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From news and entertainment to sports and politics, if it happened anywhere in 2016, it happened on Twitter. Over 11,000 athletes from across the globe competed at #Rio2016. Elections and political movements played out in real time. And thousands of people stopped traffic every day for weeks while searching for Zubats

We’ve launched #ThisHappened so people can share the biggest moments and memories of 2016.

Twitter in the UK

Twelve months ago no-one would have predicted Leicester winning the Premier League, Wales leaving England in their wake as they stormed to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, and the United Kingdom voting to leave the EU.

But they’re the events that set Twitter alive in the UK with billions of Tweets debating the hows, the whys and the whats of a roller-coaster year. Below we’ve rounded up the most memorable moments of 2016…

Most-Tweeted UK Moments

Every year we round up the 10 single moments that caused the biggest spikes in Twitter activity. With @TeamGB’s gold medal rush at #Rio2016, Leicester’s unthinkable @PremierLeague success and England/Wales grabbling #Euro2016 headlines for very different reasons, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Sport dominates our 2016 top 10:

1. England lose to Iceland to crash out of #Euro2016 - 128K Tweets per minute (27/06/16, 21:51).
2. Leicester’s remarkable title success is confirmed as the full time whistle blows at Stamford Bridge and Spurs draw 2-2 with Chelsea - 107K TPM (02/05/16, 21:56)
3. Daniel Sturridge scores a dramatic injury time winner to give England a 2-1 group win over Wales - 77K TPM (16/06/16, 15:50)
4. Eric Dier scores England’s opening goal of #Euro2016, with a brilliant free-kick against Russia - 60K TPM (11/06/16, 20:28)
5. Sam Vokes’ header gives Wales a 2-1 lead in their #Euro2016 quarter final with moments remaining - 59K TPM (1/07/16, 21:42)
6. Eder strikes from distance to put Portugal within 10 minutes of #Euro2016 glory, in extra-time of the final - 58K TPM (10/07/16, 22:19)
7. Jamie Vardy scores an outrageous flicked half-volley to draw England level with Germany in their pre #Euro2016 friendly - 56K TPM (26/03/16, 21:25)
8. Schweinsteiger misses his penalty to keep Germany’s quarter-final shootout with Italy locked at 2-2 - 52K TPM (2/0716, 21:44)
9. England slip to a 0-0 draw against Slovakia, meaning they’ll have to settle for Group B runners up at #Euro2016 - 51K TPM (20/06/16, 21:52)
10. Liverpool complete an incredible comeback against Dortmund in the Europa League quarter-final, as Lovren makes it 4-3 on 90+1 - 50K TPM (14/04/16, 21:54)

Off the pitch, however, it was relentless political debate that defined 2016. From @RealDonaldTrump’s presidential victory against @HillaryClinton, to the UK’s exit from the European Union, it was a turbulent year in politics.

Here are the ten political trends that gained the most traction on Twitter in 2016:

Whether you were #VoteLeave or #VoteRemain, it cannot be denied that #Brexit gripped the world. It was the debate that split the nation in two, and throughout 2016 we saw people coming to Twitter to discuss the key policies & individuals at the heart of the decision.

Here are the ten Brexit trends that got people Tweeting over the course of the year:

Away from #Brexit and #EURO2016, TV conversation was of course as strong as ever on Twitter, with Celebrity Big Brother just beating Great British Bake Off to the top spot:

Most Retweeted
The three most Retweeted Tweets globally in 2016 have racked up more than 2.5 million Retweets between them. One Direction star @Harry_Styles brings a UK flavour to the top three, and he’s in good company amongst @HillaryClinton and Spanish gamer El Rubius (@Rubiu5):

#ThisHappened when a man in Spain created a competition for his fans to win a gaming console… or a lemon:

2. #ThisHappened when Harry Styles quoted a Taylor Swift song to celebrate his 22nd birthday:

3. #ThisHappened when Hillary conceded the election but reminded young women that they are valuable and should continue to reach for their dreams:

Meanwhile, Leicester City’s victory Tweet moments after they became Premier League champions was the most-Retweeted sport related Tweet sent globally in 2016:

Most-Tweeted UK Videos & GIFs
Video on Twitter is more popular than ever - increasing by a mighty 220x in the last year. From cats to cows, and Christian Fuchs to One Direction, the UK’s 10 most Retweeted videos of 2016 are:

2016 was also the year that GIF search launched on Twitter, giving people even more ways to express themselves - and they didn’t disappoint. Here are the 10 most Retweeted GIF Tweets of the year:

Most Followed

One Direction may be on a hiatus, but that hasn’t affected @Harry_Styles’s popularity on Twitter this year. With nearly 30 million followers, Harry is the most followed UK individual, closely followed by @Adele.

Our top 10 have around 200 million followers between them:

R.I.P
2016 was a year in which a number of famous faces sadly passed away. From the moment the tragic news broke on Twitter, communities began to unite in their millions to pay respects.

We leave you with a selection of moving tributes to these greats, whose work will always be remembered.

David Bowie, 1947-2016

(this is simply amazing and went everywhere online)

Victoria Wood, 1953-2016

Alan Rickman, 1946-2016

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INTERNAL NOTES

(FOR BLOG NOT PITCH)
2. Leicester’s remarkable title success is confirmed as the full time whistle blows at Stamford Bridge and Spurs draw 2-2 with Chelsea - 107K TPM (02/05/16, 21:56)
3. Daniel Sturridge scores a dramatic injury time winner to give England a 2-1 group win over Wales - 77K TPM (16/06/16, 15:50)
4. Eric Dier scores England’s opening goal of #Euro2016, with a brilliant free-kick against Russia - 60K TPM (11/06/16, 20:28)
5. Sam Vokes’ header gives Wales a 2-1 lead in their #Euro2016 quarter final with moments remaining - 59K TPM (1/07/16, 21:42) (FOR BLOG NOT PITCH)
6. Eder strikes from distance to put Portugal within 10 minutes of #Euro2016 glory, in extra-time of the final - 58K TPM (10/07/16, 22:19) (FOR BLOG NOT PITCH)