Here are some of the major events from 2022:
- Russia invaded Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine needed to be “denazified” and “demilitarized”, as well as saying that the Russian minority population in Ukraine was being persecuted. The invasion brought condemnation from the international community. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians have put up resistance, while Russia continues to occupy the far eastern and southeastern portions of Ukraine.
- The death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s religious police over her not properly wearing her hijab led to a series of nationwide protests which could potentially undermine Iran’s Islamic regime.
- Elon Musk purchases Twitter, prompting criticism from liberals who believed the acquisition would result in an increase in hate speech. Meanwhile, Musk’s acquisition of Twitter revealed that the FBI attempted to suppress information on the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.
- The cryptocurrency company FTX declares bankruptcy, and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested for fraud, money laundering, and campaign finance law violations (since he donated much of the corporate profits to fund Democratic candidates).
- Roe v. Wade was reversed in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, resulting in jubilation from pro-life activists, while sparking criticism, outrage, and protests from liberals (some of whom engaged in acts of vandalism and violence).
- The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Beijing, despite China’s human rights record and it being the place where the Covid-19 pandemic originated. Norway won the most amount of medals (37).
- Ayman al-Zawahiri, second-in-command of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden’s successor, was killed in an airstrike.
- The greatest comeback in NFL occurred when the Minnesota Vikings rallied from a 33-0 deficit to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in overtime.
- Boris Johnson resigned as Britain’s Prime Minister, and is succeeded by Liz Truss, who resigned 50 days later and was succeeded by Rishi Sunak.
- The 2022 mid-term elections took place in the United States. Although expectations of a red wave fell short, Republicans managed to win a majority in the House of Representatives.
- The world’s population reached 8 billion, while inflation and gas prices soared.
- Paul Pelosi (husband of Nancy Pelosi) had a rough year, as he was arrested for DUI during the summer and was attacked by liberal activist David DePape a few months later.
- Queen Elizabeth II died, and Prince Charles became King Charles III. She was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died, as did the following individuals: Dan Reeves, Sidney Poitier, Meat Loaf, Madeleine Albright, Ray Liotta, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Olivia Newton-John, Mikhail Gorbachev, Louise Fletcher, Coolio, Loretta Lynn, Angela Lansbury, Robbie Coltrane, Jerry Lee Lewis, Irene Cara, Kirstie Alley, Pele, Barbara Walters, Ivana Trump, Clarence Gilyard, Sally Kellerman, Liz Sheridan, Gilbert Gottfried, Tony Sirico, Anne Heche, and Leslie Jordan.
With Republicans taking charge of the House of Representatives this week and the possibility of the days of the Islamic Republic of Iran being numbered, 2023 should be a better year than 2022.
