Barely five months into the year, 2020 has already been one of the worst years in recent memory. There have been more than enough tragic events for so only in the year.

Strangely enough, one of the earliest events of the year involved the death of Mr. Peanut, the beloved mascot of Planters peanuts. Planters released a commercial showing the apparent death of Mr. Peanut, as he falls off of a cliff while saving his friends, only for them to release a Super Bowl commercial where he is immediately replaced with a new, more unlikable Baby Peanut. 

“Baby Peanut is a mere representation of the flaws and injustices that Mr. Peanut brought into this world,” said Sophomore Tristan Bukow. “His existence brings the pain and loss of Mr. Peanut knowing his kin will never achieve the legacy he left behind. Not only this, but his clear stature is undermined by Baby Yoda in every regard.”

On a more serious note, 2020 got off to its own hot start with the Australian wildfires. These devastating blazes destroyed 12.35 million acres of land, and killed at least a combined 24 million people and animals. While much of the fire damage occurred in 2019, the fires were not fully extinguished until February 12 of this year. 

Sadly, it would only be another two weeks until a new tragedy hit the world. On January 26, NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash at the early age of 41, along with his 13 year old daughter Gigi and seven others who were in the helicopter. 

Kobe was an inspiration to millions of people worldwide. He was one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball, and his tireless work ethic (AKA “Mamba Mentality”) motivated countless people to work as hard as possible to perfect their craft. People all around the world mourned the Black Mamba’s death: athletes, artists, musicians, actors, and politicians alike. He had an immeasurable impact on the world.

In the world of music, the rap industry took a loss when up and coming artist Pop Smoke was shot and killed during a home invasion on February 19. He had rapidly been increasing his audience, with tracks such as ‘Dior’ and ‘Gatti’ quickly gaining popularity in the United States. Combined with the overdose death of fellow rapper Juice Wrld in late 2019, music fans have dealt with big losses as of late. 

Of course, there is still the worst event of the year so far: the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands around the world. The United States has one of the highest amounts of cases in the world, and Massachusetts is in the top three for total infections out of all fifty states. 

Life for everyone has changed dramatically. School has moved online, all levels of sports have been cancelled, people are out of work, and the global economy is suffering due to many people staying inside. It’s safe to say most people hate staying home for such an extended period of time, but to see any light at the end of the tunnel, everyone must do their part to stop the spread of the disease. 

If everybody stays home and practices proper social distancing and hygiene, hopefully there will be an end to this quarantine sooner rather than later.