Congratulations to QuadWrays, Paintballvet18, Leprechaun49, and TommeGun on the First to Find.
There was a lot of history made this year, for better and for worse. It’s mainly been for the worse, but there have been some good things coming out of this year. This cache is to remember some of the momentous occasions of the year, whether they be cause for celebration (like launching a rover headed towards mars), or rather depressing (like quarantine or the cancellation of geowoodstock).
Below, as part of the puzzle, I’ve included a number of events which have occurred over the course of this year. Other events I didn’t put in the puzzle include the 2020 Presidential Election, a number of hurricanes and tropical storms, and the return of sports in a time of COVID.
North
On April 27th, the Pentagon formally released how many videos of “unidentified aerial phenomena” encountered by U.S. Navy Pilots?
Remember Brexit? That happened this year. What was the first digit of the day in January when the UK and Gibraltar formally withdrew from the European Union, beginning an 11 month transition period?
On what day in August did the Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE become operational following delays since 2017, becoming the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab World?
The government of New South Wales, Australia declared a state of emergency whilst the government of Victoria, Australia declared a state of disaster amid large bushfires on what day of January?
The impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, began in the US Senate on January 16th. What day in February was he later acquitted?
On what day in June was a 5 billion dollar class action lawsuit launched against Alphabet Inc. and Google, alleging the company violated users' right to privacy by tracking them in Chrome's incognito mode?
What is the second digit of the day in February when Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make all public transport free to use?
West
This one should be easy. The year revolved primarily around the outbreak of the Coronavirus. What is the second digit in the number commonly following the word COVID?
On what day in May did astronomers announce the discovery of the first black hole located in a star system visible to the naked eye?
On February 27th, the stock market crashed. To the nearest whole number, what is the percentage at which the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped on that single day? If it helps, it fell 1,190.95 points.
Chadwick Boseman, who played such iconic roles as Jackie Robinson in 24, Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, James Brown in Get on Up, and T’Challa in Black Panther and other Marvel movies, sadly passed away on what day in August? Use the second digit.
Supreme Court Justice and gender equality pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on what day in September? Use the second digit.
On December 21st, a great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will occur, with the two planets separated in the sky by how many tenths of a degree? This will be the closest conjunction of the two planets since 1623.
Kobe Bryant passed away on January 26th after a tragic helicopter crash. He wore two jersey numbers in his NBA career. With which jersey number did he win more NBA Championships?
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