By Lydia Yeshitla ’17, Staff Writer

As school commences and we all return to our busy daily routines, we look back on what made summer memorable. This summer was epic as demonstrated through the many unforgettable moments in pop culture, ranging from sports news to great new music to surprising celebrity news. Here is the ranking of the most memorable events that occurred during the summer of 2014.

10. Breaking Bad off to a Not-so-bad Start to 2014

Coming off of its explosive final season, at the Emmy’s this summer Breaking Bad won awards for script-writing, lead actor, supporting actor and actress, as well as the best drama series title. Although Breaking Bad had always been recognized for it’s unique plot, the show’s popularity was not immediate, but this year, more than 10 million people tuned in to the season finale.

9. A New Harry Potter Story

On July 8th, J.K Rowling released a short story on the futures of characters from the Harry Potter series. It’s been about seven years since the final book in the series,  and Rowling finally gave us an update on Harry, Hermione, and Ron. However, the trio aren’t the only ones mentioned in the short story; Rowling provides us with news on Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood as well.

Read the full story here!

8. Miley’s Surprise Date

At this summer’s MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus surprised her audiences when she had a homeless minor receive the Video of the Year Award on her behalf. Yet, she too was later surprised when this homeless minor, Jessie Helt, turned himself into the police just weeks after the awards ceremony. Nonetheless, Miley hopes to focus not on Helt’s legal troubles, but rather on the purpose of raising awareness for homeless youth in Los Angeles and beyond.

7. More Binge-Watching

I’m sure many of you spent part of your summers binge-watching your favorite TV shows. Orange is the New Black’s second season premiered in early June, and various other shows such as The Leftovers, and The Strain, premiered throughout the summer months.

6. Celebrities take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The fundraising craze to strike out ALS has swept Hollywood. Everyone from Justin Bieber, Cory Booker, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Robert Pattinson accepted the challenge in dumping freezing buckets of water over their heads. Other celebrities, like Leonardo DiCaprio, donated a whopping $100,000 to the organization. More recently, Kim Kardashian, who had previously been challenged by several different stars, took on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in front of millions tuning in to The Ellen Degeneres Show.

5. A Tragic Loss We’ll Never Forget

In addition to recognizing all the compelling moments that occurred this summer, it is important to make time to remember those who have had a remarkable impact upon pop culture. Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian and Academy Award-Winning Actor passed away at the age of 63.  One can remember a man with such talent by not focusing on his death, but rather the moments of laughter and joy he gave to millions of fans. Williams was, and will always be, known for his roles in classic comedies including Mrs. Doubtfire, Happy Days, and Jumanji.

4. Music from Brazil’s World Cup

Music played a role as the “universal language” in this summer’s World Cup. As multiple national teams around the globe engaged in competitive soccer games, music stars also competed to create hit songs dedicated to the World Cup. To open the ceremony, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, and Claudia Leitte collaborated in singing “We Are One”, hoping to unite the competing countries together with a powerful song. FIFA could not have chose a better option than Shakira to close up this year’s World Cup with her hit song, “La La La”.

3. The Fault in Our Stars Movie

The movie, which is an adaptation from John Green’s bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars, pulled in nearly $50 million it’s opening week, ‘TFIOS’ knocked big-budget films out of first place at the box office. The movie also had a low budget, ($12 million), proving that a movie can be successful during the summer without being filled with action or special-efftects. Yet the stars-Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort-insist the movie’s economic prosperity is not nearly as important as the message the film conveys.

2. Beyonce’s Flawless Performance 

At the MTV Video Music Awards on August 25th, Beyoncé closed the award show with her best performance since the Super Bowl XLVII. She performed a medley of 12 songs from her self-titled album. One of the highlights of her show occurred when she used lines from a monologue by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Kenyan author, in order talk about feminism. Following her performance, Beyoncé received her well-earned Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award as her husband, Jay Z, along with 2-year-old, Blue Ivy, joined her in closing the ceremony with a remarkable speech.

1. Kimye Puts a Ring On it 

Kim Kardashian is officially Mrs. West! Over the past few months various news outlets are sharing photos of the opulent wedding; we learned that the iconic couple was wed at a 16th Century castle in Florence, Italy, and later honeymooned in Ireland. From the high fashion dresses to the European atmosphere, this was a wedding fit for any power couple!