amcfreelancer
- Jan 1, 2021
- 10 min read

2020...End of Year Review

Buckle up! You're in for a ride. Warning: if you're easily depressed, don't read.

This year has been unlike anything the last two generations have ever seen or known (understatement of the year).

Businesses and individuals take time out at the end of each year to ask themselves important questions such as: How did we do? What could we do better next year?

Are there lessons to learn from 2020?

2020 Timeline

This is a long post but easy to skim through. I've included as much as I can, but I know some events have been left out.

Don't forget to check out the Action Items for some thoughtful questions.

In December 2019, we began to hear reports of a mysterious respiratory illness in Wuhan, China. I'm sure most of us paid little attention to this bit of news. How many of us could have foretold a pandemic was upon us?

January 2: Deadly wildfires prompted a state of emergency and mass evacuations in New South Wales, Australia. The damage was catastrophic, over 18 million hectares of land and more than 5,900 buildings were destroyed, with at least 34 fatalities. It's believed around 1 billion animals were killed with the possibility of some endangered species now extinct. More than 100 species were in need of "emergency intervention" in order to survive. The quality of the air is now also hazardous.

January 3: The U.S. assassinates an Iranian general sparking tensions. We started off the year with a threat of war. Soleimani was viewed as the 2nd most powerful person in Iran. Millions came out to mourn him and leaders vowed: "severe revenge" for his death. I remember telling my husband to be mentally prepared for a draft if war broke out.

January 5: Five are killed and 60 are injured after a bus crashes with multiple semi-trucks on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

January 6: CDC issues travel warnings for Americans visiting China.

January 6: In the UK, Reynhard Sinaga was found guilty of 159 sex offenses against 48 men he lured to his flat before drugging and raping them. The 36-year-old has been jailed for life with a minimum 30-year sentence.

January 7: The World Health Organization is notified of the novel coronavirus, then known as 2019-nCoV, despite cases being reported as early as November 2019.

January 7: 6.4 earthquake shook Puerto Rico.

January 8: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce they will “step back” from duties as members of the British royal family. Buckingham Palace was said to be "disappointed" and "hurt" at the announcement. Maybe I'm just paranoid...but doesn't anyone else think this strange? What do they know that we don't? The last time someone abdicated the throne was Edward VIII in 1936.

January 8: Iran launches ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq, injuring American soldiers. The attack was believed to be retaliation against the U.S., following the death of Iranian General Soleimani.

January 8: Iran’s military shoots down Ukraine Flight 752 shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 people on board. They said it was mistaken for a threat.

January 11: China records its "first" coronavirus death.

January 11: Tornadoes and severe storms rip through parts of southern and midwestern U.S.

January 12: Volcanic blast in the Philippines from the Taal volcano.

January 15: The House of Representatives votes to send impeachment articles against President Trump (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress) to the Senate.

January 16: The impeachment trial for President Donald Trump begins. (Only 3 presidents in US history have been impeached, Nixon resigned first).

January 18: Destructive flooding in Brazil, more than 60 people died.

January 20: The first coronavirus case in the US is reported in Washington state.

January 23: Wuhan, China goes under an unprecedented lockdown, impacting 11 million residents.

January 25: Severe rainstorms cause landslides and floods in Brazil, killing 30.

January 26: Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others die in a helicopter crash.

January 28: Locust swarms destroy crops in east Africa.

January 29: White House announces creation of coronavirus task force.

January 30: WHO declares the coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

January 31: The UK withdraws from the European Union.

You still with me? That was only the first MONTH!!!

February 1: Locusts swarm across East Africa leads Somalia to declare a national emergency, largest in 25 years

February 5: Trump is acquitted by the Senate on both articles of impeachment.

February 8: Gunman kills 29 people in a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, with 57 injured.

February 9: Militants attack and kill at least 30 people, many while sleeping in their cars in Auno, north-eastern Nigeria, kidnapping women and children.

February 11: The WHO names the coronavirus disease COVID-19.

February 17: Jeff Bezos (Amazon) pledges $10 billion to help fight climate change.

February 18: Boy Scouts files for bankruptcy amid hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits.

February 18: Swarms of desert locusts affecting east Africa reach South Sudan, threatening a food crisis.

February 19: German gunman opens fire in a bar in Hanau, Germany, killing nine in a racially motivated attack.

February 23: Ahmaud Arbery is shot and killed while jogging in Georgia.

