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2020 was largely marked by tragedy, with a pandemic resulting in the deaths of millions of people around the world.
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But the year was also filled with uplifting and even some historic moments.
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Here are six hopeful memories that have made 2020 a little less terrible.
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The year 2020 was marked by tragedy and unrest for many – a global pandemic, countless deaths and tragedies, and a frantic US presidential election, to name a few. However, the year marred by accidents also brought some achievements and inspiring moments.
Here are five of the most historic and uplifting events of 2020:
1. SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts into space
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made history in May, launching two humans into orbit for the first time since the private company was founded in 2002.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were the first Americans to take off from American soil on an American rocket for the first time since July 2011.
“It is an absolute honor to be a part of this massive effort to get the United States back into the launch industry,” Hurley said minutes before launch.
2. COVID-19 vaccines were produced in record time
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way people around the world live their daily lives. It infected nearly 80 million people and killed more than 1.7 million people worldwide. The cruelty of the virus is, in part, the trigger for the global effort to accelerate vaccine development.
A Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is already being administered in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, and Moderna received emergency use clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 18. Normally, it takes many years to research, develop, manufacture, approve and distribute a safe and effective vaccine.
3. Rollout of vaccine
Although the creation of a new vaccine in record time was quite an achievement, this year we saw people in several countries receive vaccinations against COVID-19, which were the first steps towards normalcy.
The United Kingdom became the first Western country to begin vaccinating the elderly after the country’s health authorities approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec.2. Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother, became the first person in the West to receive a COVID vaccine. 19 vaccine outside of clinical trials.
A few weeks after the vaccination efforts in the UK began, the US also approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and began to inoculate health professionals. In Indiana, health workers were so eager to get vaccinated that they broke the state registration system before shipments of the vaccine even arrived in the state.
4. The “Most Democratic” US Elections in US History
The 2020 US election cycle was filled with division and disinformation from President Donald Trump and his allies, along with unfounded allegations of post-election fraud and lawsuits that sought to undo countless ballots. Despite the turmoil, election officials from the federal to state and local levels called it the “most democratic” election in US history.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris won the election with 306 electors. This race also saw record attendance, with the help of mail-in-voting extensions in several states.
There were a record 101 million votes before the election, with an estimated 159 million votes cast in total in the 2020 election, the highest number the US has seen in more than 100 years.
Biden also won the most votes of any candidate in history, with over 80 million.
Kamala Harris makes history as the first female, black, and Asian-American vice president
Americans celebrated Harris’s appointment as vice president and her subsequent victory.
Harris, a graduate of Howard University, is also the first alumna of a historically black college or university to sit on a large party ticket.
“Bringing black and South Asian representation to the table, her lived experiences as a woman of color and a daughter of immigrants will provide a position in the White House like this country has never seen,” said Christian Nunes, the president. of the National Organization for Women, said Insider.
6. “Parasite” won the Oscar for Best Picture
The film “Parasite” made history in February by becoming the first non-English language film to win Best Film at the Oscars.
Parasite also won the awards for best director and best original screenplay, best international feature film, and was nominated for best production design and best film adaptation.
The nomination was one of many this year that highlighted Hollywood’s great diversity achievements. In September, actress Zendaya became the youngest drama lead actress to win an Emmy for her performance in HBO’s “Euphoria”.
Actress and musician Akwafina also became the first person of Asian descent to win a leading actress Golden Globe Award for her performance in “The Farewell”.
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