Not just coronavirus: The things you forgot also happened in 2020

It's a year no Australian will ever forget and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There were major news events across the world in 2020 and just as many closer to home.

From the Black Summer bushfires which killed 33 people, to a global Black Lives Matter movement and the most explosive US election in memory, it's been a significant 12 months.

There were tensions between the US and Iran, a Ukranian passenger jet shot down, Brexit and Mexit, and a deadly blast that shattered an entire city.

Australia's relationship with China also deteriorated and a trio of tragedies shocked a nation when Western Sydney family was torn apart by a drunk driver, four police officers were killed on a roadside patrol in Melbourne and mother Hannah Clarke and her three children were murdered in a car fire by her abusive estranged husband in Brisbane.

Here's how it all unfolded.

JANUARY

Australia woke to a sobering new year.

With soaring temperatures, the bushfires which had taken hold in December were escalating.

A pair of NSW farmers killed on New Year's Eve in Cobargo were named as father and son Robert Salway, 63, and Patrick Salway, 29.

Meanwhile, the Victorian holiday town of Mallacoota woke to devastation on January 1.

The day before, locals and tourists had been told to "get under the water" after rushing to the sea when flames hemmed in the town.

Red raw images of people sheltering on small boats went global.

Navy ships took supplies in, and eventually got people out.

The NSW South Coast and Kangaroo Island in South Australia were also shattered by blazes.

There was a lot of anger.

One woman, who lost her home, heckled the Prime Minister when he visited Cobargo.

Then, at the end of the month, three crew members of an American air tanker were killed when it crashed fighting a NSW fire.

However the world dug deep to help, with millions donated to charities.

But even that wasn't simple, with rows surrounding where the money went.

Comedian Celeste Barber, who raised $51 million, was eventually told the cash had to go to the RFS as she'd originally pledged, and couldn't be shared with others in need as she'd intended.

However, finally in the middle of the month it rained - bringing glee to farming families, especially in NSW.

In other news, Iran accidentally shot down a passenger jet, killing all 176 on board.

Just days earlier, the US had killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike.

In sport, there was disbelief on January 26, when basketball legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in California, alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

Prince Harry announced he was stepping down as a senior royal to move to the US with wife Meghan Markle in what was dubbed "Mexit".

Meanwhile, Brexit - when the UK left the EU - finally happened on January 31.

There were a few reports of a mystery virus which hospitalised some people in Wuhan, China.

The World Health Organisation originally said it couldn't be passed from human to human.

But on January 31 they declared it a "public health emergency of international concern".

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1217043229427761152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Australia closed its borders to China, but a man from Wuhan who arrived in Melbourne on January 19 was already infected with the virus.

FEBRUARY

In an event which shattered a community, siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin, Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed on February 1 as they walked to get ice cream in Oatlands, western Sydney.

They were killed by a drunk driver, Samuel William Davidson, 29, as they walked along the pavement with their bikes.

Another family was killed in devastating event on February 19 in Brisbane.

Rowan Baxter killed his wife Hannah Clarke, and children Aaliyah, six, Laianah, four, and Trey, three, when he doused them in petrol and set their car alight in a Brisbane street, before killing himself.

Australia reacted with outrage, calling for more to be done to protect women from domestic violence.

Over in the US, President Donald Trump was acquitted at his impeachment trial, but movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and jailed.

Meanwhile, on February 11, the World Health Organisation announced the new coronavirus was causing a disease called COVID-19.

Car giant General Motors dashed the motor industry by announcing on February 17 it was ending its iconic Holden brand.

Sydney and NSW were lashed with record rainfall this month with storms cutting power to thousands.

But it was welcomed in drought-hit towns like Tenterfield, NSW.

MARCH

Coronavirus dominated the news.

Australia reported its first death on March 1, with Diamond Princess passenger James Kwan passing away in Perth.

Passengers from the virus-infected cruise ship were flown home from Japan by the government, and the outbreak was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11.

The next day Mr Trump banned all travel from Europe, and the country's stock market saw its biggest drop since the Black Monday crash of 1987.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the nation on March 12, assuring Australians: "We are well equipped to deal with it, and we do have a clear plan to see Australia through."

Millions got a $750 stimulus payment.

On March 24, Mr Morrison's landmark announcement saw a ban on international travel, halt on weddings and funerals, closure of pubs and beauty salons.

Millions were left without work; JobKeeper payments were announced on March 30 and there were massive queues at Centrelink offices.

The Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed, as deaths began to be reported in Australia's aged care homes.

However, cruise ship the Ruby Princess, which had infected passengers, was allowed to dock at Sydney on March 19 amid the outbreak - a move later deemed catastrophic by an inquiry.

Big names also were diagnosed with the virus.

