JANUARY
Omicron surge
Cities around the country and around the world suffered a new surge of coronavirus cases fueled by the omicron variant in late 2021 and into early 2022. Deaths and infections hit new records.
One-year anniversary of Capitol riot
A still starkly divided nation marked the one-year anniversary of the pro-Trump riot that rocked the nation’s Capitol. President Joe Biden blamed Donald Trump directly for the insurrection, saying the former president turned to violence to try to overturn the election he lost. “For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol,” Biden said.
Inflation hits 40-year high
The pandemic has caused enduring problems with the shipping, unloading and delivery of goods around the country. The increased cost of goods means businesses have either had to decrease their profit margins or raise prices for consumers — often both. Two years after the first temporary coronavirus lockdowns, production pullbacks continued to reverberate.
Georgia wins NCAA championship
Georgia beat Alabama 33-18 to win the college football national championship. It was Georgia's first title in 41 years.
FEBRUARY
Biden Supreme Court pick
President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to a seat on the Supreme Court, setting her up to be the first African American woman on the nation's top court.
Beijing Olympics
The world held another Olympics that was closed to spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic. The human rights abuses of the host nation and the looming Ukraine war also hung over the event.
Russia invades Ukraine
Russia sparked Europe’s largest ground conflict since World War II as President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine. The invasion was denounced around the world and made Russia an international pariah. Western nations imposed harsh economic sanctions, but refused to get involved in the war directly. But the West supplied weapons to the Ukrainians, who were unexpectedly effective at fighting against the invasion, despite widespread destruction and heavy casualties.
Easing of coronavirus restrictions
Officials around the United States continued to ease restrictions related to controlling the coronavirus pandemic. Cities and schools across the country relaxed rules on masks, vaccinations and public gatherings.
2 years for killing Daunte Wright
Former Minnesota police Officer Kimberly Potter was sentenced to two years in prison for fatally shooting Daunte Wright in April 2021. Potter said she accidentally killed Wright during a traffic stop, saying she meant to use her Taser when she fired her handgun.
MARCH
State of the Union speech
President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to praise the West’s response to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “premeditated and unprovoked” war with Ukraine while seeking to convince Americans that he has a plan to combat spiking inflation at home.
Smollett sentenced
Actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days for reporting a fake hate crime in Chicago in 2019. Smollett was released pending an
Don't say gay
Rejecting criticism that it would harm the LGBTQ community, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the controversial measure derided as the “don’t say gay” bill. House Bill 1557, officially known as the Parental Rights in Education, will prohibit discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools up to the third grade and limits it to “age-appropriate” students in higher grades.
Oscars slap
A diverse group of winners made history as they took home trophies from the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. But all anyone could talk about was The Slap. Will Smith hit presenter Chris Rock after Rock told a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Will.
Gas prices
Gas prices surged across the nation amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Prices in California topped $5 per gallon.
APRIL
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson joining Supreme Court
The Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, promoting the appellate judge to a lifetime seat no Black woman has ever occupied. Jackson, 51, becomes only the sixth woman and third Black justice to ascend to the high court, which will for the first time have two Black members, three members of color and four women.
Brooklyn subway shooting suspect arrested, one day after opening fire on train car filled with riders
The suspect wanted for the shooting spree inside a jam-packed Brooklyn subway car was arrested on an East Village street, ending a massive manhunt for the gunman who blasted 10 innocent straphangers just one day earlier, the NYPD announced.
Amazon workers in NY vote to form first US union in company’s history
Workers at an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island voted to form the first U.S. union in the mammoth multinational company’s history.
MAY
Uvalde school shooting
21 people — 19 students and two teachers — were killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman, who attacked the school just before it closed for the summer, was killed in a shootout with authorities. In the wake of the shooting, the failed response from authorities at the scene was heavily criticized.
Buffalo grocery store shooting
A white gunman livestreamed a racially motivated mass shooting online, showing himself killing 10 people and wounding three others at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in an historically Black neighborhood. President Joe Biden spoke of the "poison" of white supremacy in the days after the shooting.
Inflation hits another high
U.S. inflation hit a fresh 40-year high in May, unexpectedly accelerating in a broad advance that pressures the Federal Reserve to extend an aggressive series of interest-rate hikes and adding to political problems for the White House and Democrats.
The longest of long shots wins the Kentucky Derby
Rich Strike pulled off one of the biggest Kentucky Derby upsets in history, running down the favorites in the stretch to win at Churchill Downs as one of the race’s longest shots of all time. Going off at 80-1 odds, Rich Strike came from the back of the 20-horse field under a ride from Derby rookie Sonny Leon to finish three-quarters of a length in front of 4-1 favorite Epicenter.
