2020 was one of those years where it felt like there was a decade of events that happened compared to previous years. Much of 2020 is seen as rather negative due to mostly the coronavirus, but also a number of other events. On this post I am going to go over the biggest events of the year.
Death of Qassem Soleimani
Very soon into 2020 one of Iran’s top Generals, who was also known as the 2nd most powerful man in Iran after the Supreme Leader was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq. In Iran and parts of the Middle East Soleimani was seen as a heroic figure and as such the backlash was immense and there were great worries that it could spark off a dangerous war between the United States and Iran in the region.
The US saw Soleimani as a terrorist, due to him leading the Quds section of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which worked on operations outside of Iranian territory and reports directly to the Supreme Leader. This Quds section was also designated as a terrorist group by the United States as they said it had been behind numerous attacks on US troops in the region, usually via Iranian proxies.
Two more tragic events followed afterwards, such as a stampede at a burial ceremony for Soleimani in Kerman, Iran that killed dozens and the accidental shooting down of a passenger airliner by Iranian anti-aircraft systems after mistaking it for an enemy warplane due to the increased tensions, all 176 people on board were killed.
Iran did also retaliate against US forces in the region by firing at least 22 ballistic missiles at two separate airbases housing US troops located in Iraq. At first it was reported that the attacks had done minimal damages and left no injuries, but later reports said that at least 50 US servicemen suffered injuries from the shockwaves of the explosions while as many as 100 US servicemen may have suffered traumatic brain injuries. Luckily the US chose to deescalate from this point and not increase tensions further by retaliating.
Tensions though do still remain over the killing of Soleimani to this day. Even this month on the anniversary of Soleimani’s death there was concern that Iran, either directly or through Iran-backed militias may have been planning strikes against US forces in the region to mark it – although this so far has not transpired. A number of anti-US demonstrations did though take place to mark the anniversary.
The consequences of the US actions on that day will likely continue to have negative regional effects for years to come.
Prince Harry and Meghan Step Down as Senior Royals
In an unforeseen shock move it came about that Prince Harry and Princess Meghan had chosen to step down as Senior Royals and live financially independent. It is an event certainly worthy for The Crown Netflix series, although I suspect that the show will not go on to such modern events.
The move was seen as a major break from convention and something that had reportedly not been discussed with the Queen before it had been announced. Harry did say he still wanted to continue with his royal roles but that it was not possible, that they could not have it both ways. The couple will be living in Canada now for the majority of their time without public funding. Harry laid most of the blame at the foot of what he called the powerful force of the Press.
The couple up until that point had often drawn controversy for being rather more outspoken than other members of the royal family on controversial political issues, a change from the monarchy’s historically neutral stance on issues.
The Coronavirus Pandemic
Of course, the biggest event of the year and of which is still ongoing now is the Coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China before spreading around the world, infecting 10s of millions and killing over a million people. The extraordinary event led to the world coming basically to a standstill as lockdowns attempted to stem the spread of the virus around the world while a vaccine was looked for.
Vaccines were eventually created sooner than many thought they would be but even now there is still a way to go as the implementation period of the vaccines begin around the world but it is hoped eventually 2021 will be the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
It is without doubt that practically everyone in the world was touched in some way by the pandemic, either through not being able to continue working or doing their education or having to work or learn from home; being unable to see friends and families especially during the Summer and Holiday periods; being unable to travel or go on holidays; cancelling major events from music festivals, E3, sports events, the Tokyo Olympics and even elections; being stuck at home and having to find new ways to cope in a different world; and perhaps even having loved ones and friends become ill and in some cases dying, or you yourself becoming ill from the disease and having to either self-isolate or in severe cases go to hospital yourself. Many were financially impacted and many businesses will have had to close down as well.
One extraordinary thing also of note was the Clap for the NHS event that took place each Thursday at 7pm in the United Kingdom, where people went outside and simply clapped outside of their homes for all the health workers and others who were out combating the pandemic. Where I lived you could also hear many beeping their car horns and also ship and boat horns being blared from the nearby quay and sea ports as if it were New Year’s. Some would also set off fireworks as well – which we would have rather not happen as our dog is scared of them.
It is certainly one of the most profound and serious events since the 1918 Flu Pandemic. Even with a vaccine now being circulated there is continued worry that mutations could find a way around the vaccines, several mutations have already made the disease far more contagious. The colossal effects of the pandemic are likely to be felt well into 2021 and beyond.
