2021 was quite the rollercoaster ride! From unexpected events like the storming of the US Capitol Building by Donald Trump supporters to the highs and lows of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the year got off to a rocky start.
But we can’t complain too much, 2021 was definitely more eventful than 2020! For example, despite the challenges posed by the deadly Delta variant, Japan still managed to successfully pull off the delayed 2020 Olympics.
Speaking of remarkable achievements, Elon Musk made waves by launching a spacecraft filled with civilians into space and safely bringing them back. Talk about an out-of-this-world accomplishment!
If you thought things couldn’t get any more chaotic, let’s talk about NFTs. We’re still scratching our heads over the hype, but it didn’t stop Christie’s Auction House from joining the trend. They auctioned off an NFT for an astonishing $69 million!
Oh, and El Salvador made a groundbreaking move by adopting Bitcoin as a currency – what an age we live in!
Continue reading to uncover the significant events, groundbreaking news, chart-topping music, thought-provoking quotes, and impactful deaths that made 2021 an unforgettable year.
Events
Explore the incredible moments that shaped 2021, a year filled with captivating events you won’t want to miss!
Jan 5
Lil Nas X released a children’s book called “C is for Country.”
It ranked at number 8 for children’s books worldwide on this day.
Jan 8
Donald Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
Jan 9
Five minutes after take-off, Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 crashed north of Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 62 passengers.
Jan 14
Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket successfully launched on its 14th flight from Launch Site One, Texas.
It flew as mission NS-14 to test out a new and improved crew capsule, the same capsule used later in 2021 to fly Founder Jeff Bezos to space. This mission, however, had a very different passenger – one crash test dummy dubbed “Mannequin Skywalker.”
Feb 10
The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first Carnival festival in Rio occurred in 1723. Rio’s Carnival is a yearly event that starts on the Friday preceding Lent and ends on Ash Wednesday.
Feb 18
The Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars.
Perseverance is the largest, most advanced rover NASA has sent to another world.
Feb 25
Hasbro announced that their Mr. Potato Head brand was changing its name to be gender inclusive.
The names of long-standing Potato Head toys, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, remained unchanged. Instead, the brand changed from Mr. Potato Head to just Potato Head.
Mar 5
Pope Francis made history when he became the first pope to visit Iraq.
The four-day visit was made possible by invitation from the Iraqi government and the largest Catholic church in Iraq, the Chaldean Catholic Church. Before this, a papal visit to Iraq was attempted in 2000, when Pope John Paul II wished to visit the city of Ur, but the Iraqi government denied him.
Mar 11
Prince William made a public statement saying that the British Royal Family was not a racist family.
The comment followed the allegations by his younger brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, that she faced racism from members of the family.
Mar 14
Beyoncé won her 28th Grammy Award, breaking the world record for most Grammys won by an artist.
Mar 23
A 28-year-old man broke into a trading card shop in Japan and stole thousands of dollars worth of Pokémon cards.
Kensuke Nakanishi stole 80 Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards from the store totaling a worth of roughly 1 million yen ($9,120). He was later arrested.
Apr 13
Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria apologized for voicing Apu for 30 years.
Azaria, a white man, felt he needed to apologize to “every single Indian person” for the harm he did in voicing the iconic Indian shopkeeper.
Apr 14
US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
The withdrawal, which began on May 1, 2021, marked the end of the US’ longest-running war.
Apr 17
Johns Hopkins University announced that the number of people who died worldwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic had reached three million.
Apr 26
A Texas resident narrowly avoided a felony after forgetting to return a VHS rental tape after 22 years.
Caron McBride unknowingly had a copy of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” since 1999. Even though the store had since closed, her record still stated she was guilty of “felony embezzlement.” The case was since dropped, but McBride suspected her record was the reason for difficulty acquiring jobs.
May 11
A nine-year-old boy died after being struck by lightning during a football coaching session in Blackpool, England.
The boy was taking part in a private coaching session when the lightning struck. He was taken to hospital but did not survive.
Jun 19
Thousands of pigeons went missing after a freak weather incident.
Over 250,000 pigeons that were raised from birth were released for a race. Only 10% of the pigeons returned, and it is believed that an unexplained weather event occurred which caused them to go missing.
Jun 25
Former police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
The sentencing was one of the longest ever given out to a police officer for the unlawful use of deadly force. Chauvin was the first white police officer in Minnesota to do time for the murder of a Black man.
Jul 7
Dutch artist Wilfred Stijger broke the world record for the tallest sandcastle.
Thirty other sculptors assisted Stijger in constructing the 69-foot (21-meter) tall sandcastle, which used 5,357 tons (4,860 tonnes) of sand. The sandcastle was built in Blokhus, Denmark, and broke the previous world record by over 9 feet (2.7 m).
Jul 26
Platform diver Tom Daley won his first Olympic gold medal in men’s synchronized diving, 13 years after his first Olympic games.
Aug 13
Supergiant Games released their most ambitious game to date, Hades, on PC, Switch, and macOS.
