After what the world endured during the year of 2020, everyone was hoping that the new year would bring change and hopefully wouldn’t be so hectic. As 2022 begins, it’s good to look back and see what happened in the previous year.

In January, there was a lot going on in the political front. Former president Donald Trump was fighting his loss in the 2020 election to the current president, Joe Biden. Nancy Pelosi was reelected as the Speaker of the House, and on January 6th the US Capitol was stormed by insurrectionist rioters after a Trump rally. A total of five people died during the riot at the capital, including a capitol police officer. On January 20th, Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States as well as Kamala Harris being the first female and first African American vice president. 

On February 2nd, Amazon announced that Jeff Bezos would be stepping down from his role of chief executive in the third quarter of 2021. Perseverance, NASAs rover, finally landed on Mars halfway through the month of February. The US surpassed 500,000 deaths from the Coronavirus and the CDC recommended the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the US. 

On March 11th, president Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 economic relief bill. The city of Minneapolis paid the family of George Floyd $27 million after the city council voted to settle the lawsuit. On March 18th, Eight people, including six Asian women, were shot and killed at three spa salons. This attack sparked attention for the AAPI [asian americans and pacific islanders] movement. 

On April 13th, The CDC and FDA recommended that the U.S. stop the use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine because of a reported “rare and severe” blood clot that was forming in vaccine receivers. Towards the beginning of April, 20 year old Daunte Wright was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop. His death was one of many that led to claims that law enforcement are biased against POC.

On May 2nd, SpaceX’s crew returned and set the new record for the longest time in space- over five months on an American-built spacecraft. The FDA announced that the vaccine was now eligible for people aged 12-15. 

June 3rd was the day that the Biden administration announced the plan to share 25 million COVID-19 vaccines with the rest of the world. Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. 

US troops left Bagram Air Base on July 2nd, the end of American military presence in Afghanistan. Jeff Bezos went on an 11 minute space trip. Simone Biles withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental health. 

On August 18th, the FDA announced that COVID boosters would start being administered in the upcoming months. The FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for people ages 16 and older, the first coronavirus vaccine that is FDA approved. Hurricane Ida makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and takes the lives of over 90 people. The commander of US Central Command announced all US military planes have left Afghanistan  marking the exit from the United States’ longest war yet.

Protesters rise with the passing of a Texas law that bans abortions at six weeks on the first of September. The FDA announced its authorization for booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine in people ages 65 and older, for high risk people of severe disease as well as people whose jobs put them at risk of infection.

In October, The White House announced that fully vaccinated foreign visitors will be able to travel to the United States starting in November. The FDA announced that the Pfizer vaccine was now eligible for children 5 to 11.

In November, The United States reopened its borders to international vaccinated travelers, ending the 20-month travel ban. President Biden temporarily transfers power to vice president Harris while he is under anesthesia for a procedure making Harris become the first ever woman to hold presidential power. Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager who killed two people and shot another during a BLM protest was acquitted of first-degree intentional homicide and four other felony charges.  Six people were killed and more than 60 injured when an SUV plowed into a Christmas parade in Wisconsin. 

In early December, the Omicron variant, stemming from the Coronavirus disease, was reported in the United States. The CDC also recommended booster vaccine shots for individuals 18 and over. A tragic shooting occurred at Oxford High School in Michigan. Four students were killed and seven injured. This event brought attention back to gun control laws and how to prevent events like this from happening again. 

In the end, a lot happened in 2021 that was memorable. It was a year of ups and downs as most are but we survived it. One thing is for sure, no one knows what 2022 will bring.