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Only the lonely- Roy Orbison

Only the lonely
Only the lonely

Only the lonely
Know the way I feel tonight
Only the lonely
Know this feeling ain't right

There goes my baby
There goes my heart
They're gone forever
So far apart

But only the lonely
Know why
I cry
Only the lonely

Only the lonely
Only the lonely

Only the lonely
Know the heartaches I've been through
Only the lonely
Know I cry and cry for you

Maybe tomorrow
A new romance
No more sorrow
But that's the chance
You gotta take

If your lonely heart breaks
Only the lonely

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John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1961

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Let It Be- The Beatles

Should we do something else for a while, and come back in a bit
Or leave it, same as mine is, yeah
Oh, just let me get this, second clap

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
When all the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree, there will be an answer
Let it be

Although they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be, yeah
Let it be

There will be an answer
Let it be
Oh, let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be

Let it be
Let it be
Let it be, yeah
Let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be

And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
There will be no sorrow
Let it be

Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
Let it be
There will be no sorrow
Let it be

Let it be
Let it be
Yeah, Let it be
Yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be

Yes
How was that?
That was alright sound to me, it sounded wonderful, was good- (clear)
The last two, the last one?
The last one was a whole better for me
That was it, I think it was for me too
I didn't get quite the words I had written here though
That's alright

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US invades Cambodia.

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What happened in 1970 Major News Stories include Concorde first supersonic flight, Jumbo Jet goes into service, Isle of Wight Festival, Chicago Seven found guilty, Aswan High Dam completed, US and the UK lowers the voting age to 18, 100,000 demonstrate in Washington DC against the Vietnam War, First Earth Day, Beatles disband,

How Much things cost in 1970
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.84%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.9%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 838
Average Cost of new house $23,450.00
Average Income per year $9,400.00
Average Monthly Rent $140.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 36 cents
Shaefer Pen $9.95
United States postage Stamp 6 cents
Sports Illustrated 15 cents
Mans Westclox Watch $18.00
AMC Gremlin $1879
--Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 4,975
Gallon of Petrol 0.125
A few More Examples
1 Carat Diamond Ring $299
Chrysler Newport $3861
Apples 4Lbs 59 Cents
Dog Food 12 Cans $1.00
Head and Shoulder Shampoo 79 Cents
Car 8 Track Stereo Tape Player $38.99
Chair La-z-Boy Rocker Recliner $188.00
Mens Leather Shoes $6.99
Striped Ladies Flare Pants and Tunic $10.00
Back To College Typewriter $28.88
Barbie Doll $4.77
25" Cinema Screen Color TV $739.95
Lava lamp $19.95
Set Of Tube Furniture $59.99
6 Room Ranch Home Pennsylvania $12,900

1970 Music continues to make significant impact with the largest ever rock festival held on the Isle of Wight with 600,000 people attending, including some of the biggest name in music including Jimi Hendrix and The Who. This is also the year The Concord makes it's first its first supersonic flight. Another significant change is the age of voting is now lowered to 18 in the US.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations.

More Information for the completion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In March of 1970 the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty went into effect after it was ratified in the United Nations. The purpose of the treaty was to prevent the further spread and creation of nuclear weapons, to work towards complete disarmament, and for nations to cooperate with each other in the safe development and use of nuclear energy. Nearly two hundred countries have joined the treaty over the years, including the five nuclear states, and in 1995 the treaty was extended indefinitely by the United Nations.

Paul McCartney announces that the Beatles have disbanded

More Information and Timeline for the Beatles
1. John Lennon forms a band that becomes The Quarrymen in March of 1957 in Liverpool, England. Paul McCartney joins the band in July.
2. George Harrison joins The Quarrymen in February 1958.
3. The Quarrymen change their name to the Silver Beetles in 1960 and Pete Best is hired as their drummer in August of that year. They also change their name to The Beatles soon after.
4. The Beatles make Brian Epstein their manager in January of 1962.
5. They sign a recording contract with EMI's Parlophone records in June of 1962, George Martin is their producer.
6. Ringo Starr joins the band as their drummer in August of 1962 after Best is fired.
7. Their first single "Love Me Do" is released in October of 1962.
8. The Beatles first appear on the Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" becomes a number one hit in the United States.
9. The group begins to change creatively with the release of Rubber Soul in 1965 and Revolver in 1966.
10. They release the Sgt. Pepper album in June of 1967 and one month later their manager Epstein dies of an overdose.
11. The band goes to India in 1968 and when they come back to the United Kingdom they record the White Album.
12. They hold their final public performance in January of 1969 on the rooftop of Apple Records in London. Abbey Road is released later that year.
13. The Beatles officially break up in April of 1970 when Paul McCartney publicly states that he is leaving the band. Let It Be is released as their final album a month later.

Apollo 13 mission to moon Accident.

More Information and Timeline for Apollo 13 Accident
1. The Apollo 13 mission launches as the third mission to the moon, carrying astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise. The mission launched at 2:13 pm on April 11, 1970.
2. About three hours after the launch, the mission is set on its trajectory to the moon. There is a command module called the Odyssey and a lunar module called Aquarius.
3, On April 13th at about 10:07 pm the second oxygen tank explodes. This causes issues with the other oxygen tanks. The crew contacts CapCom shortly after the incident with the famous line "Houston, we've had a problem."
4. After about three hours, all of the oxygen stores are gone and there was a loss of water, electricity and the propulsion system.
5. Houston and the crew begin to work on a plan for safe re-entry to Earth that includes closing off the command module and re-configuring the lunar module.
6. The crew rations supplies and power in order to safely return to Earth. With careful calculations they are about to change the course of their trajectory and re-position the spacecraft towards Earth on April 14th.
7. On April 17th, the crew of Apollo 13 has a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa, with all of the crew surviving.

Boeing 747 makes its first commercial passenger trip to London.
More Information for the completion of the first Boeing 747 Flight.
The world's first jumbo-jet, the Boeing 747, has its first commercial flight on January 22nd of 1970. The plane was operated by Pan-Am and the flight traveled from New York to London carrying 332 passengers and 18 crew members. The Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel and the commercial airline business as the jumbo jets could now carry up to 550 people during one flight. These planes reduced the amount of flights needed to transport the same amount of people on smaller planes, helping to control an ever growing volume of air traffic.

