2021 was a year full of mixed emotions. There were some moments that made us proud while there were some incident that made us feel like it’s the end of the world. From the rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 to the Taliban’s blitz in Afghanistan, the year 2021 certainly experienced its fair share of world-shifting events.
Here’s a look at the major events of 2021 that made news worldwide.
1. Joe Biden Becomes President
Joe Biden swore by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021. After nail-biting days of the campaign, Biden managed to pull together a winning electoral coalition to end Trump’s presidency.
“America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back,” Biden declared this when he first addressed before a global audience
2. Cargo ship gets stuck in Suez Canal
On 23 March 2021, an enormous container ship blocked one of the world’s key shipping canals i.e., Suez Canal single-handedly disrupted the global economy and captured the world’s attention.
The mega-ship got stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal, about six kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.
Ever Given’s unintended blockade has caused a profoundly sea-blind global public to take a sudden interest in global shipping and also sparked a meme fest on social media.
3. B.1.617.2 variant gets the name Delta
The Covid variant B.1.617.2 which was first discovered in India was labeled as ‘Delta’ by WHO on 31 May 2021. This whole strain of coronavirus was named ‘Delta’.
4. SpaceX launches first all-civilian spaceflight
The spaceflight company led by the billionaire Elon Musk launched a historic trip to orbit with the first-ever all-civilian crew on Sept. 15, 2021.
5. Tokyo Olympics 2021
It was for the first time in history that the Olympics was postponed. The mega sports event was supposed to be held in Tokyo in 2020 but because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was rescheduled from 23 July to 8 August 2021.
Although the edition was delayed by a year, it was still labelled as ‘Olympic Games Tokyo 2020’ for branding and marketing purposes. To prevent the further spread of Covid-19, the international mega event was held under a set of rules and guidelines.
6. Kabul falls to Taliban
It was on the 15th of August, the Taliban took over Kabul, soon after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country for the UAE. The militant group ran the country in the late 1990s and again came to power after 20 years. It was in 2001 when the US invasion of Afghanistan ousted the insurgents from power but they never. After they blitzed across Afghanistan, the US Government that has run the country for 20 years collapsed.
7. Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021
On November 29, the Lok Sabha passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 without any discussion. This bill aimed at repealing three contentious farm laws, including Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.
8. Mon Killings
On December 4, fourteen civilians were killed in a series of firings by security forces in Mon district. A unit of 21st Para Special Forces shot six civilians near the Oting village of the Mon district in Nagaland, India triggered nationwide outrage. Following the massacre, it reignited the demand for withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958.
