7 Ways the World Changed for the Better This Summer

BEYONCÉ & JAY Z WELCOMED TWINS

Music's first family grew by two on June 13, when fraternal twins Rumi and Sir Carter were born at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Beyoncé shared the breathtaking first photo of the babies one month after their birth.

In August, the pair's father revealedthe inspiration behind their names on Rap Radar. "Rumi is our favorite poet, so it was for our daughter," he shared. "Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir."

TAYLOR SWIFT RELEASED NEW MUSIC

Three years after unleashing her smash hit album, 1989, Swift finally dropped a new solo single — and what a track it was. "Look What You Made Me Do" seemingly clapped back at all of the criticisms and feuds the singer has waged over her years in the spotlight, with lines like, "I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now Why? Oh, 'cause she's dead!"

Debuting at the MTV VMAs, the video for the song caused even more of an Internet storm than the single itself. It features a host of references to Swift's headline-making moments and various eras of her image.

THE BACHELOR UNIVERSE GOT ITS FIRST BLACK STAR

The Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay became the first black lead in the ABC franchise's 15-year history.

"I really do [feel pressure], because I know all eyes are on me," Lindsay told PEOPLE ahead of her season's debut. "They're on me because I'm something new and different that they haven't seen in this franchise before. With that, everyone's going to have an opinion… There's going to be a lot of judgment, and I can't please everyone, I thought to myself, 'Do I really want to do that? Do I want to take on that challenge?' — and I'm not one to run away from a challenge, so why not challenge myself and have the opportunity to get exactly what it is that I want for myself?"

"Just being the first, setting a standard — all eyes are on you. You know they're watching you,” she continued. "Not just as a woman, not just as a black woman, but as a professional woman, as an older woman. I'm the oldest Bachelorette that there’s been. All eyes are on me for a lot of different reasons."

Lindsay got engaged to winner Bryan Abasolo on the Aug. 8 finale.

KIM KARDASHIAN WEST LAUNCHED HER BEAUTY LINE

There is a new beauty mogul in the Kardashian/Jenner family, and thanks to her, we're all looking that much more chiseled. The reality star launched KKW Beauty in June with the release of her highly anticipatedcontouring kits.

Despite some growing pains (West was chastised for her lack of swatching skills after announcing her powder kits), the line is already primed to be a massive success: the kits brought in an estimated $14.4 million when they sold out after their first release.

"I've learned so much," Kardashian West said of her new venture at makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic's masterclass in N.Y.C. "I did learn what my space in the beauty world is — it's that my [products] are super blendable and user-friendly and really easy for someone that's not a makeup artist."

WONDER WOMAN CHANGED THE SUPERHERO MOVIE GAME

The Gal Gadot-starring DC origin story arrived in theaters on June 2. Not only was it a hit with critics as one of the best-reviewed superhero films of all time, Wonder Woman also managed to smash records at the box office.

An estimated $100.5 million opening weekendmeant it had the highest domestic opening ever for a female director (Patty Jenkins). By the end of June, it had earned the title of highest-grossing live-action filmdirected by a woman, and in August, it crossed the $800 million milestone for worldwide gross.

"There is something about this movie that felt like it was speaking to [women] more than they had seen before because of the point of view being slightly different," Jenkins told Entertainment Tonight. "I think that has been remarkable."

Wonder Woman 2 is slated to hit theaters in December 2019.

LORDE RELEASED NEW MUSIC

Lorde made her grand return almost four years after the release of her debut album. Her new work, Melodrama was gifted onto the world June 16. "That felt like a kid. This feels like a young woman. I can hear the difference," the singer told Rolling Stone about her new musical era.

We've pretty much been hooked on the new album since hearing the first single, "Green Light," and Lorde has been making us fall deeper in love with her in various other ways this summer, for instance, admitting she ran an Instagram account dedicated to reviewing onion rings and performing an interpretive dance in lieu of singing at the VMAs.

TIFFANY HADDISH BECAME A STAR

Released July 21, Girls Trip became 2017's first live-action comedy to gross more than $100 million while skyrocketing one of its four leads to stardom.

Haddish's breakout role won our hearts and laughs, and we haven't been able to get enough of her since the credits rolled. Luckily, we have her new comedy album, She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood, and her hilarious TV appearances to hold us over until her next big role.

Recognition was a long time coming for the 37-year-old, who was raised in the foster care system and experienced periods of homelessness.

"It's what I've been working for for 19 years now. Just really been putting in all this work and the fruits of my labor are really starting to show," she told PEOPLE. "This is, I have to say, one of the happiest moments of my life."