2015—the year Marty McFly and Doc Brown travelled to in the sequel of Back to the Future in 1989. Our year was probably no match to Robert Zemeckis’ version—no flying cars or hoverboards; well almost. Our tech section may tell you otherwise—but here is what made the headlines this year.

Love wins

In a historic court ruling, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favour of same-sex marriages on June 26. Five out of nine court justices determined the right to equality in the Obergefell v Hodges case. With the court’s ruling—a triumph for gay rights movement in the country—the US became the latest country to join the circle that legalised gay marriages. Other nations include Finland, Brazil, New Zealand, England and Wales and the Netherlands.

Hello, Pluto

NASA’s spacecraft New Horizons made its historic flypast of Pluto on July 14 after blasting off in January 2006. The fastest launch recorded, reaching speeds of more than 36,000 miles per hour, the spacecraft took pictures of Pluto and its largest moon Charon. In the first 24 hours after its flypast, NASA received images that revealed that Pluto is slightly larger than thought. The sensors on the spacecraft also detected a nitrogen atmosphere. The spacecraft, which carries the ashes of the late Clyde Tombaugh who discovered the lonely dwarf planet in 1930, is now headed further into the Kuiper Belt. The fuel is designed to last until the late 2020s or even beyond.

International Yoga Day: more unrest than peace?

The UN General Assembly adopted International Yoga Day and gave the 5,000-year-old practice a global status on June 21. An initiative by Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi, the event was successfully observed by many countries.But as people rolled out their mats, controversy brewed around the UN and the Indian government’s support for yoga. Accusations of pushing a Hindu agenda led to a fierce debate between political and religious leaders.

Water on the red planet

NASA announced that they found evidence of liquid water on the surface of Mars in October. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft detected hydrated salt minerals on slopes where darkish streaks are seen. The brine found on the steep slopes is the strongest evidence yet of water flowing on the planet. Although the scientists are unsure where the water comes from, the discovery raises the chances of finding some form of Martian life.

The historic COP 21

The 21stsession of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) received a lot of media attention around the globe. For the first time, in more than 20 years of UN negotiations, the conference held in Paris aimed to achieve a legally binding agreement from all the nations of the world. After two weeks of tense negotiations, the conference reached an agreement that was dubbed as “historic, durable and ambitious”. The participating 195 countries had agreed to the final global pact—to reduce their carbon output and to keep global warming to below two degree Celsius.

Terror strikes Paris

Early in the year, two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi—identified as gunmen belonging to the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen—attacked the office Charlie Hebdo, a weekly French satirical newspaper. The open fire in the office killed 11 people and injured 11 others. As the police continued the search the following day, one of the gunmen shot dead a policewoman before fleeing the scene. The three-day massacre began at the office in Paris on January 7 and ended with a police operation and two sieges.

In November, terror shook the capital of France again when gunmen and suicide bombers hit a stadium, multiple restaurants and bars and a concert hall. The ISIS-co-ordinated attacks claimed the lives of 130 people and left more than a 100 wounded or in a critical condition.

Nepal earthquake

In the worst natural disaster to strike the country, a massive earthquake shook Nepal in April killing more than 9,000 people. Two weeks later, dozens died when a new tremor near Mount Everest triggered a landslide. Before the country could recover from the shock, another catastrophic quake—tremors of which were felt in Bangladesh, China and many states in India—caused mass panic and more landslides. Months later, thousands are still struggling to return to normal lives from the widespread destruction.