The Luna 17 Mission is launched by the USSR, carrying the first successful remote-controlled robotic lunar rover, Lunokhod 1, to the moon.

More Information and Timeline for Luna 17 and Lunokhod.
The Soviet Union launches the Luna 17 mission on November 10, 1970. The Luna 17 spacecraft carried a controllable robotic rover named Lunokhod 1 which would become the first successful remote-controlled robotic rover to land and operate on the Moon. It arrived and was deployed on November 17, 1970. The rover operated for about 322 Earth days (11 Lunar days) and while it was in operation it took high resolution panoramas of the lunar surface, transmitted tens of thousands of television images, and conducted several hundreds of different test on the soil. The Lunokhod 1 rover was estimated to have traveled about ten kilometers in total over the surface and was originally expected to operate for just three months in Earth time (3 Lunar days).
More Information and Timeline for the US Invasion of Cambodia
1. In February of 1969 President Nixon and his National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, discuss plans for bombing the North Vietnamese supply routes that went through Cambodia.
2. In March of 1969, Nixon launches the secretive campaign called "Operation Menu" in which American B-52s carpet bombed the Eastern side of Cambodia.
3. The bombing campaign lasted for over a year and took a great toll on the country as many civilian lives were lost.
4. In April of 1970, Nixon orders a secret invasion of Cambodia by US and South Vietnamese troops.
5. News of the invasion reaches the US and further fuels anti-war sentiments. People stage massive protests against the United States' involvement in Cambodia.
6. Several students are shot and killed by the National Guard at anti-war protests at Kent State University and Jackson State University. Soon after, Nixon withdraws forces from Cambodia.
7. The United States chooses to continue the bombing of the country, which lasts until 1973.

The USSR launches the Venera 7 spacecraft.
More Information for Venera 7.
The Soviet Union launched the Venera 7 spacecraft during August of 1970. The Venera 7 spacecraft's mission was to land on the planet of Venus and gather data from the surface. The probe successfully approached Venus during December of that year. As it made its descent towards the surface, Venera 7 transmitted data while traveling through Venus atmosphere and for about one second when it landed on the surface. It was revealed through later analysis that the probe had actually been able to transmit data back to Earth through an extremely weak signal for about 23 minutes after landing. The Venera 7 mission became the first spacecraft to successfully land on another planet and return data directly back to Earth.

The Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
More Information and Timeline for the Aswan Dam.
The Aswan High Dam is completed during July of 1970. Located across the Nile river in Egypt, the dam cost about one billion dollars and took eleven years of construction to build. The dam measured at nearly 350 feet tall, over 12,500 feet long, and produced massive amounts of hydroelectric power, up to ten billion kilowatt hours every year. While being incredibly beneficial economically to the Egyptian economy, the creation of the dam also produced some negative consequences such as the displacement of thousands of people and a decline in the fertility of agricultural lands near the river.

Chicago Seven defendants found guilty of intent to incite a riot in 1968 ( later overturned by Court of Appeal )

More Information and Timeline for the Chicago Seven
1. In 1967, the Democratic Party choose to hold the 1968 National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
2. In 1968, Anti-war groups ask the city for permits to protest near the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The city denies nearly all requests except one for a rally in Grant Park with an 11pm curfew.
3. About 15,000 protesters attend the rally and attempt to march towards the convention but are confronted by police. Clashes between police and demonstrators last several days and over 500 people are arrested.
4. A grand jury indicts eight people for inciting a riot in March of 1969. The case of Bobby Seale is dropped and the defendants become known as the Chicago Seven. The group consists of Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines and Lee Weiner.
5. The trial begins on September 24 News Events, 1969. Over the course of the trial the United States National Guard is called in to control crowds of demonstrators that gathered around in support of the defendants.
6. The trial was highly publicized and drew a lot of media attention due to the famous names that came to testify such as Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Timothy Leary.
7. In February of 1970, all of the defendants are acquitted of conspiracy and five of them are convicted of inciting a riot. They were sentenced to five years in prison each and given $5,000 in fines each.
8. In November of 1972, all of the convictions were overturned by an Appeals Court on the grounds of judicial bias and bias in jury selection.
Calendar For The Year 1970

Toys From The Year 1970

Some of the toys included in the 1970 collage above Barbie Dolls, Hot Wheels Track and Cars, Cheap Childrens Stereo Phono, Back To College Typewriter, Apollo Moon Rocket, Bontempi Console Organ, Chatty Cathy, Frosty Snow Cone Maker, Gigantor Robot, GI Joe Astronaut, NHL Table Hockey, Stereo 5 band Radio, Talking Viewmaster, Suzy Homemakers Super oven

More News and Key Events From 1970

The Liberian registered tanker Pacific Glory spills up to 100,000 gallons of crude oil on October 25th into the English Channel creating a huge oil slick and an environmental disaster

The US lowers the voting age to 18 from 21 when President Nixon Signs the bill into law on June 22nd

National Guards fire on and kill 4 protesters on at Kent State University

The Isle of Wight Festival takes place . 600,000 people attend the largest rock festival of all time. Artists include Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Jethro Tull.

Jimi Hendrix dies of barbiturate overdose in London

Janis Joplin dies in a cheap motel from a heroin overdose

The first New York marathon is run in New York

Simon and Garfunkel release their final album together, Bridge Over Troubled Water. The Title Track won the Grammy for song of the year.

Popular Films

M*A*S*H,

Patton

Woodstock

Hello, Dolly!

Catch-22

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Popular Music and songs
The Beatles with -- " Let it Be " released on May 8th
The Jackson 5 with -- " ABC and I want you back "
Edwin Starr with -- " War "

Check out our Music From The 1970's which includes popular bands and chart toppers from the Seventies

Born This Year 1970

First Jumbo Jet goes into service

Concorde makes its first supersonic flight (700 mph/1127 km/h).

The Soviet Moon Rover becomes the first remote-controlled robot to travel on the moon's surface

The First Computer Chess Tournament takes Place

IBM announces the successors to the IBM System/360 family the IBM System/370 with improved multi processor support.

