Goodbye 2023: Year in Review

This year has been filled with many memorable moments, good and bad. Now that we have entered 2024, it’s time to look back on all that has transpired this last year throughout the news cycle.

January: 

• • 3 NYPD officers were injured in a machete attack during New Year’s celebrations in Manhattan.
  • Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest on the field, recovering and returning to the Bills shortly after.
  • TikTok referred to as “digital fentanyl” by House Select Committee

• The Last of Us, a drama series based on the hit video game, takes the world by storm as its first season premieres on HBO Max.

• Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of acclaimed singer Elvis Presley, dies at 54.
• Three mass shootings in California within the span of three days killed 19, Governor Newsom calling it a “tragedy upon tragedy”.

February:

• A balloon originating from China is seen flying over the continental US, allegedly for “meteorological research” and drifting off course; military personnel shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean.
• A train in Ohio derailed and caught on fire, burning a significant amount of hazardous material into the air; evacuations and emergency response were activated in three states.
• Beyonce sets record for most wins at the Grammys with 32 total wins.
• A 7.8 magnitude earthquake kills over 59,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

March:

• Several Palestinians and two Israeli settlers killed after attacks in the West Bank.
• In a NCAA Division I game between Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue, No. 1 seed Purdue defeated by 16 seed FDU; only the second time this has happened in the history of the tournament.
• Donald Trump indicted in trial regarding hush payment made to Stormy Daniels.
• Taylor Swift kicks off her “Eras Tour” in Glendale, Arizona.

April:

• Over a million Canadians lost power and two were killed during ice storm.
• Rutgers University staff go on the first academic strike in the school’s history, affecting 67,000 students in the NJ community.
• Several deaths and school closures instituted in Asia with heatwave temperatures of 108 and 112℉.
• Bed Bath & Beyond files Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

May:

• “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Tina Turner dies at the age of 83.
• The Writer’s Guild goes on strike for the first time since 2007, requesting safeguards for their employment from the rising usage of AI.
• COVID-19 is declassified as a global health emergency by the WHO, labeled a “threat”.
• King Charles III and Queen Camilla crowned in Westminster Abbey.
• Ron DeSantis officially announces campaign for President in the 2024 election cycle.

June:

• Over 288 people were killed and 900 injured in a train collision in Odisha, India.
• New Zealand announces a widespread ban on disposable electronic cigarettes.
• Wildfires throughout Canada turn the sky over the American east coast orange, and NYC air quality becomes the worst globally, pollution over 400 on the AQI.
• Pat Sajak announces retirement from Wheel of Fortune, having hosted since 1981.
• The Titan submersible imploded on its way to view the Titanic wreckage, killing all members on board.

July:

• • Angus Cloud, beloved actor from the HBO show Euphoria, dies at 25.
  • Twitter is officially rebranded as “X”.
  • On the 21st, the anticipated Barbie and Oppenheimer are released on the same day, drawing widespread attention to the “Barbenheimer” event.

• Barbie also broke records by surpassing the billion dollar box office mark, the biggest box office profit for a movie directed by a woman.

• Mandatory Death Penalty Act is abolished in Malaysia.
• 20 are killed and 126 injured in 22 instances of mass shootings in the US on the Fourth.

August:

• Donald Trump indicted on four counts for his participation in attempting to overturn the 2020 Presidential election.
• The shooter who killed 11 at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 was sentenced to death.
• The death toll continues to rise as the Israel-Palestine conflict rages on.

September:

• Nancy Pelosi runs for Speaker of the House in the 2024 re-election.
• President Biden supports the WGA and actors on strike.
• Donald Trump found guilty of fraud in New York court.
• A state-wide ban on gender-affirming treatment in Texas for minors is blocked by judge.

October:

• Matthew Perry, known for playing Chandler on TV show Friends, dies at 54.
• Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film is released in theaters, and profit is expected to top $1 billion; highest for a film of this genre.
• On the 7th, a terrorist attack triggered by Hamas kills over 1,200 Israelis; this attack marked a turning point in the Israel-Palestine conflict, with greater offensive pushback from Israel.
• President Netanyahu of Israel rejects calls for a ceasefire against Palestine.

November:

• Rosalynn Carter, wife of former President Jimmy Carter, dies at 96. Jimmy Carter still resides in hospice care.
• Greater destruction and death is recorded in Gaza, with missile attacks and targeted campaigns against the West Bank.
• Tension on college campuses grows as students protest and fight the war; several presidents have since stepped down over the controversy.
• IDF claims it has Gaza “surrounded”.
• The police officer who arrested Elijah McClain was found not guilty in his death.
• Four men were arrested for stealing the golden toilet artwork created by Maurizio Cattelan, a commentary on American capitalism.
• The third Republican Presidential debate was held, major players including Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis.
• Henry Kissinger, a controversial political figure, died at 100.

December:

• Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female SCOTUS judge, died at 93.
• George Santos is expelled from the House, the 6th lawmaker in history to be ousted.
• Santos starts to sell videos on Cameo, offering paid personalized messages to “fans”.
• Taylor Swift is named TIME Person of the Year.
• Mackenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, donates $2.15 billion to charities.
• Israel released leaflets into Gaza with Quran verses of unknown connotation.
• Prince Harry is ruled the victim of a phone hacking scheme from Mirror Newspapers.
• The UN finds that half of Gaza’s population is starving, lacking both food and water.
• Maine removed Trump from their 2024 Presidential ballot, to much controversy.
• Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a victim of Munchausen by proxy, was released from prison on parole after the murder of her mother in 2015.