The year 2020 has sure been a whirlwind. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the presidential election, this year has left us wondering what absurd event is going to happen next. To reflect on everything that has happened in the past 12 months, The Weekly Talon has compiled a list of all of the major events for every month starting with last January. Enjoy!
January: Madelyn Kenney
Hong Kong Protest: The people of Hong Kong were protesting in response to the extradition bill of 2019. Millions took to the streets demanding democratic reform.
Australian Bushfire: Land that accumulated to roughly the size of South Korea was burned in Australia in uncontrollable flames. More than 3,000 homes were destroyed and at least 33 people died.
World War III Trend: The United States killed Commander of Iranian Forces Quasem Soleimani on January 3. Iran responds by firing missiles at a US base.
Earthquake in Puerto Rico: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 shakes the island to its core. Over 8000 people lost their homes in the largest earthquake Puerto Rico has seen in 102 years.
Donald Trump Impeachment Trial Begins: The trial began on January 16. He was later impeached for Abuse of Power but was not removed from office. President Trump is among two other presidents who have been impeached.
Kobe and Giana Bryant die in Helicopter Crash: The basketball star and his daughter were among the 9 lives lost in the accident on January 26.
WHO Declares COVID-19 as a Global Health Emergency: The announcement was made on January 30.
February: Madelynn Keller
Greyhound Bus Shooting: On February 3, a gunman attacked a Greyhound bus in California. The shooter killed one person and injured another five before the passengers overcame him. On that same day, a shooting occurred at Texas A&M University. The shooting happened in the residence hall, killing two women and leaving a 2-year-old child injured.
President Trump Acquitted: February 5 saw the impeachment of President Donald Trump come to an end, as he was acquitted on both articles of impeachment. President Trump is still considered impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate.
First US COVID Death: Shortly after the end of the impeachment scandal, the first American dies of the coronavirus on February 8, in Wuhan, China. February 7 and 8 were days the American citizens were being evacuated from China.
March: Madelynn Keller
March Madness
- On March 4, Japan announced it will quarantine visitors from China and South Korea due to the coronavirus. The visit of China’s president was also delayed
- That same day, Australia banned visitors from South Korea in an attempt to curb the coronavirus.
- On March 5, Italy announced it will shut down all schools for a few weeks to try and contain the coronavirus; all professional sporting events will have no fans in the stadium for the next month. Beginning of March, only 107 people have died from the Coronavirus in Italy.
- As of March 6, the total number of Coronavirus cases worldwide topped 100,000. Almost a week later, the coronavirus finally hits close to home and on March 13, North Carolina governor, Roy Cooper, announces that North Carolina schools will shut down for two weeks to curb the spread of the virus.
Tunisia Bombing: On March 6, two suicide bombers deployed bombs near the US Embassy in Tunisia. Four policemen and one civilian were injured, and one policeman died during the attack. The attack is suspected to be terrorism, but no group has claimed responsibility.
Italy in Total Lockdown: On March 20, Italy faced one of its deadliest days in the 21st century as the coronavirus kills more than 600 people.
North Korea Missile Launch: To end March with quite literally a bang, North Korea launched its sixth projectile on March 28. The US, Japan, and South Korea acknowledged its launch but have yet to release what type of projectile it actually was.
April: Sam Burcham
Coronavirus in America: After approximately a month of lockdowns, several states like Florida and Georgia opened up their parks and beaches. Around this time, protestors in Utah, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Minnesota gathered at their state’s capitol to protest the stay-at-home orders. America also hit the highest coronavirus death toll worldwide at 20,000 fatalities in April. This number marked a higher death toll than Italy.
Trump Fires Michael Atkinson: On April 4th, 2020, President Donald Trump fired Michael Atkinson. He was believed to be the whistleblower who started the impeachment process of Trump in 2019.
Gun Violence: According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 26 mass shootings in America in April of 2020.
May: Emma Green
COVID-19 Pandemic: As COVID-19 reached its fifth month in the United States and after over a month of lockdowns nationwide, national coronavirus deaths surpassed 100,000. Despite the unprecedented numbers of deaths, many states began to re-open, introducing us to the ‘new normal’. Face masks became an increasingly common sight as more people grew accustomed to this ‘new normal’.
George Floyd’s Death and The Start of The Black Lives Matter Protests: On May 25, 2020, a video was shared showing the arrest and murder of an African American man, George Floyd. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, he was pinned to the ground with the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin. There he died after repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” with no response from the officers involved. This sparked protests across the nation and highlighted long-standing issues with police brutality and systematic racism in the United States. Protesters and police clashed in a flurry of tear gas and rubber bullets in Minneapolis, accompanied by many other major cities around the country.