After many years of court battles damages awarded to Thalidomide victims

Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )
LCD England by George Gray - Liquid Crystal Display

Australia -- Prime Minister -- John Gorton --
Brazil -- President -- Emilio Medici --
Canada -- Prime Minister -- Pierre Trudeau --
China -- Chairman of the People's Republic of China -- Song Qingling --
France -- President -- Georges Pompidou --
Germany -- Chancellor -- Willy Brandt --
India -- Prime Minister -- Indira Gandhi --
Italy -- Prime Minister --Mariano Rumor -- Till 6 August
Italy -- Prime Minister --Emilio Colombo -- From 6 August
Japan -- Prime Minister -- Eisaku Sato --
Mexico -- President --Gustavo Díaz Ordaz -- Till 30 November
Mexico -- President --Luis Echeverría -- From 30 November
Russia / Soviet Union -- First Secretary of the CPSU -- Leonid Brezhnev --
South Africa -- Prime Minister -- Balthazar Johannes Vorster --
United States -- President -- Richard Nixon --
United Kingdom -- Prime Minister -- Harold Wilson -- Till 19 June
United Kingdom -- Prime Minister -- Edward Heath -- From 19 June

Political Elections

British General Election --1970 -- Edward Heath ( Conservative ) defeats Harold Wilson ( Labour ) and Jeremy Thorpe ( Liberal ) --

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What Happened in 1970 inc. Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions

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What happened in 1970 Major News Stories include Concorde first supersonic flight, Jumbo Jet goes into service, Isle of Wight Festival, Chicago Seven found guilty, Aswan High Dam completed, US and the UK lowers the voting age to 18, 100,000 demonstrate in Washington DC against the Vietnam War, First Earth

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Disclaimer: Much of the information available is external to our website. Music Outfitters has included these sites because we believe they provide information and/or services that you may find useful. However, since these sites are not under our control, we cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by them. Linking to these websites does not constitute an endorsement by Music Outfitters or any of its employees.

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions

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Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970 | Music Outfitters

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Disclaimer: Much of the information available is external to our website. Music Outfitters has included these sites because we believe they provide information and/or services that you may find useful. However, since these sites are not under our control, we cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by them.

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Rock with you- Michael Jackson

Girl, close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don't try to fight it
There ain't nothing that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine

You gotta feel that heat
And we can ride the boogie
Share that beat of love

I wanna rock with you (all night)
Dance you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
We're gonna rock the night away (rock, right)

Out on the floor
There ain't nobody there but us
Girl, when you dance
There's a magic that must be love
Just take it slow
'Cause we got so far to go

When you feel that heat
And we're gonna ride the boogie
Share that beat of love

I wanna rock with you (all night)
Dance you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
We gon' rock the night away (rock, right)

And when the groove is dead and gone (yeah)
You know that love survives
So we can rock forever, on

I wanna rock with you
I wanna groove with you

Wanna rock (all night)
With you, girl (sunlight)
Rock with you, rock with you, yeah (all night)
Dance the night away (rock, right)

I wanna rock with you, yeah (all night)
Rock you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
Rock the night away (rock, right)

Feel the heat, feel the beat (all night)
(Woo)
Rock you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock (all night)
Rock the night away (rock, right)

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Michael Jackson - Rock With You (Official Video - Upscaled)

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Top 100 songs for the year 1980 from the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 charts.

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CNN Launches

CNN (Cable News Network) began broadcasting on June 1st. The American-based network was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and founded by Ted Turner. It was the first 24-hour news network available to cable subscribers in the United States and Canada and has since become available worldwide. The network originally struggled to find success but by the mid- 1980s it had gained more influence and became well known for its live coverage of events as they happened, often being the first to broadcast during big news events.

The Staggers Act

More Information and Timeline for the Staggers Act

The Staggers Act of 1980 comes into effect in October of 1980. The Act allowed for the deregulation of the United States Rail Industry which had remained largely untouched since the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act that had been created with the purpose of regulating the booming rail industry and the monopolies that had been controlling the rails. The Staggers Act allowed carriers greater freedom in establishing rates as well as increasing the overall flexibility of the industry. The deregulation was thought of as necessary as the automobiles and trucking greatly overshadowed rail in the 20th century.

Post-It Notes

3M begins sales of it's latest product Post-It Notes invented by Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver.

More Information for the creation of Post-It Notes

Post-It notes are officially introduced to U.S. stores during April of 1980. The innovative product featured a square, yellow notepad that had a lightweight and sticky adhesive strip on the back of each note, making it removable. The product was created by the 3M corporation in 1974 by scientists Spencer Silver and Art Fry. Silver had created the adhesive earlier and Fry came up with the idea to use the adhesive on a note. The notes were then market tested in 1978 under the name "Press n' Peel." By 1980, interest in the product increased and they were officially added to shelves in stores across the country.

Former Beatle John Lennon is shot to death

More Information for John Lennon

Popular musician and former Beatles member John Lennon was shot and killed by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman outside of Lennon's apartment in Manhattan during December of 1980 at the age of 40. Lennon, beloved by many around the world for his talent as an artist and outspoken nature as a public figure, had given an autograph to Chapman earlier in the day and was returning home from a recording studio with his wife Yoko Ono at the time of the attack. In the days following his death hundreds of fans gathered outside of his apartment in mourning.

Latest Cencus reveals US Population is 226,504,825

U.S. Severe Summer Heat Wave

Severe Summer Heat Wave in Southern US Causes 1,117 deaths in 20 States

Mini Gold Rush in Australian

Mini Gold Rush in Australian outback after gold is discovered.

Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act Passed

US Passes "Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act" to tax high profits by oil companies

The Killer Clown ( John Wayne Gacy Jr ) sentenced to death for the murder of 33 boys and young men.

Israel introduced Shekel

Israel Replaces the Pound with a new currency the Shekel

Fire Destroys the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas

Italy terrorist bombing

Right wing terrorists explode a bomb at Bologna railway station, Italy killing over 70

6.0 earthquake strikes southern Italy causing the death of more than 3,000 people

Rioting Liberty City, Miami

Rioting Liberty City, Miami on on May 17 leaves 18 dead

Wisconsin Thunderstorm

A severe and destructive thunderstorm strikes four counties in western Wisconsin

Hurricane Allen hits landfall on Haiti and Jamaica

Born This Year in 1980

Martina Hingis

Born: September 30 News Events , Košice, Slovakia

Isaac Hanson

Born: November 17th, Tulsa, OK

Jessica Simpson

Born: July 10th, Abilene, TX

Macaulay Culkin

Born: August 26th, New York, NY

Kim Kardashian

Born: October 21st, Los Angeles, CA

Matthew Gray Gubler

Born: March 9th, Las Vegas, NV

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Born: January 16th, New York, NY

1980 Mens and Womens Fashion Clothes

Part of our Collection of Clothing From The 1980's Fashion

Part of our Collection of Toys From this Year

Popular Culture 1980

Millions of viewers tune into the TV soap opera Dallas to learn who shot lead character J.R. Ewing.

