From Kim Jong Un to Melania Trump to Fiona the hippo -- here are the biggest winners of 2017

Whether they were ignored in the past and rocketed into the spotlight, or kept a steady incline into the headlines, 2017 shined a light on a variety of players who made it big -- either in a good way or bad.

Kim Jong Un's nuclear threats took a more deadly form in 2017, thrusting him into the international spotlight and giving him more clout on the world stage than he has seen in years as he drew the ire of President Donald Trump. Victims of sexual assault rose up and spoke out after a wave of allegations surfaced against Harvey Weinstein, creating a domino effect across the industry and beyond. Melania Trump grew in popularity throughout the year even as her husband's numbers hit new lows, and the value of Bitcoin skyrocketed as the cryptocurrency started to take a mainstream hold.

These are just some of the biggest winners of the year -- click through the slideshow below to who else had big breakthroughs this year.