One word: Barbenheimer. 2023 was a year when everyone—everyone—went to the movies, either to see Greta Gerwig’s pink Barbie dreamworld or an atomic doomsday. Taylor Swift kicked off the record-setting Eras Tour while Beyoncé brought Renaissance to an arena near you. The actors’ strike pressed pause on TV and film development and won key victories for performers. Miley Cyrus’s anthem “Flowers” was the song of the summer and Ice Spice hit the scene.
In tennis, Novak Djokovic and Iga Świątek continued to dominate the courts. AI’s rapid advancements made headlines, with tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney blurring the lines between creativity and computation—stirring debates over ethics and the future of work. The coronation of King Charles III marked a new era for Britain’s monarchy, while international tensions simmered across geopolitical hot spots, notably Ukraine and Israel.