John Lennon is shot outside his New York apartment

The Rubik's Cube goes on Sale From Ideal Toy Corp ( invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik

Popular Films

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Superman II

Nine to Five

Raging Bull

Coal Miner's Daughter

Popular Music

ABBA

AC/DC

Adam and the Ants

Black Sabbath

Blondie with " Call Me "

David Bowie

The Cars

Eric Clapton

Alice Cooper

Elvis Costello

KC and The Sunshine Band

Michael Jackson

Queen with " Another One Bites the Dust "

Pink Floyd

Diana Ross " Upside Down "

Paul McCartney

Olivia Newton-John with " Magic "

Electric Light Orchestra

David Bowie

The Police

Popular TV

The Facts Of Life

General Hospital

Dallas

The Dukes Of Hazzard

Chips

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What Happened in 1980 - Significant Events, Prices, 1980 Top Movies, TV and Music

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CNN (Cable News Network) began broadcasting on June 1st. The American-based network was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and founded by Ted Turner. It was the first 24-hour news network available to cable subscribers in the United States and Canada and has since become available worldwide.

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CNN (Cable News Network) began broadcasting on June 1st.

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Hold on- Wilson Philips

I know there's pain (I know there's pain)
Why do you lock yourself up in these chains? (These chains)
No one can change your life except for you
Don't ever let anyone step all over you

Just open your heart and your mind (Mmm)
Is it really fair to feel, this way inside? (Woah)

Some day somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye
Until then, baby, are you going to let 'em hold you down and make you cry?
Don't you know? Don't you know, things can change
Things'll go your way
If you Hold On for one more day
Can you Hold On for one more day?
Things'll go your way
Hold On for one more day

You could sustain (You could sustain)
Hm, or are you comfortable with the pain?
You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness (No, baby)
You got yourself into your own mess (Ooh)

Lettin' your worries pass you by (Lettin' your worries pass you by)
Baby, don't you think it's worth your time
To change your mind? (No, no)

Some day somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye
Until then, baby, are you going to let 'em hold you down and make you cry?
Don't you know? Don't you know, things can change
Things'll go your way
If you Hold On for one more day
Can you Hold On for one more day?
Things'll go your way (Oh, things'll go your way)
Hold On for one more day

I know that there is pain, but you
Hold On for one more day, and ya
Break free from the chains
Yeah I know that there is pain, but you
Hold On for one more day, and ya
Break free, break from the chains

Some day somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye (and say goodbye)
Until then, baby, are you going to let 'em hold you down and make you cry?
Don't you know? Don't you know, things can change (Know)
Things'll go your way
If you Hold On for one more day, yeah
If you Hold On

Don't you know, things could change
Things could go your way
If you Hold On for one more day
Can you Hold On
Can you Hold On

Mmm, can you Hold On, baby

Won't you tell me now
Hold On for one more day, 'cause
It's gonna go your way

Don't you know, things could change
Things could go your way
If you Hold On for one more day, yeah

Can't you change it this time
Make up your mind
Hold On, Hold On
Baby Hold On

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Wilson Phillips - Hold On (Official Music Video)

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Disclaimer: Much of the information available is external to our website. Music Outfitters has included these sites because we believe they provide information and/or services that you may find useful. However, since these sites are not under our control, we cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by them. Linking to these websites does not constitute an endorsement by Music Outfitters or any of its employees.

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Top 100 Hits of 1990/Top 100 Songs of 1990 | Music Outfitters

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Top 100 Songs for the year 1990 from the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 charts.

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Other Major Events From 1990

Iraq invasion of Neighboring Kuwait

Saddam Hussein orders Iraq invasion of Neighboring Kuwait

Operation Desert Shield

Operation Desert Shield Begins as the United States and UK send troops to Kuwait

Poland Lech Walesa

Lech Walesa becomes president of Poland

U.S. Saturn Cars

The Saturn range of cars are launched by GM

Iran Earthquake

Earthquake in Iran kills 50,000

The Simpsons

Americas Favorite animated family "The Simpsons " is aired on Fox for the first time

U.S. Major Recession

The US Enters a Major Recession

Burma Elections

The National League for Democracy NLD wins free elections by a landslide majority, but the military regime has refused to hand over power.

Ban on the Trade of Ivory

A Formal Ban on the Trade of Ivory is introduced

Poll Tax introduced in UK causing mass demonstrations who claimed the tax moved the tax burden from the rich to the poor

Industrialized countries agree to stop dumping waste into the oceans of the world.

John M. Poindexter

John M. Poindexter ( Former national security adviser ) is convicted on multiple felony counts

UK Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher announces her resignation as British PM after John Major is chosen to lead the country and conservative party.

Saudi Arabia stampede Mecca

A stampede of religious pilgrims in a pedestrian tunnel in Mecca on July 2 leaves 1,400 dead

U.S. Happy Land

A fire at an unlicensed social club called "Happy Land" in New York City kills 87

South Africa Nelson Mandella

Opposition Parties in South Africa are legalized Nelson Mandella released from prison and becomes leader of the African National Congress ( ANC )

East and West Germany reunite

East and West Germany reunite including currency and economies

U.S. President George Bush

President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign a historic agreement to end production of chemical weapons

UK poll tax demonstrations

Throughout the year demonstrations are held in cities in the UK in protest at the new poll tax

Philippines earthquake

Philippines, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale kills over 1600

Russia Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and reform his nation

Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee publishes a more formal proposal for the World Wide Web and the first web page is written

Channel Tunnel

Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 meters beneath the English Channel seabed, establishing the first ground connection between the United Kingdom and the mainland of Europe since the last ice age

Isabella Gardner Museum

Art thieves steal 12 works of art from the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston

Strangeways Riot

Prisoners Riot in Strangeways Prison in Manchester, England keeping control of the prison for 25 days

Namibia Gains Independence From South Africa

Boris N. Yeltsin

Boris N. Yeltsin becomes president of the Russian republic.

