Was it an intellectual tipping point? New concepts in politics, technology, healthcare and house building might have a lasting impact on society.
Review of the year: the big ideas
Bright sparks?: The election of right-wing figures such as Donald Trump has boosted the success of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Glossary
Elite - The richest, most powerful, best-educated or best-trained members of society.
Tariffs - A form of tax on imports.
Populist - The term comes from the People's Party, which operated in the USA in the 1890s. Now, it is often used to refer to any movement that makes a distinction between the "people" and the corrupt "establishment".
Cryptocurrency - A digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralised system using cryptography, rather than by a centralised authority.
Nuclear energy - The use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. It produces nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions.
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
Data centres - A large group of computer servers used by organisations to store, process and distribute very large amounts of data.