2021 events | Graphic by Grace Merkle | The Wright State Guardian
With the ongoing global pandemic, monumental social and political events, and breakthroughs in medicine, 2021 was a year of struggle and strength. With the year coming to a close, here is a look back at some of the biggest national and global events.
Presidential inauguration
The 20th amendment to the United States (U.S) constitution set Jan. 20 as the inauguration day for presidential administrations following an election year.
With 2020 being an election year, the U.S swore in 46th president Joe Biden and 49th vice president Kamala Harris on Jan. 20.
This was historic as it was a transfer of power from the Republican to Democratic party in the White House. Harris also became the first female, first African American and first Asian American to hold the vice president position.
The inaugural ceremony also featured iconic moments like U.S pop star Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem and the meme-worthy Sen-D. Bernie Sanders’s mitten moment that went viral on the internet and social media platforms.
Covid Vaccines
2021 saw the continuance of the coronavirus pandemic, with new variants like Delta and Omicron popping up throughout the year all around the world.
The pandemic has caused significant interruption to everyday life around the world. However, with the creation and approval of COVID-19 vaccines, people were able to return to a ‘new normal’ way of living.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine was first to be approved for emergency use authorization in spring 2021 and was first to be fully approved for those 16 and older on Aug. 23. This approval was soon followed by the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
To date, 205.6 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID according to CDC data.
Juneteenth
Another historical moment in the U.S. was the creation of the Juneteenth National Independence Day federal holiday.
Created when U.S. Senate bill 475 was signed into law by President Biden, the new holiday celebrates the emancipation of African American slaves in 1863.
The federal recognition of Juneteenth is seen as a pivotal moment in race relations and recognition of minority communities in the U.S.
Olympics
Every four years the Olympics, a months-long sporting event where athletes from all around the world compete in various physical activities, are hosted in a major city chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic, the summer games were held in Tokyo, Japan. According to the Olympics website, the games were quite different from previous years with no spectators allowed in the stands to watch the games and extra safety measures to protect players from spreading COVID.
While a popular sporting event with activities like gymnastics and swimming, the Olympics are also seen as an important event to build sportsmanship, relationship and diplomacy among national players.