1990 World Cup

West Germany Wins 1990 World Cup in Italy

Customs officers seize the barrel ( 130 feet long )of a "Supergun" bound for Iraq

UK heat wave

Great Britain is gripped by a heat wave and the highest recorded temperatures in British History are recorded of 37.1C, or 99F in Nailstone, Leicestershire

Technology 1990's

The Space Shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit revolutionizing astronomy.

Tim Berners-Lee publishes a more formal proposal for the World Wide Web and the first web page is written

Microsoft Releases Windows 3.0

A 16 megabit chip is shown for the first time

The First Known Case of AIDS is traced back to 1959

The Space Probe Voyager launched in 1977 photographed the Solar System at a distance of 3.7 miles from the SUN

18 years after its launch the US Space Probe Pioneer reaches a distance of 46.5 billion miles beyond all planetary orbits

Depletion of the Ozone Layer is discovered above the North Pole

The First in-car Satellite Navigation System is sold by Pioneer

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What Happened in 1990 inc. Pop Culture, Prices and Events

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Iraq invasion of Neighboring Kuwait Saddam Hussein orders Iraq invasion of Neighboring Kuwait Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Shield Begins as the United States and UK send troops to Kuwait Poland Lech Walesa Lech Walesa becomes president of Poland U.S.

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Top 100 Hits of 2000/Top 100 Songs of 2000 | Music Outfitters

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Sony releases the Playstation 2 Gaming Console in Japan

More Information for the Playstation 2.

During March of 2000, the newest Sony gaming console, the Playstation 2, was released for sale in Japan. The Playstation 2 went on to become the best selling gaming console in history, selling over 155 million units worldwide. Part of its success relied on the system's backwards compatibility, allowing users to play games on the console from the previous model. The Playstation 2 was sold and manufactured around the world until January of 2013 when it was discontinued prior to the release of the Playstation 4, making it one of the longest sold systems.

First International Space Station Crew

The first crew to live on the International Space Station (ISS) arrives in space during November. The mission, called Expedition 1, was the first long-term stay totaling 136 days. Three astronauts including Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko, and Sergei Krikalev made up the crew of Expedition 1, and they stayed on the ISS for several months before being replaced by the crew of Expedition 2. Since the arrival of the first crew the International Space Station has been continuously occupied by astronauts from around the world.

United States -- Bush v. Gore

1. In December of 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court rules to end the vote recount in Florida in the Bush v. Gore case, giving the presidency to George W. Bush after a prolonged legal battle following the election.

2. The results in Florida were so close that it triggered an automatic machine count of votes under Florida law, the results tightened the race showing that less than 600 votes separated the two candidates.

3. Gore pursued the option to have a manual recount in 4 counties.

4. They were not able to complete the manual recount in the days required by the law which led to a legal battle between Gore and the state of Florida which eventually made it to the U.S. Supreme Court.

5. The court ruled that the methods in the recount violated the 14th amendment and also ruled to end the recount.

Vermont passes HB847

The State of Vermont passes HB847, legalizing Civil Unions for same-sex couples.

The Tate Modern

The Tate Modern opens in London.

The Euro

The Euro falls to record low against the US dollar

Millennium Bridge

The new Millennium Bridge across the Thames is opens on June 10th and is closed on June 12th due to safety fears for modifications.

Concorde Crash

Concorde Air France Flight 4590 crashes just after takeoff from Paris killing all 109 aboard and 5 on the ground.

Australia - Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympics are held in Sydney, Australia.

More Information for Sydney Olympics

1. The XXVII Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia began during September of 2000.

2. A total of 10,651 athletes from 199 different countries participated in 300 events at the Millennium Olympic Games.

3. These were the first games to feature events in taekwondo and the triathlon, and the first to allow female athletes to compete in the modern pentathlon and weightlifting.

4. The XXVII Olympiad ended in October and the United States took home the most medals with 93 in total, ahead of Russia with 89, and China and Australia in third and fourth with 58 each.

Microsoft Bill Gates

Founder of Microsoft Bill Gates leaves his position as CEO.

More Information for Bill Gates at Microsoft

Microsoft co-founder and creator of the modern PC Bill Gates left his position as the Chief Executive Officer of his company during January of 2000. Gates left his position in order to spend more time doing charity work with the "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation" a private charity foundation that he and his wife created. Gates remained in his position as Chairman of Microsoft until 2014 and also became the Chief Software Architect until 2008. Steve Ballmer took over as CEO in 2000 and was then replaced by Satya Nadella in 2014.

United States - Final Peanuts Comic

The final new Peanuts comic strip was published during February. The first Peanuts comic strip was published on October 2, 1950 and it was initially shown in seven different newspapers. The comic was created by Charles Schulz and featured the classic character Charlie Brown. The comics became a huge hit, spawning TV shows, cartoon films, books, and merchandise, all featuring the beloved characters. The comics became a pop culture fixture and ran in the U.S. newspapers until the last Peanuts comic strip hit the presses a day after Charles Schulz's death.

Worldwide - Solar Flare Event

1. A huge solar flare, known as the Bastille Day Event, occurs on July 14th.

2. It was an X5 level eruption and originated in the large sunspot group 9077 as recorded by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

3. It was the largest solar flare recorded since 1989 and it triggered an S3 radiation storm and geomagnetic superstorm.

4. The radiation began reaching Earth within 15 minutes, causing disruptions to satellites and exposing air travelers to radiation that was equal to that of a chest x-ray.

5. It also caused a coronal mass ejection which can create stronger and farther-reaching Northern Lights and Southern Lights.

UK fuel protests

The UK fuel protests take place, with refineries blockaded, and supply to the country's network of petrol stations halted

Alexandria Discovered

Divers discover the ancient port of Alexandria the home of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony

Mississippi River

300 gallons of black sludge is released into the Mississippi River causing an environmental disaster

USS Cole

In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers on October 12th

Cost of Living 2000

How Much things cost in 2000

Average Cost of new house $134,150.00

Average Income per year $40,343.00

Average Monthly Rent $675.00

Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.26

Average cost of new car $24,750.00

US Postage Stamp 33 cents

1 LB of Bacon $2.97

Ground Coffee per IB $3.44

Loaf of Bread $1.72

Dozen Eggs 89 cents

Barrel Of Oil Tops $30.00 per barrel

Popular Culture 2000

The popular show Big Brother is broadcast on German private channel RTLH and captures worldwide media interest

The Latest Harry Potter Book Is Published "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

51 million viewers watch the first season finale of the reality show "Survivor"

The last of the original Mini's rolls off the production lines

Popular Films

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Cast Away

Mission: Impossible II

Gladiator

What Women Want

The Perfect Storm

Meet the Parents

X-Men

Scary Movie

What Lies Beneath

Gladiator

Erin Brockovich

Billy Elliot

Popular Musicians

Lenny Kravitz

Blink-182

U2

All Saints

N Sync

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Madonna

Faith Hill

Dandy Warhols

Oasis

Bon Jovi

Robbie Williams

Kylie Minogue

Ronan Keating

Santana

Manic Street Preachers

Britney Spears

Robbie Williams

Craig David

The Eurythmics

R.E.M.

