At the end of each year, we all like to take a moment to reflect on the last 365 days of our lives. We think back on the chaos of our daily routine, and hopefully when we think back on the previous twelve months, the good outweighs the bad.
However, if your 2021 or even your 2020 wasn’t filled with quite as many uplifting memories as you were hoping for, that’s perfectly okay. The last two years have been nothing short of crazy. I’m sure we’re all sick and tired of the phrase, “unprecedented times” — but that’s exactly what they’ve been.
I’ve known since elementary school that no matter what, 2021 would be a big year for me. It would be the year I graduated high school and the year I began the next chapter of my life in college. Individually, we have all had highs and lows.
In 2021, there were weddings, births, break-ups, deaths, graduations, missed family reunions, proms, sporting events, and so much more. But there were also some events that we all experienced together. As a nation and as a worldwide community, there were big moments throughout 2021 that shaped us all. From politics to music to celebrity drama to protests to COVID-19 vaccines, here’s a little recap of what shaped us throughout this past year.
January 2021
Capitol riot
In what will certainly go down as a dark day in American history, radical supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on January 6th, 2021, resulting in the deaths of five people. The mob of angry protesters consisted mostly of members of white supremacist organizations who sought to overturn the results of a “rigged” election.
Despite the tragic violence that occurred that day (including the gallows built west of the Capitol to “hang Mike Pence”), former Republican Vice President Pence declared that Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 presidential election.
olivia rodrigo releases “Driver’s License” and becomes an overnight sensation
I can proudly say that I actually listened to this song at 12:01 a.m. after its midnight release and was excited to wake up the next morning to find out that I wasn’t the only one playing it on repeat. It’s crazy to think of how far Olivia Rodrigo has come in the last year, shooting through the ranks from a Disney actress to a household name, international pop star, and seven-time Grammy nominee.
Donald trump becomes the first u.s. President to be impeached twice
About a week after the violent attack on the U.S. capitol, the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on the grounds of “incitement of insurrection.” Earlier in the day on January 6th, Donald Trump gave a speech about the “fraudulent” election to a crowd of angry supporters and told them, “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Even after gallows were set up, protestors breached police perimeters, offices were looted and vandalized, and the Confederate flag was flown in the halls of the U.S. Capitol. Still, Donald Trump resisted sending in the National Guard to quell the violence. Trump was officially impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives on January 13th, 2021, but was acquitted by the Senate.
46th Presidential Inauguration
On January 20th, 2021, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States after an incredibly contentious election. The same day, Kamala Harris made history as the first ever female vice president in the history of the U.S., as well as the first woman of color to serve in the esteemed office.
February 2021
U.S. Surpasses 500,000 Deaths due to covid-19
This milestone reflected the tragedy of the pandemic and how many Americans lost parents, friends, grandparents, partners, children, and other loved ones. However, as we hit this tragic milestone, some hope was delivered with it for the future. In February 2021, vaccines became available to to teachers, nurses, and immunosuppressed members of the general public.
kim kardashian officially files for divorce from kanye west
On February 19th, 2021, Kim Kardashian officially filed for divorce from the rapper after six years of marriage and four children. The couple seems to be handling the split amicably and both filed for joint custody of North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
March 2021
Schools in nyc and la decide to open back up
After being closed for over a year, schools in more densely populated areas of the U.S. like New York City and Los Angeles decided that thanks to vaccine accessibility they would be able to open up again in the fall.
shootings in Dallas nightclub, atlanta spas, colorado, and virginia beach
There were several shootings throughout the month of March all across the U.S. The Dallas nightclub shooting left one 21-year-old woman dead and seven injured after a man got into a fight with another clubber and opened fire. The Atlanta Spas shootings were a shooting spree across three different spas in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian women.
The shooter described his horrible actions as the result of a sex addiction that conflicted with his religious beliefs, and his fetishization of Asian women led him to target innocent spa employees. The Colorado shooting was a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado that led to the deaths of ten people at a local supermarket. Finally, the Virginia Beach shooting was another mass shooting tragedy that killed twelve people and wounded four.
april 2021
U.S. begins withdrawal of troops from afghanistan
On April 14th, 2021, President Biden announced that all U.S. and NATO forces would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11th.
may 2021
shootings in new orleans, idaho, colorado springs, chicago
There were two shootings in New Orleans on May 3rd that killed two people and left five injured. In Idaho, a 12-year-old girl shot three people in her school and was arrested, but luckily all three of the wounded survived. On May 9th, a shooting at a Colorado Springs birthday party left at least six dead and on May 15th a Chicago shooting killed two and wounded three.
colonial pipeline hack leads to gas shortage
The Colonial Pipeline hack led to a temporary gas shortage, but what really led to a longer-term increase in price and the actual shortage had everyone panicking when they heard about the possibility of the temporary gas shortage. If everyone could just stay calm, it would all be just fine, guys.
olivia rodrigo releases “sour”, which breaks pretty much every record ever
Cdc announces that vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear masks or social distance indoors
june 2021
juneteenth becomes a national holiday
On June 16th, the Senate unanimously made the decision to make Juneteenth a national holiday. A bipartisan unanimous decision is truly rare in today’s political landscape, so there were causes for celebration all around.
derek chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of george floyd
A little over a year after the world watched George Floyd’s final breath, sparking protests across the world, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for second-degree murder.
July 2021
postponed 2020 summer olympics begin
After being pushed back from 2020 due to COVID-19, the 2020 Summer Olympics finally began in Tokyo, Japan on July 23rd, 2021.
violence continues across the U.S.
