2021: My year in review
January was the most chaotic month of the year.
Six days into the new year, we came as close to a violent overthrow of the U.S government as has happened since the Civil War.
January 6th was to have been the day when the newly elected president was given the official affirmation of his victory at the ballot box in November.
Instead, nothing went as planned in official Washington.
So far, 727 people have been arrested for taking part in the insurrection.
Joe Biden蘑菇视频 presidency was still confirmed later that night anyway.
One week later (Jan. 13), Democrats commenced the second impeachment against President Trump.
Although, just like the first impeachment, the second one fizzled out.
In the meantime, the United States got a brand-spanking-new president (as planned) on Jan. 20.
Scranton native Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. became the 46th U.S. president, on a day when all of Washington was on high alert.
Biden蘑菇视频 first order of business was to pick up the work started by Trump to fight the ongoing pandemic.
That meant he鈥檇 marshal forces to streamline the enhanced distribution of vaccines across the country.
The new president received reasonably high marks for his attention to the vaccine rollout.
He also stood firm in favor of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, that $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill which helped pump needed cash into the pandemic-weary economy.
But Biden蘑菇视频 popularity took a major hit in late August with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
The world witnessed the Taliban retake control of the country while Americans were, at first, stranded.
It was a clumsy mess, despite Biden蘑菇视频 promise to end America蘑菇视频 longest-lasting war effort.
Americans did have something to cheer about earlier in August.
The Olympic Games in Japan had wrapped up. The United States had taken home a boatload of medals.
They bested second-place China with the most gold medals (39). And they brought home 113 total medals.
In 2021, entertainment was largely influenced by the nature of the pandemic.
Movie theaters were forced to compete with widescreen TVs and a variety of streaming apps that produced crystal-clear pictures and professional sound quality in our living rooms.
The annual award shows reflected the changes.
The Emmy Awards produced major wins for Ted Lasso (APPLE TV+), The Crown (Netflix), and Hacks (HBO Max).
The Oscar-winning Best Picture was won by Nomadland, which opened in both theaters on Hulu.
All year long, the former president maintained that he鈥檇 been cheated out of his second term. There蘑菇视频 been no proof that he鈥檇 won anything.
Trump蘑菇视频 devotees in statehouses across the country decided they鈥檇 like to do what they can to continue to control the vote, and how the vote is counted.
So far, 19 states enacted voting restrictions across the country.
Two trials gained national attention in 2021.
In April, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd.
Chauvin will serve 22 1/2 years in prison.
And on Aug. 25, Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, was acquitted on all counts in the shooting of three men (killing two of them) in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August of 2020.
There were also events in 2020 that defied any logical explanation.
There was a building that collapsed near Miami Beach in June, causing the deaths of 98 people.
And there were the early December tornados across the South and upper Midwest, the led to at least 76 people dying in Kentucky.
The words variant, delta, omicron, anti-vaxxer, booster, and lockdown could be heard on every newscast.
By late spring, it appeared that COVID-19 was about to go away.
But, by June the delta variant appeared 鈥� and it became the dominant strain by August.
While more Americans continued to get vaccinated, many others refused to 鈥� and for a variety of reasons.
By November came the omicron variant. And with it came new worries.
2021: A year of joy for some and tragedy for others. Not unlike any other year.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.