2021. It sure was … something.
Here are some of the photos that resonated with us — one from each month.
JANUARY: Capitol Police point guns at pro-Trump rioters attempting to storm the House Chamber, where lawmakers are certifying 2020 election results.
Five people died on 1/6, including Officer Sicknick. Four more officers committed suicide in the following months. (AP/Applewhite)
FEBRUARY: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) flees to Cancun after a historic power outage leaves his constituents without food, water, or gas.
The senator books a return flight less than 24 hours later. (AP/Rojas)
MARCH: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sit down for an explosive interview with Oprah.
Markle reveals she was suicidal as a result of racism she experienced — by the British press and the royal family itself. (AP/Pugliese)
APRIL: Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is found guilty on all three counts for murdering George Floyd.
Floyd’s brother Philonise celebrates with @AttorneyCrump and @TheRevAl following the verdict. (AP/Minchillo)
MAY: 107-year-old Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, waves from a horse-drawn carriage on the 100th anniversary.
The week before, she advocated on Capitol Hill for victim compensation. The bill is still sitting in Congress. (AP/Ogrocki)
JUNE: D.C. Police Officer Michael Fanone, who was beaten unconscious during 1/6, and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn leave a meeting with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Fanone has said he feels “abandoned” by Congress following the insurrection. (AP/Applewhite)
JULY: Jeff Bezos launches to the edge of space aboard Blue Origin.
After the flight, he fiddled with Amelia Earhart's goggles and thanked Amazon customers and employees for funding the 11-minute trip. (AP/Gutierrez)
AUGUST: A family evacuated from Afghanistan arrives at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.
More than 50,000 refugees were evacuated to the states after the U.S. military withdrawal. About half of them were children. (AP/Magana)
SEPTEMBER: Simone Biles and Aly Raisman hold hands before testifying against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
Fellow gymnasts McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichols also testified about the FBI's mishandling of sexual abuse allegations. (AP/Loeb)
OCTOBER: Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before Congress after the Great Facebook Crash of 2021.
“For more than 5 hours, Facebook wasn’t used to deepen divides, destabilize democracies, and make young girls and women feel bad about their bodies.” (AP/Brandon)
NOVEMBER: Following a deeply divisive homicide trial, Kyle Rittenhouse is acquitted of all charges after killing two people and injuring a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Wisconsin. (AP/Krajacic)
DECEMBER: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) shrugs his shoulders after a meeting with President Biden on his long-stalled domestic agenda.
48 hours later, Manchin announced he was a “no” on the Build Back Better Act during an appearance on Fox News. (AP/Applewhite)
Some honorable mentions:
• Sen. Hawley (R-MO) raises a fist to 1/6 insurrectionists. (AP/Chung)
• President Biden holds his grandson Beau on Inauguration Day. (AP/Vucci)
• A Marine opens the door for George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna. (AP/Vucci)
• Bernie Mittens! (Smialowski)
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.