Living through 2016 felt like being confronted by a series of unfortunate events, one catastrophe after another.

In fact, The New York Times ran an article entitled “2016: Worst. Year. Ever?” just a few days before the new year. It listed “Syria, Zika, Haiti, Orlando, Nice, Charlotte, Brussels, Bowie, Prince, Ali, Cohen” as reasons why 2016 very well could be the worst year on record. Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year was “post-truth”; Merriam-Webster’s was “surreal.”

Yet, amid the chaos—and one of the strangest elections to date—2016 hasn’t been all bad.

Science

It’s been a good year for physicists and astronomers. In mid-February Einstein’s general theory of relativity—originally published in 1915—was finally proven when scientists recorded the sound of two black holes colliding a billion light-years away, confirming the existence of gravitational waves. Later, in July, the NASA spacecraft Juno successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit after a five-year journey, becoming the second spacecraft to orbit Jupiter.

Entertainment

2016 blessed us with “Lemonade” and Leo finally received an Oscar. Arriving in the middle of the political primaries, Queen Bey’s most personal album yet was a powerful celebration of women of color. Leonardo DiCaprio’s sixth Oscar nomination netted him the coveted gold statuette. Upon winning Best Actor for his role in “The Revenant,” DiCaprio spoke about the necessity of combatting climate change while simultaneously making hundreds of memes irrelevant.

Sports

Rio 2016 and the Cubs Victory took place this year. At the Olympics in Rio, the U.S. won more golds (46) and total medals (121) than any other nation. Highlights included the first ever Refugee Olympic team—consisting of athletes from South Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—and the accomplishments of U.S. swimmers—including Bethesda local Katie Ledecky, the most decorated female athlete of the 2016 Olympic Games, and Michael Phelps in his final Olympics. In November, after a 108-year drought—the longest in baseball history—the Cubs triumphed over the Cleveland Indians, overcoming the Curse of the Billy Goat.

An under-the-radar Environmental Victory

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were banned by over 170 countries at a UN Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda in October. HFCs, planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioners and refrigerators, have 100 to 3000 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. President Obama called the deal “an ambitious and far-reaching solution” to the “looming crisis” of climate change, the New York Times reported.

World Health Achievements

Finally, during 2016 the Americas were declared free of measles, Europe was declared free of malaria, and South East Asia beat maternal and neonatal tetanus, according to the World Health Organization. Additionally, medical advances have helped more and more countries eliminate infectious diseases like lymphatic filariasis and blinding trachoma.

But even though 2016 has had its share of positives, I think we’re all glad it’s finally over. Here’s hoping for a better 2017.