Layna Transue, Freshman
3….2….1..Happy New Year! 2020 is gonna be our year! At least, that's what everyone wanted it to be. Instead, the world was tortured with tragedy after tragedy. All in all, 2020 will go down in history, just not in the way many assumed.
The end to the 10's began with the threat of war with Iran after an American drone strike assassinated Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. After the events were revealed to the public, theories began appearing immediately. Many feared for the beginnings of World War 3, while others brushed it off. While tensions between Iran and the USA did rise drastically after the general's death, a war between the countries did not start afterward. Weeks later, beloved basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter, as well as two other families, were killed in a devastating helicopter crash. The world mourned the tragic death, sports fans, and non-sports fans, alike. Bryant left behind a wife and daughters as well as a legacy that many people honor every time they yell 'KOBE' before throwing something into a bin/net.
A month later, President Donald Trump was acquitted in a 48-52 vote in the Senate. On December 18th, 2019 the House of Representatives impeached President Trump after an inquiry by the House on allegations that Trump had foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election to help his reelection. 48 democrats in the Senate voted for the conviction of two charges: Abuse of power and Obstruction of Congress, both adopted by the House. Trump was acquitted after a vote of 52 Republicans voted against his conviction. Almost an entire later, in 2021, Democrats are preparing an impeachment charge against the President for the second time.
In March, the entire world shut down. COVID-19 had entered the news long before March, with the first cases appearing in China in 2019. Most of the world went into lockdown in early March. Restaurants and fast-food places shut down indoor dining while schools gave their students an extended spring break. At the time of the initial lockdown, almost everyone assumed that after the two weeks were over everything would go back to normal. How wrong that was! Students didn't get back to school until almost 7 months later. Masks and social distancing guidelines were enforced. The United States became the number one country in the world for COVID-19 cases. Thousands of Americans tested positive for the virus every day with no decline in cases for months. While the new vaccine should decrease cases, it won't be released to the general public until late spring, early summer of 2021. For now, practicing guidelines and staying home as much as possible are the only options.
April, for the most part, didn't contain any internationally impactful moments. Covid continued to rampage the world as more and more countries entered states of emergency. The stock market was predicted to drop significantly, the worst drop since 2008. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential election and endorsed former rival, Joe Biden. Compared to the rest of the year, April was calm.
Murder hornets were first spotted in the US in May. Murder hornets are an invasive species that target the already dying population of bees in America. At over 2 inches long, the insects terrified society with their intimidating size and name. Weeks later, George Floyd's death sparked hundreds of Black Lives Matter protests. While 93% of protests stayed peaceful, 7% became violent. Dozens of protestors were arrested and tear gassed by police. The protests continued for many months afterward, a political war inciting from the differing opinions on the situation. Tensions rose between Black Lives Matter protestors and Blue Lives Matter supporters, creating another divide in the US.
June brought more Black Lives Matter protests and Coronavirus updates. Countries began second lockdowns as cases began rising again after a short declining period. Locusts also began to swarm India. Locusts are grasshopper- like insects with extreme flight abilities. They cause major damage to crops and travels in packs of up to a million. Like April, June didn't bring any new internationally impactful.
While July brought even more Covid news, the threat of the Bubonic Plague also circulated. A case of the Bubonic Plague was reported in Mongolia. It entered a level 3, the highest level, of plague prevention after the report. While seemingly extinct, the Bubonic Plague is reported in an average of 7 people per year, usually infecting those between the ages of 12 and 45. The case did not lead to any other infections in Mongolia.
Joe Biden announced his running mate Kamala Harris in August. Protests continued to move forward with more injured protestors by the day. In lighter news, the infamous song "WAP" was released by Cardi B feat Megan Thee Stallion on August 7th. The song became a favorite for many, inspiring Tik Tok dances and memes. While parents seemed to disapprove of the vulgar song, teenagers and young adults alike continued to blast the song wherever they went.
September began with the 100th day of protests following George Floyd's death. It also brought the death of beloved Supreme Court of the United States Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After her death, President Trump announced his plans to nominate Amy Coney Barret to fill her space on the supreme court. President Trump and Joe Biden had their first presidential debate. Many people, both democrats and republicans, were disappointed with how the two candidates acted. New rules were set in place for the second debate, but President Trump opted out of participating due to the online aspect.
Both October and November brought lots of violence. A missile strike in Azeri killed 21 people and left many people injured. Armenia was accused of the strike but the country has denied the accusations. A Saudi ceremony honoring Remembrance Day was the victim of a bombing leaving two government officials injured. Election day in the US brought even more tension on every citizen's shoulders as Americans of every age constantly refreshed the election map and glued their eyes to the news. The stress and waiting lasted weeks before any hope of an end was finally brought to light in December as states officially submitted their electoral college votes.
Finally, December arrived! COVID-19 vaccines were given on live television to public officials before being allotted to nurses and other front line workers. The election was officially over with 306-232 electoral votes in Joe Biden's favor. People, internationally, celebrated the end of one of the worst years for many people.
The end of 2020 brought hope that 2021 would be better. No one knows what the new year might bring, but after the dumpster fire that was 2020, how could it be any worse?
Works Cited
Infoplease, Infoplease, www.infoplease.com/.
“On This Day - Today in History, Film, Music and Sport.” OnThisDay.com, www.onthisday.com/.
byPSDgraphics.com, Posted.
“Year 2020 in Flames PSD.” PSD Graphics, 12 Nov. 2019, www.psdgraphics.com/graphics/year-2020-in-flames-psd/.
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