Jan 6
January 6 Capitol Insurrection
A mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election win. Five people died. Lawmakers hid under desks. Democracy was attacked on live television.
political violence
🇺🇸United States · 20s
Insurrection and Vaccination
January 6 storm, vaccines roll out, and America tries to rebuild.
What happened
5 milestones of 2021
Jan 20
Biden Inaugurated
Joe Biden became the 46th president. Kamala Harris became the first woman, first Black, and first Asian American vice president. Amanda Gorman recited 'The Hill We Climb.' Hope tried again.
Jan-Dec
COVID Vaccines Roll Out
America launched the largest vaccination campaign in history. By December, 200 million Americans were fully vaccinated. But vaccine hesitancy divided the country along political lines.
Apr 20
Derek Chauvin Convicted
Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. The verdict came after a year of protests and a reckoning with police violence. America exhaled — briefly.
racial violence
Aug 15-30
US Withdraws from Afghanistan
The Taliban took Kabul in days. Desperate Afghans clung to departing planes. 13 US service members died in a suicide bombing. Twenty years of war ended in chaos.
war
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Dune
Denis Villeneuve — The impossible adaptation finally worked. Timothée Chalamet on Arrakis. Part 1 of an epic.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Jon Watts — Three Spider-Men. $1.9 billion. Theaters roared. The biggest pandemic-era film.
CODA
Sian Heder — Won Best Picture. A hearing girl in a Deaf family. Apple TV+'s first Oscar winner.
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion — Benedict Cumberbatch in a revisionist Western. Campion won Best Director.
Don't Look Up
Adam McKay — DiCaprio and Lawrence try to warn America about a comet. Climate allegory as dark comedy.
What was on TV
Squid Game
2021-present — Netflix's Korean survival drama became the most-watched show in history. 'Red light, green light.'
Ted Lasso
2020-2023 — Jason Sudeikis as the kindest coach in sports. Apple TV+'s biggest hit.
Mare of Easttown
2021 — Kate Winslet as a small-town detective. Everyone debated who did it.
WandaVision
2021 — Marvel's weirdest project. Sitcom homages, grief, and the multiverse.
Succession
2018-2023 — Season 3. The Roy siblings tried to take down their father. Prestige TV's peak.
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$3.66
Gallon of gas$3.01
New house (median)$386,800
New car (average)$38,000
Loaf of bread$1.54
Movie ticket$9.57
Inflation: 4.7%
Inflation was heating up. Supply chain chaos. Used car prices skyrocketed. The 'Great Resignation' began. Workers had leverage.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
2021 (USD)
$3.66
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
2021 (USD)
$3.01
→
Today's value ($)
--
New house (median)Census Bureau
2021 (USD)
$386,800
→
Today's value ($)
--
New car (average)BLS
2021 (USD)
$38,000
→
Today's value ($)
--
Loaf of breadBLS
2021 (USD)
$1.54
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
2021 (USD)
$9.57
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
NFTs explode
Beeple sold a digital artwork for $69 million. Everyone was 'minting' NFTs. Most would be worthless.
Facebook becomes Meta
Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook as Meta. The 'metaverse' was the future (or a distraction).
Meme stocks (GME)
Reddit's WallStreetBets sent GameStop stock soaring 1,600%. Hedge funds panicked. 'Diamond hands.'
James Webb Space Telescope
NASA launched Webb on Christmas Day. The most powerful telescope ever was headed to deep space.
Apple M1 chips
Apple's custom silicon transformed laptop performance. Macs were suddenly faster than anything.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Cottagecore peakY2K revivalCrocs renaissance
Slang
Bussin'— Really good, delicious
Cheugy— Outdated, trying too hard
Rent free— Can't stop thinking about something
Behavior
- Squid Game turned Korean culture into global obsession
- The Great Resignation — millions quit their jobs
- January 6 divided America into different realities
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