“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” – Edith Lovejoy Pierce. What started as a blank book has now officially been concluded as 2024 is ending. Each month had a major event, and we will be diving into each one. What everyone was talking about, whether it was on social media, the news, or even at dinner with your families. Lets take a look and start from the very beginning. What made this year so special?

January

Scientists found a Lockheed 10-E Electra in the Paficic Ocean. The very same plane Amelia Earhart drove before she disappeared on July 2, 1937. She was declared dead after disappearing over the Pacific Ocean while trying to be the first female to circumnavigate the world. Sadly, the Smithsonian Magazine stated that scientists found that, in reality, it was a rock formation that looked similar to Amelia Earharts missing plane after a long investigation.

February

There were many rumors about Fifth Harmony reuniting and joining together again. They were a great group of singers and released great hits like “Work From Home” and “Miss Movin’ On.” Sadly the rumors turned out to be false. Brooke (one of the members) said on X “‘No official band reunion happening at the moment,’ but ‘some beautiful friendships and relationships are slowly reuniting in a healing and empowering way.’” Their friendship is growing stronger and they are getting closer. We have yet to see if they will reunite one last time for one last song/album.

March

 On March 26, a massive cargo boat headed straight for the Baltimore bridge. the crew couldn’t get the boat to stop; causing it to crash into the bridge, ultimately collapsing. Six workers sadly passed away. It took FBI weeks to be able to ID them since it wasnt easy to find them in the water. FBI also found the reason why it stopped working. The cargo boat was having a few power outages, and moments before it hit the bridge—it had another power outage; causing it to veer off course and not be able to steer.

April

On April 8, we underwent a solar eclipse of the decade. People on the east coast of America got to see the Moon completely cover the sun and the world going dark for a few minutes in the middle of the day. While being protected with eclipse glasses, people got to see a sighting that doesn’t happen very often. In April, we also got to feel a small earthquake on the upper east coast, not very common. It happened on April 5, with a magnitude of 4.8 in New Jersey, but people from PA and New York were able to feel it too. It occured due to the oblique reverse and strike-slip faulting at shallow depths in the crust.

May

Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsified business records to receive 130,000 hush money to keep information about his sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels, a porn star, quiet to not risk his run for president. This was the first time that a US president had been convicted of any criminal charges. Everyone found Donald Trump guilty of all the 34 felony counts during his trial.

June 

“We’ve got to take a look at what I was left when I became president, what Mr. Trump left me. We had an economy that was in freefall,” Biden stated during the Presidential Debate.. Viewers got to hear the potential candidate for the next president. We got to see what they were like when speaking to their competition, and some of the plans they had for the future. Sadly, Biden, along with many viewers, didn’t think he did so well, which was one of the main reasons he later dropped out of the election.

July

During a campaign rally, Donald Trump was shot in the ear. Reporters viewed it as an assassination attempt, Trump didn’t undergo any bad or long-term damage, but the security most definitely had to be fixed to prevent anything dangerous from happening again. Thomas Matthew Crook is the main suspect in shooting Trump.

August 

After four long years, the multi-sport Summer Olympics was once again held. The competition started on July 24 and ended on August 11; with each country as a competitor. Surprisingly, North Korea made an appearance after withdrawing from competing in the competition in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans were surprised, many werent expecting North Korea to show up. In the end, the United States won; with Japan closely behind them in second place.

September

 P-Diddy, a famous R&B artist and rapper, held sexual “freak off” parties and invited musicians from all over the world to attend them. However, the parties were leaked, affecting many in the music and dance industry. We got to see the true intentions of many singers, and who they truly were. Many rumors were circulating that P-Diddy and Beyonce were working together and possibly ended the lives of a few artists, but those rumors were untrue.

October

Many fans were devastated when they heard that Liam Payne, a member of the infamous One Direction band, had sadly passed away. Everyone will hold him dear in their hearts, and One Direction will forever be the best and most memorable thing about him. Rest in Peace, Payne.

November

Vice PresidentKamala Harris came in, subbing for Biden, and fought, intensively, with Trump in the 2024 election, promising justice for those that our system had failed. The United States was suddenly divided in half; the competition had become serious, but in the end, the Republican side won. Fans were devastated, woman all over the world felt that they were losing their voice and importance. Women felt disrespected, they were all counting on Harris because they felt they could trust Donald Trump. However on the counter side, males felt that Harris would only defend woman and immigrants, and that Trump was better off for them.

December

Hannah Hiatt, a nurse and the mother of a 2-year-old boy and a newborn, has been accused of abusing her child and neglecting him from his basic everyday needs. She became an influencer, making videos with her and her kids. However, a specific one of her videos went viral, she was talking about the struggles of motherhood and how she left 17 dirty diapers around her home. Many viewers say this is a sign of abuse, along with another video of her son being handed a grocery bag and flinching, as if his parents were going to hit him. Hannah Hiatt denied the viewers conspiracies but it wasnt enough to convince them. CPS opened an investigation due to the rumors. They havent finalized anything yet, but we will probably get and answer in 2025.

All of these events shaped 2024, all of our decisions, and the decisions of others. This year was an eventful one, but certainly one in which we can’t forget. Whats surprising is that a tiktoker, Benofthweek, had somehow predicted some of these events. Question is how did he know, and how did it come true? 2025 was filled with twists and turns, interesting and not-so-interesting things occurring each and every day. We welcome 2025 with open arms, wondering what it will bring to our everyday lives. What did you think of this year?