The Year in Micro News

Blink and you might have missed these viral but fleeting moments.

Plenty of big news happened in 2024. A top presidential candidate dropped out of the race late; another survived two assassination attempts; and voters rejected the incumbent administration at the ballot box. This year also included conflicts abroad, the Summer Olympics and two (yes, two) Emmy Award ceremonies.

But between these major flash points were hundreds of smaller moments.

While viral videos like “demure” and beloved animals like Moo Deng were virtually unavoidable — and quickly became part of mainstream culture — it’s possible you didn’t hear about “yapping” or know that another Pygmy hippo, named Haggis, was also born this year.

Maybe you can’t forget that you, in fact, “exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you,” but are you “holding space” for P’Nut the squirrel? (And if you can comprehend that sentence, you might have “brain rot.”)

This is the year in micro news, an attempt to burst your algorithmic bubble and remind you of everything you already forgot about — or maybe never knew about in the first place.