2020 Events – Pop Culture, U.S. Politics & World

Brushfires devastated Australia: The year began with news of the devastating brushfires in Australia raging since December 2019. By the time they were put out in February, the fires had burned some 46 million acres of land, killed 34 people and killed or displaced nearly 3 billion animals.

Antarctica saw its highest temperature on record: In February, the coldest continent on Earth recorded a record-high temperature of 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists said the high temperature was in keeping with the overall global warming trend in recent years, and could affect parts of the massive Antarctic ice sheet, which contains some 90 percent of the world’s fresh water.

Wildfires burned more than 8.2 million acres in American West: Beginning in mid-August, a series of major wildfires—fueled by gusty winds, drought, heat waves, lightning storms and other markers of a changing climate—spread over many millions of acres of land west of the Rocky Mountains. California and Colorado both saw record-setting fires in terms of acres burned this year. In Oregon, more than 900,000 acres (an area larger than the state of Rhode Island) burned in just 72 hours in September, compared with the state’s 10-year wildfire season average of 500,000 acres.

The United States officially left the Paris Climate Agreement: After a mandatory year-long waiting period, the United States formally exited the landmark accord signed in Paris in 2015. Under the leadership of President Trump, whose administration rolled back many efforts aimed at mitigating climate change, the United States became the only one of nearly 200 countries to renounce its promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Federal and state governments attempted to rein in tech giants: The year saw a series of groundbreaking antitrust lawsuits aimed at powerful Silicon Valley companies that have grown to mammoth proportions over little more than a decade. Most notably, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a long-anticipated lawsuit against Google, owned by Alphabet, Inc., in October, alleging that the company illegally protects its monopoly over online search. In December, Texas and nine other states filed another massive suit attacking Google’s online advertising practices, while dozens of states and the federal government targeted Facebook, accusing the social media behemoth of illegally buying up its competitors to form a monopoly.

SpaceX began a new era of spaceflight: For all those searching for a new planet to call home, the year brought at least a bit of good news. SpaceX, the company founded by billionaire Elon Musk to fulfill his dream of colonizing Mars, launched NASA astronauts into orbit for the first time since the U.S. government retired the space shuttle program in 2011. SpaceX regularly transports cargo to the International Space Station, and in 2020 became the first private enterprise ever to launch astronauts there.

Berkeley Lovelace Jr., “WHO names the new coronavirus COVID-19.” CNBC, February 11, 2020.

Cecilia Smith-Schoenwalder, “WHO Estimates Coronavirus Has Infected 10% of Global Population. U.S. News, October 5, 2020.

Timeline of COVID-19 Developments in 2020. AJMC, November 25, 2020.
Donald G. McNeil Jr., “The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases.” New York Times, March 26, 2020.

Philip Ewing, “’Not Guilty’: Trump Acquitted On 2 Articles Of Impeachment As Historic Trial Closes.” NPR, February 5, 2020.

“US troops in Afghanistan: Allies and Republicans alarmed at withdrawal plan.” BBC News, November 18, 2020.

Sophie Lewis, “Joe Biden breaks Obama’s record for most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential candidate.” CBS News, December 7, 2020.

Alexandra Sternlicht, “Over 4,400 Arrests, 62,000 National Guard Troops Deployed: George Floyd Protests By The Numbers.” Forbes, June 2, 2020.

Christina Maxouris, “The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre will soon be a part of the curriculum for Oklahoma schools.” CNN, February 20, 2020.

Alisha Ebrahimji, Artemis Moshtaghian and Lauren M. Johnson, “Confederate statues are coming down following George Floyd’s death. Here’s what we know.” CNN, June 9, 2020.

Katharine Q. Seelye, “John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80.” New York Times, July 17, 2020.

Colin Dwyer, “Harvey Weinstein Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison For Rape And Sexual Abuse.” NPR, March 11, 2020.

Kate Baggaley, “The NBA bubble was a one-of-a-kind COVID-19 success story.” Popular Science, October 15, 2020.

Jack Guy, “Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by Australia’s fires.” CNN, July 28, 2020.

Derrick Bryson Taylor, “Antarctica Sets Record High Temperature: 64.9 Degrees.” New York Times, February 8, 2020.

Diana Leonard and Andrew Freedman, “Western wildfires: An ‘unprecedented,’ climate change-fueled event, experts say.” Washington Post, September 11, 2020.

Rebecca Hersher, “U.S. Officially Leaving Paris Climate Agreement.” NPR, November 3, 2020.

Cecilia Kang and Mike Isaac, “U.S. and States Say Facebook Illegally Crushed Competition.” New York Times, December 9, 2020.

Bobby Allyn, Shannon Bond and Ryan Lucas, “Google Abuses Its Monopoly Power Over Search, Justice Department Says In Lawsuit.” NPR, October 10, 2020.

Kenneth Chang, “SpaceX Lifts NASA Astronauts to Orbit, Launching New Era of Spaceflight.” New York Times, May 30, 2020.