As it stands there has been over 90,300,000 total cases of the disease and almost 2 million deaths, both of which are expected to continue climbing for a long time.
The United Kingdom Leaves the European Union and End of Transition Period
The United Kingdom formally left the European Union in March three-years after the EU referendum and of which begun the transition period where the UK still had to abide by EU rules and regulations while not being able to take part directly in the union. The period was made as to ease and prepare for the full-exit later in the year and give time to put together a BREXIT Deal with the EU and also put together other international trade deals.
Of course, a lot of this was also made harder by the unfortunate timing of the pandemic. The March celebration of the initial EU leaving was marked by a Downing Street countdown and also a light show. For a time as the end of the transition period neared it was feared by many that a deal with the EU would not be gotten and that we would crash out without one, but very close to the end – stunt or not – Boris Johnson came out with a deal and the UK fully left at 11pm GMT on New Year’s Eve with a Big Ben bong after almost half a decade since the referendum. Read more about that here.
Mass Shootings – Thailand & Canada
Thailand Rampage
When someone hears of a mass shooting sadly their minds may sometimes automatically look towards the United States of America, but on this year two countries not known for such atrocities had one occur. The first was when an army soldier went rogue in his barracks in Thailand, killing his commanding officer and then going off on a rampage against innocents in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, with the end result of killing 29 people and injuring a further 58, of which the soldier also posted a number of photos, updates and a livestream showing his rampage to social media.
He eventually barricaded himself in a mall before armed forces stormed it and killed him, ending his rampage.
The shooting was said to have been triggered after the shooter was cheated out of a property deal by his commanding officer and not given his money back.
Canada’s Worst Mass Shooting
In April a mass shooting would hit Canada, Nova Scotia and of which would be dubbed Canada’s worst mass shooting in history so far. A man using a vehicle disguised as a police cruiser and who was dressed as a police officer went on a shooting rampage, driving to different areas and properties shooting people dead.
The shooter killed 22 including a police officer, injured 3 others and also burned a number of vehicles and properties belonging to the victims. Some of the people were known to the shooter but others were random people. The shooter was later killed by authorities at a petrol station.
The motive for the attacks remain currently unknown but investigations are continuing. The perpetrator had been described as paranoid, manipulative and controlling, and had a history of violent and threatening behaviour and criminal acts, of which authorities had been warned of, he had also been banned from possessing weapons.
The Killing of George Floyd + Racial Protests and Unrest
In June of 2020 an event would take place that would spark racial mass protests and unrest across the United States and also inspire other movements and protests across the world. A black man called George Floyd died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for over 8 minutes in the city of Minneapolis, he shouted “I can’t breathe” a number of times, which ended up becoming a saying in the BLM movement and other supporters against racial inequality and police brutality. Floyd later died from his injuries in hospital, the event was caught on camera and spread through social media like wildfire.
The event led to days of mass protests, riots, vandalism and looting across the city of Minneapolis where a police precinct was even abandoned due to the level of unrest and authorities effectively lost control of the city for a time. The National Guard had to be called in to restore order.
Over the following days and weeks further mass protests sprung in major cities across the United States and although most were peaceful, a number also turned into rioting, vandalism and looting, with the National Guard having to be called into numerous states to maintain control.
The events over the month brought further awareness to racial inequality, police brutality and awareness of other black people who had died at the hands of the police such as Breonna Taylor. It has spurred further change in racial policies and also the push for reforming the police and other authorities to better handle treatment towards black minorities.
The Beirut Explosion
2020 was a bad year for Lebanon, having been going through an economic crisis, civil unrest, regional instability due to regional conflict and on top of all that the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, it would not be without much doubt that after all this people would be asking, what next?
And then it happened, a massive explosion at the Port of Beirut, one of its key areas of economic importance devastated, and a city damaged by the immense shockwave, making 100s of thousands homeless. The explosion itself killed at least 204 people and injured more than 7,500. The explosion was large enough to create its own mushroom cloud, with many initially worrying it could have been some kind of devastating attack using a nuclear weapon or other large explosive weapon.
What did turn out though was mass incompetence was to blame, in that authorities had left a huge amount of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical compound, stored in the port years after confiscating it from a vessel. On the day of the explosion there was a substantial fire at the warehouse where this chemical was improperly stored, the fire was causing smaller explosives there to explode which eventually set off the cache of ammonium nitrate that caused the devastating explosion, that was heard as far away as Cyprus.
