The crazy events of 2020 have led some people to ask, “was that on your bingo card?” when a new bizarre event happens, as if it’s a contest to predict what else 2020 has in store for us. With that being said, it feels like enough has already happened this year that we could easily fill a bingo card if we wanted to. Here is a year in review, for those (like me) struggling to remember as far back as January, 2020.
January, 2020:
We cheerfully ring in a new decade. Sure, there’s something called “coronavirus” all the way across the globe, but what does that matter? After all, it’s not like it will affect us. Well, ok, it starts to look a little concerning by the end of the month, but the U.S. will be fine…right? Let’s focus on the impeachment that’s going on.
February 2020:
President Trump is acquitted, so there go Nancy Pelosi’s hopes and dreams. We see crazy pictures of a huge fire in Texas due to ruptured gas lines, but there’s even crazier pictures from the bushfires in Australia. The nation’s attention is focused on the start of the presidential primaries, so why worry about the virus creeping across the globe.
March 2020:
Democratic candidates drop like flies from the presidential primary, leaving Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Suddenly, COVID-19 is a “pandemic.” Schools are shut down, college students are sent home, the stock market crashes, and states begin issuing lockdowns. To make things worse for people in New England, Tom Brady officially agrees to move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
April 2020:
Honestly, both everything and nothing happens in April. We settle down for some stuck-at-home family time. Every day there are new stories about Coronavirus and local, state, and federal regulations, but if you look for other news, you would be hard pressed to find it. The highlight of the month may be President Trump asking reporters a sarcastic question that leads to countless warnings not to drink bleach as a cure for Coronavirus.
May 2020:
May starts off with killer hornets arriving in the United States. Businesses struggle to remain profitable during the pandemic, and J.C. Penney files for bankruptcy after 118 years of business. Then, the nation watches in horror as a police officer kneels on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, sparking protests across the country.
June 2020:
Protests continue across the nation, and some people join a movement to “defund the police.” Though many protests are peaceful, some protestors rob and destroy stores, and many others potentially contribute to the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country. Statues, especially of Confederate figures, are torn down in many cities. Some cities put curfews in place to handle the issues the protests pose. In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court says that gay and transgender workers cannot be discriminated against in the workplace because that would be discrimination on the basis of gender. In another important decision, the Supreme Court rules that DACA children can stay (for now at least). A social media campaign inflates expected attendance of President Trump’s Tulsa rally, leading to a disappointing turnout for Republicans.
July 2020:
Kanye West says he is running for president. Southern states report rising COVID-19 case counts, and some northern states retaliate by issuing restrictions against out-of-state travelers. International students are told they will no longer have visas if their classes are all online, but the federal government drops this plan after only a few days due to widespread criticism (including from influential schools such as Harvard and MIT). Many colleges begin releasing plans to bring some students back for partially in-person classes.
August 2020:
Joe Biden announces his running mate is Kamala Harris. USPS has financial problems, resulting in mail delays. TikTok negotiations are the focus of business news, and the hurricane season dominates other news. Colleges starting in early and mid-August have mixed success at controlling COVID-19 cases, with some sending students home after only a couple weeks.
What do you have predicted for the rest of 2020? The bubonic plague? The discovery of a medicine that can make people immortal? It looks like anything is possible in this year of chaos. All I can say is I can’t wait until 2021!