The Murder Hornets: Just as we thought that 2020 couldn’t get any worse, the news of ‘murder hornets’ appearing in the United States arrived. While they posed a minor threat to the human population (killing around 50 people a year), the prospect of a 2-inch long hornet existing is quite characteristic of 2020.
June: Hazel Marion
International Black Lives Matter Protests: The protests that began in May in response to George Floyd’s death continued inro June and attracted global attention. As of June 13, demonstrations had occurred in 40 countries in all continents except Antarctica.
Tulsa Rally – On June 20, President Donald Trump hosted his first public campaign rally since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ultimately, this rally was considered a failure due to much lower attendance than expected.
July: Madelyn Kenney
Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested: Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on July 2nd. The following day, she was charged for sexual crimes against underage girls after a link was found between hers and Epstein’s finances.
Got Any Spare Change? On July 27 the US Mint announced a national coin shortage as a result of an increase in online shopping activity. The US Mint has also decreased staffing in response to the pandemic.
August: Ethan Price
Beirut Explosion: On August 4th, the world was shocked by the massive explosion that occurred in Beirut, Lebanon after the accidental detonation of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate. Nearly 200 people were killed, with thousands more injured in the blast.
Democratic and Republican National Conventions Held: In the week of August 17th-24th, the Democratic and Republican parties nominated their presidential candidates in their respective national conventions. The Democratic National Convention was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where former Vice President Joe Biden and California Senator Kamala Harris were nominated as the 2020 presidential candidates. A few days later, the Republican National Convention was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, where President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were nominated for reelection. There were originally disputes over the RNC venue, with President Trump pushing for higher attendance and fewer regulations against Governor Cooper’s state mandates. The RNC was later decided to be moved to Jacksonville, Florida, but it was canceled and moved back to North Carolina after safety concerns arose.
Chadwick Boseman’s Death: On August 28th, news spread of the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, known for his role in the movie “Black Panther.” Boseman died at age 43 after a 4-year long fight with colon cancer, which he chose to keep private after his diagnosis.
Coronavirus Continues: By August 31st, there were nearly 6 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. There were also 183,000 deaths by that date, making August the deadliest month in the pandemic for states such as California and Idaho. Schools across the country began to start their fall semesters, with some going back for in-person schooling and others remaining in remote learning.
September: Katie Dyson
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death: At age 87, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, associate justice of the Supreme Court, passed away from cancer on September 18, 2020.
Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court Nomination: On September 26th, President Trump announced his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the spot on the Supreme Court left after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing.
First Presidential Debate: The first debate of the 2020 presidential election was held on September 29th. Candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump discussed their views on topics such as COVID-19, climate change, and voter fraud. After the debate, many people on both sides were not satisfied with the seemingly unprofessional nature of the event.
October: Hazel Marion
Trump Tests Positive for COVID-19: On October 2, only days after the first presidential debate, President Trump confirmed that he and First Lady Melania Trump had received positive test results for COVID-19. Their infections came soon after a party held in the White House’s Rose Garden that spread the virus to several other White House officials.
Vice Presidential Debate: The first and only vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and then-Senator Kamala Harris was held on October 7. The candidates discussed issues that ranged from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to racial injustice, however the most memorable moment of the debate may have been when a fly landed on Pence’s head and remained there for a few minutes.
Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot: On October 8, the FBI arrested six men for plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The men were part of the Wolverine Watchmen militia group and had planned the kidnapping due to their discontent with Whitmer’s coronavirus policies.
Second Presidential Debate: Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden clashed in a second debate on October 23 in Nashville, Tennessee. A mute button was employed for this debate because of the frequent interruptions by both candidates in the last debate.
November: Jack Williams
The Presidential Election: After 4 days of waiting with intense anticipation, Joe Biden was declared the 46th President of the United States. President-elect Biden won with over 81 million votes cast for him, compared to the 74 million votes received by Donald Trump (The Associated Press). Joe Biden will be sworn into office on January 20th, 2021, with Kamala Harris his Vice President.
Covid-19 Spike: The United States experienced a large spike in Covid-19 cases towards the end of November into December. 1.25 million cases were reported in the last week of November, and information on the vaccine being made was beginning to come out to the public. According to CNN, there were more than 4.4 million new cases reported in the month of November.
December: Sam Burcham
Coronavirus Vaccine: The first wave of Pfitzer-BioNTech vaccine doses in America were distributed to high-risk healthcare workers on December 14th, 2020. Next in line are people in nursing homes and those over 60 or 65 years old.
Stimulus Check: On December 28th, Democrats in the House of Representatives passed the bill that would add $1,400 to the originally planned $600 stimulus packages. This recent proposal by President Donald Trump to approve $2,000 stimulus checks for Americans affected by COVID shutdowns was shot down by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.