In the time that followed Lebanon’s entire government collectively resigned (except for the President) and now the future of the small country hangs in an ever more precarious future in times that were already tough.
Belarus Unrest
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Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s longtime President who is seen as Europe’s last dictator and has been accused of numerous human rights violations and strict encroachment on freedoms during his rule, yet again won another election, which many international observers believe was not free or fair and likely rigged in his favour.
What made this election different from previous ones though is that Lukashenko faced his toughest opponent yet, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a school teacher who replaced her husband in the presidential run after he was arrested and imprisoned, a common tactic used against popular opposition candidates in the country. She managed to rally much support from the populace, and after the election many believed she was the true winner, with herself disputing the re-election of Lukashenko.
Mass protests and some civil unrest followed which had not been seen in the country for a long time, and is seen as especially dangerous due to the heavy-handed tactics of militarized authorities and the grabbing of dissenters off the streets, eventually Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was forced to flee the country and the military was deployed in an attempt to bring control. After several weeks things eventually calmed and no full uprising materialized, but it was certainly one of the most significant periods of dissent in the country for a while and may play a role towards possible fairer democracy in the future.
The Mali Coup
In August a bloodless military coup took place in Mali which led to the arrest of the country’s Prime Minister and President with much of the populace appearing to support the move made by the military in its 4th successful military coup since 1986. The arrested President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita dissolved the government and then resigned the presidency. The removed President had been in power since the last coup had taken place in 2012. 2020’s military coup came amid a period of civil unrest against corruption in the country, there were also disputes over payments to the armed forces involved and anger over the handling of an ongoing Islamist insurgency in the North. There was also evidence of anger at ongoing French influence in the country as well; formerly Mali having been a colony of France.
The coup was denounced by various international groups including ECOWAS, the European Union, the African Union and the United Nations. France also denounced the coup as well. Mali has since been suspended from the African Union.
In the time following the coup Bah Ndaw, a military officer and formerly Minister of Defense, was made interim President while Colonel Assimi Goita was made Vice-President.
It will now be remained to see if the current military-controlled government will eventually be transferred back to civilian democratic control, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a body set up by the mutineers after the coup, has pledged to hold new elections after a period of two years.
French Islamic Terror & Freedom of Expression Issues
In October France once again found itself subject to the harshness of Islamic Extremist terrorism, with the beheading of a teacher in the streets of Paris after he apparently showed satirical depictions of the Prophet Muhammad to his class. The attack lead to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to defend freedom of expression as the issue came to surface again, which itself lead to a backlash from the Muslim world, with those countries boycotting French products and a diplomatic spat with Turkey after its President, Erdogan, said that Macron should have his mental health checked over the way he treats Muslims.
In the coming days in France three people were also killed outside of a church in Nice by an Islamist extremist as well as other incidents. Macron continued in the face of this to pledge his support to freedom of expression, saying it is an important part of the nation’s history.
Donald Trump loses Re-election + Refusal to Concede
The US Presidential Election was always going to be a long-anticipated event, long before even any notion of a coronavirus pandemic was in the air. Events leading up to the election took place over the year, including the primaries, which did end up being greatly affected by the pandemic that begun.
Many had hoped that Trump would be a one-term President and that this election will have people not make the same mistakes as in 2016 by not turning out in high enough numbers. In the end the night, which at first seemed incredibly close, was handed to Joe Biden after getting key victories in the rustbelt and essentially Georgia and Arizona, although the confirmation of a Biden win took a while due to slow counting of mail-in ballots in a number of close states.
Trump did not and has still not fully accepted his defeat and has thus far refused to directly concede (although he has since promised a peaceful transition on 20th January) and what followed was a series of legal battles over the legality of batches of mail-in ballots, of which Trump had long given his displeasure towards, saying such methods of voting could easily be rigged via fraud in favour of the Democrats. But all legal battles lead to no changing of the result, but despite this Trump has still been giving the illusion that there is some possible way for him to win, perhaps even via alternative batches of electors to the Electoral College, which also failed after the EC vote was officially certified by Congress.
