Here’s What Happened in 2020 in case you’ve already forgot

2020 caught us all off guard. Whether you faced Zoom fatigue, juggled keeping your kids at home while you worked, got ill, or couldn’t pay the bills, we wish you a better year in 2021. Our hearts especially go out to all of those who lost loved ones this year due to Covid-19.  

The year dealt us many battles. We weathered storms, joined internet challenges, coped with isolation, and still managed to get out to vote. As we move into 2021, we want to reflect on where we collectively have journeyed, the new things we discovered, and reflect on both the hardships we’ve endured and the positive unexpected joys.

• We stockpiled toilet paper for the first wave of quarantines
  
• We heard mixed-messaging from the CDC about the benefits of wearing a mask, when actually they just didn’t want medical staff to face PPE shortages
  
• People in Michigan protested against wearing masks and for the right to get haircuts
  
• We learned to create social bubbles, sing Happy Birthday twice to wash our hands 20 seconds, and keep six feet of distance between people at all times.
  
• We wanted to flatten the curve, but the curve kept climbing and travel restrictions made the U.S. passport lose its free pass to enter most countries.
  
• Globally, there have been over 78 million Covid-19 cases reported, and 1.7 million Covid-19 related deaths
  
• Dr. Fauci was a rock throughout this mess
  

• Megan Markle and Prince Harry, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, left behind their royal roles to live abroad in Canada, causing a scandal in the U.K.
  
• Britain started the process to formally withdraw from the EU
  
• President Donald Trump was Impeached then acquitted, (then Impeached again)
  
• The U.S. formally withdrew from the Paris Agreement
  
• The U.S. announced its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization

• The stock market crashed in April
  
• The U.S. government sent out one-time $1200 stimulus checks along with a number of other stimulus measures for businesses
  
• Unemployment in the U.S. reached an all time high in April of 14.7 percent
  

• #challengeaccepted - Women around the globe posted black and white selfies online to show support for other women.  
  
• Deepak Chopra’s 21 Days of Abundance gave everyone a chance to start their own meditation group on Whatsapp
  
• Tiktok challenges like Flip the Switch to Drake’s song kept us entertained.

• Australian bushfires continued into the start of 2020 until March and then California and Colorado faced record setting wildfires during their dry seasons
  
• The Gulf of Mexico saw a total of eight hurricanes this year
  
• The Arctic sea did not freeze in October as it usually does and this alarmed scientists
  
• Flash floods in Somalia killed 24 people affected 1 million people, floods in China damaged 28,000 homes and left 141 dead, and flooding of the Brahmaputra River in India and Nepal killed 189 people and left 4 million people homeless

• An invasive species of insect known as “murder hornets” swarmed the Pacific Northwest
  
• Locust plagues of biblical proportions broke out in Africa and the Middle East

• Harvey Weinstein got sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex crimes
  
• Steve Bannon was charged with fraud for stealing donation funds from a Border Wall fundraising campaign
  
• Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested for sex trafficking in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein case
  
• Lori Loughlin went to prison for bribing college admissions officials to admit her daughters

• Anti-racism reading lists boosted book sales
  
• Pro-sports teams from the NFL, MBL, NBA and WNBA stood up to end racism by staging walk outs
  
• Criminal charges of police officers involved in different high profile killings such as those of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd were announced
  
• People staged protests to redirect funds from police departments to other civil servants, with the controversial slogan, #defundthepolice  
  
• Various Confederate statues were removed from public spaces

• The scandalous Tiger King Netflix documentary gave us something to talk about.
  
• South Korean film Parasite won four Oscars, including Best Picture
  
• J-Lo and Shakira’s Superbowl halftime performance was phenomenal
  
• Macaulay Culkin turned 40
  
• Kanye West ran for president

• Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg
  
• Civil rights leader and politician John Lewis
  
• NBA star Kobe Bryant
  
• Rock n’ Roll legend Little Richard  
  
• Jeopardy host Alex Trebek
  
• Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman
  
• Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen
  
• Actor Sean Connery
  
• Talk show host Regis Philbin
  
• Glee star Naya Rivera
  
• And so many more...

• (Former) President Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Kellie Ann Conway, Chris Cuomo, Prince Charles, Tom Hanks, pink, Lena Dunham, Antonio Banderas, Tiffany Haddish, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and many others.

• President Joe Biden was elected as the nation’s 46th president
  
• Kamala Harris made history when she was elected as the first woman vice president
  

• 130 celebrity accounts were targeted in this year’s Twitter hack 
  
• Hackers waged a cyber-attack on top U.S. intelligence agencies

• He and his girlfriend, the musician Grimes, had a baby, which they named X Æ A-12
  
• Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX launched the first private space travel flight into orbit
  
• He became the world’s second wealthiest individual and was named Fortune Magazine’s Businessperson of the Year 

• It’s 768 pages.
  

• The Pentagon released three videos of UFOs 
  
• A giant supernova disappeared, possibly turning into a black hole
  
• NASA scientists discovered water on the moon

• Scientists created a vaccine for Covid-19 and people have already started taking it.
  
• We all got to spend a lot of time nesting at home and make it our sanctuary.
  
• Our families had a chance to spend serious quality time together, which is super important when you have small children.
  
• Grandma and grandpa learned how to use facetime like a pro.  
  
• A few times in the spring, the air cleared enough for people in Beijing to see the mountains and the streets were empty enough for animals to come out of hiding.
  
• Fleetwood Mac dreams came back to us.
  
• We learned loads of Tik Tok dances.
  
• The scent of freshly baked sourdough bread filled our kitchens.
  
• We found creative ways to stay connected at a distance with street parties, outdoor picnics and drive-in concerts.

These are just a few of the silver linings to this year. The small things make us remember what matters most. Get some daily reminders of the good things in life by following our Instagram: the sips of tea on a rainy day, the morning calm before anyone else wakes up, and the little inside jokes we tell with our besties.