The Unfortunate Year of 2020

As we all know, 2020 has been a tragic year. Many unfortunate things have happened and are still occuring. At the end of 2019 everyone had high hopes for the year 2020. Sadly those hopes slowly faded away as more incidents started to stockpile. I’m sure we can all agree 2020 has drained us physically and mentally.

This terrible year started off with the Coronavirus (COVID). COVID rapidly took over the nation and still is today, infecting anyone it can. It can spread through contact, droplets, and even surfaces. As of today over 220,000 people in the U.S. are positive for COVID. Let alone the other 400,000+ from around the world. The unsettling thing about COVID is that it affects people differently. Some people are left without taste, smell, and even loss of appetite. There are many new possible symptoms showing up everyday. Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine available in the U.S. Many people are concerned how the vaccine will affect different people.

On January 26th, 2020 the basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant passed away after the helicopter they were flying in had to make an emergency landing. The helicopter was coming down too fast and there was no other option, but to let the helicopter continue its way downward. Reportedly the pilot got disoriented by fog. The helicopter slammed into a hillside outside Los Angeles and ultimately killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Kobe was a great man and only had good attributes. He created a path for U.S. basketball and popularized the sport. Gianna was a basketball star in the making. She followed in her fathers footsteps and fell in love with the sport. She hoped to become a part of the NWBA. This catastrophic event sent a hush over the world as devoted fans mourned Kobe and Gianna’s death.

A devastating event occurred in the Port of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. On August 4th of 2020, 2 explosions unexpectedly went off in the Port of Beirut. The explosion, at least, killed 200 people, though the aftermath killed many more. After the explosions went off many chemicals were released into the air. These chemicals left many sick and have even seemingly killed hundreds of people. Thousands were left without homes and forced to be homeless. Residents of Beirut think this wasn’t just some accident. Many have petitioned for a deeper look into the incident. Do you think it was just a tragic event or the bombs were planted?

The last awful event I would like to discuss is the wildfires that happened in the Western U.S. this year. It happened during the wildfire season, but was much greater than a normal wildfire. Once it started, it didn’t want to stop. It destroyed 5,000 homes and 193,812 acres of land. Thousands of people had to evacuate, because of the fires. There was no reason for them to be as huge as they were.

Now, with 2020 coming to a close, many are hoping for a brighter future in 2021. 2020 has surely been the worst year in a while. I hope for things to go better in 2021. As 2020 is coming to a close, we are close to seeing if 2021 will be any better than 2020. Until then I hope everyone stays safe and takes care of themselves.