Your place in the Universe on 2021
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Get your map!The Highlights of 2021: A Year That Shaped the Future
2021 (MMXXI in Roman Numerals) was the year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations.
Is 2021 a year special to you? Discover what 2021 was famous for, Key World Leaders of 2021, 2021 Time’s Person of the Year, the #1 song, movie and book in 2021, how old is someone born in 2021 and what Chinese zodiac sign is associated to 2021.
On this page we will address all your questions and curiosities about 2021 to help you enjoy your trip down memory lane.
Table of contents
- What was 2021 known for ?
- Key World Leaders of 2021
- Who was the U.S. President in 2021?
- Who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2021?
- Who was the Pope in 2021?
- What was the most popular movie in 2021?
- What was the best selling book in 2021?
- How old is someone born in 2021?
- What was the Chinese Zodiac sign associated with the year 2021?
What was 2021 known for ?
- The year 2021 began with the world still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel virus that first emerged in Wuhan in 2019 had now spread globally. This prompted WHO to issue social distancing and lockdown measures.
- While countries were loosening the lock-down measures, the more contagious Delta variant arrived. First identified in late 2020 in India, the Delta variant spread rapidly reaching the US, where it quickly surged.
- The major rollout of vaccines that began at the end of 2020 continued in 2021. However, vaccine hesitancy proved a factor in the steady growth of the pandemic death toll worldwide.
- In politics, a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the US capital on January 6th, 2021. They aimed to stop lawmakers from certifying the 2020 presidential election results. During the chaos, five people died, including a Capitol Hill police officer. Lawmakers, including Vice President Mike Pence, fled the congressional chamber for safety.
- A fortnight later, Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the US on January 6th, 2021. Kamala Harris became the US first female, Black and South Asian vice president. After taking office, Biden spoke at a ceremony to mark 500,000 US deaths from COVID-19.
- In May 2021, US President Biden ordered the complete withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan. As the withdrawal proceeded, the Taliban overran the country. Kabul fell and trapped thousands of foreigners in the city. The US evacuated stranded Americans. While the US President called the withdrawal a success, the American public called it a debacle, among other things.
- In the financial world, there were major consequences for certain hedge funds. This was after a short squeeze of the GameStop stock, and other securities took place. About 140% of GameStop's stock got sold short.
- The rush to buy the stock resulted in the price rising higher. As a result of the short squeeze, the company's stock reached $500 per share. This was 30 times more than the $17.25 valuation at the beginning of the month.
- Unfortunately, we also got some sad news. The Grim Reaper claimed the lives of some beloved legends. They include DMX, Larry King, Cicely Tyson, Norm McDonald, and Michael K. Williams.
- While not many people care who is the richest globally, the year 2021 saw Elon Musk supersede Jeff Bezos to become the richest man alive. Musk became the third person to amass a fortune worth $200 billion.
- In the business world, Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO. While losing his position as the richest man globally was not the reason, he is still the executive chairman of the company's board. After stepping down, Andy Jassy, Bezos' longtime deputy, took the reins.
- In the entertainment world, DC Fanboys got their much-awaited Zack Synder's Justice League movie. This is after years of online campaigning which resulted in the premiering of the movie on HBO Max. The movie grossed $657 million against an estimated $300 million budget.
- The next big thing was the blocking of the Suez Canal. The massive Ever Given cargo ship ran aground in the Suez Canal and blocked the world's major waterway. The accident generated costs of up to $9.6 billion a day.
- The year ended with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor of the Hubble Telescope. This was a collaboration between the ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, and NASA.
- The world population in 2021 was 7,794,798,739 people according to data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. This figure includes both urban and rural populations. The urban population at that time accounted for 56.0% of the total population, which is roughly 4.4 billion individuals.The average population density in 2021 was 32 persons per square mile (or 52 persons per square kilometer).
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Key World Leaders of 2021
Who was the U.S. President in 2021?
In 2021, Donald John Trump (Republican) was President of the United States until January 20, 2021; on January 20, 2021, Joe Biden (Democrat) was appointed as the new President of the United States.
Who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2021?
In 2021 the UK Prime Minister was Boris Johnson (Conservative). During his premiership, he successfully negotiated the UK's exit from the European Union and led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who was the Pope in 2021?
The leader of the Catholic Church in 2021 was Pope Francis who had held the papacy since 2013. During his pontificate, he has focused on issues of social justice, care for the environment, and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy while promoting a more pastoral Church.
What was the most popular movie in 2021?
The most popular movie and box office hit was The Score by Frank Oz
What was the best selling book in 2021?
How old is someone born in 2021?
Someone born in 2021 is 4 years old this year.
Try out our age, time and generation calculators:
What was the Chinese Zodiac sign associated with the year 2021?
According to the Chinese Zodiac and Astrology 2021 was the Year of the Ox.
Discover Zodiac Sign Characteristics and Personality Traits of people born under the Ox sign.