Panorama reviews and ranks

A YEAR IN RHEA PATNEY associate editor REVIEW

Panorama ranks and reviews the months of 2020 1 FEBRUARY We know we’re talking about 2020 when the best month of the year also has the stock market crash. The Kansas City Chiefs won the Superbowl, proudly representing the state of Missouri and the corresponding halftime show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira was a much needed improvement from Adam Levine in 2019. February also happened to be the last month where I didn’t think twice about going into buildings. Some extremely sad things did happen, though, including Ahmaud Arbery being shot while jogging in Georgia. illustration by | DANIELLE ZHANG

2 3 4 16 OPINIONS

NOVEMBER

November was a relatively positive month. Joe Biden broke Barack Obama’s record for most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential candidate. In addition, we are finally beginning to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel — Pfizer and Moderna both created over 90% effective vaccines.

DECEMBER

As of Dec. 14

Arriving at December means we can finally end of the COVID-19 tunnel draws closer, with the FDA approving the Pfizer vaccine Dec. 11. Also, the U.S. banned owning large cats as pets, attempting to prevent another Tiger King-like story from happening again.

JUNE June was a month of activism, especially among the youth. Around 550 Black Lives Matter protests occurred across the U.S. June 6; there was a major surge in youth advocacy surrounding the movement. June was also pride month, a chance for members of the LGBTQ community to celebrate their identity. 5 OCTOBER Eight days before the Nov. 3 election, Amy Coney Barrett was named to the Supreme Court. Donald Trump also contracted COVID-19 and power outages swept California due to the raging wildfires. October did have some positives, though. Halloween fell on a

almost put this horrible year behind us. The Saturday with a full moon, Lebron James and the Lakers won the NBA championship and people began voting in the election.

6JULY Three weeks after Donald Trump held a rally in Tulsa, COVID-19 cases surged in Oklahoma. The Trump administration also attempted to pass a law requiring international students to leave the country if their university classes were held entirely online, which was eventually rescinded. July also saw the death of Glee star Naya Rivera, who drowned in a lake while trying to save her four-year-old son. SPREAD DESIGN BY RHEA PATNEY

7MAY George Floyd was killed by the police May 25 in Minneapolis, increasing the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement with a greater focus on police brutality. St. Louis, having the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in Missouri, was also under a stay-at-home order during this time. Also, we can’t forget the discovery of “murder hornets” in the U.S. 8 AUGUST August was a month of tragedy; many lost their lives. The U.S. surpassed 170,000 COVID-19caused deaths. Chadwick Boseman passed away Aug. 28 and ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut Aug. 4. On a more positive note, Joe Biden declared Kamala Harris his running mate which was the first time a woman of color was appointed to the presidential ticket. 9

SEPTEMBER Tragedy continued into September with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Additionally, the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor in March were abdicated and Black Lives Matter protests entered their 100th consecutive night. Donald Trump and Joe Biden had their first televised presidential debate, which ended up turning into a chaotic event filled with bitter exchanges.

10 V e get a t ive State

APRIL

In April, the global number of COVID-19 cases surpassed one million and the U.S. reached the highest COVID-19 death total in the world. Governor Parson issued a stay-at-home order for Missouri April 6. While this order slowed the spread of COVID-19, suicide and domestic violence rates rose. Kim Jong-un was also thought to be in a vegetative state in April, which ended up being a false claim.

11 JANUARY

It’s amazing how the month that is ranked second to last is also one of the only months where COVID-19 was not a problem in the U.S. Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general, was killed in a U.S. drone strike. This increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran, causing World War III memes to circulate social media. Australia was ravaged by wildfires and a helicopter crash killed nine people, including Kobe and Gigi Bryant.

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MARCH

COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization March 11, and the U.S. was put into a state of emergency March 13. Breonna Taylor was killed, the Olympics were postponed and toilet paper became the most coveted item at the grocery store. “Tiger King,” a show that I actually never ended up watching, also swept the nation, allowing viewers to get lost in the world of exotic animals and murder. March will forever be remembered as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. It is a month that will be written about in history textbooks. 12.14.20 17