Forgotten Events of 2020

10, 9, 8…Parties. 7, 6, 5…Celebrations. 3, 2, 1…The drop of a ball. 2020 is over. 

   Come to think, that was a long time ago. With nearly a year of hindsight, there might have been substantial events during 2020 that were overlooked in the midst of elections and pandemics. 

January: Flight 752

   On January 8, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukraine International Airlines passenger flight going from Tehran to Kyiv, killing all 176 passengers and crew.

   Iranian officials denied involvement, but after investigation, they showed two surface-to-air missiles took the airliner down. The Iranian government confessed and said the military shot down the plane because they mistook it for a cruise missile.

   The event sparked protests calling to replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who civilians deemed responsible for the shooting and the denial.

February: Parasite sweeps the Oscars

   At the Oscars, South Korean film Parasite swept the board, taking home five Academy Awards. The film won Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, Best Director for Bong Joon Ho, and Best Picture. Parasite is the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture, breaking a 92-year streak of English language dominance within the industry.

March: Harvey Weinstein sentence

   On March 11, prosecutors sentenced disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein to 23 years in prison for convictions of sexual acts and rape. 

   The sentence came after years of allegations against Weinstein for charges of rape, sexual assault, and other forms of sexual misconduct. 

   These allegations sparked the #MeToo movement in which many women shared their personal experiences with sexual abuse.

April: Canadian Mass Shooting

   On the night of April 18 in rural Nova Scotia, a man – later identified as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman – disguised himself and his car to appear as a police officer. 

   While disguised, Wortman went on a shooting rampage, leaving 16 crime scenes, and over 20 dead. The event was Canada’s deadliest mass shooting.

   The rampage ended at an Enfield gas station, and authorities later reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shot and killed him. 

May: Murder Hornets

   Individuals found three members of an Asian species of wasp that grow to an enormous size in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

   The wasps deliver a painful sting, claiming between 30 and 50 lives per year in Japan.

   Reports of these wasps caused panic on social media and the insect trended under the name “Murder Hornet.”

   Nothing of much concern resulted from the occurrence.

June: Supreme Court Ruling

   The Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act prevents employers from discriminating against gay, lesbian, or transgender employees. 

   The 1964 Civil Rights Act protects people from being fired from a job based on race, religion, national origin, or sex.

   Justices voted 6-3 and found the language of the act barred discrimination of such nature. 

July: Naya Rivera Drowning

   Officials declared Glee star Naya Rivera missing on July 8 after she never returned home from a boating trip with her young son. 

   Soon after, searchers found her boat, along with her son, who was unharmed. 

   Searches for Rivera persisted through July 13, when officials declared her dead from drowning. She was 33 years old and the third star of Glee to die at a young age.

August: Beirut Explosion

   A fire in the Port of Beirut caused a large warehouse explosion that leveled the surrounding buildings.

   The blast killed over 200 people and injured 5,000 more. Reports estimated that the blast left nearly 300,000 civilians temporarily homeless, and the cost of damages was between $10-15bn. 

   Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab, stated that the detonation resulted from 2,750 ton of stored ammonium nitrate in the port.

September: Carole Baskin joins Dancing with the Stars

   Dancing with the Stars announced Carole Baskin, the breakout star from Netflix’s hit documentary series Tiger King, for their upcoming season. 

   Baskin performed to an array of cat-themed songs, and judges responded with poor scores, leading Baskin to be sent home during week three of the competition.

October: Tory Lanez shoots Megan thee Stallion

   On October 8, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office brought felony assault and gun charges against rapper Tory Lanez for allegedly shooting fellow rapper Megan thee Stallion.

   According to Megan, the two were in a car together and had gotten into an argument. Megan left the car, and Lanez shot multiple times at the rapper’s feet, resulting in injury. 

   Lanez pled not guilty to the charges, and the court issued a protective order preventing Lanez from coming within 100 yards of Megan. The court set his bail at $190,000.

   Lanez will not serve any jail time, but after violating the restraining order at Rolling Loud, the judge has increased Lanez’s bail to $250,000.

November: Jeopardy host passes away

   After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, long-time Jeopardy host Alex Trebek passed away on November 8. 

   Trebek first announced his cancer diagnosis via video on March 6, 2019. 

   Trebek had hosted Jeopardy in 1984 and continued hosting for a record-breaking 37 years.

December: Nashville Bombing

   On Christmas morning, a lone bomber (now identified to be Anthony Warner) detonated a bomb in downtown Nashville.

   Prior to the explosion, citizens reported hearing rapid gunfire and reported a suspicious-looking RV on 2nd Ave. At 6:30 am Warner detonated a bomb out of the RV.

   Warner’s ex-girlfriend stated Warner had been building bombs in his RV for over a year leading up to the explosion.

   Police reports reveal Warner died in the explosion.