The year 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. Some might say that this year has been one of the most difficult years in recent memory due to the overwhelming issues that plagued all of us.
This year has been nothing short of crazy events, from the ongoing battle of COVID-19 pandemic to weird monoliths popping in and out of places on the planet.
Everyone can agree we are over with 2020. The amount of difficulty and issues surrounding this year has been very overwhelming for most people. While there have been some bright spots, they were too far in between, but 2020 still has some of the most iconic moments that will go down in history books.
Some would even say that the world endured many events of biblical proportions, such as the pandemic, locust infestation in Africa, wildfires in both Australia and California, and many more.
As the year comes to a close, we tally the top 5 craziest events of 2020 that will forever make this year memorable.
World on Fire – Australia and California
2020 started with the usual hustle and bustle as we welcomed the new year with open arms. However, things were about to turn bad around mid-January when wildfires erupted in the wilderness of Australia.
Australia
The bushfires destroyed forests and properties and killed millions of animals along their path. People and animals fled the forests but became victims of the wildfire that took almost several weeks to put out.
With over 30 people killed and thousands more left homeless, the fire has spread throughout Australia and destroyed almost 11 million hectares of land.
California
California in the US suffered the same fate throughout the year, with wildfire consuming thousands of acres of land in the process.
Leading scientists have argued that the extreme changes in the climate and the high temperatures in the dry land California’shas sparked the random wildfire.
These wildfires were so destructive that at one point, it felt like the world was on fire, and the sky was tinged with an orange hue.
Pandemic – Toilet Paper, Karens, and Vaccines
It was late in December of last year when news broke out that a virus has been infecting people in China’s province. Everyone thought this was just one of those localized outbreaks but little did we know a few months later that it turned into one of the most terrifying and overwhelmingly difficult events of 2020.
It wasn’t until early this year, around March, that the world came to a halt as countries began closing their borders and locking down cities to protect their citizens. Hospitals and other facilities became overwhelmed with patients, and death tolls begin to rise.
Toilet Paper
What truly made this pandemic quite preposterous is the sudden demand for toilet paper when wearing masks should have been the priority. It was one of those things that made people all over the world scratch their heads.
Karen
Apart from the bewildering need to stock up on toilet paper, a specific type of individual became the spotlight – Karen. Karen is the nickname given to anyone, typically a middle-aged female, demanding and entitled beyond the scope of what is usually the norm.
The sudden rise of Karens worldwide during the time of pandemic became one of the highlights for the months that went by.
Vaccines
The battle against COVID-19 continues to this very day, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines have already been procured by many countries all over the world. In time, we can only hope that this nightmare that has killed hundreds and thousands of people will be over by next year.
Black Lives Matter – Breanna Taylor And George Floyd
The racial divide has always been one of the most controversial topics in the US. It wasn’t until the early hours of March 13th when police visited Breanna Taylor’s home from Louisville, Kentucky, which ended in an exchange that killed her.
Records showed that she was shot eight times, and the worst part was records showed that injuries were listed as none. This caused a massive outburst of emotions from the Black community all over the country.
George Floyd
However, it wasn’t until the fateful day of May 25th when three police officers arrested George Floyd. One of them suffocated him to death by placing his knee onto the helpless man’s neck despite the man’s cries of pain and breathlessness.
The incident was caught on camera that led to a far more serious reaction against the police’s use of brutal force. It sparked a countrywide mass protest that led to looting and chaos in many cities across the US.
Black Lives Matter became one of the most powerful words of the year as people took to the streets, including many celebrities and public figures, to protest against police brutality against Black people.
Gay Penguins
Not all of 2020 was doom and gloom. In a total shift from the dark times that filled most of the year, there was one ray of light, might we say a rainbow after the rain over at the Amersfoort’s Dierenpark Zoo where a pair of gay penguins stole an entire batch of eggs from other penguin couples to make it their own.
What makes it even more interesting is that the gay penguins stole the eggs from a lesbian couple. It was well-documented that the gay couple did this previously a year ago, but the egg failed to hatch in time.
Zookeepers say that the couple was very determined about taking care of a young chick that they moved heaven and earth to steal eggs from another same-sex couple. Social media and everyone else took the chance to find out who these cute creatures and the entire fiasco went viral.
WAP
The pandemic has caused a lot of disruption in our daily lives. Many of us have to contend with peculiar work from home setups and even have to give extra effort in protecting ourselves and our family farm.
Times are indeed weird when a song based on the female reproductive organ and its sexual function became one of the most popular and most controversial songs of the year. WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion became a worldwide sensation that caused a lot of controversies.
The explicit lyrics are some of the most graphic words that you can hear, and while it might not be everyone’s taste, a lot of people were able to understand its connotation of a healthy sex life amidst a time when health is a top priority.
The song became a viral sensation on different social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, and it even became a subject of a hot debate in politics.
Conclusion
2020 had some of the darkest moments in history, but there are also a few moments that truly showed us that not everything is gloomy.
From the raging fires of Australia and California and downright outrageous lyrics of a song about the female organ, things have been crazy this year. But, everyone is looking forward to a bright and better 2021.