Pink

Coldplay

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What Happened in 2000 inc. Pop Culture, Prices and Major News Events

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2000 Prices including Wages, Houses, Food and Gas, Events include First International Space Station Crew, Concorde Air France Flight 4590 crashes , Sydney Olympics, USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers, Tiger Woods becomes the youngest player to win a Grand Slam in Golf

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Iran is hit with a 7.4 magnitude earthquake

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Say my name- Destiny's child

Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Better say my name

Any other day
I would call and you would say
Baby how's your day
But today, it ain't the same
Every other word
Is "uh-huh" yeah "okay"
Could it be that you
Are at the crib with another lady
If you took it there
First of all, let me say
I am not the one
To sit around, and be played
So prove yourself to me
I am the girl that you claim
Why don't you say the thangs
That you said to me yesterday

I know you say that I am assuming things
Something's going down that's the way it seems
Shouldn't be the reason why you're acting strange
If nobody's holding you back from me
'Cause I know how you usually do
When you say everything to me times two
Why can't you just tell the truth
If somebody's there then tell me who

Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Better say my name

What is up with this
Tell the truth, who you with
How would you like it if
I came over with my clique
Don't try to change it now
See you gotta bounce
When two seconds ago
You said you just got in the house
It's hard to believe that you
Are at home, by yourself
When I just heard the voice
Heard the voice of someone else
Just this question why
Do you feel you gotta lie
Gettin' caught up in your game
When you can not say my name

I know you say that I am assuming things
Something's going down that's the way it seems
Shouldn't be the reason why you're acting strange
If nobody's holding you back from me
'Cause I know how you usually do
When you say everything to me times two
Why can't you just tell the truth
If somebody's there then tell me who

Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Better say my name

I know you say that I am assuming things
Something's going down that's the way it seems
Shouldn't be the reason why you're acting strange
If nobody's holding you back from me
'Cause I know how you usually do
When you say everything to me times two
Why can't you just tell the truth
If somebody's there then tell me who

Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby

Baby say my name, say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Why the sudden change
Say my name, say my name
If no one is around you
Say baby I love you
If you ain't runnin' game
Say my name, say my name
You actin' kinda shady
Ain't callin' me baby
Baby say my name

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Destiny's Child - Say My Name (Official Video)

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Sony releases the Playstation 2 Gaming Console in Japan

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Need you now- Lady Antebellum

Picture, perfect memories
Scattered all around the floor
Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Another shot of whisky
Can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping
In the way you did before
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me, it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one
I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all

It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone and I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call
But I'm a little drunk and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now
I just need you now
Oh, baby, I need you now

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Suicide bombers carry out bomb attacks on trains at the central Lubyanka station and the Park Kultury station on the Moscow Metro leaving 40 dead and 60 injured.

Haiti magnitude 7 earthquake

A magnitude 7 earthquake hits Haiti and devastates the country

Chile Earthquake measuring 8.8 magnitude

Earthquake measuring 8.8 magnitude occurred off the coast of central Chile ( the 6th largest recorded earthquake in history ) the resulting Tsunami combined the earthquake resulted in the death of over 500 plus immense damage.

United Arab Emirates Burj Khalifa

The worlds tallest building Burj Khalifa 2,716ft high with 160 floors opens in Dubai

United States Affordable Care Act passes in Congress

The Healthcare Reform Bill / Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passes in Congress changing the face of healthcare in the US and is signed into law by President Barack Obama

United States BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster

BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster in the gulf of Mexico leaves gulf beaches / fishing and the shellfish industry reeling, the true effects will not be fully understood for many years, New Deep Water Drilling Wells are stopped until regulators can catch up with the technology.

Afghanistan US increases the number of troops

The US increases the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan hoping to squash the Taliban and Alkida Terrorist groups that operate from and in the country

Floods in Pakistan

Floods in Pakistan caused by higher than normal monsoon rains cause flooding on a scale unseen before with 20% of the country flooded, this leaves millions homeless, starving and causes major disruption to the country.

Iran continues it's path with construction of additional Nuclear Power Plants causing the United Nations to place even more sanctions on the country

2010 FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup takes place in South Africa, Spain wins the World Cup

United States Tea Party numbers grow

The Tea Party numbers grow in the United States prior to the upcoming November Mid Term Elections

U.S.A. Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster

An Underground Explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, Raleigh County, West Virginia leaves Twenty-nine out of the 31 miners underground dead.

Technology 2010

Apple releases the new Iphone 4 but problems with antenna design cause consumer problems

Apple Releases the Ipad taking the new technology of touch screen computing to new levels

Microsoft ( Bing ) and Yahoo ( Search ) combine search technology into a single unit attempting to break Google monopoly of search.

Android powered phones begin to outsell Apple in the smart phone market.

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What Happened in 2010 inc. Pop Culture, Prices and Major News Events

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2010 Prices including Wages, Houses, Food and Gas, Events include financial crisis and high unemployment continues, Healthcare Reform Bill / Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passes in Congress, BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster, SpaceX successfully launched Dragon capsule and it retu…

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Top 100 songs for the year 2010 from the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 charts.

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China launches their second moon probe

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Top 100 Hits of 2020/Top 100 Songs of 2020 | Music Outfitters

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Disclaimer: Much of the information available is external to our website. Music Outfitters has included these sites because we believe they provide information and/or services that you may find useful. However, since these sites are not under our control, we cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by them.

