By Daisy Morales, Staff Writer
2020 has been no ordinary year. Each month we have seen major events that only occur once in a lifetime.
To start off the year, rumors of World War III were flying around after a U.S. strike killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was allegedly trying to target the US and had been behind major attacks. In response, Iran promised to get revenge and tensions rose between the US and Iran.
Not so bad, right? To make things worse, February got off to a fiery start as Australia burned up in large wildfires. These devastating wildfires killed at least one billion animals and scorched more than 450 million acres of land.
By March, Coronavirus had spread all around the world and forced major shutdowns worldwide. Schools were shut down and many people were left unemployed. As the virus spread, the death rate increased. And even now, months later, COVID-19 remains a force to be reckoned with.
Most people during this time went through their first official government-mandated quarantine. Quarantine was another story: People were mostly accepting of stay-at-home orders at first, but later that toned down when things didn’t seem to be getting better.
In May, as we were in the middle of a global pandemic, murder hornets arrived to make matters even worse. Formally named Giant Asian hornets, “murder hornets” were found in Washington state and terrified people on the internet. The murder hornets still remain a major threat to honeybees as well as humans because their sting is so painful.
At the end of May, when everyone thought there was no way things could get much worse, the death of George Floyd while in police custody caused a major stirrup in the United States and around the world. People were protesting and demanding justice for Floyd, starting the Black Lives Matter movement.
During this series of events, some people stormed the streets and rioted while others held peaceful protests for Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Vanessa Guillen and many others. On the Outer Banks, a peaceful protest was organized on June 9 to honor the deaths of those who died in encounters with police. Over five hundred were in attendance.
July didn’t bring something new, but added to the BLM movement. People started protesting all sorts of injustices, including LGBT Lives Matter, Latino Lives Matter, Women’s Lives Matter and countless more.
In August, major hurricanes were already stirring up in the Atlantic. Nine tropical storms had been named before August even started, setting a record. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2020’s hurricane season is predicted to be at a 60% above normal season. The first hurricane to hit the Outer Banks this season was Hurricane Isaias with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
On the other hand, September gave rise to the West Coast wildfires that are leaving many without a home and causing power outages all over the states of California, Oregon and Washington. As a result of these fires, at least 35 are dead and many are missing. All over California, red skies are visible and smoke from the West Coast reached the East Coast.
With so much that already has happened this year, we can either expect more heartbreak – or perhaps enjoy a calm few months until 2021 arrives. Regardless, this year will pass and we’ll be able to tell our own story of 2020 because that story will become history.
Do you have some happy memories from 2020? Share them below!
Sophomore Daisy Morales can be reached at 23moralesda04@daretolearn.org.
