On January 21, 2017, the very day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the largest public protest in American history took place. Upwards of 3 million Americans rallied in the streets of major cities including Atlanta, Washington, Los Angeles and many more–but it did not end there: protests cropped up internationally as a sign of solidarity. The protests lasted for the entire day and overshadowed the previous day’s relatively small inauguration turnout, which has been a point of contention for the President for the better part of the last year. After a full year to the day, yet another large-scale protest was held all across the globe, this time as a sort of victory lap for the movement sparked by the initial protest.

As we look back on 2017 and forward to 2018, it is absolutely impossible to pass over the massive cultural impact of these large scale protests. Dubbed “riots” by opposers, they nevertheless began a conversation within America that had long since been left to the wayside. One of the major effects, at least as far as speculation goes, is that women began to feel far more empowered, which most likely had a hand in the ultra-massive #MeToo movement that saw women (and some men as well) in various positions in the public eye coming forward about instances of sexual harassment and assault they had experienced and kept quiet about for one reason or another.

This in particular is undeniably one of the largest events of the past year and will most likely have ripples that reach outward for years to come. While it may not have been directly caused by the Women’s March, the public protests have also left an indelible mark on history and, with the recent occurrence of the Women’s March of 2018, there may be even more on the horizon. However, there is an entire year left before anything concrete can be examined.