the only cold and flu liquid gel that's max-strength and fights mucus. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. all right. take a look at that. you are looking at the largest cargo ship ever to visit the united states called the benjamin franklin launched from a chinese shipyard last month. and it arrived at the port of oakland, california, yesterday. this thing is a quarter mile long, longer than four football fields or even the empire state building laid on its side. it's going to make regular deliveries from china to the u.s. west coast. >> wow. >> if you can believe it. >> just made the clearance there. another rare sight yesterday involving a giant vehicle played out at the minneapolis st. paul international airport. >> the pilot of a delta air lines flight made the nearly unprecedented decision to make a u-turn on the tarmac. isn't that unbelievable?

he returned to the gate. wait till you hear why he did it. here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: one of the most important flights of their lives, and the short family was about to miss it. >> i was just crying. >> reporter: they were traveling recently from phoenix to minneapolis. but their flight was late, and time to catch their connection to memphis ran out. the plane pushed back without them. >> the tower wasn't going to have them pull back in and my sisters and my mom were sitting there in tears and i'm sitting there screaming through the glass. >> reporter: that's when the captain saw the family. he radioed in and found out they were upset, because, for them, missing the flight meant missing their father's funeral. >> it would've been sad not saying good-bye. >> reporter: that captain, adam cohen, then made an extraordinarily rare decision to come back. "it was something we needed to do," he says. "this is something we'll take with us, knowing we made a difference." the family says cohen's gesture made all the difference. they arrived in memphis in time to say good-bye. >> it's very rare, someone stops and does something so kind and we need more people like them in

this world. >> reporter: an uncommon act of common decency. clayton sandell, abc news, denver. they would not have made it. that was the last flight of the day. >> incredible. >> kudos to delta for that. next out with the old and in with the new. >> but before we say good-bye to 2015, we're going to take a look back at some of the year's biggest events to make the headlines. what do you think was the biggest story of the year? you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now"

♪ >> this is our favorite. because as millions of americans -- oh, look. as millions of americans do what

we just did, ring in 2016, we here at "world news now" would like to take a few moments to ring out 2015. >> what a year it has been for news. we've seen everything from natural disasters to terror attacks and from racial unrest to one of the most divisive presidential races in recent memory. >> a 7.8 earthquake centered in nepal. >> this team has brought this young man out of this building. and he is alive. >> epitome of chaos hit mt. everest. >> the airbus crashed in the french alps. >> that young co-pilot had every intention to destroy that plane. >> proof that mh-370 crashed into the indian ocean. >> prince george is now a big brother. growing outrage after a beloved lion was killed by an american dentist. >> mexico's most notorious drug dealer is also its most wanted man. >> kayla mueller now confirmed dead. >> she touched the heart of the world.

>> an attack on a train foiled by quick thinking american passengers. >> the plane with more than 200 people on board went down in egypt. >> at least a dozen people were killed today during a staff meeting at the "charlie hebdo" offices. >> the greatest refugee crisis since the second world war. >> the people are coming quicker than we can load them. >> anger, frustration. >> and chaos. >> paris under attack. >> the terrorists hit six separate locations. at least 129 killed. >> if i live in fear, they won't. >> the suspects are now cornered. >> abdel amin abboud is dead. the deadliest terror attack on our homeland since 9/11. >> several down in the conference room. >> farouq and tashfeen ma mick had made their plans to attack well in advance. >> there's been a mass shooting in southern oregon. >> this has become routine. >> and gunfire ripping through there louisiana movie theater. >> a gunman opened fire. >> police exchanging gunfire with a man inside this colorado

springs planned parenthood. >> tragedy in charleston. >> these people were in church. >> dylann roof has been caught. >> we have no room for hate. we have to forgive. >> a historic moment set in motion by the killings. thousands gathered in selma to remember that day in 1965. >> it's become a very important day in my life. >> reporter: an ugly scene in baltimore. still searching for answers after the death of 25-year-old freddie gray. >> sandra bland's death in a jail is sparking outrage. >> michael slager fires eight times at walter scott. >> he was my son. >> be on the lookout for two escapees from clinton county could be correctional facility facility. >> the massive manhunt finally over. >> an amtrak train derailed in philadelphia. >> going more than 100 miles per hour. >> the death penalty for dzhokhar tsarnaev. >> he wanted to go to hell and he's going to get there early. >> i? the defendant to the life imprisonment. >> james holmes received 12

