From the beginning until the end, 2020 has been one interesting year. Here is a look into some major events that occurred throughout the year.
The stock market crash of 2020
The pandemic instilled fear into investors because of the impact it could have on the stock market. On Monday, March 9, 2020 was history’s worst single-day point drop in the stock market for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). After that, two other record-setting point drops occurred on March 12 and 16. These were some of the largest point drops in US history. The Dow lost around 3,000 points just on March 16, but ended up making a miraculous recovery. One that no one expected. By the end of November, Dow had crossed over 30,000 points, something that has never happened before.
Murder hornets are first seen in the US
This invasive insect, called the Asian giant hornet was first spotted in Washington state. They found the nest near Blaine, Washington. The WSDA Pest Program was able to remove the nest two days after. These hornets can measure up to two inches and are the world’s largest hornets. If they sting a human multiple times, it is said that they can kill them, hence their nickname “murder hornets”. In Japan, they kill around 50 people a year. Not only affecting humans, but they can also kill bee colonies within hours. Bees are important to us because they help pollinate crops. These hornets can kill off thousands of them in a short amount of time.
West coast wildfires
Climate change has been a major issue in the world for a while now, but not many people take it seriously until something drastic happens. On the west coast, fires have destroyed several small towns as well as thousands of homes. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless or have been evacuated from their current homes. Because of the fires, more than 30 people have gotten killed. The amount of acres that have been burned down is larger than the state of New Jersey, being around 6.7 million at the end of the year. The states of California, Oregon, and Washington have also had some of the most unhealthy air on Earth, according to the global air quality rankings. Some parts of Oregon have had hazardous air quality that has gone beyond the scale of their state’s Air Quality Index and has reached historic levels.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death
Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg sadly passed on September 18, at the age of 87. She lived a long and impactful life, helping to change the country through her views and the power she held. The Supreme Court announced that the cause was complications of her metastatic cancer in the pancreas. It was also said that she died in her home in Washington D.C, surrounded by her family. Ginsburg was appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, becoming the second female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Being a member of the court’s liberal wing, she had been serving as a justice for 27 years. She consistently delivered progressive votes on important issues such as abortion rights, affirmative action, health care, immigration, same-sex marriage, and voting rights. Many were disheartened after hearing the news of her death, but her legacy will remain as years go by.
Donald Trump gets COVID-19
Former President Donald Trump announced on Friday, October 2, that he and the First Lady had tested positive for Coronavirus. He was in the hospital at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and then returned to the White House to recover. Other members of Trump’s circle also tested positive as well. His press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, senior adviser Stephen Miller, campaign manager Bill Stepien and assistant to the President, Nicholas Luna. After a couple of days, it was said by his doctor, Sean Copley, that he was better and was not infectious to others.
Some good that happened in 2020
Throughout all the bad 2020 brought, silver linings do exist. Let’s enter 2021 with an optimistic mindset and move forward with the better. Here are some positive things that happened in 2020.
A WWII veteran survives COVID-19 and a 102-year-old woman survives it twice
World war II veteran, Major Lee Wooten gets released from the hospital Covid- 19 free, 2 days before his 104 birthday. A 102-year-old woman from New York, Angelina Friedman survived Covid-19 twice. She was born on October 18, 1918, and has not only survived this pandemic twice, but also has beat cancer and survived the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.
A baby is born from an embryo frozen more than 27 years ago
Molly Everette Gibson was born on Oct. 26, 2020, to parents Tina and Ben Gibson. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Her embryo was first created and frozen in October 1992, staying frozen until it was thawed on Feb. 10, 2020. This set a new record for the longest frozen embryo ever to be born. Molly’s sister, Emma Wren Gibson actually held the record before her, as her embryo was frozen for around 24 years. According to the National Embryo Donation Center, both girls were frozen embryos together and are fully genetic.
A vaccine for Covid- 19 approved
To end off the year, on Dec. 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency-use authorization for a coronavirus vaccine. On Dec. 14, one of the first people to receive the vaccine in the U.S was a nurse in New York. The vaccine is now being given to front line health care workers most exposed to this virus. We already have two vaccines approved by the FDA. One developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech, and another from Moderna. Things are already looking up and this was great news to start 2021 off with.
