From the moment the clock struck twelve on New Years’, 2020 has thrown the world one too many unexpected curveballs. So as this chaotic year comes to a close, here is a recap of all that went down.

Already starting off on the wrong foot on Jan. 3, after a US airstrike in Iraq, many important military officials were killed including the second-most important leader in Iran, Gen. Qassem Soleimanis. While the tension between the US and Iraq began to rise, so did the fear of a possible war outbreak which Gen-Z dubbed as “World War 3”.

But by far the biggest event was when the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak had started. The first case of the then-unknown virus was on November 17, 2019, in the Hubei province of China. January was when the virus started to spin out of control and speak to other countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared a global emergency by the end of January.

As many countries ramped up defenses in ways to prevent the virus from spreading, Australia had other things to worry about. Bush fires spread rapidly killing an estimated 1 billion animals, 33 people, and 2,500 homes.

To fuel the fire of 2020, the end of January had brought the untimely death of basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Giana Bryant. They tragically passed in a helicopter accident near Los Angeles, California.

Although January was a continuous trail of many unfortunate events, February was not as dramatic with only both impeachment cases against President Donald Trump acquitted. And the first American death from the Coronavirus.

But this was the calm before the storm.

This leads onto march where the unforgettable day, March 13th came. On that Friday a national emergency was declared in the USA due to the virus. The WHO declared the Coronavirus a pandemic earlier in the month, but many schools including Sage Creek High School went online for the rest of the year. Along with numerous business shutdowns and job losses, the economy began to crash due to the shutdowns for the safety of the people.

The country, as well as others, went on lockdown and quarantine. As citizens freaked out in fear of what was happening an unforeseeable toilet paper shortage came about.

Although the severity of the virus dramatically increased, many people lightened up the situation with memes and safe activities to do in quarantine. With a drastic increase in free time, new hobbies were picked up and lots of time with loved ones were spent.

Yet 2020 may prove the saying ‘April showers bring May flowers’ rings true.

As April began, so did an economic recession. Many described the recession as bad as the Great Depression. With many businesses being forced to shut down and over 20.5 million Americans losing their jobs.

But even with the end of April, the misadventures didn’t stop. The fiasco that May brought was the introduction of the Murder Hornets.

Murder Hornets are no mere trivial matter to be taken frivolously as the size and deadliness are what truly make them scary. Even the queen itself is two inches big and just as deadly.

The bugs that migrated from Asia were starting to be spotted in North America as well. They already have an infamous reputation in Japan, killing around 50 people each year. Although this was quite a startling matter, 2020 has made everyone immune to unexpected events. The ending of May brought around a powerful movement in the United States that even people abroad showed their support.

The Murder of George Floyd occurred on May 26th when a police officer had taken his life over a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. Even though a monstrous crime was committed by the law official, he and the accomplices walked away punishment free, at that time.

But the power of modern-day technology and social media quickly spread awareness on the horrific event. A video showing the police officer killing Floyd even when he said he couldn’t breathe spread through the internet in just a matter of days bringing about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Hundreds of thousands of people protest the unjustified murder of Floyd and many other victims of police brutality. With so many cops killing their own citizens especially on a racial bias, who they swore to protect, and not having any punishments, protests and riots ensued.

Enough protesting brought about the case going to an official court with Derek Chauvin charged with second-degree murder. The trial has currently been moved to March 2021.

Even with the protests dying down throughout July, the movement is still alive and still holding BLM and police brutality protests.

In August 2020s events had less to do with people and more to do with the weather. Yet again, it was the time of year for wildfires in California and hurricane season in the south.

The 8,200 fires burned over 4 million acres of land to a crisp in just California.

While the west dealt with this matter, the south had something else on their plate with the beginning of hurricane season. A record-breaking 30 named storms and 12 landfalling storms were swept from Florida to South Carolina raging all through November.

But the month of September brought about the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the start of the school year being online.

And October was quite calm compared to the wreck of what 2020 had already brought the world. A more notable event was Halloween during an ongoing pandemic. Even with cases rapidly increasing, that didn’t stop many people from throwing parties and trick or treating without following the safety guidelines.

The aftermath of Halloween and repercussions was San Diego County falling back into the purple tier, marking an overwhelming amount of cases.

November brought upon a historical election between Presidential Candidate Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump. Joe Biden gained over 306 electoral votes, around 80 million votes in total compared to President Trump’s 232 electoral votes and 74 million individual votes, declaring Joe Biden as the President-elect.

Even with numerous recounts and court cases demanded by the president, Joe Biden is still the president-elect, especially with gaining the most votes in United States history.

And with Thanksgiving ending November, the consequence of the unsafe actions of many people was California going on another lockdown. The stay at home order came into effect in December, shutting down all nonessential businesses until further notice.

But a silver lining to the end of our 2020 is the already coordinated possibility of Sage Creek reopening with a hybrid learning style on January 25th. But with cases on a rise yet again and an even bigger increase over the holidays, it’s understandable that many people doubt that the school will go back. But for now, the district is set on their decision.

2020 was a year no one will forget. With so many unthought-of events occurring whilst in a global pandemic, this year was truly a rollercoaster. Let’s hope this new year will bring more good news and smiles. Now, what will 2021 bring?