2020: Living a Black Mirror Episode

This year has been like no other. From celebrity deaths early in the year to a crazy election in November 2020 never seemed to really calm down. There have been all sorts of weird events that have ended with even weirder outcomes.

January:

In just January alone, a lot, emphasis on the lot, happened! The Australian wildfires that started in September of 2019 continued to burn a record 47 million acres and killing at least 34 people. The fires also forced many people away from their homes in the new year. On January 9th, it was announced that the Coronavirus had emerged from Wuhan, China. On January 22nd, Mr. Peanut, the Planter’s long-lasting mascot, was announced dead. The Planter’s official twitter account had tweeted he sacrificed himself in a time all of his friends needed him. On January 26th, the NBA community and world was shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of beloved NBA star, Kobe Bryant and his daughter. There were a total of nine deaths in this tragic helicopter crash.

February:

February started out with a palindrome day on the 2nd. No matter how you wrote the date, it could be read the same backward, 02/02/2020. Also on the second, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Fransisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, 31-20. Locusts swarmed East Africa which led to a national emergency. This was Africas worst locust outbreak in decades causing a threatening damage to many crops. On February 5th, President Donald Trump was acquitted on two charges to be impeached. Contrary to what many thought, this does not actually make the President leave the office. On February 6th, the first death of an American from COVID occurred. On the 24th, ex-Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein, was found guilty of criminal sexual acts and rape. His landmark case started the #MeToo movement.

March:

The Coronavirus continued to spread globally in the month of March. On the 6th, the total number of cases had officially reached 100,000. On March 11th, COVID was officially named a pandemic by the head of the World Health Organization. March 13th, widely known mainly across the entire United States, was the last day of normal in-person school. Also on the 13th, Breonna Taylor was killed in her home by police executing a no-knock warrant. Later in the year, her case would be widely publicized during protests. Tom Brady, the long-time New England Patriots quarterback officially moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 20th. To close out the month, the International Olympic Committee announced that the 2020 Olympics were postponed until the summer of 2021.

April:

Beginning April with a bang, the global number of COVID cases surpassed 1 million on the 1st. On April 15th, a boat filled with almost 400 Rohingya refugees were rescued after being stranded at sea for about two months. They were previously turned away by Malaysia before their rescue. They were rescued by Bangladesh coast guards. Many singers gathered together virtually on April 19th for the Together At Home Concert created by Lady Gaga. The money made was donated to COVID aid. There were many rumors about the infamous North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, has been deathly ill or already dead in April. The rumors ranged from Un having heart surgery that went awry to him being in a vegetative state.

May:

After a mass shooting in Nova Scotia, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, banned over 1,000 types of assault weapons. On the 5th, global COVID cases reached 3.65 million. Also on the 5th, Kim Jong Un made a public appearance, ending the rumors that he was dead. He was shown cutting a ribbon in honor of a new fertilizer factory. On May 7th, a US father and son were arrested for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery’s case was brought up in a lot of Black Lives Matter protests and speeches. Throughout May, there were many protests in Hong Kong against the Chinese government after five months of isolation. On the 25th, George Flloyd was murdered by policeman, Derek Chauvin, when he knelt on Flloyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Flloyd’s death sparked many Black Lives Matter protests and activists to stand up.

June:

Starting out the month of June with how May ended, the cop who killed George Flloyd, Derek Chauvin, had his charges upgraded to second-degree murder. The three other cops who were on the scene were arrested as well. There were Black Lives Matter protests all over the United States, but it became global when a statue of a slave trader was torn down in Bristol, England. Also on the 7th, global COVID deaths had surpassed 400,000 people. On the 10th, statues of Jefferson Davis and Christoper Columbus were torn down by protesters in Richmond, Virginia. The locusts that once swarmed and terrorized Africa had now made their way to India on the 27th. 

July:

Starting July with a bang, there were 50,000 cases reported in the US on the 1st. On July 6th, Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs signed a record deal worth 503 million dollars for 12 years. On the 15th, heavy monsoons fell on the north-east part of India, killing several people. The dam-building on the Nile River began on July 21st. On the 23rd, United States COVID cases officially reached four million. NASA launched a rover to Mars, named Perseverance, on the 30th. Ending the month in true 2020 fashion, the wildfires in California had officially begun on July 31st.

August:

As the fires continued to burn on the west coast, hurricane season began on the east coast. The first hurricane this year was Hurricane Isias, which made landfall in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina on the 3rd. On the 7th, rapper Cardi B. released a hit single “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. The song became wildly popular on TikTok and the charts. Global COVID cases hit twenty million on the 10th. On August 11th, Democratic Party nominee, Joe Biden, officially announced that Kamala Harris will be his running mate. On the 17th, UNC-Chapel Hill was the first college in the US to send students home from campus and have all online classes. Another hit single released this month on the 21st was, “Dynamite” by popular K-POP band, BTS. The video became the fastest video to ever hit 100 million views in just 24 hours. On August 23rd, the California wildfires were officially declared major disasters when two of the fires were in the top three worst fires ever.

September:

Mackenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, became the richest woman in the world worth $68 billion. Scott and Bezos got divorced in July of 2019 after he was caught cheating with Lauren Sanchez. September 5th marked 100 days of protests in Portland, Oregon while fifty people were arrested. Global COVID deaths reached 900,000 on the 9th. Still being terrorized by wildfires, skies were blanketed by smoke and almost 500,000 people were forced to evacuate in Oregon. On September 12th, Naomi Osaka won her second US Open. The following day Dominic Thiem won the men’s secession of the US Open. On the 15th, the family of Breonna Taylor was issued $12 million dollars after her death on March 13th. Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama on the 16th. After the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the 18th, President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to be her replacement on the 24th. On the 28th, COVID deaths officially reached one million while there being at least 33 million cases. The first Presidential debate was held on the 29th, and it went just as terrible as this year went.

October:

Starting the month off crazy, on the 2nd President Trump announced via Twitter that he and the first lady both had COVID. On October 7th, the 25th storm of the hurricane season made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Iga Świąte won the French Open, being the first Polish person to ever win a singles major title on the 10th. The next day Rafael Nadal won the French Open as well. Also on the 11th, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals for their 17th title. On the 20th, Vietnam suffered the worst floods in decades with over 100 people killed. On October 26th, Melbourne officially re-opened after having a three-month lockdown and no cases since June. The fires on the west coast continued after the Silverado wildfires also started on the 26th. The following day, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to be the next Supreme Court Justice. Also on the 27th, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the MLB World Series to claim their seventh World Series win. 

 

November:

On November 2nd, the widely known kid’s song, Baby Shark, became the most-watched YouTube video after surpassing 7.04 million views. The 2020 Presidential election was held on the 3rd, but the winner wasn’t declared until the 7th. On that day, Joe Biden was officially declared the winner. This made elected Vice President, Kamala Harris, the first woman to be vice president. Global COVID cases reached 50 million on the 8th. US cases reached 10 million on the 9th. Also on the 9th, 2020 was named the most active hurricane storm season with a record 27 storms after storm Theta formed. On the 15th, SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a flight to the International Space Station. Moderna’s COVID vaccine was found to be 94.5% effective on the 16th. On November 23rd, Charli D’amelio, a TikTok dancer, becomes the first person to hit 100 million followers on TikTok. 

December:

The Chinese spacecraft, Chang’e-5, landed on the moon on December 1st. On the 7th, competitive breakdancing was named an official sport in the 2024 Olympics. Also on the 7th, Coca-Cola was named the number one plastic polluter. 

202o has been an absolutely crazy year for all! Happy Holidays, happy new years, and here’s to a (hopefully) better 2021!