2020 has completely warped our sense of time. How many times have you found yourself thinking, ‘Wait, what day of the week is it again?’ Not only do we barely know what month we’re in (guys, did October actually happen?), but we can’t recall what life was like before lockdown. Remember socialising with (whisper it) more than six households? Remember dancing in sweaty night clubs and going to gigs? Remember when face masks were merely a vital step in your skincare routine? Nope, us neither.
That’s why we wanted to take a look back at 2020 and remember all the things you forgot happened this year. Yes, some most were awful and tragic, but others weren’t all that bad. In fact, this year gave us some incredibly heartwarming and life-affirming stories. Case in point: when Captain Sir Thomas Moore raised over £30 million for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday.
It goes without saying that the Coronavirus pandemic has governed the news cycle this year, but amidst the worldwide battle with COVID-19 came many news stories that either didn’t get the credit they deserved or because of the toll of 2020, have either simply been forgotten or feel as though they happened last decade, rather than a few months ago.
Some news stories you won’t find below though, because chances are, you haven’t forgotten about them. When George Floyd was murdered at the hands of Minneapolis police on 25th May, it sparked worldwide outrage at police brutality and systemic racism, and Black Lives Matter demonstrators stormed the streets in cities across the globe.
We also haven’t forgotten about some of this year’s more recent news stories, such as the #EndSARS protests, Jeremy Corbyn being suspended then readmitted to the Labour Party, and when Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump to become President-elect of the United States.
Those big-hitting and recent stories aside, here are 20 things that you totally forgot happened in the whirlwind that is 2020…