Gallery • 11 Photos

January 2

Australia declared a State of Emergency due to bushfires that resulted in the loss of 10 million hectares of land and the deaths of tens of thousands of endangered animals. The fires also created a vicious pattern of thunderstorms, which caused even more bushfires to break out when lightning struck dry vegetation.

January 3

Quite literally starting off the year with a “bang,” talk of a potential WWIII surfaced after a U.S.-ordered drone airstrike killed an Iranian major general. Younger Americans turned to social media platforms like TikTok using dark humor and memes to point out the potential, comical faults of a Gen-Z military.

January 26

Kobe Bryant, who made history during his 20-year NBA career with the LA Lakers by earning more points, more free-throws and caused more turnovers than any other guard before him, was tragically killed at the age of 41 in a helicopter accident along with his daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others.

February 2

In one of the few positive events of 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs became the football World Champions after winning Superbowl LIV. Led by rookie quarterback and Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, the team defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. This was the first Chiefs Superbowl victory since 1970.

March 11

Though discovered in late 2019, the COVID-19 outbreak was officially labeled a pandemic in early March, causing the closure of schools, businesses and churches. Now, people must follow social-distancing guidelines and mask mandates. Thus far, the world has seen almost 1.5 million deaths due to coronavirus.

May 25

Sparked by the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization gained new momentum as many gathered to protest police brutality. Floyd’s words, “I can’t breathe,” became a key phrase used on protest signs. These protests, although sometimes violent, were over 93% peaceful according to The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

July 31

Colorado has experienced the state’s two largest wildfires in history during 2020. Although the fires have ravaged a combined total of more than 400,000 acres of land, firefighters have been granted some relief by the state’s fair amount of snowfall, which typically begins in October.

August 28

Chadwick Boseman, who is most famously known and respected for his role as T’Challa in the Academy-Award winning movie “Black Panther,” died in his Los Angeles home at the age of 42 after suffering a long battle with colon cancer.

September 5

The California wildfires, one of which was caused by a gender reveal party, have been the worst in the state’s history, burning more than 4 million acres of land. With nearly 9,000 individual wildfires, the flames have caused the destruction of roughly 10,000 buildings and the deaths of more than 30 people.

September 18

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves behind a legacy of fighting for women’s equality that can be seen in her many quotes, such as, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87 due to complications of pancreatic cancer.

October 11

The Los Angeles Lakers saw victory in the NBA finals with all-star Lebron James claiming his fourth NBA Championship. The team defeated the Miami Heat in game 6 of the Finals, giving the Lakers their 17th franchise championship, tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in the league’s history.

October 26

Following the death of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the responsibility of nominating a new Supreme Court Justice fell to President Donald Trump. Trump nominated Amy Coney Barett, a Notre Dame Law School graduate and mother of seven. Barrett was confirmed to the court by a senate vote of 52-48.

October 27

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in game 6 of the major league baseball World Series. “That’s [the] things you think about when you’re a kid,” said World Series MVP shortstop Corey Seager to ESPN. “[To] do it with this team, it couldn’t be any more special.”

November 3

The 2020 Presidential Election resulted in Democratic President-Elect Joe Biden defeating Republican President Donald Trump by a vote of 306-232. The election also gave the Democratic Party the majority in the US House of Representatives with 222 representatives. The Senate will be decided in the Georgia runoff election Jan. 5.