JUNE
In historic reversal, Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, frees states to outlaw abortion
In a historic reversal, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and ruled states may again outlaw abortion. The court’s conservative majority said the Constitution does not protect the rights of women to choose abortion and instead leaves these decisions in the hands of state lawmakers. The 5-4 ruling marks the most significant curtailing of an established constitutional right in the court’s history. The opinion written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. closely tracked a draft that was leaked by Politico in May.
Other important Supreme Court rulings
The Supreme Court this term also upheld the rights of gun owners to carry a loaded weapon in public, ruling that the Second Amendment right to “bear arms” overrides laws in New York and California that restrict who may legally take guns when they leave home. And the court ruled for the major coal-producing states and sharply limited the Biden administration’s authority to restrict the carbon pollution that is causing global warming. The justices agreed with lawyers for West Virginia and said Congress did not give environmental regulators broad authority to reshape the system for producing electric power by switching from coal to natural gas, wind turbines and solar energy.
Shocking testimony in Jan. 6 hearings
Former President Donald Trump and his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, were aware the Capitol was a target of violence and that Trump supporters were armed with weapons when the president urged them to march to the building on Jan. 6, 2021, a former aide testified in a bombshell hearing that also revealed Trump repeatedly pushed to pardon those involved in the attack. In a hearing abruptly called by the House panel investigating the Capitol insurrection, Meadows’ former aide Cassidy Hutchinson gave a detailed accounting that the Secret Service informed Meadows in advance that violence was possible Jan. 6, and that Trump expected to lead the crowd to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to keep him in office — an act the White House counsel warned could be a crime.
Youngest kids in US cleared for Moderna, Pfizer COVID vaccines
U.S. health officials approved COVID-19 vaccines for infants and toddlers, the last remaining age group that hasn’t been eligible for inoculation.
JULY
Shooting at Fourth of July parade
On an idyllic summer morning, from a rooftop high above the Highland Park Independence Day parade, a gunman aimed down at the floats and lawn chairs and strollers and opened fire. Members of the high school marching band sprinted for their lives, still carrying their flutes and saxophones. Bystanders scooped up young children and fled. In all, seven people were killed and some two dozen others were injured, either by rifle fire or in the stampede away from the scene.
Ex-Japan leader Abe assassinated in shooting that shocks nation
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — Japan’s longest-serving premier and a figure of enduring influence — died after being shot at a campaign event Friday in an attack that shocked a nation where political violence and guns are rare. Abe, 67, was shot from about 10 feet away with what appeared to be a homemade firearm in the western city of Nara, as he was giving a campaign speech.
Musk wants out of $44 billion Twitter deal
Elon Musk announced his intention to end an agreement to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion and take it private, alleging that the company misrepresented user data and setting the stage for an arduous court brawl. The pullout marks a dramatic turn in a half-year saga that began with Musk building up an equity stake, lining up an elaborate financing plan and then striking a deal in April.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson quits after months of scandals
Boris Johnson announced his intention to resign as prime minister of the United Kingdom, bringing the curtain down on a tempestuous three years in office marred by a succession of scandals that culminated in the rebellion of his own Cabinet and parliamentary group. Johnson, 58, bowed to the inevitable after the mass resignation of members of his government. Liz Truss took over as prime minister in September.
AUGUST
FBI searches Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump faced intensifying legal and political pressure after FBI agents searched his Florida home in a probe of whether he took classified documents from the White House when he left office, casting a shadow on his possible run for the presidency in 2024. The search was a stunning development in the ongoing legal battles involving the former president as he teases another White House bid in 2024 and plays kingmaker in Republican primaries for November’s midterm elections.
Kansas rejects constitutional amendment removing the state level right to an abortion
Kansas voters turned out in historic numbers to overwhelmingly reject a constitutional amendment that would have opened the door for state lawmakers to further restrict or ban abortions across the state. The landslide decision was the first major popular vote on abortion taken in the U.S. after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Rep. Liz Cheney loses Wyoming GOP primary to Trump-backed challenger
Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and a leading figure in the Republican effort to hold former President Donald Trump accountable, was defeated in the GOP primary for the Wyoming congressional district she’s represented since 2017. The three-term congresswoman lost to Harriet Hageman, a lawyer who has worked to block federal regulations in Wyoming and who was endorsed by Trump.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped end Cold War, dies at 91
For six long years, Mikhail S. Gorbachev slavishly turned his attention to one Herculean chore — dismantling the machinery of repression that his predecessors had so proudly and methodically erected. One of the most influential politicians of the 20th century and the last leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev died in August at 91. In a breathtaking series of reforms, the former Soviet leader lifted the Iron Curtain that drew a messy line between the East and the West, liberated the arts and pulled Red Army troops from foreign conflicts such as the Soviet Union’s 10-year debacle in Afghanistan.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he's stepping down
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the world-famous doctor who led the nation’s fight against the COVID pandemic, announced he will step down from his post as President Joe Biden’s top health adviser. After 2½ years as the face of the pandemic response, Fauci said he would resign as head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases and end 50 years of government public health service.
