As 2024 comes to a close, let’s review some of the moments that had the greatest impact on the U.S.
At the beginning of the year, we witnessed the 66th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Miley Cyrus won Record of the Year for her song “Flowers,” and Taylor Swift took home Album of the Year for *Midnights*. Additionally, the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers. Women’s sports also reached a crucial milestone as Caitlin Clark broke the all-time NCAA Division I college basketball career scoring record, previously held by Pete Maravich, with 3,685 points.
Locally, in the Springtime, New Jersey experienced a magnitude 4.8 earthquake, an unusual event for the East Coast, with tremors felt widely across the region. We received significant news, starting with Donald Trump being found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. This season also saw pro-Israel counter-protesters clashing with pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, where tensions escalated to physical confrontations. Meanwhile, Columbia University canceled its main graduation ceremony due to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests on campus. On a lighter note, the 2024 Met Gala took place in New York City during May.
As summer began, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off in the first presidential debate of 2024. Biden’s poor performance ultimately influenced his decision to drop out of the race in July. In a shocking incident, an assassination attempt on Donald Trump occurred when a gunman opened fire during a campaign event in Pennsylvania, injuring him in the ear. The Olympic Games commenced in Paris, showcasing standout performances from U.S. athletes such as gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Torri Huske. Additionally, Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign.
As we entered the fall, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, causing extensive destruction and resulting in over 230 deaths, particularly in western North Carolina. The estimated costs of the hurricane reached $200 billion, potentially making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Trump and Harris later debated for the first time, hosted by ABC News at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s first female president and the first Jewish person to hold the position. SpaceX launched its Starship, which was unexpectedly caught by large metal pincers, known as “chopsticks,” on its descent. In this season we saw Donald Trump, along with running mate JD Vance of the Republican Party, win the 2024 United States presidential election, defeating Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz of the Democratic Party. The world also marked 1,000 days since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, resulting in at least 30,000 Ukrainian military casualties and over 700,000 Russian troops either killed or wounded in combat.
As 2024 came to a close, December brought the sad news of the death of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100. He served from 1977 to 1981 during a time of significant distress and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002.
As we close out 2024 and enter the promise of 2025, we carry with us the lessons, challenges, and triumphs of the past year. While the new year may remain uncertain, there is hope for growth and possibilities.