AH, THIS year is history itself. Not sure if this is a bright color or a blur to you, but one thing’s for real: 2020 is such a noisemaker. It just felt like yesterday’s Jan. 1 now we are on the 366th page of this story.
Out of all that has happened in the past months, we are highlighting 12 surprising trends and events that occurred for the first time ever this year.
1. First for the luxury industry: Louis Vuitton debuts a face shield
LOUIS VUITTON
While many fashion houses sold protective face masks in 2020, became the first to release a face shield, as part of its 2021 cruise collection. The item, which will cost $961 and features the luxury brand’s signature monogram design on its trim, can be worn with the shield flipped up or down depending on social distancing requirements.
2. Japanese flying car soars in test flight
The tech company SkyDrive completed the first successful public test of a flying car in Japan in August. The manned vehicle, named SD-03, circled the Toyota Test Field, home to the company’s development base, for four minutes. SkyDrive plans to make the car available to consumers by 2023.
3. Hajj is cancelled for first time in modern history
Saudi Arabia announced in June that pilgrims outside of the country would be barred from traveling to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, effectively canceling the hajj for what may be the first time in known history. Although war, treacherous travel conditions and previous plagues have affected the hajj, a pilgrimage that has happened since 632, this was the first time that an official travel ban upended the holy ritual.
4. K-pop band tops charts in the United States
BTS, a South Korean pop band that has been making tweens squeal since 2013, clinched the No. 1 spot on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 singles ranking in September with “Dynamite,” a song sung in English.
5. First transgender mayor elected in France
The council of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes, a village of about 600 residents, elected the first openly transgender mayor in France in March. Marie Cau ran on a platform that emphasized ecological sustainability.
6. Balloons deliver internet in Kenya
High-altitude, solar-powered balloons were used to deliver internet service to Kenya, a first for Africa. A subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, launched 35 balloons in July to provide a 4G LTE network across most of the central and western parts of the country.
7. Hong Kong police make arrests under controversial law
Less than a day after a contentious new security law went into effect in Hong Kong on June 30, the local police made the first arrests under the measure. Critics say the law will undermine the territory’s autonomy and give the Chinese government more power to tighten restrictions on the press and protests there.
8. Woman surfs 2020’s biggest wave off Portuguese coast
Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira rode the biggest recorded wave of 2020, becoming the first female surfer with that distinction. The wave, off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, measured 73.5 feet. Gabeira’s ride was certified by the World Surf League and the Guinness World Records.
9. Telescope’s pictures detail the surface of the sun
In January astronomers released the most detailed pictures of the sun to date, taken by the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, the world’s largest. The telescope was built in the Hawaiian volcano Haleakala, which appropriately means “house of the sun.”
10. Pope says he supports same-sex civil unions
For the first time in his papacy, Pope Francis indicated support for same-sex civil unions. In an interview for the documentary “Francesco,” which premiered in October at the Rome Film Festival, Francis spoke about how gay people have the right to be in a family and described them as “children of God.” He is the first pontiff to voice support for civil unions.
11. Gold prices top $2,000 per ounce
With traders looking for safer places to invest amid the uncertainty brought about by the global health crisis, gold prices reached a record high in summer 2020, topping out at more than $2,000 per ounce. Other precious metals, such as silver and platinum, have also seen surges in value.
12. Scientists use gene-editing tool inside a human
In March, a blind patient in the United States underwent a procedure using the gene-editing tool CRISPR. It was the first time the technology was used inside a human. In a bid to restore the patient’s vision, doctors injected microscopic drops containing the editing tool inside the eye of the patient, who has a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from making a protein necessary to convert light into signals to the brain. (with The New York Times/PN)
