2020 is a year for the books. From start to finish the year had been chaotic, but many positives were able to come out as well. It provided many unexpected situations, some very strange. Filled with the global pandemic, political disputes, riots, and Tiger King.

During winter break in 2019, none of us could have predicted such an eventful year. We all watched the ball drop at midnight and were excited for what 2020 had to bring, only it brought us the unpredicted.  

January started with a scare, discussions on social media about a WW3 over the death of Qasem Soleimani, the major general of the Iranian Quds Force was definitely a fright, luckily that did not happen. Soon after that was Australia’s wildfires, destroying over 12.35 million acres of land and killing 24 people, and 2,000 homes destroyed. And at the end, on January 26, NBA star Kobe Bryant, and his daughter, Gigi, passed away in a horrific helicopter accident. 

February was not as eventful as January had been, and it was one of the most “normal” months out of the year. The movie Parasite won Best Picture at the academy awards ceremony which was exciting as it was the first non-English film to win. Locusts in Africa became another topic as it swarmed over 2,500 acres across Africa, which was the largest record in Kenya. The #MeToo was beginning to show more publicity at the end of February, on social media, as many male celebrities were found guilty of rape and criminal acts, such as Harvey Weinstein.

In March, Covid-19 advanced from an epidemic to a pandemic. Illinois’ lockdown began to impact everyone’s lives as schools and businesses shut down. This started the foreign e-learning situation for students and the two-week break from school ended up becoming a longer break than we initially thought. The pandemic also banned travel from Europe and other countries, confirming the virus was one to be taken seriously. 

April was another one of the calm months of 2020. Many took advantage of being at home and making banana bread, as well as whipped coffee. Shows such as Tiger King and Outer Banks were taking over Tik Tok and Instagram, the memes of Carol Baskin and John B were most certainly a highlight for the trends. Some took this time to also reinvent themselves by watching Chloe Ting workout videos on YouTube and putting action to their new years’ resolutions.

May brought to the attention of certain injustices. On May 25, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American was killed by officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis Minnesota. The arrest was over a fake bill, and Officer Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine and a half minutes during the arrest, even as he was warning he was unable to breathe. Thus begun nationwide protests about police brutality and racial injustice. 

In June, the protests continued and the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum. In addition to protests, many began to take down statues of those who were Confederate soldiers and generals. The Statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was taken out of Frankfort, Kentucky on June 13. 

July had protests turning into riots. Peaceful protests in large cities took a huge turn when protesters and officers were getting into physical confrontations and the use of harsh gear. Riots turned into looting as they took from large companies and family-owned businesses causing massive destruction. Some protests for the most part stayed peaceful, especially those in the smaller towns.

August, we had Democratic Joe Biden and Kamala Harris announce they’d be Donald Trump’s running mates in the election. Kamala Harris being the first African American woman to be selected for the vice-presidential candidate. 

September started on an extremely upsetting note, on September 18, Supreme Court’s feminist icon, Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away due to complications with her metastatic pancreatic cancer. This started extreme controversy as many Republicans were quick in trying to fill her shoes on the Supreme Court.

October had many White House officials, as well as Donald Trump, infected with the coronavirus. Trump had a quick recovery and continued to downplay the severity of the virus. An upside for the LGBTQ community occurred this month as Pope Francis backed up same-sex civil unions. And at the end of October, the presidential debates began as Biden and Trump had their personal conflicts of each other’s lives as Trump brought up Biden’s deceased son as well as his son’s past drug addiction. 

November began with the well-anticipated Presidential Election. In the end, Biden won, and many claimed fraudulence as well as a claim of fake ballots sent to states causing a recount. Many celebrities opened up on social media about their excitement for the future with President  Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

December had a positive, however, as the vaccine was announced able to be distributed to nurses, and healthcare officials in the near future. 

This year was hectic and one we can learn from as well as bounce back from once things hopefully settle down. 2020 was anything but boring. While it was not the most positive year, we made it through all the challenges and obstacles of the year. Think about it like this: if we made it through 2020, we can get through anything.