By: Mary Koch

2021 was a weird year in a lot of different ways. From the continued global pandemic, to the death of Betty White, it was definitely memorable. Here’s a recap of some of the more notable events that took place.

January:

On January 6th, angry Trump supporters stormed the capital. Congress was in the process of counting the 2020 electoral votes, and Trump suggested and encouraged people to protest at the capital. The mob took it too far when they attacked the capital building, and 5 people were left dead. (For more information, please visit: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/01/politics/us-capitol-siege/).

Vaccines also became available to people ages 65 and up, in the US, in an attempt to help protect some of the higher risk population.

February:

February didn’t start out great either with forest fires in Australia. People were forced to evacuate which made it difficult to continue the lockdown.

But February did have some good news when the United States was reported to have a higher number of vaccinated people than people with COVID.

March:

On March 17, the president of Tanzania, John Magufuli, passed away due to heart problems, but some people believed he had COVID. Samoa Suluhu Hassan, the Vice President, was later sworn in, making her the first female president of Tanzania

April:

The National Guard came to police protesters in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota after an officer killed a black man at a traffic stop. The officer claimed she thought she had her taser, not her gun, but she’s since resigned, and the police department declared it unlawful. Derek Chauvin, the man responsible for George Floyd’s death, was on trial only 10 miles away at the time.

COVID vaccines also became available to 16 and 17 year olds in the US.

May:

354 protesters were taken into custody on May 2nd in Jerusalem, and multiple people lost their lives. Police shot rubber bullets and threw stones and bottles at people who had gathered at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Everyone, 12 and up, were given access to the COVID vaccine in the middle of the month in the US.

June:

Juneteenth was finally recognized as a national holiday in the United States, on June 17, after President Joe Biden signed the law.

Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison for George Floyd’s murder.

July:

On July 26, P!nk offered to pay a fine for the Norwegian volleyball team at the Olympics. The team didn’t follow the dress code, and they wore shorts instead of bikini bottoms, so they didn’t have to follow the sexist rules.

Gymnast Simone Biles also dropped out of the individual all-around competition for her mental health, and she later pulled out of other events as well.

August:

On August 19, a man made bomb threats in Washington DC, outside of the Library of Congress. He was arrested after a standoff when he turned himself in.

September:

An ISIS supporter was shot in New Zealand after stabbing 6 people, only 2 months after having been released from prison.

September 11 was also the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and President Biden and former presidents Obama and Clinton went to the memorial.

October:

The US COVID death toll passed 700,000 with about 1,900 deaths a day, but people weren’t taking it as seriously as they needed to be.

November:

November didn’t have a great start with Astroworld resulting in 10 people dead. People who attended the concert sued Travis Scott and Drake because they were cheering the crowd on, and they did nothing to help when it was clear people were injured and dying.

December:

In December, the COVID death toll passed 800,000 which is higher than 2020.

Marvel also released ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ which starred Tom Holland and Zendaya.

The year ended with the death of famous actor Betty White on December 31.

2021 was a hard year with lots of lows, but it also had some highs. As we continue into 2022 we need to stay safe and respectful in order to make it a better year.