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Blinding lights- The weekend

Yeah

I've been tryna call
I've been on my own for long enough
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe
I'm going through withdrawals
You don't even have to do too much
You can turn me on with just a touch, baby

I look around and
Sin City's cold and empty (oh)
No one's around to judge me (oh)
I can't see clearly when you're gone

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night
Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust
(Hey, hey, hey)

I'm running out of time
'Cause I can see the sun light up the sky
So I hit the road in overdrive, baby, oh

The city's cold and empty (oh)
No one's around to judge me (oh)
I can't see clearly when you're gone

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night
Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust

I'm just walking by to let you know (by to let you know)
I can never say it on the phone (say it on the phone)
Will never let you go this time (ooh)

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
(Hey, hey, hey)

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch

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The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (Official Audio)

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The COVID-19 Pandemic

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Four years ago stories appeared asking whether 2016 was the worst year ever. Well, 2020 has 2016 beat. You would have to go back to 1968 to find a year filled with as much turmoil. Yes, the past twelve months did bring some good news. Those bright spots, however, hardly made up for the bad news. So here are my top ten world events in 2020. You may want to read what follows closely. Several of these stories will continue into 2021 and beyond.

10. The U.S. Senate Acquits Donald Trump of Impeachment Charges. In most years, a presidential impeachment trial would top the year-end list of biggest news stories. But in 2020, it only just makes the top ten. Donald Trump began the year as the third president in U.S. history to be impeached, joining Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. The U.S. House had impeached Trump on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The impeachment trial in the Senate opened on January 16, with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presiding. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the trial was that after hearing opening presentations by the House managers and Trump's defense team, the Senate voted not to call witnesses or issue subpoenas. On February 5, the Senate acquitted Trump on both articles of impeachment almost entirely along partisan lines. On Article I, alleging abuse of power, forty-eight senators voted guilty and fifty-two voted not guilty-Mitt Romney of Utah was the only Republican to vote to convict and remove Trump. On Article II, alleging obstruction of Congress, forty-seven senators voted guilty and fifty-three senators voted not guilty. The next day, Trump declared victory, saying that the trial against him was "evil" and Democrats were "vicious as hell."

9. Belarusians Protest for Fair and Free Elections. There has been much talk in recent years about the decline of democracy. Belarusians appear not to have gotten the message. On August 9, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, a man known as "Europe's last dictator," claimed he had won 80 percent of the vote in the country's presidential election, thereby entitling him to a sixth term in office. Thousands immediately took to the streets to protest what they saw as a stolen election-and continued to do so through the fall and into winter. Lukashenko had succeeded in barring several potential candidates from running against him in the August election. The opposition eventually coalesced around Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, whose husband, a popular YouTuber, had been a leading candidate until Lukashenko had him arrested. Tikhanovskaya fled the country following Lukashenko's claim to victory. Belarusian authorities arrested an estimated 17,000 people; many were brutally beaten. The European Union imposed a range of sanctions in response, and it was joined by the United Kingdom and the United States in calling for new elections. Lukashenko succeeded in resisting the protestors because of his vast security apparatus and support from Russia. Even so, by year's end there was speculation that his security forces were starting to split. If so, Belarus could become an even bigger story in 2021.

8. Tensions Flare Between Iran and the United States. Bad blood between Tehran and Washington still persists after four decades. On January 3, a U.S. drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, shortly after he arrived in Baghdad. Iran retaliated over the next two months with rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, injuring dozens of U.S. troops and killing many Iraqis. Tensions flared again in April when several Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, prompting Trump to tweet that he had issued orders "to shoot down" Iranian gunboats if the harassment continued. Iran responded by threatening to destroy U.S. warships. Amidst this spat, Iran launched its first military satellite, intensifying U.S. concerns over Iran's improving long-range missile capabilities. While the threat of direct military confrontation eased over the summer, the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign, ignoring calls from European allies countries to ease its economic pressure in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tensions rose again in late November when Iran's top nuclear scientist was assassinated, likely by Israel. Iran responded by moving even further away from the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal. The potential that Iran could soon leave the deal entirely set the stage for high stakes diplomacy early in 2021.

7. Oil Prices Tank. Two thousand twenty was not a good year for oil producers or oil companies. The COVID-19 outbreak sent economies around the world into a tailspin, depressing the demand for oil. But the bad news for oil producers didn't stop there. At a March meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia proposed that OPEC members and aligned oil-producing countries known as OPEC+ cut their joint oil production by 1.5 million barrels per day to help stabilize falling oil prices. Russia, an OPEC+ country and the world's third largest oil producer after the United States and Saudi Arabia, rejected the plan, thereby ending six years of Russian-Saudi cooperation on production policy. Riyadh responded by cutting its export prices and boosting production. That sent oil prices plummeting. In April, the U.S. oil market had its worst day in history. By that time, a deal had been cut among OPEC and OPEC+ members to cut global production by 9.7 million barrels to end the price war. Oil prices climbed later in the year, briefly reaching $47 in late November, their highest level since March. Even with this bounce, oil prices were still 30 percent below where they started the year, meaning that most oil-producing countries faced tough economic times going into 2021.

6. Abraham Accords Signed. A bright spot in 2020 came from the Middle East of all places. On August 13, the Trump administration announced it had helped broker a deal in which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recognized Israel in return for Israel's pledge to forgo, for the time being at least, annexing territory in the West Bank. On September 11, Bahrain announced it would join the deal. Four days later, Trump hosted a signing ceremony at the White House for the Abraham Accords and expressed hope that they would lead to "real peace in the Middle East." Sudan joined the deal in October, and Morocco followed suit in December. As the year closed, speculation continued as to whether Saudi Arabia would join as well. As significant as the accords were, they did not address the core issue in Middle East peacemaking efforts-the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The accords did not mention Palestine and the Palestinian leadership rejected them. The diplomacy also came at some cost. The accords were packaged with a major arms sale to the UAE and likely put pressure on Sudan's fledgling democratic transition. At the same time, the Trump administration got Morocco on board by dropping the longstanding U.S. refusal to recognize Moroccan claims to the Western Sahara, potentially increasing the chances of conflict in that region. As with many diplomatic initiatives, only time will tell whether the benefits of the accords outweigh the costs.