Biden will cancel $10,000 of student debt for many borrowers
President Joe Biden moved to cancel $10,000 in student debt for individuals earning less than $125,000 annually and extend a pause on loan repayments for all borrowers through the end of the year. People who received Pell Grants to help cover the cost of college will be eligible for up to $20,000 in loan relief under Biden’s plan. Together with a newly proposed rule that would limit many borrowers’ payments on their undergraduate student loans to 5% of their monthly income, the measures amount to a major restructuring of the federal educational finance system.
SEPTEMBER
Queen Elizabeth dies; Charles becomes king
Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign took Britain from the age of steam to the era of the smartphone, and who oversaw the largely peaceful breakup of an empire that once spanned the globe, has died. She was 96. She died peacefully at her estate in Balmoral, Scotland, on the afternoon of Sept. 8, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. With her death, her eldest son becomes King Charles III.
Biden takes aim at Trump, 'MAGA Republicans' in prime-time speech
President Joe Biden delivered an urgent call to the country Thursday night, asserting in a prime-time speech that American democracy remains in great peril and bluntly singling out the person he sees as the biggest threat to the system: former President Donald Trump. Speaking from Independence Hall, where the United States’ experiment in self-government began 246 years ago, Biden sought to rally a divided public around the nation’s bedrock principles.
Unprecedented surge in school book bans
If you've read a book in one sitting sometime in the last year, chances are another book was banned before you finished it. According to a report from PEN America, a book ban was enacted in an American school district every 3½ hours between July 2021 and July 2022.
Hurricane Ian batters Florida
Hurricane Ian roared ashore as a Category 4 storm in southwest Florida with 150 mph sustained winds. More than 100 people were killed, making it one of the deadliest storms to strike Florida in nearly a century. Scenic Sanibel Island was among the hardest hit areas.
OCTOBER
Pelosi's husband attacked in their home
Paul Pelosi, husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked by an intruder who broke into the couple’s San Francisco home and fractured his skull with a hammer. Paul Pelosi, 82, sustained numerous upper-body blows, suffering hand and arm injuries along with a skull fracture that required surgery. The assailant shouted, “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?” before confronting Paul Pelosi.
Elon Musk takes over at Twitter
Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc., putting the world’s richest man in charge of the struggling social network after six months of public and legal wrangling over the deal. Musk quickly slashed staff and threw the company into chaos.
Jury rejects death sentence for Parkland school shooter
A Florida jury showed mercy to a heartless killer who didn’t know the meaning of the word as he stalked the hallways of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School more than four years ago, viciously ending the lives of 17 innocent people. Nikolas Cruz, 24, doesn’t deserve to die, jurors decided in a split decision.
Affirmative action goes before Supreme Court
Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court showed deep divides over race-conscious university admissions while questioning lawyers in cases that could transform college campuses and overturn decades-old precedents. The court’s conservative majority signaled opposition to allowing schools to take race into account going forward, expressing concern that there would never be a clear end to the consideration of race if existing policies were allowed to continue.
Truss resigns as UK prime minister
Liz Truss quit as U.K. prime minister after a brief and chaotic tenure that saw her announce a massive package of tax cuts before unwinding most of it in the face of a market rout. Truss, 47, said she was resigning after just 44 days in office, and making her the shortest-ruling prime minister in British history. She was replaced by Rishi Sunak, who became the first person of color in the role.
Loretta Lynn, coal miner’s daughter who transformed country music, dies at 90
Loretta Lynn, the firebrand singer and songwriter who transformed coal into diamonds by exploring her dirt-poor childhood in eastern Appalachia in her career-defining 1970 hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” died at age 90.
Biden pardons thousands convicted on federal marijuana possession charges
President Joe Biden pardoned all individuals convicted on federal charges of simple marijuana possession, a move that the White House estimated would affect more than 6,500 people nationwide. Biden urged all governors to follow his example and called for a formal review of marijuana’s classification in federal law as a Schedule I drug.
NOVEMBER
Midterm elections
High-stakes House, Senate and statewide elections were held around the country in November. Democrats performed better than expected in some races, maintaining control of the U.S. Senate and defeating election deniers in some key state posts. But Republicans scored big victories in Florida and Texas.