consecutive life sentences. >> more than 25,000 firefighters battling 65 firefighters. >> this is a disaster. >> this pristine shoreline now an oily mess. >> liquid water has been found on mars. >> the pope touching down. >> the land of the free. >> i would have gone anywhere to see the pope. >> a happened shake five decades in the making. > former house speaker dennis hastert. >> guilty to a felony banking charge. >> i have been racking my brain what more could have been done. >> an 11-hour hearing about the 2012 attacks on a diplomatic post. >> another big victory for president obama's health care law. >> same-sex marriage now the law of the land. that does not mean everyone is on board. >> by whose authority? >> god's authority. >> the united states has reached historic understandinging with iran. >> what a stunning historic mistake. >> the u.s. is sending special operations forces to syria. >> this isn't a pipeline.

it's a lifeline. keystone xl pipeline would not serve the national interests. >> it was the interview heard round the world. >> for all intents and purposes, i am a woman. >> the longest-running late night show host ever taking the stage one last time. >> jon stewart signing off for the last time. >> the force has awakened. >> oed. >> for a highly anticipated film. >> it was just manual cal. ♪ -- magical. >> all right. as we said good-bye to 2015 and hello to 2016, you know where the tradition comes from to celebrate with friends and family? it's because that's supposed to be a harbinger of luck. so if you see enemies that's bad luck. i don't know what the -- >> i'm glad i got to be with good people. >> amazing viewers, great fans of this show. very happy about that. that bodes well for the year. fake confetti definitely bodes well. >> we got off to a good start

and so did you. coming up the year's most overused phrases and words. >> "the mix" and the polka are next. the leading cough liquid only provides relief for four hours, but did you know there's a product that lasts for twelve hours? try delsym® twelve hour cough liquid. its advanced formula works by immediately releasing powerful medicine that acts fast while its extended release medicine lasts for 12 hours. in fact, delsym® lasts three times longer than the leading cough liquid. for all day or all night relief, try delsym®-the #1 doctor recommended 12 hour cough liquid.

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start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. it is time for "the mix" and there are some overused words in our language. people trying to get rid of them at the university, lake superior state university, they have released this list. so. >> bit of an annual tradition. >> so is the first one. >> did you plan that. >> so is the first one. join the conversation is another overused and now banished word according to them and break the internet. those three. the thing is, these are very valuable contributions to modern vocabulary. lou would we do away with any of them? what would kim kardashian do without breaking the internet? >> i could not get through telling you that without saying so. >> quickly before we go, some

million people were in times square 0 ring in the new year. one thing you may not think about, all of the trash. how much trash do you think they have to clean up? what would you guess, phillip. >> youou know the answer? >> it's a whole bunch. >> it's a whole bunch. one square mile, 50 to 52 tons of trash. all the confetti, all the food, ought revelers literally leaving behind tons of trash. >> good work. now it's polka time. >> broadway's lyric theater with cast members of on the town m politics and foreign wars all the weather all the scores ♪ ♪ that's the world news polka >> if you're an insomniac and a good night's sleep you lack, the world news polka ♪ ♪ it's late at night you're wide awake and you're not wearing pants ♪ ♪ so grab your "world news now" mug and everybody dance hey ♪ ♪ have some fun be a pal every anchor guy and gal, do the world news polka. ♪

♪ ♪ with spf 1,000 you can lounge beneath the trees because with global warming it's a cool million degrees ♪ ♪ five whole days every week we're here with our tongues in check ♪ ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ i hear they watch us in the swamp and think that we're all right ♪ ♪ well, it sure beats croaking in the middle of the night ♪ ♪ five whole days every week we're here with our tongues in cheek and the world news polka ♪ one more time ♪ ♪ do the worldious polka. >> have a great weekend everybody.

this morning on "world news now," celebrations and terror tensions. >> from a suspected terrorist arrested in upstate new york to a threat on a big city in germany. to unprecedented security in times square. the mixed feelings as the world welcomes 2016. up in flames. the five in a high-rise hotel, fire and sploek from the building. the injuries, evacuations and investigation. holiday misery. the mississippi river at record levels. the deadly and rare wintertime flooding. the property damage and the relief in the forecast. and later, airline hero. pilot who didn't have to turn the entire plane around because he saw upset passengers in the terminal who policed his flight but did he make a u-turn and he really saved the day. it's friday, january 1st.