22 TIME December 27, 2021/January 3, 2022JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
2021 THE YEAR IN
Jan. 20
Kamala Harris is sworn
in as the fi rst female,
Black and Asian
American Vice President
of the United States
Pope Francis meets
with Grand Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq—
the fi rst ever meeting
between a Pope and
a Grand AyatollahApril 6
Arkansas
becomes the
fi rst U.S. state
to impose a ban
on transgender
youth receiving
gender-affi rming
health careMay 13
First Eid prayers
in 87 years at the
Hagia Sophia in
Istanbul, after the
site’s conversion
from museum to
mosqueSept. 17
Netfl ix megahit
Squid Game is fi rst
released on the
streaming platformOct. 6
The World Health
Organization
endorses the fi rst
malaria vaccineJuly 28
The fi rst direct observation
of light from behind a black
hole is reported, confi rming a
prediction made in Einstein’s
theory of general relativitySept. 8
Last day standing
for Richmond, Va.’s
131-year-old
statue of Confederate
general Robert E. Lee,
which is removed
from its plinthMarch 29
The last day the
container ship
Ever Given blocks
the Suez Canal after
running aground
nearly a week earlier
and disrupting
global tradeJune 10
The final
Keeping Up With
the Kardashians
episode airs
on E!, ending
a 20-season
run for the
groundbreaking
reality TV showAug. 30
The U.N. confi rms the
worldwide end of leaded-
gasoline use after gas
stations in Algeria, believed
to be the last places
offering the fuel, run outNov. 12
The end of a 13-year
conservatorship under
which the pop star
Britney Spears had
been held, following
a Los Angeles
judge’s rulingJan. 8
Former President
Donald Trump posts his
last tweet before being
permanently banned
from Twitter following
the insurrection at the
U.S. CapitolOct. 26
Last day that Mako
Komuro—formerly
Princess Mako—is
considered a member
of Japan’s royal family,
before her wedding to
commoner Kei KomuroSept. 7
El Salvador
becomes the fi rst
country in the world
to adopt Bitcoin as
an offi cial currencyFirsts&
LastsFeb. 1
Aung San Suu
Kyi’s last day
as leader of
Myanmar, as the
military seizes
power in a coupDec. 3
Mariah Carey’s
“All I Want for
Christmas Is
You” announced
as the fi rst
holiday song
certifi ed diamondFirstsLasts