Humanity made some incremental progress on climate change at COP26 and expanded its exploration of space. A massive bipartisan infrastructure bill was passed and signed into law. The COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives around the world. The supply chain is still a mess, and while unemployment is low, companies can’t find workers to fill many jobs.Ģ021 wasn’t all bad. Our pocketbooks are feeling the pinch as inflation hits levels not seen since 1982. The stock market has broken records all year but that doesn’t mean everything is fine with the economy.

There was a significant rise in anti-Asian hate incidents, including the Atlanta spa shootings that took eight lives. At home, Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd, while Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty after fatally shooting two people in Kenosha, Wis. withdrawal from Afghanistan left the Taliban in charge of a starving and downtrodden population. New this year was the end of America’s longest war, which many see as a good thing. And the disastrous effects of extreme weather events caused by climate change, and gun violence still take up too many headlines. 6 that echoes through our political discourse to this day. The year started with a literal bang on Jan. The 2020 presidential election was another unwanted guest in 2021.

There was great hope as vaccines rolled out in January and many optimistic souls looked forward to a “hot vax summer.” The delta variant delivered a cold reality check, and as the year draws to a close, we nervously watch the case numbers and deaths rise again, even as omicron’s impact is unknown at this time.

In some ways, 2021 felt like a terrible repeat of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic still dominates our lives.

Flipboard 2021