2020: At a Glance
The year 2020 has been filled with countless news stories and tragedies. Here is a collection that the Comets’ Tale compiled of some of the most important news stories from this year.
December 11, 2020
Iran/U.S. conflict
The relationship between Iran and the US hasn’t always been this cold. In fact, when the country was known as Persia, they could be considered very close allies. This changed in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown. Relations have been rocky since. It recently came to a head early this year when, on January 3rd, Iranian General Qasem Solemani was assassinated by an American airstrike in Iraq. Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei vowed revenge and declared 3 days of public mourning. On January 7, Iran’s Parliament passed a bill naming all members of branches of the US Armed Forces as terrorists, and subsequently issued 36 arrest warrants for US political and military officials, most notably President Trump. Later in the day Iran launched 12 to 15 missiles to strike multiple US military installations throughout Iraq. In the aftermath no casualties were discovered. The conflict is still ongoing but has taken a back burner to more pressing things such a Covid-19.
Written By: Jackson Manshum
Riots/Protests
On May 26, 2020 a man named George Floyd was killed during an arrest by an officer named Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes. Protests began locally in Minneapolis and quickly spread to 2000 cities in 60 different countries. Protests are still ongoing as of October 24, 2020. The protests have been the most costly bout of civil unrest, as some estimates have placed the value between 1-2 billion dollars. As of June 8, 2020 19 people have been killed during riots. Larger instances of rioting took place on May 27, when the situation spiraled out of control in Minneapolis when the third precinct was stormed and burnt.
Written By: Jackson Manshum
Covid-19 Shutdown
Arguably the biggest event to take place in 2020 is Covid-19, the global pandemic that took everyone by surprise. The virus has been tracked all the way back to New Year’s Eve of 2019, when a cluster of severe pneumonia cases were reported in the city of Wuhan, China. On March 10, 2020, the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in Michigan. The World Health Organization declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a pandemic on March 11. On March 13, Gov. Gretchen Witmer closed all Michigan schools due to the pandemic. Classrooms were empty, families were confused and scared, parents did not know where to send their children who originally went to daycares. However, it was only the beginning. Daily Covid-19 cases were rising in Michigan as the days went on. On May 28, 2020, the United States of America surpassed 100,000 deaths due to the Covid-19 outbreak, just two and a half months after it was deemed a global pandemic. Daily cases would surge and spike, and then go back to a steady number. As of October 25, 2020, there are more than 225,000 deaths in the U.S. with a total of 8.6 million confirmed cases (in the U.S.) of Covid-19.
Written By: Josh Looney
Wildfires
In 2020, much affliction has struck the world. However, on the west-coast of the United States, people are being hit extra hard. Wildfires have been springing up all over the western U.S. and continue to burn. In California, the first “gigafire” has been ravaging the state since August. The gigafire is the result of multiple lightning fires that started in August combining into one huge fire (firestorm). More than 1.03 million acres of land have been swallowed by the gigafire while more than 4 million acres have been burned in all in California. The fires have resulted in more than 40,000 homes being fled and at least 33 people being killed as a result of the fires, with many more missing. Fires rage in other states, such as Colorado, where one fire has nearly burned 200,000 acres of land. There are currently more than 5,000 firefighters working to stop the fires with some success being seen, as many fires are becoming contained or are in the process of being contained. Climate scientists say that wildfires are likely to occur more often, as temperatures rise and the frequency of droughts increases.
Written By: Nathan Edlin
Campaign trail
While 2020 had lots of unique major events and issues, the importance and newsworthiness of the presidential election is not new. However, it has faced many new challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the beginning of 2020, the candidates for the Democratic party were numbered. By March, all of the major candidates had withdrawn from the primary elections beside former Vice President Joe Biden. Mr. Biden won the Democratic nomination in June. President Trump ran for a second term under the Republican Nomination. Due to the pandemic, many of the traditional campaigning events did not occur like normal. Both candidates, however, continued to do what they could to convince voters. President Trump’s campaign had ads produced, sent out polls, and much more. Mr. Biden’s campaign also produced ads, as well as having former President, Barack Obama, make speeches on Biden’s behalf. While the beginning of the campaign trail was derailed, the presidential debate still took place. (link to our review of it). It was unconventional and largely unhelpful to the voters. That wasn’t the only thing that caused voters to worry about this election. Many voters were concerned about the election being corrupt due to the high number of absentee ballots and votes cast by mail as a result of the pandemic. Even President Trump commented on this fact. However, voting still occurred by mail, absentee ballots, and in person. This election was highly unconventional and not at all how the country expected it to be, but nothing about 2020 was as it was supposed to be.
Written By: Olivia Vanderlaan
Sources
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/06/california-wildfires-gigafire-first
