As we approach the New Year, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the moments throughout 2022 that shaped the year into what it was. This is the All State’s 2022 Year in Review.
February 4 – The 2022 Winter Olympics opened in Beijing. The United States won 25 medals overall, eight being gold. Ethan Chen set a world record in the men’s short program with a score of 113.97 and then won Gold in Men’s singles, the first Asian-American to win an Olympic medal in single skating, while Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to earn speed skating Gold.
February 13 – Super Bowl LVI was held between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, with the Rams winning 23-20. The halftime show featured headliners Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem, with 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak making surprise appearances. Deaf rappers Warren Snipe and Sean Forbes also performed in ASL.
February 24 – Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflicts. The invasion garnered international condemnation and resulted in countries sanctioning Russia and allied Belarus. Military aid provided to Ukraine proved a hot-button topic that stayed relevant throughout politics in 2022 as the war looks to continue on to the new year.
March 27 – Actor Will Smith walked onstage during the 94th Academy Awards and slapped comedian Chris Rock in response to a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, largely overshadowing the rest of the show. The incident provoked discussion about chivalry and toxic masculinity.
June 24 – Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is decided in the Supreme Court, holding that the Constitution does confer guarantee the right to abortion. The decision overruled Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
June 30 – Ketanji Jackson was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, succeeding Justice Breyer. She is the first Black woman and the first former federal public defender to serve on the court.
July 7 – Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden at 25, making her the youngest-ever recipient of the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S.
August 24 – President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. government would forgive $10,000 dollars of student loan debt for eligible Americans. Biden said that other countries could bypass the U.S. economically if some of the student loan borrowers are not offered relief.
September 8 – Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II died of old age in Scotland at age 96. Funeral plans known as Operation London Bridge were set in motion, as well as Operation Unicorn to account for her death in Scotland. She was succeeded by her son, Charles III.
September 19 – Austin Peay celebrated homecoming the week of Monday, September 19. Events throughout the week included a pep rally, the Homecoming parade, a tailgate, and the Homecoming game against Eastern Kentucky at Fortera Stadium.
October 15 – Austin Peay’s football team defeated longtime rivals Mu**ay State University 52-17 at Fortera Stadium. The game included an exhilarating 94-yard touchdown from kick returner Kam Thomas.
2022 in Film – The top three grossing movies of 2022 were Top Gun: Maverick with 1.4 billion dollars, Jurassic World Dominion with one billion dollars, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with 955 million dollars. Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World Dominion became the 49th and 50th movies to gross one billion, respectively. The MCU became the first franchise to gross 26, 27, and 28 billion.
2022 in Music – Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti topped the Billboard 200 charts for thirteen weeks in 2022, tied for the most weeks at number one in the last ten years. Taylor Swift’s Midnights opened at 1.578 million Album-equivalent units, the largest opening week for an album in the last seven years. Blackpink’s Born Pink marked the first number-one album by a female group on the chart since 2008.
2022 in Games – The three best-selling games of the year in the U.S. were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Elden Ring, and Madden NFL 23. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and God of War: Ragnarok followed close behind.