February 23: Massive riots at India’s capital, caused the death of 53 citizens over the course of 10 days. Shops, houses, and places of worship were vandalized and destroyed, with over 200 people injured.

February 23: First major coronavirus outbreak in Italy with 152 cases and three deaths, prompting emergency measures, locking down 10 towns in Lombardy.

February 24: Harvey Weinstein is found guilty of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual acts.

February 26: Five people are killed in a mass shooting at the Molson Coors Beverage Company in Milwaukee.

February 29: The first coronavirus death reported in the U.S., though earlier deaths will be reported later.

March 3: At least 25 people are killed after 13 tornadoes strike the Nashville area.

March 9: Italy places itself on a nationwide quarantine to slow the spread of coronavirus. The Dow Jones plunges more than 2,000 points.

March 10: Italy becomes the first country to implement a nationwide lockdown.

March 11: The WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic. Tom Hanks announces he and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus.

March 13: President Trump declares coronavirus a national emergency. Breonna Taylor is shot and killed by police in Louisville.

March 16: Dow plunges 2,997 points in the worst drop since 1987 amid coronavirus fears.

March 20: Worldwide coronavirus death toll passes 10,000. Gov. Andrew Cuomo issues stay-at-home order for New York. Tax Day is postponed until July 15.

March 24: India and the U.K. go into lockdown. The 2020 Summer Olympics, which were to take place in Tokyo, are postponed until 2021.

April 2: Coronavirus cases worldwide pass 1 million. More than 6.6 million workers file for unemployment in the U.S.

April 5: Tropical Cyclone Harold causes devastation in the Fiji Islands.

April 6: Trump signs executive order to support moon mining and tap asteroid resources. Really? Not only have we devastated earth's resources, but we're hitting up the moon next??? 😢

April 9: NY alone has the highest number of coronavirus cases than any country in the world.

April 12-13: 100+ tornadoes rip through the southeastern U.S. The National Weather Service reported that one tornado spanned some two miles in width, (one of the largest in recorded history). 137 tornadoes touched down in 10 different states! Causing over $450 million dollars in damage and 32 fatalities.

April 13: IRS begins sending stimulus checks to Americans.

April 15: Armed demonstrators protest Michigan’s coronavirus lockdown measures.

April 16: 22 million Americans file for unemployment in a single month.

April 16-17: Severe flooding and armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

April 18-19: In a killing spree that lasted over 12 hours, gunman Gabriel Wortman set fire to several locations and fatally shot 22 people in Nova Scotia, Canada. Donning a fake police uniform, Wortman drove around in a police car replica and fired at unsuspecting citizens before he was shot dead.

April 20: Oil prices hit record lows. For the first time in recorded history, the U.S. oil market dipped to negative prices.

April 27: US released UFO videos 🛸.

May 14: Category 3, Typhoon Vongfong (Ambo) caused devastation in the Philippines, battling Samar with 115 mph winds.

May 20: Cyclone Amphan, the strongest ever recorded cyclone, devastated eastern India and Bangladesh (130 killed, 500,000 homeless). $13.2 billion of damage was recorded in West Bengal alone.

May 22: Plane crash kills 97 in Pakistan.

May 25: George Floyd is killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, sparking protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Protests, rioting and looting follow.

May 26: Costa Rica becomes the first Central American nation to legalize same-sex marriage.

May 27: China votes for Hong Kong security legislation. The move sparked fresh anti-mainland protests in Hong Kong.

May 28: plans for its 5G rollout across the United States are ahead of schedule.

May 29: Taiwan decriminalizes adultery. Not sure what this is all about but I thought it interesting.

May 30: George Floyd protests continue nationwide.

May 30: NASA-SpaceX’s ‘Launch America’ takes off. This was the first time in nine years that humans left U.S. soil in a U.S. rocket to reach low-Earth orbit.

June 2: Google sued for $5 billion over private mode tracking.

June 3: Asian killer giant hornets invade the U.S.

June 4: Russia announces a state of emergency over a massive oil spill. Ugh! Another oil spill, extremely damaging to our planet!

June 12: Rayshard Brooks is shot and killed by police in a Wendy’s parking lot in Atlanta. The restaurant is burned down the next day.

June 15: Supreme Court rules employers cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

June 16: North Korea cuts off communication with South Korea after destroying the Inter-Korean Liaison Office.

June: Heavy rainfall and flooding in Transylvania, Romania.

June 28: Coronavirus cases pass 10 million worldwide.

