
In October 2025, thieves disguised as construction workers carried out a daring daylight heist at Paris’s Louvre Museum, stealing rare French Crown jewels worth an estimated £76 million from the Galerie d’Apollon. Using a crane mounted on a truck, the suspects smashed a first-floor window, threatened guards, and escaped on scooters—all within seven minutes of the museum opening.
The stolen items include 19th-century royal jewels linked to Napoleon Bonaparte, Empress Eugénie, and Queen Marie-Amélie. One piece—the crown of Empress Eugénie—was dropped during the escape. Surveillance footage later showed the suspects fleeing via a furniture lift. French authorities have charged four suspects and arrested several others, but the jewels remain missing.
A 65-year-old woman in Thailand shocked temple staff after she was found alive inside her coffin just moments before her cremation in November, 2025. The woman had been brought to Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple near Bangkok, after her family believed she had died two days earlier. As preparations for the cremation were underway, a temple official heard knocking from inside the coffin. When it was opened, the woman was found moving and slightly opening her eyes.
According to temple officials, the woman had been bedridden for two years and had appeared unresponsive, leading her brother to believe she had died. He placed her in a coffin and travelled nearly 300 miles from Phitsanulok province to Bangkok, the local newspaper said.
After she was discovered alive, the woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors treated her for low blood sugar before releasing her. Temple authorities said they would cover her medical expenses.
In July 2025, American Eagle launched a denim campaign starring Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The wordplay between “jeans” and “genes,” intended as cheeky Gen Z humour, quickly sparked backlash.
Critics argued that pairing genetic language with a blonde, blue-eyed white actress echoed the rhetoric of eugenics and reinforced Western beauty standards. Others accused the brand of objectifying Sweeney, pointing to ads that lingered on her body while referencing genetics and empowerment, thereby undermining the campaign’s stated social-good intent.
The controversy escalated when US President Donald Trump praised the campaign on Truth Social, calling Sweeney a “registered Republican” and hailing the ads as a hit. Conservative media reframed the backlash as “anti-woke” outrage, while progressives criticised the campaign as racially coded and hypersexualised. Social media platforms erupted, sharply dividing users along ideological lines.
The Jeffrey Epstein files became a major focus of U.S. politics in 2025 after the bulk of documents were released on December 19, 2025 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Donald Trump in November, 2025. The files, stemming from the federal investigation into Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case, have intensified public scrutiny of his crimes, connections, and the government’s handling of the case.
Epstein died by suicide in jail before his trial, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted. While the Justice Department has pledged minimal redactions, the removal of at least 16 files has raised concerns about whether the disclosures will provide a fully transparent account. The revelations have sparked widespread discussion in the U.S. and abroad, including speculation about individuals of Indian origin linked to the case.
Blue Origin made history on April 14 as pop star Katy Perry flew to suborbital space aboard the company’s NS-31 mission, marking the first all-female spaceflight in over 60 years. The rocket lifted off from West Texas, carrying Perry and five other women past the Kármán line, the recognised boundary of space.
The crew included Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, and Kerianne Flynn. They experienced about four minutes of weightlessness before safely returning to Earth. Perry became the first artist to sing in space and celebrated the landing by kissing the ground, calling the mission a moment of empowerment and fun.
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