Meanwhile the Senate was left hanging in the balance after Democrats received less than desirable results in down-ballot races for the federal and local legislatures, in an election that was indeed quite phenomenal and as such continues to display its deep divisions to those observing. The era of Trump may perhaps be over, but such division may yet lead to more unexpected events in the years to come.
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump broke records on the popular vote front, Joe Biden ultimately got the most votes ever of any presidential victor (taking that record from Barack Obama), while Trump received the most ever popular vote of any GOP/runner-up presidential candidate in history. It seems high-turnout really was one of the major factors that enabled the toppling of Trump.
Famous Deaths
As with every year there are always many famous people who die, either due to illness, old age, accidents or other reasons. This year was no different, apart from some who were famous that died from coronavirus, but it is also important to remember everyone else who also died from the disease. Below I will go over some of the biggest names who died this year, as well as a few others I decided to add in who are less known. The below names are in no particular order.
Qaboos bin Said al Said – the Sultan of Oman, aged 79. Qaboos had ruled Oman, a rather peaceful country in the Middle East despite its more unstable neighbors, for half a century before his death having taken over in a peaceful coup by toppling his father on who he disagreed of his method of ruling. Qaboos was praised for keeping the country peaceful during his rule.
Christopher Tolkien, aged 95 – The son of the famous author J.R.R Tolkien, well known for the iconic Hobbit and Lord of the Rings novels which became critically acclaimed movies. Christopher Tolkien had put together and published much of his father’s unfinished work such as the Silmarillion and Beren and Luthien which added to the complex world of the Elves and Dwarves.
Terry Jones, aged 77 – part of the iconic Monty Python comedy group known for creating a number of famous comedy sketch shows called Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Kobe Bryant, aged 41 – in one of the most tragic celebrity deaths of 2020, the world-famous basketball player Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash along with his 2nd eldest daughter Gianna Bryant merely 13-years of age, and six others who were also killed including the pilot.
Caroline Flack, aged 40. Yet another tragic celebrity death came from suicide. Caroline Flack was a British TV presenter known for hosting ITV Extra shows such as the Xtra Factor and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! and also co-hosted one series of the famous singing contest program The X Factor along with Olly Murs. She most recently hosted the popular show Love Island, of which itself had gotten controversies for several previous contestants having commit suicide. The TV Presenter before her death was due to face trial for the charge of assaulting her boyfriend.
Hosni Mubarak, aged 91 – the former dictator of Egypt Hosni Mubarak died in 2020. The figure was removed from office by the military after weeks of an uprising in 2011 that included huge protests and riots which was part of the wider Arab Spring. His death marks the end of a dark era, although Egypt’s military rule under Sisi seems to not have led to stable democracy for the country despite Mubarak’s overthrow.
Chadwick Boseman, aged 43 – the actor, perhaps most well-known for his role as Black Panther, sadly died of colon cancer, an illness he kept private until his death, and as such was a great and tragic shock to many. Up until then the actor was seen to have a promising career ahead of him.
Vera Lynn, aged 103 – A famous World War 2-era singer known for singing in outdoor concerts for troops who were out fighting the war. Some of her most iconic and famous songs include We’ll Meet Again, (There’ll Be Bluebirds) Over the White Cliffs of Dover, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and There’ll Always Be an England.
Reckful, aged 31 – Perhaps many won’t know well this person or know of them at all, whose real name is Byron Daniel Bernstein, but he was a well-known Twitch streamer who did gaming on his channel, most specifically World of Warcraft and also touched the lives of many streamers and fans within the community, he was one of the original Twitch streamers to become big. He tragically died via suicide, such which sparked important discussions and awareness of mental health within the streamer community.
The Great Conjunction
And so, it only seems fitting that an extraordinary year would be seen out by a once in a lifetime (almost) extraordinarily spectacular event dubbed the Great Conjunction or “the Christmas Star as it was called by the media”. If you were lucky enough to have a good view and clear skies you may have seen an event with your eyes that has not been visible for the last 800 years (the 1200s!), in which two planets, Saturn and Jupiter, crossed each other in the skies.
It really was a mad, crazy, sad, unusual and extraordinary year. And you reading this lived through such history. Now we shall see what 2021 has in store, perhaps we can hope a tamer year this time (so far January hasn’t given us that yet) but there is still hope!
Of course, there are perhaps some things I missed but I cannot always remember everything and it is not exactly possible to fit everything on either, and so I have chosen this list to what I believe are the biggest events with some other respectful additions.
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