A lot happened in 2017, but one event took the world by surprise–the Manchester Arena bombing. Children were amoung the 22 people killed in the suicide bombing attack after an Ariana Grande concert on May 22. 

Authorities identified the bomber as 22-year-old Salmen Abedi, who was a radical Islamist. They also arrested a 23-year-old man who was rumored to have a connection to the attack. 

Grande’s fanbase is mostly girls and teenagers, therefore a lot of families were packed into the venue. 

Police said the explosion took place outside the arena catching people as they exited, while also triggering chaos inside. U.S. officials said initial reports indicated that some of the injuries might have been caused by a stampede of concertgoers.

The authorities could not identify any of the dead, the death of an 8-year-old named Saffie Rose Rousse was confirmed by her school. Overall, 59 people were injured, and 22 died. 

Thousands of the grieving Manchester residents attended a vigil to remember the victims. 

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but provided no evidence and neither U.S. nor British officials have corroborated that.

Ariana Grande held a benefit concert on June 4, 2017, just two weeks after the event. She had multiple other performers come together in memorial and sing at the concert. Thousands of people came to support the families that had been affected. 

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the bombing, Grande discussed the attack on for the first time. 

“It’s the absolute worst of humanity,” she told Time.

She went on to say, “Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world. I think that’s why it’s still so heavy on my heart every single day. I wish there was more that I could fix. You think with time it’ll become easier to talk about. Or you’ll make peace with it. But every day I wait for that peace to come and it’s still very painful.”

Top 5 Movies

1. Get Out
2. Coco
3. Wonder Woman
4. Call Me By Your Name
5. Beauty and the Beast 

Top 5 Songs

1. “Shape of you” by Ed Sheeran 
2. “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber 
3. “That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars 
4. “Humble” by Kenrick Lamar 
5. “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

Top 5 Events

1. Donald Trump was sworn into Office
2. Hurricane Harvey
3. The ‘MeToo” Movement
4. The Massacres in Las Vegas and Texas
5. The Total Solar Eclipse