Sarah Janssen - The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2022

#1 New York Times Bestseller

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2022

My #1 Reference Work for facts.

Will Shortz, The New York Times Crossword Editor

Executive Editor: Sarah Janssen

Index Editor: Nan Badgett

Contributors: Robert Famighetti, Marshall Gerometta, Jacqueline Laks Gorman, Richard Hantula, M. L. Liu, Laurence A. Marschall, John Mastroberardino, William A. McGeveran Jr., Janet M. Olson, John Rosenthal, Stevonnie Ross, Peter J. Schmidtke, Matthew Silverman, George W. Smith IV, Edward A. Thomas, Lori P. Wiesenfeld

Production: Newgen North America

Design and Production, Year in Pictures: Chris Schultz, Skyhorse Publishing

Design, Cover: Takeshi Takahashi

Photo Research: Edward A. Thomas

Image credits: Front cover: Getty Images. Back cover: Getty Images, Shutterstock, CDC, NASA. Interior pages: Photos are Getty Images unless noted below. Photos on pages in public domain unless noted. Maxime Aubert: Oldest-known cave painting, 793. Jimmy Carter Library and Museum: Carter, 476. William J. Clinton Presidential Library: 670. Copernicus Open Access Hub: Suez Canal blocked, 198. FEMA: Andrea Booher: 444. Flickr/City of St. Petersburg: 447. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum: Ford, 476. Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum: Johnson, 475. Library of Congress: 429; 433; 435; 437; U.S. presidents, unless otherwise noted, 469-479; 649; 658; 660; 662. NASA: 439; 440; Collins, 798. NASA/JPL-Caltech-Processing: Elisabetta Bonora & Marco Faccin / liveuniverse.today: Ingenuity drone, 793. National Archives and Records Administration: 322; 452; 454; Grant, 472; 665; 669. Nixon Presidential Library & Museum: 441. Shutterstock: 648; 651; 652; 653; 657; 663; 672; 673; Biles, 795. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Archives Center: Marian Anderson, 436. U.S. Air Force: Yeager, 800. U.S. Army: 438. U.S. Coast Guard: 445. U.S. Customs and Border Protection: 449. U.S. Dept. of Defense: Defense One: Afghan airlift, 193; Staff Sgt. Preston Chasteen: Oklahoma City bombing, 443; Rumsfeld, 800. U.S. Dept. of State: Shultz, 800. U.S. Navy: 671. University of Virginia: 430. Allen Warren: Prince Philip, 800. Washington State Archives: Cleary, 798. White House: Eric Draper: George W. Bush, 477; Pete Souza: Obama, 478; Shealah Craighead: Trump, 478; Adam Schultz: Biden, 479. White House Historical Society: Madison, 469.

Copyright 2021 Skyhorse Publishing

The World Almanac, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, and World Almanac for Kids are trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles.

World Almanac books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fundraising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, World Almanac, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

The World Almanac

An imprint of Skyhorse Publishing

www.skyhorsepublishing.com

Hardcover

ISBN-13: 978-1-5107-6654-9

ISBN-10: 1-5107-6654-5

Ebook

ISBN-13: 978-1-5107-6655-6

ISBN-10: 1-5107-6655-3

Paperback

ISBN-13: 978-1-5107-6653-2

ISBN-10: 1-5107-6653-7

International Standard Serial Number

0084-1382

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2022

Book printed and bound in the United States of America

Date printed: November 2021

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1. COVID-19 Pandemic Claims 5 Million Lives Worldwide. By Nov. 1, 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had reached virtually every country in the world and killed over 4.99 mil people, according to WHO data. Since the coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 first emerged in China in late 2019, 246 mil cases of the disease had been recorded worldwide. The regions hardest hit were the Americas and Europe. The U.S. led all nations in cases and deaths. India recorded at least 34.3 mil cases and over 458,000 deaths. Brazil reported 21.8 mil cases and over 607,000 deaths. The highly contagious Delta variant of SARS CoV-2 became predominant in 2021. By late Oct., many developed nations had vaccinated two-thirds or more of their populations, but access to vaccines was unequal, and the proportion in many African countries was under 10%.

2. COVID-19 Becomes Deadliest Pandemic in U.S. History. By Nov. 1, 2021, more than 745,000 people in the U.S. had died from COVID-19, exceeding the estimated U.S. death toll of 675,000 in the 1918-19 influenza epidemic. The U.S. entered 2021 in the midst of a winter surge in cases and deaths. The FDA, Dec. 2020-Feb. 2021, gave emergency use approval to three COVID-19 vaccines. New cases declined in the spring, but the pace of vaccination slowed by summer. Millions of Americans were opposed to or hesitant about vaccination (fueled in part by misinformation), and governors in several states took action to prohibit vaccination mandates. By late July, new cases and deaths spiked againespecially among unvaccinated people in states with low vaccination rates. By Nov. 1, the U.S. had recorded a total of over 45.9 mil cases; 58% of Americans had been fully vaccinated.

3. Biden Presidency Begins Days After Mob Storms Capitol. Joe Biden (D) was inaugurated, Jan. 20, as 46th president of the U.S., ending perhaps the tensest presidential transition since the Civil War era. The campaign and allies of defeated incumbent Donald Trump (R) filed scores of lawsuits claiming (with virtually no evidence) electoral fraud in select states Biden won in the 2020 election. Trump contacted Republican officials in Georgia and other states, seeking to prevent certifications of Biden victories, and also urged his vice president, Mike Pence, to block certification, without success. After Trump addressed supporters on Jan. 6, pro-Trump protesters violently took over parts of the Capitol. The mob action resulted in at least five deaths and forced Congress to recess. Bidens victory was certified in the early morning hours of Jan. 7. Impeached by the House of Representatives, Jan. 13, for inciting insurrection, Trump was acquitted by the Senate, Feb. 13. In 2021, a number of states passed laws restricting access to voting.

4. U.S. Leaves, Taliban Regains Control in Afghanistan. Following a 2020 U.S.-withdrawal agreement, concluded with the Taliban during the Trump administration, Pres. Biden announced, Apr. 14, 2021, that all remaining U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan by Sept. The withdrawal would end 20 years of fighting by U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, during which the Taliban continued to control some territory and stage attacks. As the U.S. withdrawal neared completion, Taliban offensives gave it control of almost the entire country; resistance by Afghan government troops largely melted away. On Aug. 15, the Taliban gained control of Kabul, the capital, completing the groups return to power. A U.S.-led mission evacuated more than 120,000 Americans, other foreign nationals, and Afghans who had aided the U.S. and its allies; the mission, and U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, ended Aug. 30.