2015 was a year filled with huge surprises. Many of the events that shocked us were tragic, unfortunate, scandalous, and unbelievable.

Here are 10 events that shocked America and the rest of the world in 2015.

  • Reuters
    Reuters
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    1

    Terrorist Attacks In Paris

    On Friday, November 13th, a series of mass shootings and suicide bombings struck Paris, France. The attacks were coordinated by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) as a retaliation for French airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. There were 130 deaths and 368 injuries.

  • Mark Wilson/Getty Images
    Mark Wilson/Getty Images
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    2

    Gay Marriage Is Legalized

    On June 26th, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages are protected under the Constitution. This eliminated all state bans on gay marriage and made it legal for same-sex couples to be married in all 50 states.

  • Kevin Winter, Getty Images
    Kevin Winter, Getty Images
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    3

    Bruce Jenner Accepts New Identity as a Woman

    Following a great deal of speculation, Bruce Jenner, the Olympic athlete and step-father of the Kardashians, publicly announced that he was going through a series of treatments to become a woman in April. Jenner appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair as a woman with the new name 'Caitlyn.' Jenner's gender and name change became official on September 25th.

  • 4

    Donald Trump Runs For President With Tremendous Support

    Donald Trump has been threatening to run for president for years now, but he made good on his word. On June 16th, Trump made an official announcement that he would be running for candidacy for the Republican party. Despite his controversial statements, Trump has earned an enormous amount of support from Americans.

  • Xinhua News Agency
    Xinhua News Agency
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    5

    Hillary Clinton Involved In Email Scandal

    In March, it was discovered that the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had used a personal email account to exchange sensitive information while in office. The State Department deemed at least 55 of these emails of containing classified information. However, the FBI is still investigating and there have been no charges made against Clinton.

  • 6

    Brian Williams Tells a Big Fat Lie

    In February, Brian Williams made an on-air apology for lying about a story he told. In the story, he claimed to have been riding in a helicopter with U.S. troops when the helicopter was shot down. This was in 2003. Turns out, that wasn't true. He was in a helicopter at the time that another helicopter was shot down, but he did not witness nor was he part of the event. Williams was suspended for six months without pay.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
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    7

    Jared Fogle Arrested For Child Pornagraphy

    The Subway spokesman was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was accused of collecting child pornography and soliciting minors for sex. This brought an end to his marriage and, most likely, his relationship with his two children.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
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    8

    Richard Matt and David Sweat Escape From Prison

    In early June, two inmates at a maximum-security prison in New York escaped and went missing for several weeks. Both were dangerous felons who had been convicted of murder. Richard Matt was shot and killed by police two days before David Sweat was captured. Joyce Mitchell, a prison employee, was convicted for providing the tools they used to escape.

  • KXLY, YouTube
    KXLY, YouTube
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    9

    Rachel Dolezal Is Actually White

    Rachel Dolezal was a civil rights activist, president of the NAACP Spokane chapter, and an African studies instructor. She also presented herself to be an African-American with darkish skin and natural hair...but that was a big fat lie. Rachel is very much Caucasian. Her parents, who are both Caucasian, made a public statement that Rachel had been lying about her identity. Dolezal later confirmed that she is not genetically black.

  • ABC via Getty Images
    ABC via Getty Images
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    10

    'The View' Insults Nurses

    On September 14th, the ladies of 'The View' discussed the Miss America pageant. One of the contestants, Kelley Johnson from Colorado, used the talent portion of the pageant to give a monologue about being a nurse while wearing her scrubs and stethoscope. The hosts made fun of Johnson, saying that being a nurse is not a real talent and wondering why she had a "doctor's" stethoscope. Outraged nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals everywhere expressed their disbelief and frustration with these statements. Sponsors pulled their support for 'The View.' Of course, no one on 'The View' apologized. Instead, they claimed everyone just took their statements out of context. Right.

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