With Labor Day comes the unofficial end of the summer. Summer jobs and internships have ended. The last beach trip of the season has come and gone. The e-mails are back to flooding your inbox. And you do not have nearly as much time now to binge watch your favorite show anymore.
Looking back at summer 2014, the season has had its ups and downs. For each "Apparently Boy at the Fair" video popping up in our newsfeeds, we also saw the unfolding unrest occurring in Ferguson, Missouri. While we cheered for Ariana Grande's continued ascension to pop stardom, we also saw the fall of one of the most beloved actors of our time.
On a personal level, I will look back at the summer of 2014 and remember it for many reasons, such as the time Netflix introduced me to a Frank Underwood-controlled United States as I binged on House of Cards. However in a more newsworthy sense, the summer of 2014 also will also be remembered as the season of:
The Guardians Saving the Summer Box Office: It is no secret that the movies this summer did not attract audiences. In fact, this was the worst summer movies season for the box office since 1997. There were so many big-budget films that did not perform nearly as well as studios expected. That is, until Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy premiered. Although the film has yet to reach the coveted $300 million in domestic ticket sales mark, the blockbuster rests easy at the number one spot at the box office for the season.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Throughout all of the depressing and rather violent stories coming in from around the world, this phenomenon taking over the Internet brought back some good and optimistic news into our lives. Seeing millions of kids, adults, and even pets, having ice water dumped over their heads to raise awareness for ALS is inspiring. The campaign allowed for everyone, even people like Bill Gates, to show their fun and creative sides. And while it has been fun to see our favorite celebrities pour buckets of ice water on themselves, the craze has been effective; the Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise over $94 million to date for the ALS Association.
The Death of Robin Williams: It seemed like the whole world lost a family member when it was announced that Robin Williams had passed away from suicide on Aug. 11. From the Genie in Aladdin to John Keating in Dead Poets Society, to a real-life adult Peter Pan in Hook, Williams touched millions of people through his variety of roles. Twitter flooded with shocked fans and news outlets everywhere covered this devastating lost to our generation. To quote Billy Crystal's heartfelt speech at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmys, "Robin Williams, what a concept."
The summer of 2014 has been one for the books. As the meetings and work abound, the memories of the season will continue and will allow for this summer to continue to live on... at least until summer 2015 rolls around.