July was quite the month for chaos in the United States. On July 4th, 11 suspects who called themselves “militia” were arrested after an overnight standoff with police in Massachusetts. July 5th, pro golfer Gene Siller was shot and killed on a golf course in Atlanta and two more bodies were found in the bed of the suspect’s truck. July 7th, two AFT agents and a Chicago police officer were shot sitting in an undercover car. On July 16th, a police officer was killed and four others were wounded during a standoff in Texas. On July 18th, shots were heard outside Nationals’ Park baseball stadium in D.C., creating absolute chaos. At least three people were injured outside the stadium and more were injured while game attendees ran for cover after hearing the shots. Chicago saw 41 shootings that weekend, which killed at least six people and injured over 50. On July 19th, a shooting in Houston killed three and injured two. On July 26th, Seattle announced four unrelated shootings that occurred over a weekend that left three people dead and five more injured. The same day, a standoff in California killed one deputy and left another injured.
cdc changes guidelines (vaccinated people should wear masks in indoor settings)
Everyone was a little confused by the back-and-forth information being released by the CDC over the summer, but as COVID-19 cases spiked in June after their announcement in May, the CDC changed their guidelines once again to say that vaccinated people should wear masks in indoor settings. This policy was implemented by many schools and universities, including Penn State throughout the 2021 fall semester.
gun violence declared as a disaster emergency in new york
On July 6th, gun violence was declared as a disaster emergency in New York after the state saw 51 shootings in one weekend. An executive order put almost $140 million into programs that support gun violence intervention and prevention.
August 2021
taliban takes control over afghanistan
On August 15th, the Taliban entered the presidential palace in Kabul with little resistance, something that the U.S. horribly miscalculated a timeline for, assuming it would take months for the Afghan forces to retreat. Three Afghan government officials oversaw the Taliban’s claim over the palace. By the next day, the city of Kabul was filled with Taliban checkpoints. Many airports were thrown into disarray as U.S. troops as well as Afghan citizens (especially women) attempted to flee the country.
On August 18th, President Ghani emerged in the United Arab Emirates. Had he not fled Kabul and allowed the Taliban to “peacefully” take over, he more than likely would have been hung in front of the Afghan people, leading to disaster and bloodshed. Over the week following the takeover, many relatives of reporters were killed by the Taliban as they searched for the reporters who spoke out against them. The airports were incredibly chaotic as thousands tried to flee before their window of opportunity to leave Afghanistan closed. All the while, President Biden spoke about how he does not regret his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and that it “couldn’t have been handled any better,” regardless of the crisis. His approval ratings dropped rapidly.
2020 olympics come to an end
The United States came out on top with 113 medals overall as well as the most gold medals (39). The American athletes were followed by China and Japan, respectively.
September 2021
texas abortion ban stirs up controversy
On September 1st, 2021, an incredibly controversial abortion ban was enacted in Texas, banning abortions after merely six weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. For more information about this ban, click the link above.
2021 met gala
The 2021 Met Gala was held on September 13th, 2021 with the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Stars such as Rihanna, Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, and more graced the red carpet for this year’s event.
October 2021
noodle goes viral for bones/no bones days
In October, the beloved senior pug Noodle went viral for his bones vs. no bones days. What a time to be alive.
penn state and illinois make ncaa history for the longest college football game
Yeah…those nine overtimes hurt. Every second of them.
November 2021
taylor swift releases “red (Taylor’s version)”
It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well.
tragedy strikes at astroworld concert
The death count is officially up to ten from Travis Scott’s deadly concert, with one of the deaths being that of a nine-year-old boy. The crowd crush was described as a desperate, panicked, unstoppable movement of bodies surging from the back to the front with no regard for those in the front quite literally being trampled over. It is said to have stemmed from a massive crowd-control problem (there could have been 200,000+ people in a venue made for 50,000) as well as the “crazy energy” of the concert.
No matter what, this preventable tragedy struck a chord with many people who identified with the poor concertgoers who planned to have a fun night at a music festival and never returned home. Hundreds were left injured by the event and Travis Scott’s career has taken quite the blow.
britney spears is freed from her conservatorship
It’s Britney, bitch. After months of Free Britney protests and an intense legal battle, Britney Spears is finally free to live how she wants to live.
taylor lautner gets engaged
A moment of silence for all my Team Jacob girls. On the bright side there will officially be two Taylor Lautners in the world and honestly what could be better than that?
December 2021
six amazon workers are killed in a tornado in illinois
Unfortunately, tragedy struck as a tornado tore through an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. Six Amazon employees lost their lives after “not being allowed to leave,” according to texts from Larry Virden to his girlfriend sent only sixteen minutes before the tornado struck down, killing the U.S. veteran and father of four.
time magazine declares its people of the year
Elon Musk took home Time’s overall “2021 Person of the Year,” Simone Biles was named “Athlete of the Year,” and Olivia Rodrigo became “Entertainer of the Year.”
steven spielberg’s “West side story” hits the theaters
The blockbuster film marks rising star Rachel Zegler’s big screen debut and has already been nominated for eleven Critic’s Choice Awards and four Golden Globes.
Kim kardashian passes the bar exam
And honestly, good for her. Passing the bar exam is no easy feat.
2022
You did it! You made it through this crazy year despite all of the ups and downs that came with it. I hope you have a very happy winter break, a wonderful holiday, and an incredible 2022. See you next year!