(CNN) – It may not be a year you want to remember, but 2020 is one you will never forget.
Blame the coronavirus pandemic, which claimed more than 1.5 million lives, devastated economies around the world and changed the way we live.
The US election has underscored how divided the country remains. The death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody, sparked weeks of protests around the world and sparked broader conversation about race, police brutality and social injustice. We’ve seen a record year of wildfires and hurricanes in the United States. Many people died in a devastating explosion in Lebanon and later an earthquake in the Aegean Sea. It’s been a tragic and messy year and it’s not over yet.
But we have also seen fragments of hope and resistance. Especially through our frontline workers and those who did their best to help others in times of need. We persist.
Check out the most memorable images he left us this year, month after month, here. Click on the arrows in the galleries to see the photos:
January
The beginning of a new decade offered new beginnings, full of promise and possibilities, but just three days a year it seemed we were on the brink of war.
US President Donald Trump authorized a drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and held Soleimani and his Quds force responsible for the attacks on coalition bases in Iraq. That led to days of terrifying tension, including a retaliatory attack by Iran on bases housing US troops in Iraq.
Later that month, Trump fought a battle at home when his impeachment began on Jan. 16, as the new coronavirus began to manifest and spread around the world.
If you’re mobile check out the January gallery here
February
In February, US President Donald Trump was acquitted during his impeachment trial by the Republican-controlled Senate. That sparked his hopes of reelection when Democratic voters began electing his rival for November. The Iowa caucuses began the primary season on Feb. 3.
Worldwide, coronavirus cases began to grow at an alarming rate. But for many of us, life just went on.
We saw Shakira and Jennifer Lopez perform in the Super Bowl during halftime. The Kansas City Chiefs took the Lombardi Trophy. The award season ended with the Oscars, where “Parasite” became the first film in a language other than English to win the best film.
If you’re mobile, check out the February gallery here
March
If you didn’t already know about the coronavirus, you probably found out in March, when the World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak a pandemic. At the time, there were 118,000 reported cases and more than 4,000 deaths, as the virus had settled on every continent except Antarctica.
Much of the world was put on hold. To try to slow the spread of the virus, people were asked to avoid crowds and limit their travel. Some governments issued orders to stay at home.
Many companies shut down abruptly, leaving millions of people out of work and others having to work from home. Millions of schools and religious services were closed and moved to the Internet. Sports leagues have suspended their seasons.
If you’re mobile, check out March’s gallery here
April
Coronavirus cases around the world reached a million in early April. At the end of the month, there had been one million cases in the United States alone.
Our “new normal” included face masks and physical distance.
But the limitations were not right for everyone. In the United States, several groups took to the streets to protest a return to normalcy.
If you’re mobile, check out the April gallery here
Mayo
The death toll from the pandemic continued to rise in May, but that didn’t stop protesters from flooding the streets following the tragic death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis police custody. His final moments were videotaped, in which a policeman is seen kneeling on his neck for more than seven minutes. Floyd pleaded for help while remaining immobilized, saying he couldn’t breathe. What happened recalled the death of Eric Garner in 2014, who uttered the words ‘I can’t breathe’ while a cop performed a hanging maneuver on him in New York.
Floyd’s death sparked racial settlements in America. Demonstrations also took place in other countries.
The protests were mostly peaceful, but in some cities there were cases of violence, with protesters clashing with police and shops looting and burning. In some areas, people have broken down statues of men who once served or traded in slavery.
If you’re mobile, check out May’s gallery here
June-
The protests continued while George Floyd was buried. In the city of Washington, the words “Black Lives Matter” were painted on two blocks as requested by Mayor Muriel Bowser. Meanwhile, some parts of the US began a gradual reopening as governments began relaxing their restrictions against the coronavirus.
Many companies opened their doors for the first time in weeks, although new guidelines were drawn up to protect against the spread of Covid-19. US President Donald Trump returned to the election campaign and held his first meeting since the start of the pandemic. By then it was clear that former Vice President Joe Biden would be his Democratic opponent in the November election.
If you’re mobile, check out the June gallery here
July
By July 4, nearly two dozen states had already suspended their reopening plans as a way to combat the coronavirus, which was spreading across the South and Southwest. Other states took additional measures.
At the end of the month, the MLB and NBA started playing games again after several international football competitions resumed in June. Fans were unable to attend, however.
The NBA reopened at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida with the words “Black Lives Matter” prominently displayed on the field. The players wore social justice messages on the back of their jerseys.
If you’re mobile check out the July gallery here
August
More than 200 people died and thousands were injured in a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Aug. 4. The cause of the explosion near the city’s port was initially unclear, but the Prime Minister of Lebanon said the investigation would focus on an estimated 2,750 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate kept in a warehouse.
In the western United States, many states fought forest fires. This year, more than 1.6 million acres were burned in the state of California, the worst fires in its history.
If you’re mobile, check out the August gallery here
September
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to become a United States Supreme Court judge, died of complications from pancreatic cancer on September 18. His death sparked a partisan struggle over the appointment of his successor. President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed by the Senate in October and was sworn in eight days before election day.
If you’re mobile, check out the September gallery here
October
Just days after his first debate against Joe Biden, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus, a surprising event that confused the country’s leaders and added new uncertainty to the presidential race that would follow. developed. Trump’s positive test effectively canceled his second debate with Biden, because the president refused to participate in a virtual debate. Instead, the candidates held a forum duel.
If you’re mobile, check out the October gallery here
November
Election day came and went without an expected winner in America, as results were very tight in many major states. The counts were delayed as officials faced a record flow of post-in ballots. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of absentee and mail ballots had increased across the country.
Ultimately, America’s choice was clear. Joe Biden recaptured Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for the Democrats and captured the states of Arizona and Georgia with a total of 306 electoral votes. Biden’s supporters took to the streets to celebrate their victory on November 7, a few days after election day.
President Donald Trump went on to make unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud was taking place and that he had won the election. Those claims have been rejected by judges and election officials in several states.
If you’re mobile, check out the November gallery here
December
The United States registered more COVID-19 cases in November than in any other month during the pandemic. And as the virus rises over the Christmas season, health officials have urged the public to avoid travel and large family gatherings that could spread it.
But hope is on the horizon.
On December 8, the UK became the first country to start vaccinating its citizens with a fully approved and approved vaccine. The United States has also begun to distribute the same vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
According to the companies, early data on coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna suggests that both are safe and highly effective, each preventing 95% of symptomatic infections in people who volunteered to test them.
If you’re mobile, check out the December gallery here