July 21: Fires are raging in the Amazon—again I was so busy with U.S. fires, who knew the Amazon was blazing too? Needless to say, 2020 is a blazing fiery hot mess!

July 23: Torrential rain and flooding caused destruction in southern Japan. If it isn't fire, then it's flooding somewhere else!

July 25: Category 1 Hurricane Hanna caused flooding and storm surges in Southeastern Texas.

July 25: 😠 Oil spill (yet again!!!) off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius has declared a “state of environmental emergency,”

July 26: Hurrian Hana blows into Mexico causing widespread flooding.

July 26: Police declare riots in Seattle and Portland.

August 3: Hurricane Isaias, Category 1, hits North Carolina, spawning tornadoes up the East Coast.

August 4: Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Killed 200 people and injured 5,000.

August 5-6: South Korea battles deadly floods and landslides. 15 people died and more than 1,500 were forced to evacuate.

August 10: A weather complex known as a “derecho”(huh?) sent intense winds and thunderstorms over a 700-mile stretch from Nebraska to Indiana. Iowa was the hardest-hit.

August 15-17: Firenado (huh?) in California. 11,000 Lightning Strikes Over 72 Hours Ignite Hundreds Of Fires Across California At least 650 wildfires have raged, burning more than 1.25 million acres since August 15, leaving at least seven people dead.

August 27: Hurricane Laura hits Louisiana as a Category 4.

September 9: Fire breaks out in the Moria migrant camp in the Greek island of Lesbos, home to an estimated 13,000 people.

September 10: Fire erupts in Beirut weeks after a deadly explosion.

September 12: Active fires in California, Oregon and Washington. The state is preparing for a "mass fatality incident" and "Dozens of people are missing" Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said.

September 13: A landslide caused by heavy rain in Nepal killed at least 11 people and 20 others are missing. There were 17 documented landslide incidents that have killed at least 55 people in 2020, the Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Portal reports.

September 13: Hurrican Sally, Category 2 storm hits Alabama.

September-October: Deadly flooding in Nigeria.

October 2: President Trump and his wife announce they have coronavirus.

October 9: Hurricane Delta, Category 2 storm hits southwestern Louisiana.

October 25: Typhoon Molave hits the Philippines.

October 28: Hurricane Zeta, Category 2 hits Louisiana.

November 1: Super Typhoon Goni hits the Philippines.

November 3: Hurrican Eta hits Central America, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, and the U.S.

November 11: Typhoon Vamco hits the Philippines. (Doesn't this country deserve a break???)

November 15-16: Hurricane Iota, Category 5 hits Central America, Colombia, Mexico.

November 16: Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. reach 245,000 with 11 million cases.

December 1: Chinese robotic spacecraft Chang’e-5 lands on the Moon as part of a two-day mission to retrieve rock samples.

December 2: U.S. records largest daily death toll for COVID-19 at 2,885 and for the first time numbers in hospital exceed 100,000.

December 6: President Donald Trump orders about 700 troops withdrawn from Somalia.

December 9: Canada approves the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19.

December 11: European Union leaders agree to cut net carbon emissions by 55% in the next decade.

December 11: America's FDA authorizes the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

December 11: Gunmen storm a school in northern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 300 students (Boko Haram later claims responsibility). The children were rescued on Dec 17.

December 12: Chinese leader Xi Jinping says the country will reduce its carbon intensity by 65% by 2030.

December 12: UN Chief Antonio Guterres urges world's leaders to declare "climate emergency" to avoid catastrophic global warming on 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord.

December 14: COVID-19 Vaccinations begin in America.

December 14: Electoral College confirms Biden's win.

December 15: Russia revealed to have been behind a massive cyberattack on U.S. government agencies and private companies.

December 21: President-elect Joe Biden receives the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine live on TV.

December 24: California is the first state to hit 2 million coronavirus cases.

December 25: Explosion in Nashville.

Good riddance to 2020!!!

Wow!!! You made it to the end of this post! Congrats! 🎆 You're a dedicated reader, as well as survivor and thriver of 2020!!!

Will 2021 be any better? Since I'm no prophetess...we shall have to wait and see...

Your Action Items

Hindsight is 20/20 and it has been said in order to navigate the future one must study the past. Here are some questions to ponder as you sip your tea or coffee and meditate on the past and future...

Did you learn anything new about yourself or about human nature this past year?

Looking back, what would you have done differently in 2020?

Did hardship make you bitter or a stronger person in 2020?

How will you become a better person this year?

Do you have any predictions for 2021?

Feel free to leave your comment below or on Facebook!