Film star Tom Hanks was hospitalised on the Gold Coast, alongside his wife Rita Wilson, and in the UK Prince Charles also got the virus, while it nearly killed UK PM Boris Johnson.

Battles for toilet paper also began in Australia as the nation stayed at home.

By the end of the month, 4500 Australians had been diagnosed with the virus, with 469 cases in a day - mostly in people returning from overseas.

APRIL

On April 8, Cardinal George Pell walked free from a Melbourne prison after the High Court overturned his convictions.

It was this month tragedy struck the families of four police officers in Melbourne.

Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Josh Prestney were killed when a semi-trailer crashed into them on April 22.

https://twitter.com/VictoriaPolice/status/1253189694961201153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Their deaths marked the deadliest day in Victoria Police history.

Overseas, 22 people were killed in a shooting in Nova Scotia, Canada.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee announced the birth of a baby boy, after he survived coronavirus.

It was late April when Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, which is believed to have started at a wet market in Wuhan, China.

Hotel quarantine began too, with returning travellers no longer trusted to isolate at home.

The US suffered record-breaking killer tornadoes, and the country's government quietly released UFO videos.

It was also an Easter like no other, as restrictions remained across Australia.

In Europe, Italy, Spain and the UK were stricken by the virus, while New York City's funeral homes were overflowing.

MAY

A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed on May 22 in Karachi, killing almost 100 people.

The country's aviation minister said pilots were distracted talking about coronavirus. Remarkably, two people survived.

On May 25 in the US city of Minneapolis, a police officer was filmed kneeling on the neck of Black man George Floyd, who later died.

A video which emerged of Mr Floyd saying "I can't breathe" sparked riots in the city.

Over the next few weeks the Black Lives Matter rallies spread across the US and the world, and while some were peaceful, riots and looting also broke out.

There were many stirring moments amid the chaos, however.

Rallies happened in Australia, too, though some were banned due to coronavirus.

Back in Australia, mining giant Rio Tinto blew up two sacred Indigenous caves in WA, sparking fury.

On May 30 there was more positive news: NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX launched its first astronauts to the International Space Station.

Meanwhile, the UK hit a record 30,000 coronavirus deaths, with chilling scenes from Italy, which was seeing a case surge.

There were some uplifting moments amid the dire pandemic though, with remarkable images emerging.

JUNE

On June 1, there was a stand-off near the White House as hundreds of protesters gathered following violence in Washington DC amid ongoing BLM protests.

In unbelievable scenes the US president staged a photo shoot outside a church, after protesters surrounding the White House were cleared with tear gas. He threatened to call in the military.

Looting turned violent days later in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, with many cities introducing curfews.

The officers involved in George Floyd's death were later charged.

On June 5, German prisoner Christian Brueckner was identified as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann by British police.

Back in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on June 19 all levels of Australian government were being targeted in a "sophisticated state-based" cyber attack.

And at the end of the month, Chinese politicians approved a new security law for Hong Kong, which made it easier to punish protesters

JULY

Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and long-time girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, was charged with allegedly helping recruit, groom and abuse the billionaire's victims.

A resurgence in coronavirus cases in Victoria saw new restrictions begin, with Melbourne public housing towers the epicentre.

A total of 502 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in 24 hours on July 22, then the single largest daily number of cases since the pandemic began.

The NSW border with the state was closed for the first time in 100 years, and from July 9, Melbourne started a six-week lockdown, with more than 2500 virus cases.

There were only four reasons to leave home.

Queensland's borders did reopen again this month - before being closed again.

On July 25, an oil spill killed wildlife and polluted oceans around Mauritius.

The month ended with the biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built blasting off as part of a project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth.

AUGUST

The city of Beirut was shattered by an explosion on August 4, which razed buildings and killed more than 200 people.

The blast was caused by chemicals stored at the city's port.

People scrambled to try and dig survivors from the rubble, and images showed the scale of the destruction.

Meanwhile Melbourne's lockdown intensified to one of the harshest in the world, with big fines handed out for breaking rules.

Australians trying to get home from overseas said they felt abandoned as new flight caps were brought in to limit arrival numbers to handle hotel quarantine.

In sad showbiz news, Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman died of cancer on August 28.

The last day of the month saw Australia record its deadliest day of the pandemic, with 41 deaths reported.

SEPTEMBER

Just two days into the month, Australia officially declared a recession, for the first time in almost 30 years.

Overseas, US Supreme Court judge and feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg died aged 87 on September 18.

There was a sad sight in Tasmania, as hundreds of whales died in what is thought to be the country's worst beaching event.

Just before the month ended, the global coronavirus death toll passed a million.

