2021: A Year in Review
It’s the last day of 2021. As I typically do on “The Daily Moth,” let’s review some of the biggest news stories of the year.
JANUARY
Rioters angry over Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the electoral college.
President Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president.
Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the Vice President of the U.S., making history as the first woman, first Black woman, and first Asian person to become vice-president.
FEBRUARY
Wide swaths of Texas was hit by several severe winter storms that caused massive power outages and flooding in homes and buildings due to burst pipes. Over 200 people died.
MARCH
Eight people were killed in three massage parlors or spas in the Atlanta area. Six of them were Asian women. This sparked the “Stop Asian Hate” movement.
A gigantic container ship named the Ever Given, in a windstorm, crashed into the banks of the Suez Canal and disrupted global trading for six days.
APRIL
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty by a jury on all charges of murdering George Floyd. He was later sentenced to over 22 years in prison.
A NASA Mars rover successfully flew a small helicopter called Ingenuity for about 30 minutes.
MAY
The CDC and the Biden administration announced that no masks would needed for those who are fully vaccinated. But now we’re back to wearing masks.
JUNE
President Biden signed an act making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
A beachfront condo building in Surfside, Florida suddenly collapsed overnight. 98 people died.
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. The Disaster Distress Helpline offers a 24/7 direct videophone option. Dial 1-800-985-5990 or go to disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.
JULY
The delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics kicked off. The U.S. came in first in medal counts, followed by China and Japan.
The Delta variant of Covid-19 became the dominant strain in the U.S.
Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson flew into space on rockets built by their own spaceflight companies.
AUGUST
The U.S. military pulls out the last of its troops out of Afghanistan. There was chaos at the airport as hundreds tried to flee the country before the Taliban took over.
SEPTEMBER
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law an abortion law that bans the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Van life traveler Gabby Petito went missing and was later found dead, sparking intense media coverage.
OCTOBER
Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a filmmaker, Halyna Hutchins, on a film set in New Mexico.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces the company is renaming itself as “Meta.
NOVEMBER
Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty by a Wisconsin jury on all charges related to the shooting death of two protesters.
Travis and Greg McMichael and William Bryan was found guilty of murder charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.
Omicron was identified as a new Covid-19 strain and was identified by the WHO as a “strain of concern.” It’s now the dominant one in the U.S.
DECEMBER
An outbreak of tornadoes tore across central and southern U.S. states. Over 90 people were killed.
That’s the year in review. Have a nice Happy New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you next year.