Here's a quick refresher on what happened in 2024, the Chinese Year of the Dragon. There is a
purposeful effort to limit the Trump Effect – not recounting his federal and state criminal and
civil convictions, or any of his ample egregious quotes, posts and rants. Same goes for Elon
Musk, who may be able to suck more oxygen out of any space – online or otherwise -- than
even Trump.
January – The third “anniversary” of January 6 – a day of infamy – passes quietly. An Alaska Air
Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet from Portland drops its 63-pound emergency door plug in a
schoolteacher’s yard, then returns safely with 177 passengers and crew. Oprah turns 70,
Facebook turns 20.
February -- Special counsel Robert Hur assesses President Biden as likely to present himself to a
jury “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Jennifer Crumbley
becomes the first parent found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for a mass school shooting,
committed by her 15-year-old son in November 2021 in Michigan. Alabama (of all states) rules
frozen embryos are children, pausing IVF services over lawsuit concerns. An estimated 5 million
people around the globe celebrate Leap Day birthdays. Toby Keith dies at 62.
March – Thousands attend heroic dissident Alexei Navalny’s funeral in Moscow, defying
Vladimir Putin. Princess of Wales Kate Middleton announces she is being treated for cancer
after barely being seen in public for 2 months following abdominal surgery and 13 days of
hospitalization in January. A disabled barge flagged to Singapore strikes a pier of the Francis
Scott Key Bridge in Chesapeake Harbor; Baltimore, Maryland; killing six workers.
April -- More than 1 million people are estimated to be starving in Gaza, and 30,000
Palestinians have been killed since October 7 – mostly women and children. An Oregon single
ticket-holder wins a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. The Path of Totality eclipse mesmerizes solar
and lunar fans in 15 states. NATO turns 75. Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson dies at 76.
May – The Dow Jones Industrial Average tops 40,000 for the first time. Red Lobster files for
bankruptcy amidst a difficult year for many longtime restaurant chains. A judge blocks an effort
to auction off Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis. As other states file suits for its harm to
minors, Montana passes a law banning the TikTok app in the state; but a state judge blocked
the law from going into effect based on First Amendment protection. Judge fines Donald Trump
his first $9,000 and threatens jail for violating a gag order in the hush-money case on 34 felony
counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
June – 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Allied forces that turned the tide in WW2 in
Europe. At least 150,000 Russians are dead on the battlefield in Ukraine since February 24,
2022, according to Western estimates. Nvidia becomes the most valuable listed company on
the U.S. stock market, thanks to its artificial intelligence chips. Hunter Biden becomes the first
child of a sitting President convicted on criminal charges in federal court, for lying on gun
application while denying drug use. The 1977 “Son of Sam” killer David Berkowitz, now 70, is
denied parole for the 12 th time. Willie Mays dies at 93.
July – The Supreme Court rules that Presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for acts
carried out in their official duties as President. Donald Trump survives an assassination attempt
on July 13 in Butler County, Pennsylvania, just ahead of the Republican National Convention in
Milwaukee. A widespread CrowdStrike technology cybersecurity outage from a quality control
software tool impacts 8.5 million devices, and costs Delta Airlines 5,000 flights and $500 million.
Joe Biden withdraws his candidacy for re-election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rubik’s Cube turns 50. “Dr. Ruth” Westheimer dies at 96, Richard Simmons at 76.
August – Turkey hosts the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. Paris hosts
Games of the 33 rd Olympiad, where Katie Ledecky becomes the most decorated U.S. woman
athlete of all time and the U.S. wins the overall medal count with 126 -- over China 91, Great
Britain 65, and France 64. (The U.S. and China each win 40 golds.) An ISIS plot targeting a Taylor
Swift concert in Vienna, Austria, is thwarted by U.S. intelligence and Austrian law enforcement.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drops out of the Presidential race.
September -- Two classmates and two teachers are gunned down in Winder, Georgia by a
distressed 14-year-old, whose father is charged. Exploding pagers kill 12, hurt 2,800 in
Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah operatives. More than 57 million watch the Trump-Harris debate.
Trump issues reckless claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, causing
chaos and uproar. Hurricane Helene swamps Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia,
leaving 1.8 million without power, the deadliest storm since Hurricane Ian in 2022 hit
southwest Florida. James Earl Jones, Kris Kristofferson, and Pete Rose take leave.
October – Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Music Hall of Fame inducts Cher, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy
Osbourne, Mary J Blige, Dave Mathews Band, Jimmy Buffet, and Dionne Warwick. On the stock
market, the Dow Industrials and S&P 500 reach new highs on a six-week runup. Falling existing
home sales are on track for the worst housing year since 1995. North Korea dispatches the first
3,000 of an expected 12,000 troops to Russia, to fight Ukraine on the front lines. Actress Teri
Garr dies.
November – Trump is elected thanks in no small part to First Buddy Elon Musk’s $200 million
AmericaPAC downpayment to become co-chief of a new Department of Government Efficiency.
Matt Gaetz becomes the first Trump appointee booted from the clown car; Robert F. Kennedy
Jr. and Pete Hegseth move to the front seat. The TSA screens a record 3.01 million U.S. air
travelers on Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Quincy Jones departs at 91.
December – Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral re-opens in Paris. Taylor Swift, with 283 million
Instagram followers, closes out her 2-year ERAS Tour. Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter on
federal gun and tax convictions, and issues clemency orders for 1,500 others. Over 45,000
Palestinians and 1,700 Israeli have died by early December in the Middle East Gaza conflict,
having passed its first “anniversary” October 7. UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson is
assassinated on the streets of New York City; suspect Luigi Mangione was captured days later at
a McDonald’s in Altoona PA. President Bashar al-Assad escapes Syria to Russia as his
dictatorship of more than a decade is overwhelmed by rebel Islamist fighters. With yet
another school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, there are more than 200 such incidents on
school grounds this year, with 50 deaths. Large unmanned drones are mysteriously flying over
sensitive security sites in New Jersey and other Eastern states. The Dow loses 1,100 points on
December 18, its tenth consecutive losing day and longest loss streak in 50 years. The original
“Rock” – Rocky Colavito – dies at 91.
2025 -- The Chinese New Year is going to start January 29, which marks the start of the Year of
the Snake. In the Chinese Zodiac, the Snake is linked to metamorphosis, wisdom, and intuition.
The Snake year is characterized by introspection, mystery, and intelligence.
I don’t say this cavalierly, but may the snake be with you.
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