Daily Beast Readers Share Their Defining Moments of 2020

GO AWAY, 2020

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo via Getty

Many people hit a point in their lives when they realized this year was like nothing they could have expected.

Nicole Phillip

Former Senior Social Editor

Sarah Rogers

Director of Photography

Charissa Isidro

Associate Social Media Editor

It’s hard to remember exactly when in 2020 the world officially shattered. Ask anyone what moment solidified this year as a dystopian hellscape, and you’ll hear a number of instances: the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the fear of an impending Third World War after the assassination of Iran’s Qasem Soleimani, the start of the pandemic, economic collapse, the continuation of a Trump presidency, and the near-constant pang of death.

We experienced quite a few of these situations as global community, but many individuals have a point in their own personal lives when they knew this year would be like nothing they could have expected.

We asked readers to tell us what that moment was for them. Below are their responses. They have been condensed and edited for clarity.

‘Fox News, Trumpism, etc. Had Officially, Effectively Addled My Father-in-Law’s Mind’
‘Our Dad Wasn’t Expected to Make It Through the Night’
‘I Thought of How Much More Scared He Must Be Than I’
‘When My Mother Passed Away’
‘The Last Time I Saw Her Was in February’
‘My Son Led Me Back to Him’
‘I Had Lost the Need to Be Right’
‘We Are Permanently Closed’
‘I No Longer Enjoyed My Wife’s Company’
‘Baby Won’