Itβs World Emoji Day, which means itβs time to celebrate the tiny images that make our world go round.
While my personal petition for a ranch dressing bottle emoji still continues, there are more than enough of the pictographic symbols to communicate a wide range of emotions for our current day and age.
Happy? Thereβs an emoji for that π.
Sad? Thereβs an emoji for that π.
Dancing boys in bunny ears? Of course thereβs an emoji for that π―ββοΈ.
How else am I able to communicate that I am gay and from the Prairies if not by putting (πΎπ) in my Twitter bio? We use emojis to flirt (πππ), to pray (π) and even to tell our friends when their selfies are fire (π₯). Itβs become its own language β a new way of communicating that is neither words nor text. Itβs just emotions.
To celebrate a momentous day like this, here are some of the biggest stories of 2019, as told through emoji.
Kawhi Leonardβs game-winning shot
βΉπΎββοΈππβ±4οΈβ£πβ¦.πβ¦.π..πππ§Ίππ₯³π
It was the shot heard round the world. It was Game 7 of the Toronto Raptorsβ playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers with no time left on the clock. Leonard rushes around the corner, leaps, releases the ball β and after four painstaking bounces the rest was history. It was that moment that we really started to believe the Raptors could do this β and they did.
The final season of βGame of Thronesβ
π§π»πͺπ₯Άπ΅
πΈπ»π·
π©πΌπππ₯π₯π₯π₯π₯πΈπΌ
π¨π»βπ¦±π‘πΈ
π€΄π»
πΊπ€¬π€¬π€¬π€¬
The finale season of HBOβs fantasy television show was as divisive as it was world-ensnaring. There were highs, there were lows, and there were a lot of angry people calling for a complete rewrite. There was also a lot of dragon fire burning cities down.
βAvengers: Endgameβ
ππππ§‘πβ€οΈππ...ππ¨
π¨π»π±π»ββοΈπ©π»βπ¦°π§π€’
ππ₯β³ππ€πΉπ
π§ββοΈπ§ββοΈππ§ββοΈπ§ββοΈ
π§π₯π₯π₯π₯ππ₯π₯
π¨π»πππ§‘πβ€οΈππβ¦.πΏπ¨
π¨π»π΅
β°οΈπ‘ π±π»ββοΈβ³
π΄π»πΊπΈπ¨πΏ
Itβs the second-highest grossing movie of all-time (and coming for you βAvatarβ) and prompted theatre sell-outs, memes and plenty of tears. If you were able to sit through the whole nearly three-hour run-time, you witnessed the end of an era. Also a lot of explosions.
The 2019 Alberta election
ππΌββοΈπ
ππ»ββοΈπ΅
π¨πΎπ΄
π΄π»π
π©πΌβ‘οΈπ
ππ»ββοΈβ‘οΈπ
π³π³π³π³π³π³π³π³
ππ»ββοΈπππ’ππ’π΅
Albertaβs 2019 election was messy, divisive and ultimately saw Jason Kenneyβs United Conservative Party unseat Rachel Notleyβs one-term New Democratic Party government. Other party leaders were there β Stephen Mandel of the Alberta Party and the Liberalβs David Khan β but this was the Kenney v. Notley show from the start. And Kenney drove his bright blue pick-up truck straight to a majority conservative government.
The 2019 Womenβs World Cup
π₯ β½οΈπ¨ ππ½ββοΈ
π§π¬ βπββπ2οΈβ£ππ»ππ»βͺοΈπ β
πΊπΈπ₯πΎπππ³οΈβπ
π°=π°
The world was enamoured last month as the best and brightest in womenβs soccer gathered in France to compete for global domination. The United States womenβs national team steamrolled the tournament, drank a lot of champagne and brought forward important conversations around equal pay. Oh yeah, and co-captain Megan Rapinoe said she wasnβt going to a certain βf**kingβ house.
The SNC-Lavalin scandal
ππ»ββοΈπ π π½ββοΈ
βοΈπ³
ππ»ββοΈππ» π π½ββοΈ
ππ»ββοΈπ π π½ββοΈ
ππ½ββοΈπ¬π°π₯ππΈ
ππ»ββοΈπ‘
π©π»βπ¦³π¬π°π₯ππΈ
π©π½π©π»β𦳠π
ππ»ββοΈπ‘
Reporting from the Globe and Mail in February revealed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pressured then-justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in a corruption and fraud case against engineering firm SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. There was a lot of back and forth, and while it seemed to end with Wilson-Raybould and fellow cabinet minister Jane Philpott quitting the Liberals to run as independents, the full repercussions of the scandal wonβt be fully felt until this fallβs federal election.
The Mueller Report
π΅πΌββοΈπ
π β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ
β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈπ β¬οΈβ¬οΈ
β¬οΈπ β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ
β¬οΈπ π β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ
β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈπ
Robert Muellerβs investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian collusion in the 2016 United States election ended with less-than-clear results, and by less-than-clear results we mean a report that was heavily redacted and blacked out, prompting a wave of high quality memes.
Storm Area 51:
ππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπ
π½π½π½β π΅ ππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπ
π½πΈπ½β ππ»ββοΈπ¨ ππ»ββππ½ββοΈπππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπππ»ββοΈ
π½π½π½β π΅ ππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπ
ππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈπππ»ββοΈππ»ββππ½ββοΈ
Apparently there are plans to storm Area 51 β a site operated by the United States government rumoured to house evidence of the existence of aliens. More than half a million Facebook users have signed up to besiege the Nevada site to βsee them aliensβ during an event in September. Will they actually? Better wait to find out.
WATCH: Emojis are being used as evidence in court cases