2020 was already off to a rocky start. On January 2, fires destroyed millions of acres of land in Australia. Because of the severity of the bushfires, New South Wales, Australia declared a seven day state of emergency. Thousands were evacuated and over 12.35 million acres of land burned down.

On January 3, a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, along with other Iraqi militias. An American MQ-9 Reaper drone fired a missile at a convoy leaving the capital city airport in Baghdad. The drone strike caused fears of World War 3 but luckily tension was de-escalated.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced on January 8 that they were officially stepping down from their royal family duties and are now financially independent. This means the couple will no longer receive money from the Sovereign Grant, which is money from taxpayers for the royal family. 

On January 16, the official impeachment trial for president Trump started in the U.S. Senate. The impeachment trial ended on February 5 with President Trump’s acquittal. President Trump was tried for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. These charges were brought on by allegations that President Trump asked Ukrianian authorities to favor him in the 2020 presidential election. 

NBA player Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven other people died on January 26 in a helicopter accident in California. It is unclear what caused the crash. There was no drugs or alcohol in the pilot’s system, and there was no flight data recorder or cockpit flight recorder because it is not required.

On January 31, the U.K. officially withdrew from the European Union. This makes Brexit a reality. Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom and the European Union. The U.K has 11 months to talk to and arrange a trading and relationship deal.

The Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy on February 18 after over 300 men filed lawsuits against the organization. They are suing for being sexually abused as children.

On February 21, almost 40,000 Africanized bees, also known as killer bees, shut down a block in California after five people were sent to the hospital.

Harvey Winstein was found guilty on February 24 for third degree rape and first degree criminal sexual assualt. Harvey Winstein’s trial became a huge platform for the Me Too Movement. Dozens of women came forward with allegations against Winstein. 

On March 11, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were diagnosed with COVID-19; they became the first major celebrities to announce they had the virus.  

Netflixed released a new documentary series on March 20 called “The Tiger King.” Due to people staying home in quarantine, the show quickly became popular. The show stars Joe Exotic, a tiger/zoo owner, and Carole Baskin, a tiger sanctuary owner,

trying to close down Joe Exotic. We find out that Joe Exotic ends up in jail for 22 years after a federal jury convicted him of two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

On March 24, the 2020 Summer Olympics was postponed to 2021 because of the corona pandemic. The Olympics has been scheduled for Friday July 23, 2021 and is scheduled to end Sunday, August 8.   

Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 election on April 8. Sanders dropping out of the 2020 election left Joe Bidden as the only nominee for the Democratic party. Sanders ended his campaign after Bidden pushed passed him in delegates.

On April 27, North Korea finally confirmed that Kim Jong Un was in fact alive after many reports of the leader being dead. 

Murder hornets were spotted in the U.S. If stung multiple times, people can die. This wasp earned its nickname from preying on honeybees. It can swoop down and grab them out of the air. The hornets are a threat to the honey bee population, and scientists hope that they can get rid of these invaders.

On May 6, a video was released of an unarmed black man named Ahmaud Arbery who was gunned down and murdered while jogging near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. 

George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolos police officer on May 25, after being detained. The officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd’s neck for seven minutes while he stated, “I can’t breath.” Floyd’s death caused protests globally. 

On June 6, Black Lives Matter had reached their 12th consecutive day of protests, after a court ruled that protests aren’t illegal due to coronavirus.    

The Justice Department decided on the case against Micheal Flynn to be dismissed. On June 24, the case was dismissed, two years after Flynn pleaded to being guilty of lying to the FBI.

On July 17, Georgia’s governor, Brain Kemp, announced he will be filing a lawsuit against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. He announced the lawsuit after Mayor Bottoms tried to issue a state mask mandate.

Texas hospitals announced on July 25 they may have to send some patients home to die surrounded by family. Due to the growing covid positive patients, Texas hospitals ran out of resources and space.

On August 12, Joe Bidden announced his running mate as Kamala Harris. Harris is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator in California. Kamala Harris is an advocate for diversity and equality. 

The killing of Jacob Black led to protest in Kenosha. During a protest a shooting  of three protesters led to the arrest of 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse has

been charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Video of Rittenhouse shooting and killing two people and injuring another was filmed.

Roskopp, Jack. “28 Things You Probably Forgot Happened in the Whirlwind That 2020 Has Been.” KSAT, KSAT San Antonio, 10 June 2020, www.ksat.com/features/2020/06/10/27-things-you-probably-forgot-happened-in-the-whirlwind-that-2020-has-been/.