Top 10 Anticipated Events of 2016

The Super Bowl is always a big deal for Americans. Super Bowl XLIX (49) set American television records with 114.4 million viewers, but we expect even more to tune in this year for the event’s fiftieth anniversary. The first Super Bowl to use Arabic numerals instead of Roman, Super Bowl 50 will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 7th, 2016, featuring Coldplay at the Halftime Show, where they will bring their inspirational arena-rock to the masses even more. Events surrounding the game include the annual Super Bowl City and the weeklong NFL Experience at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. With more than one million people expected in the Bay area at the time, this Super Bowl will likely be one of the biggest ones yet.

On May 9th, 2016 Mercury will make a full transit across the sun, marking the first time the event has occurred since 2006. First observed in 1631, Mercury will appear as a tiny black dot on the surface of the Sun as the planet comes between the star and the Earth. Those of you in South America, Eastern North America, and Western Europe will be treated to a full transit - while the rest of the world will have to settle for a partial one, meaning that Mercury won't appear to travel the whole diameter of the Sun. Better dig up your handy solar-filtered telescope!

Another traditional pastime, the Academy Awards – which celebrate and honor the arts and sciences of motion pictures - are always popular, with 2015’s broadcast bringing in over 37 million viewers. Taking place on February 28 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, the 2016 Oscar awards ceremony will be hosted by comedian Chris Rock for the second time. After mixed reviews surrounding last year’s broadcast, new producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin were brought in to hopefully make this year’s broadcast a little less of a bore. Be sure to get your betting pools ready, because this should be a good one.

2016 is looking to be a great year for the insanely rich. Russian company Orbitol Technologies is finally opening the very first hotel in space, located on the Commercial Space Station over 210 miles above Earth. Potential visitors will get to the station via a Russian Soyuz rocket, which is a journey that will take about 24 hours. The hotel will come fully equipped with comfortable beds, showers, and even gourmet food, all for the affordable price of $1 million. We better start saving.

Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5th, 2011, the Juno spacecraft is finally expected to approach Jupiter on July 4th, 2016. The probe is set to circle Jupiter's orbit, studying the planet's gravity, its polar magnetosphere, and even the composition of Jupiter itself. Looking to answer long-standing questions such as how the planet formed and how much water is present, the Juno probe’s arrival is something to look forward to for all astronomers and anyone with an interest in our solar neighbours.

2016 is shaping up to be a great year for superhero films, with the releases ofanticipated movies like “Deadpool,” “Captain America: Civil War,” and “Suicide Squad,” but it's “Batman vs. Superman” that we're most excited about. The movie stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as the titular superheroes who are set to square off, with an all-star cast backing them up and acclaimed director Zack Snyder behind the camera. As if the intense action scenes as shown in the trailer aren't enough, the flick will also feature the first live-action appearances of Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman. Consider us excited.

While Americans enjoy their Super Bowl earlier in the year, Europeans will get to enjoy a quality soccer competition around mid-2016. Oh, sorry, we meant football. France has the honor of hosting the 15th edition of the UEFA European Championships, which will pit various countries against each other in a similar manner to the FIFA World Cup. Running from June to July, the UEFA Euro 2016 sees Spain looking to defend the title from 23 other competing teams, an expansion from the usual 16 teams that the tournament has employed since 1996. With ten beautiful venues in ten beautiful cities, these games are looking to be better than ever.

Sure, it may look a little goofy, but who isn’t excited about the prospect of virtual reality gaming becoming mainstream? Developed by American company Oculus VR, the Oculus Rift looks to be the first widely available virtual reality headset. Games are being made specifically for the Rift, but there are also plans to port various existing first person games onto the device for a more immersive experience. The headset will also include “Oculus Cinema,” an app that can be used to view movies in a virtual cinema environment. So it’ll be perfect for gamers and non-gamers alike.

2016 will be the next year that Americans appoint a new leader. After serving for two consecutive terms, president Barack Obama will be forced to step down from his position while other candidates, notably Hillary Clinton, Ben Carson, and even controversial figure Donald Trump, look to fill his seat in the Oval Office. Thus far, the debates have been exciting, to say the least. November 8th, 2016 is sure to mark another life-changing transition after American history was made in 2008.

Before we hype you up with our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
First Flight of SpaceX’s Manned Spacecraft Dragon V2
San Diego Comic-Con International 2016
Pokémon GO
The Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope Is Completed

Also known as Rio 2016, the 2016 Summer Olympics will find the world looking towards Rio de Janeiro for a multi-sport event in which athletes from all across the world will compete to see who exactly is the best of the best. Announced back in 2009, Brazil’s Rio will become the first South American city to ever host the Summer Olympics, which are taking place from August 5-21. As they will feature more than 10,500 athletes competing in 28 sports, we can’t wait for Rio to receive the torch and continue one of the world's oldest traditions.

Do you agree with our list? What event are you most looking forward to in2016? For more futuristic top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.