5. The Killing of George Floyd. Racism has been called America's original sin. But it is a sin that extends beyond the United States. On May 25, George Floyd, a forty-six-year-old Black man, was arrested in Minneapolis for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill. One of the arresting officers kept his knee on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and fifteen seconds, killing him. Floyd's death at the hands of officers whose mission is to "protect and serve" followed on the heels of literally hundreds of similar police killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Breonna Taylor. Video of Floyd's killing triggered protests across the United States and sparked a long overdue national conversation about systemic racism. But the protests and conversations about justice and equality went far beyond America's borders. From Paris to Nairobi to Rio de Janeiro, people took to the streets to protest Floyd's death and to highlight their own countries' racial inequalities. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that "Racism is real. It's in the United States, but it's also in Canada." But the same could be said of most other countries, including those like China and Iran that seized on Floyd's death as evidence of U.S. hypocrisy on human rights issues. Injustice and inequality remain a global challenge.

4. Climate Disruptions Continue. Welcome to the new climate normal: catastrophic wildfires, bigger and more frequent storms, and more intense droughts. The year began with Australia experiencing its worst fire season on record, with some six percent of the country in flames and nearly three million animals killed. The western United States faced similar record-breaking wildfires later in the year. Other parts of the United States, Central America, and Southeast Asia were hit with numerous destructive tropical storms. Meanwhile, a prolonged drought in the southwestern United States could be the worst in 1,200 years, and the Sahara desert continues to grow. The economic slowdown caused by the pandemic did trigger a steep drop in carbon emissions; they were projected to fall by 11 percent in the United States. But that decrease came against the backdrop of the world hitting new emissions highs in 2019 and the likelihood that economic activity will pick up in 2021. World leaders convened virtually in December to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement and made impressive pledges to move toward a carbon-neutral world. However, those vows were easier to make than to fulfill. And China showed no willingness to abandon its ambitious plans to build hundreds of coal-fired power plants, a major source of emissions. In all, the world continues to hurtle toward a point of no return. Indeed, we may already have passed it.

3. China Asserts Itself. "Strategic engagement," the idea that economic engagement would lead to Beijing becoming " a responsible stakeholder" in world politics, might have met its demise in 2020. China threw its weight around across the globe throughout the year, seemingly not minding whom it offended. Early in 2020, Chinese officials escalated their " wolf warrior" diplomacy, aggressively (and undiplomatically) attacking countries and individuals they believed had slighted China. In April, China retaliated against Australia's call for an inquiry into the origins and spread of the coronavirus by launching a trade war. In mid-June, days after a deal was struck to deescalate a border standoff with India, Chinese troops initiated clashes that killed twenty Indian soldiers. Weeks later, Beijing imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong designed to crush the pro-democracy movement. China was aggressive as well in its dealings with Taiwan as the Trump administration strengthened its ties with what Beijing regards as a renegade province. China also continued its systematic repression of its Uighur minority with surveillance, imprisonment, and forced labor. By year's end, China's relative success in handling the pandemic and stimulating its economy had seemingly convinced Beijing that it was winning its contest with the West. Rather than fearing calls by U.S. officials for a decoupling of the two economies, China embraced steps designed to decouple from the West on its own terms.

2. Joe Biden Wins the Presidency. Americans felt passionately about the 2020 presidential election. The proof is in the turnout: More than 159 million people voted. That equates to 66.7 percent voter turnout, the highest since 1900. More than 100 million Americans voted early, either in-person or by mail, the first time in history that more people voted before Election Day than on it. The size of the mail-in vote and a handful of tight races meant it wasn't until November 7, four days after Election Day, that the race was called for Joe Biden. Trump refused to concede, however. Insisting he had won, he demanded recounts in several states, falsely claimed large-scale election fraud, and filed lawsuits in state and federal courts to overturn the results. None of his challenges paid off. On December 14 the Electoral College elected Biden president. That outcome fit with the saying that while foreign policy doesn't determine presidential elections, presidential elections determine foreign policy. Events overseas drove few votes in 2020 even though Biden offered a different approach to the world than Trump did. We will see in 2021 if Biden's abandonment of America First in favor of a more multilateral approach will produce better results. An open question is whether Trump's refusal to concede in the face of clear evidence that he lost will embolden dictators and authoritarians.

1. The COVID-19 Pandemic. Things that start small can reshape the world. Few people noticed when news emerged last December that China had begun monitoring the outbreak of a new pneumonia-like virus, or even on January 11 after China reported its first death from the disease. Nearly a year later, COVID-19 had changed life as we knew it. The World Health Organization estimated in October that as much as 10 percent of the world's population had already contracted COVID-19; by year's end some 1.7 million people had died from it. As countries implemented lockdowns to stop the disease's spread, the global economy sputtered-it may have contracted by more than 4 percent-and poverty rates spiked. Some countries like New Zealand and Vietnam handled the pandemic well, limiting infections while sustaining economic growth. But many countries, most notably the United States, bungled their response and saw soaring caseloads and death rates. Arguments will persist for years over why the crisis was mishandled; expect poor leadership, political partisanship, and distrust of government to figure prominently in explanations. The year closed on a positive note as vaccines were approved in record time. The challenges now are distributing them widely and equitably while preparing to do a better job stopping the next pandemic. The novel coronavirus will not be the last of its kind.

Other stories to note in 2020. In January, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union. In February, protests in North East Delhi over India's new Citizenship Amendment Act killed at least fifty-three people. In March, Turkey launched a major military operation against Syria after Syrian and Russian air and artillery strikes killed at least three dozen Turkish soldiers. In April, Kim Jong Un missed a major North Korean celebration, sparking rumors that he was dying. In May, Israel swore in its new unity government, ending for the country's longest political crisis. In June, North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office that served as a de facto embassy for North and South Korea. In July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the Hagia Sophia be turned back into a mosque, reversing the 1934 decision that made it a museum. In August, Putin critic Alexey Navalny was poisoned while on a flight to Moscow. In September, fighting flared in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In October, Bolivia held parliamentary and presidential elections, resulting in the return of former president Evo Morales' party to political power. In November, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, ordered the Ethiopian military to suppress an insurrection in Tigray. In December, the U.S. government acknowledged that a massive and sophisticated cyberattack, most likely conducted by Russian intelligence services, had penetrated the computer networks of a range of U.S. government agencies and corporations.
Kara Jackson, Noah Mulligan, and Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post. Other posts in this series: Ten Most Significant World Events in 2022 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2021 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2019 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2018 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2017 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2016 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2015 Ten Most Significant World Events in 2014

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Ten Most Significant World Events in 2020

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As 2020 comes to a close, here are the top ten most notable world events of the past year.