January

January 5 started 2020 with World War III trending on twitter due to the the assassination of Irans’s general Qasem Soleimani ordered by the US. This caused turmoil between the United States and Iran since Soleimani was a prominent Iranian figure all throughout the Middle East. 

January 21, the CDC discovered what they believed to be the first positive COVID-19 case on U.S. soil when a Washington man became ill after returning from a trip to Wuhan, China. 

January 26, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan died in a helicopter accident on the way to the Mamba Sports Academy. 

February

February 5, President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial ended with the United States Senate acquitted him of charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress to aid his re-election.

February 26, the first confirmed non travel-related U.S. COVID-19 case was detected in California. 2 days later a second case was detected in Washington. 

March

March 13, JCPS schools closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus along with restrictions being put in place such as closing restaurants and local businesses. The start of this quarantine also caused a shortage of certain grocery items, such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap and Clorox in many stores due to people buying an excessive amount, depriving other people of these necessities. 

April

April 6, JCPS started NTI for all students in light of the pandemic.

May

May 3, The Washington Post reported that The Washington State Department of Agriculture is trying to track down the “yak-killer hornets.” They are nicknamed “murder hornets” because they are capable of shutting down the nervous system after the body has absorbed multiple stings. 

May 25, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police while being arrested for allegedly using counterfeit bills. A video taken of police officer Chauvin kneeing Floyd in the neck circulated social media rapidly, and on May 26, Black Lives Matter protests began in Minneapolis. 

June and July

June and July brought Black Lives Matter protests in major cities across the United States, protesting police brutality and the deaths of black people in America. 

August

August 7, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to U.S. cities to combat the Black Lives Matter protesters.

August 25, JCPS started online schooling for all students.

September

September 4, a couple in California caused the El Dorado Fire during a gender reveal party, in which they used fireworks to announce the sex of their child. This fire went on for 19 days, with 20 structures destroyed, 4 damaged and the death of a firefighter.

September 18, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87, after serving 27 years as a justice on the Supreme Court.

September 23, the results of the Breonna Taylor investigation closed with detective Brett Hankinson charged with three counts of first degree wanton endangerment with no other officers charged.

October

October 3, the New York Times reports that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19, causing the second presidential debate scheduled for October 15th to be cancelled. 

October 13, early voting for the 2020 election began in Kentucky.

October 26, the Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett into the Supreme Court to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

November

November 3, the 2020 Presidential Election closed voting and began calling states for the race to 270.

November 7, the Associate Press declared President-Elect Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. President Donald Trump refused to concede. 

December

December 14, The first COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer was distributed around the United States.