As 2021 finally materializes and we happily part ways with 2020, the reality of what ensued this year sets in. A global pandemic, a fury of flames, an upheaval between political parties and a fight for equal human rights only grazes the surface of this year and its mannerisms. Time and time again 2020 proved itself worthy of the headlines. As the chaos of 2020 is pushed into the peripherals, prayers are cast for a moment to breathe in the new year. A year with this much collateral damage is only fitting to be plastered on the cover of a Mcgraw Hill history textbook.

 The phrase “you’re living through history” has not been used sparingly this year, but are they wrong? After the terrors of the year are laid out on a silver platter, the months of 2020 can only be described as hellish. Death tolls, statistics, pie charts and bolded headlines seem to be the only send-off that will suffice for such a diabolical year. 

2020 managed to strike all of the most important tabs on a global scale. Political, economical, environmental and social aspects felt the taxing effects of 2020 and will be patching the gaping holes left behind, even after 2020 develops into a haunting memory. History book publishers are likely to devour the cause and effect pattern and magnify the many flaws in the way the year played out. 

Once the history books that act as the focal point in schooling today are outdated and in need of a replacement, I assume 2020 will be first in line to be the next topic of discussion at the front of a classroom. 

My fingers are crossed that a book covering the ins and outs of one of the most deadly years would steer future years clear of similar action when faced with this type of destruction. 2020 has been nothing short of monumental and in turn, the people who made it out in one piece are deserving of a memento that encases the maltreatment of the last 365 days.