2021 has been a rollercoaster year for most people around the world. From a new U.S. president to social media controversies, 2021 was anything but uneventful. 

January

In the beginning of the year, COVID-19 vaccines began to be heavily produced and highly recommended. Multiple companies, such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, began sending out their doses to places all over the world. 

On Jan. 6, there was a riot at the Capitol building. Many of former president Donald Trump’s supporters rallied together to protest, but their gathering ended up being anything but peaceful. Several people who took part in the riot died along with a few police officers who were at the Capitol building that day. 

President Joe Biden’s inauguration took place on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Biden’s introduction to the Oval Office was a record-breaking one. Biden is the oldest U.S. president ever, being inaugurated at 78 years old, and he received more votes than any other candidate in history. Additionally, Vice President Kamala Harris was the first woman to become vice president in the United States.

February

On Feb. 7, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs, with a score of 31-9. This was quarterback Tom Brady’s seventh Super Bowl win, the previous six being with his former team, the New England Patriots. 

Also, former President Trump’s second impeachment trial began on Feb. 9 for incitement of insurrection during the Capitol riots. Four days later, Trump was acquitted in his trial. 

March

In March, there were several mass shootings around the country. On March 17, shootings occurred at different spas in Atlanta, Ga., killing eight. Two days later, a Dallas night club had a shooting, resulting in one death and several injuries. 

Throughout the month, there were also many natural disasters in different parts of the U.S.. There was flooding in Hawaii and Tennessee, tornadoes that blew across the south and even wildfires in New Jersey. 

April

On April 9, Prince Philip of England passed away. He died at 99 years old and was married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years. 

On April 20, former police officer Derek Chauvin was declared guilty on three counts of murder for the killing of George Floyd. 

May

President Biden started the withdrawal process of the American troops in Afghanistan at the beginning of the month. He declared all of the troops would be completely out of Afghanistan by September. 

June

On June 16, Juneteenth was declared as a national holiday. Juneteenth represents the day slavery was officially ended in the United States. It is celebrated on June 19 and has been developed since 1865.

A condominium collapsed in Miami, Fla., on June 24. 98 people were killed, with many more remaining injured. 

Additionally, the Taliban began taking over Afghanistan because of the withdrawal of American troops earlier in the year. This led to an immense amount of trouble in Afghanistan and terrible living conditions for their citizens. 

July

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup Playoffs on July 7, rising above the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the seven game series. 

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were rescheduled for July 23 until Aug. 8. On July 26, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles revealed she would be pulling out of the individual competition for mental health related reasons. Four days later, Biles announced her withdrawal from two other events, as well. Biles received much backlash from spectators for dropping out of the Olympics, but she also saw an enormous amount of support from others. 

August

With the Olympics wrapping up, the U.S. team brought home 39 gold medals, 41 silver and 33 bronze. The U.S. won the most medals out of any country with 113 in total. China had the second most winnings with only 88 medals. 

September

On Sept. 1, Texas passed a very controversial act banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The Heartbeat Act started an uproar across the whole country. 

Mobile gamers around the world were affected on Sept. 25 when Apple banned “Fortnite” on all of their devices. After a conflict due to payments within the app, Apple found it easier to remove the game all together. 

October

On Oct. 29, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg announced the change of the platform’s name to “Meta.” This change took place after a leak of documents proving many negative effects the platform has on its users, such as cyberbullying, and the lack of concern from the brand to help solve those issues. 

November

The 2021 World Series was held from Oct. 26 until Nov. 2. The Atlanta Braves pulled off a win against the Houston Astros, who fell 4-2 in the series. 

On Nov. 5, a tragic Travis Scott concert took place at Astroworld in Houston, Texas. 10 people died, most deaths resulted from being trampled in the crowd. 

On Nov. 19, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on the charge of murder for shooting two people and injuring another in a Kenosha, Wis. protest. Rittenhouse sparked many arguments among the country on what is considered self defense. 

December

On Dec. 31, actress Betty White died at 99 years old. Many fans were left devastated because she passed just a few weeks before her 100th birthday.