Hello, new year! 2025 is in the rear-view mirror and we look with hope to what will come in 2026.
A lot happened in the past 12 months. We started with wildfires in California and ended with a cold snap across most of the nation. We had 5 hurricanes, but remarkably, none of them made landfall in Florida. The last time that happened was a stretch from 2006 to 2015.
We started the year mourning the death of President Jimmy Carter and inaugurating President Donald Trump for the second time. Incredibly, we may end the year with peace, albeit strained, in both Gaza and Ukraine, for the first time since 2014. Time will tell.
2025 marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Continental Army and the Continental Navy, the two precursors to our current military branches. This year, July 4th will be extra special, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the ratifying of the Declaration of Independence. Our nation is 250 years old!
Four hundred years ago, the Dutch West India Company bought the land where New York City now sits from the natives who had inhabited the land for an even longer time before.
It’s hard to imagine, but this year marks the 25th anniversary of September 11th. 2,977 people died on that day, the worst ever attack on American soil. Countless others were injured and/or died in the aftermath as we helped each other and worked to rescue people and clean up at ground zero.
Expect a busy political cycle this year, as all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, along with 35 of the 100 Senate seats in 2026’s midterms. But that’s far from all…
Sports
On Sunday, February 8, 2026, the two best football teams in the nation will face off in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament final will be decided on the courts of the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in March.
This past year, 12 stadiums in the United States, from June 14 to July 13 hosted the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup. In June, we co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Canada and Mexico. The final teams will square off again at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Across the globe, in Northern Italy, the 2026 Winter Olympic games will last for most of the month of February.
Pop Culture
In March, the 98th Academy Awards, honoring the best in films released in 2025, will take over the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and air for the first time on YouTube rather than network television.
April first will mark the 50th anniversary of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne launching the Apple Computer Company in Job’s parents’ garage.
October 14th, a "bear of very little brain" will celebrate his 100th birthday – in the Hundred Acre Woods, Christopher Robin and the gang will throw a bash for Winnie the Pooh. And we imagine Disney and several others will have some cake as they remember 100 years since the publication of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard’s cuddly creation.
Science & Nature
Real life rocket ships will turn 100 years old this year. March 16, 2026 is the centennial of the first liquid rocket launch. Robert Goddard launched his liquid powered invention from a farm in central Massachusetts. Prior to that, interspatial travel was envisioned as something shot from a large cannon. Goddard’s designs would influence rocket building across the globe, including the V2 rockets developed in World War II that would eventually be repurposed for exploratory purposes, sending Americans to the moon. 2026 marks the 56th anniversary of that landing on July 20.
And this year, Americans will return to the moon – in a way. NASA is scheduled to launch Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the Orion rocket which will perform a flyby of the moon and return to Earth. If all goes as planned, astronauts on the next Artemis mission will once again disturb the dust of the lunar body.
While it won’t be as spectacular as some of the nighttime sights of the past two years, we will see a total solar eclipse on August 12th of this year. Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain will be the best place to watch the moon completely cover the sun’s ring of fire. Most of Europe, parts of North Africa, and North America will see a partial eclipse.
Looking Ahead
Of course, there are countless other things that will happen over the next 52 weeks that we can’t anticipate. We will likely look back this time next year and be amazed and stunned by what happened and didn’t happen.
One thing you can count on – bugs on the Gulf Coast of Florida! The good news is there’s something else you can count on – Good News Pest Solutions can take care of them. Whether you invest in our Go Green Perimeter Plus, or go the extra mile to protect your home with our Term Assure 365 termite coverage, you can rely on us to provide the best, affordable, greenest pest care solutions you can find. For more details or to schedule your first appointment of the new year, please give us a call. We will be back on Monday - we’re out of the office today and closed for a special staff training on Friday.
Happy New Year! May 2026 be the year you hope it can become.