Hades was a huge step up from Supergiant Games’ previous releases in terms of plot and complexity. At the 2020 Golden Joystick Awards, it won both the best Indie Game Award and the Critic’s Choice Award.
Sep 7
El Salvador established Bitcoin as legal tender.
Many considered the move a game changer, as it was the first case of a nation officially accepting cryptocurrency as legal currency. The law requires all businesses in El Salvador to accept Bitcoin as payment, providing they have the technological means to do so.
Sep 29
Two wild boars attacked Shakira in Barcelona while she was in a park, during which they took her bag of personal items.
Oct 17
The Russian Soyuz MS-18 spaceflight landed in the Kazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan.
The mission, flown by the Y. A. Gagarin spacecraft, was the 146th crewed Soyuz spacecraft flight. On its return from the International Space Station, it carried Russian film director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild. They had spent twelve days aboard the station filming for the movie Vyzov (The Challenge).
Oct 21
Alec Baldwin accidentally used a live firearm during a movie rehearsal, during which he shot and killed a cinematographer.
Nov 25
The crew aboard the International Space Station celebrated Thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving, the astronauts ran on a treadmill and called it a “turkey trot”! Special food was provided for the occasion; although still in vacuum-sealed packets, they enjoyed candied yams, crab bisque, turkey, and cherry blueberry cobbler to finish it all off.
Dec 25
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched from the Guiana Space Center.
Jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, the telescope is the most advanced infrared telescope ever built. The first image captured by the telescope was released on July 11, 2022.
Dec 28
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope began the multi-day process of unfurling its sunshield.
The James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced infrared telescope ever launched into space, is so large that it had to be folded up like a transformer just to fit atop its launch vehicle. Three days after successfully launching into space, the telescope began the three-day deployment of its sunshield. This multi-layered shield is one of the most critical components of the telescope; for its infrared sensors to work at optimal levels, they need to be below -369.7 °F (-223.2 °C).
Famous Deaths
Here’s a glimpse at a few famous people who bid us farewell in 2021.
1922
2021
Betty White
American
Actress
1922
2021
Betty White
Betty White was an American actress born on January 17, 1922. She died on December 31, 2021, at age 99 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Died On:
Dec 31, 2021 (Age 99)
Died In:
California, USA
1966
2021
Paul Ritter
English
Actor
1966
2021
Paul Ritter
Paul Ritter was an English actor born on December 20, 1966. He died on April 5, 2021, at age 54 in Faversham, Kent, England, UK.
Died On:
Apr 5, 2021 (Age 54)
Died In:
England, UK
Quotes
Here’s a roundup of the most memorable quotes people said in 2021.
May 29
I find it difficult being outside. I don’t mind when it turns into black night, but once the hours of dusk come, I get very anxious.
Sinéad O’Connor
Irish Singer
2021 In Music
2021 was a year that delivered an array of incredible tunes that became instant classics!
From the rebellious anthem “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo to the mesmerizing collaboration “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande, these chart-toppers infused our lives with excitement and had us feeling better after a difficult few years of lockdowns & madness.
Familiarize yourself with the noteworthy music moments of 2021.
Album of the Year
Taylor Swift enchanted listeners with her alternative masterpiece “Folklore” in 2021, claiming the Album of the Year Grammy and captivating hearts along the way.
Song of the Year
H.E.R. captivated audiences and won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2021 with her powerful anthem “I Can’t Breathe.”
Best New Artist
Megan Thee Stallion’s fierce and unapologetic style won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2021, establishing her as a force to be reckoned with in the world of hip-hop.
Eurovision Song Contest Winner
The 65th Eurovision Song Contest took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2021, offering a stage for diverse musical styles.
Italy secured the victory with the electrifying rock song “Zitti e buoni,” performed by Måneskin, leaving a lasting impression on viewers around the world.
2021 in Numbers
In terms of numbers, 2020 was rather special, as the first two digits of the year match the second two. The next time this happens will be 2121. It was also the last year of the second decade of the 21st century.
If you’ve ever wondered how the year 2021 looks like in Roman numerals, it’s written as MMXXI. And if we represent 2021 in binary form, it becomes 11111100101.
Chinese Zodiac 2021
According to the Chinese calendar, 2021 was the Year of the Ox, which occurs every twelve years.
However, the Chinese zodiac also includes five elements, which are Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal), and Water. So this makes 2021 the Year of the Gold Ox, a cycle which happens once every sixty years.
The fascinating thing about the Chinese calendar is that it operates on a lunar cycle, which means that the Year of the Gold Ox officially kicked off on February 12th, and lasted until January 31, 2022.
Those born in the Year of the Ox are diligent, dependable, and methodical. They are known for their strong work ethic, reliability, and determination to achieve their goals.
The Years of the Ox have blessed us with influential figures such as Camila Cabello, Olivia Holt and K.J. Apa.
2021 Trivia
Did you know that in 2021, highest global temperature records were broken around the world?
More than 400 weather stations across the globe documented unprecedented temperatures, surpassing all previous records.
Notably, Death Valley, USA, registered a new maximum world temperature of 129.9°F (54.4°C).