OCTOBER

US President Donald Trump announced, on Twitter that he had COVID-19 on October 2. Wife Melania was also diagnosed.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1311892190680014849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Mr Trump was hospitalised, and staged a bizarre drive around while still being treated.

Meanwhile, the pain was over for Melburnians and the harsh lockdown finally ended on October 28.

Shops and bars were among places allowed to re-open.

Also, on October 10 Armenia and Azerbaijan declared a ceasefire after weeks of heavy fighting.

A powerful earthquake hit Greece and Turkey at the end of the month, killing more than 85.

There were inspiring tales of rescues from the rubble however.

Back home, farmers in NSW welcomed the news much of the state was finally out of drought.

Over the ditch, Jacinda Ardern won the New Zealand election to stay in power.

And three were killed in a terror attack at a church in Nice, France.

NOVEMBER

The first day of the month brought good news - Australia recorded its first day of no local cases of COVID-19 in almost five months.

A week later, Melbourne's 25km rule ended.

But the real action was in the US, where an explosive US election unfolded.

https://twitter.com/GregHuntMP/status/1324172278439923718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

After a record turnout, Mr Trump repeatedly claimed in press conferences the election result was rigged, including in an extraordinary Election night address.

"If you count the legal votes, I easily win," he said.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1323864021167198209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Protesters on both sides took to the streets as the votes were counted.

Eventually, five days after election day, Joe Biden claimed victory. One correspondent cried as it was confirmed.

In Australia it was announced a special investigator will examine and potentially prosecute any allegations of war crimes by the Australian Defence Force, with the PM later describing a report on the crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan as "disturbing and distressing".

South Australia went into lockdown amid fears COVID-19 had spread at a pizza take-away.

The worker who sparked the alert was later found to be lying - and rules were lifted. There was a new cluster in Adelaide though, so people remained on alert.

In positive news to end the month - which was Australia's hottest on record - it was confirmed a coronavirus vaccine would be avaliable in Australia in March.

https://twitter.com/GregHuntMP/status/1326618237002526725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

However, the pressure increased on the government to help thousands of Australians stranded overseas by the nation's strict flight caps get home for Christmas, which they admitted might not be possible.

One person who did come home though was Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was released from prison in Iran in a prisoner exchange.

Meanwhile, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk remained in power after winning the state's election.

DECEMBER

An altered photo of an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of a child atop the Australian and Afghanistan flags was blasted as "repugnant" by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian tweeted the faked image, sparking Mr Morrison's swift rebuke demanding an apology from China and for the image to be taken down.

China's state media then mocked Australia in a cartoon.

It was an escalation of Australia and China's ongoing feud, which heightened this year.

There were tears and celebrations in Queensland as the border, closed for pretty much eight months finally lifted for millions.

Tragedy wiped out a young Melbourne family, with Abbey Forrest, 19, Inda Sohal, 28, and newborn baby Ivy killed in a house fire.

Meanwhile, in COVID-19 news, a young cop let a pair of Australian residents from Germany break quarantine rules by flying from Sydney to Melbourne, when they should have gone into hotel quarantine.

Melbourne Airport reopened for international flights after being closed for months.

In the US, positive virus tests increased by a million in just five days, with 25 people dying every hour from COVID-19 and the predictions just continuing to worsen.

President-elect Joe Biden urged people to wear masks ahead of his January 20 move into the White House - which was finally made official.

Meanwhile, in the second week of the month, the UK became the first country to start giving people a coronavirus vaccine, soon followed by the US.

However, amid rising cases, millions in London were plunged back into a lockdown, with Christmas plans shattered just a few days before December 25.

In lighter news, mysterious monoliths started appearing around the world.

Back in Australia, northern NSW and southern Queensland were smashed by storms, with Byron Bay's famous Main Beach all but disappearing.

Just before Christmas, Sydney saw fresh clusters of virus cases emerge, seeing the Northern Beaches put into lockdown and domestic borders slammed shut to NSW, sparking misery for families hoping to spend festive celebrations together.

Tens of thousands of Australians stuck overseas didn't make it home for Christmas either, as the prime minister said he had wanted, due to ongoing flight rules because of hotel quarantine.

Christmas morning in the US city of Nashville saw a campervan explode in a city street, with police saying it was a deliberate act by suspected suicide bomber.

Police officers had a lucky escape after helping evacuate residents amid an eerie warning message broadcast from the vehicle.

An earthquake hit Croatia on December 30, with people pulled from the rubble.

To end the year, fresh virus cases emerged in Sydney's inner west, with the famous harbour fenced off and people told to watch the fireworks at home or from a ticketed venue.

Melbourne also recorded its first locally acquired COVID-19 cases in more than two months.

from 9News https://ift.tt/3pzZpoW
via IFTTT