Many entered the “roaring twenties” with high hopes for a great decade that would surpass everyone’s expectations with success and blessings. The year did, in fact, surpass everyone’s expectations. It is hard to believe that March is only three months away and my brain is still trying to process last March. 2020 exuded qualities of chaos, confusion, unpredictability and timelessness. This year managed to feel like 10 years and it is hard to believe many of the central events of 2020 happened this year.
Many people have become numb to outrageous news this year to the extent that 2020 has become its own genre of news. Some of this news fits perfectly with the energy of 2020.
- A Literal Pandemic
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It would not be 2020 without a deathly pandemic to set the standard. This virus resulted in mass unemployment and over 1.5 million deaths globally— not to mention, its impact on the sales of Corona beer. The United States’ unemployment rate hit the highest it has ever been since the Great Depression. COVID-19 switched the way we worked, went to school, and met with others. Without coronavirus, 2020 just would not be 2020.
- World War 3
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2020 started with a bang. It set some high expectations for the year. In the very beginning of January, the United States dropped bombs in Iraq and killed Iranian General Qassim Suleimani. Only two days into the year, the nation feared for another world war, which resulted in some hilarious TikToks about being drafted to fight in it. But, the year already started on a sour note.
- Murder Hornets
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As if the year needed more threats to mankind, murder hornets were found in the United States. It was only one of the many tumultuous events that occurred during the beginning of the lockdown.
- Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant’s deaths
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The world stopped on January 26 when the news came out that former NBA player, Kobe Bryant, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, died in a helicopter accident. The news did not just shake the basketball community, it shook the world. We saw an outpouring of love for the NBA superstar and family after his unexpected death. The NBA took actions in ways to commemorate his impact on the game and his legacy.
- Our World was on fire
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Over 50,000 wildfires occurred worldwide in 2020, with over 9.5 million acres desolated from the fires. Our globe was literally in flames; the fires stretched from California, to the Arctic, Brazil, Indonesia, Siberia, and Australia,
- The Sky looked like this
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As a result of these fires, the sky looked like the setting of an apocalypse movie. It affected the sky in Oregon and California. It really looked like the end of time.
- Drake Campana
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This is, by far, one of the most bizarre pieces of news we received this year. We learned that Drake and Josh’s lead actor— formerly known as Drake Bell— moved to Mexico, changed his name to Drake Campana, speaks fluent Spanish, and creates music and content in Spanish. If there was a year for this to happen, it would be 2020.
Campana is the Spanish word for bell. You can connect those dots.
- Chadwick Boseman
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Chadwick Boseman, our Black Panther, also was one of the victims of 2020. His unexpected death left so many shocked. Boseman’s silent battle with colon cancer came to the surprise of all his fans. Many actors paid tribute to the late actor and superhero since his death on August 28.
- Trump got Impeached
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Trump’s impeachment feels like it was years ago, but the trials in the Senate began in January. Trump became the third president of the United States to be impeached.
- Kim Jon Un Entered the Gulag
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This event feels bizarre when looking back. Towards the beginning of the lockdown, rumors spread that North Korean Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, had died. For days, everyone believed that Jong-Un had really died, and then he made an appearance to prove the rumors wrong. But, imagining Jong-Un battling other dictators in the gulag to come back to life is funny to think about.
- Protests for Black Lives Matter
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America finally had its “awakening” to systematic racism in the nation. After the brutal murder of George Floyd in May, protests across the country— and in other countries— sparked against police brutality. Police brutality has a long history in the United States, especially against the black community. Unfortunately, it had to come to the point where people had to witness a video of another innocent black man dying at the hands of the blue uniform in order to believe that it exists. It is a pro and a con; it is great that people are finally acknowledging this issue, but it came at the expense of the life of another innocent man. America had their awakening to, not just the murder of George Floyd, but to the deaths of hundreds of other innocent black men and women.
- Remy the Ratatouille
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One of the more lighthearted events of the year is the birth of the Ratatouille musical. Gen Z’s quarantine brain bursted with creativity and creators made music, lyrics, and choreography for a made-up musical about the beloved childhood film, Ratatouille. It all started with a song about Remy the Rat and it spiraled from there. What is most surprising is the mere scale of this Ratatouille movement. This made national news and Playbill posted a fake playbill for the show. A Broadway producer even went on the app and announced that he is considering making this a real musical.
- Anonymous Twitter Hacks
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Although the mask and voice are terrifying, Anonymous (@yourAnonNews) tackles issues that many people are against: Trump and racism. “The Purge”-style figure directly challenged and exposed the Minnesota Police Department after the murder of George Floyd and threatened to expose more dirt on Trump.
- Death of Icons
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Aside from the deaths of icons like Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman, we lost numerous important and amazing figures this year. We lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, Naya Rivera, Alex Trebek, Pop Smoke, Eddit Van Halen, Nick Cordero, Katherina Johnson, Johnny Nash, and dozens more. So many notable figures have passed on this year, but their various legacies remain.
- Elon Musk naming his kid XÆA-12
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Mid-quarantine, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Grimes had their first robot— I mean child. This is one of the more lighthearted events of the year that led to fantastic and original memes and TikToks. This name is bizarre and if there is a place for it, that place is 2020.
- Covid -19 protests
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Protesting a….pandemic? Yes. People did do that. I understand how annoying this pandemic is, but, personally, I do not think protesting will make it go away. No matter how much these protestors raise their voice, I don’t think COVID-19 will listen.
- TikTok simping for Chris Cuomo
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After days of staring at the news during election week, TikTok simped for CNN journalist, Chris Cuomo— and they simped hard.
- Beirut explosion
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An explosion in Beirut, LB on August 4 left over 200 dead, 6,500 injured, and over 300,000 homeless. The blast was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and the exact cause for the explosion is still not discovered.
- Trump got pranked by Gen Z
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Remember when TikTok almost got banned? No, not that time; the other time. Trump almost succeeded at banning TikTok in the United States due to “security issues”. But, there was also another reason: he got pranked by Generation Z. TikToks went viral for suggesting viewers to reserve tickets for Trump’s rally in Tulsa, OK (that were held in the middle of the pandemic) and have no intention to go. They did just that and the Trump Campaign was confused. Online, more than 1 million people expressed interest in the rally, but only about 6,000 people were actually in attendance. Yes, Gen Z. We did that.
- Kardashians ended
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Similar to this list, the Keeping up with the Kardashians is also ending. In September, the show announced that, after 20 seasons, it would be ending. The show has been running since 2007— over 13 years ago!
Regardless of the hope that we have that 2021 will be better, we must acknowledge that the storm is not over. Many of the issues that occurred in 2020 will push over and impact 2021. Once that clock hits midnight on January 1st, there will be no rainbow, the virus will not disappear, the fires will not stop burning, and the major disasters will not stop. However, 2020 has acted as a major lesson for many of us: despite all these events occurring in the world around us, we must keep growing, learning, and adjusting. Here is to another— hopefully less traumatic— year.