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2022 Year in Review

Here's a look back at some of the biggest news stories of the year.

December 19, 2022

Golden Moments

Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

In February, athletes from more than 90 nations competed in the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Team USA took home 25 medals. That included a gold for snowboarder Chloe Kim (right), who won the women’s halfpipe event for the second time. Snowboarder Shaun White (below) competed in his fifth and final Games. He retired with three Olympic golds—the most of any snowboarder in history.

On the ice, Nathan Chen (bottom) became the first Asian American to win gold in men’s figure skating.

A Royal Farewell

The world said goodbye to one of its best-known leaders this year. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died on September 8, at age 96. She reigned for 70 years, longer than any other British monarch. Elizabeth ruled the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Following the queen’s death, her oldest son took over the throne. Prince Charles of Wales is now King Charles III, although he won’t officially be crowned until May 6, 2023.

Supreme News

On June 30, the highest court in the nation got a new member. Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as a justice, or judge, on the U.S. Supreme Court. She’s the first Black female justice in the 233-year history of the Court.

“I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great nation,” she said.

Fred Schilling/U.S. Supreme Court via AP Images

Storm Slams Florida

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

On September 28, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. slammed into Florida. Hurricane Ian made landfall with winds of 150 miles per hour. The storm tore a path of destruction through the state over the next two days before continuing on to South Carolina and North Carolina.

Ian brought heavy rains and widespread flooding. Storm surges along coastal areas of Florida reached as high as 14 feet. The storm dumped more than 12 inches of rain on Orlando, Florida, in a single day.

The hurricane caused more than 130 deaths. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed across the region. Hundreds of thousands of people had to evacuate, and more than 5 million households lost electricity.

A Huge Hit for Harry

No song was bigger in 2022 than “As It Was” by Harry Styles. It first reached number 1 on the pop chart in April and moved in and out of the top spot over the next few months. In all, “As It Was” spent 15 weeks at number 1. That’s a record for a song by a solo artist.