“Annus mirabilis” literally means a wonderful year.
It now means any year which the speaker regards as especially outstanding, notable.
But, in England particularly, the term refers to the year 1666, the year that marked two notable events: a victory over the Dutch fleet and, in September, the great London fire in which a large part of the city was destroyed.
Both events were commemorated in a poem by John Dryden having the title “Annus Mirabilis.”
