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2024 Year in Review

Here’s a look at some of this year’s biggest news stories.

Our Next President

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The 45th president of the United States is about to become the 47th president. More than 146 million Americans cast their votes in this year’s presidential election. On November 5, Donald Trump won back the job he’d held from 2017 to 2021.

Trump and his choice for vice-president, J.D. Vance, will officially be sworn into office on January 20.

The GOAT

Naomi Baker/Getty Images 

Sports fans often debate who’s the GOAT, or “greatest of all time.” When it comes to gymnastics, most people agree it’s Simone Biles. She won three gold medals and one silver at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, in August. Biles has now won a total of 11 Olympic medals. That’s the most won by any American gymnast.

Biles made a triumphant comeback at the Paris Games. At the previous Summer Olympics in Japan, she pulled out of several events. Biles wanted to protect her mental and physical health.

Hippo Hooray

On July 10, a new internet star was born. Moo Deng is a pygmy hippopotamus. She made her debut at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, a country in Asia. A zookeeper began posting videos of the hippo soon after her birth. People couldn’t get enough of Moo Deng splashing around and nipping at zookeepers with toothless gums. The zoo’s TikTok page now has more than 3 million followers. 

RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Moo Deng translates to “bouncy pork” in Thai.

Stuck in Space 

For astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, a one-week trip to the International Space Station has turned into an eight-month journey. On June 4, they traveled into space on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Officials at NASA soon discovered that the Starliner was leaking gas. It couldn’t transport the pair home safely. 

Wilmore and Williams are now expected to return to Earth in February. They’re in good spirits as they wait. 

“I love being up here in space,” Williams said in September.

NASA 

Butch Wilmore (left) and Sunita Williams hang out in space.

Spreading Joy

This year’s biggest movie is packed with emotions! Since Inside Out 2 was released in June, the film has made nearly $1.7 billion worldwide. It’s now the top moneymaking animated movie of all time. 

© 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved. 

Double Disasters

Hurricane Helene

On September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. Over the next two days, the storm raged across other states. Heavy rain and strong winds caused flooding and destruction. More than 230 people died. Helene was one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. 

Miles Kexel, 11, and his family live in Asheville, North Carolina. The city was one of the hardest hit areas. Miles describes living through the deadly storm.

Courtesy of family

Miles Kexel (second from right) with his parents and younger sister, Eden

On the night Helene hit, we slept in the basement. All we heard was the wind and rain. It was really, really loud. The storm was bigger than we’d expected, and I was scared. 

We lost power, cell phone service, and running water. Our only connection to the outside world was the local news on a battery-powered radio. 

Branches had knocked down power lines. A tree blocked the road. We didn’t travel out of our neighborhood for three days.  

When we finally went downtown, it looked like a bomb had hit. Bridges had caved in. Telephone poles were splintered.

My family owns a bicycle rental shop. The building was flooded up to the second floor.

A family friend found an apartment where we could stay in Floyd, Virginia. We spent about a month going back and forth while my parents tried to get our business going again. It was stressful. I’m glad to finally be home for good.

To everyone affected by the hurricane, keep your chin up and keep going. It’ll get better. 

ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images

A police car trapped in mud in a flooded area of Lake Lure, North Carolina, on October 2

Hurricane Milton

Jim McMahon/Mapman

On October 10, two weeks after Helene struck, Hurricane Milton tore across Florida. It caused widespread flooding. At least 20 people died. Before the storm, officials told more than 7 million people to move to safer areas. But not everyone was able to. Police officer Jared Coupland helped rescue 565 people trapped in a flooded apartment complex in Clearwater, Florida. Here’s his story.

We used special tools for the rescue. One looks like a big fork, which pries doors open. In the apartments, the water was chest-high. Furniture and appliances were floating around. It was frightening. At one point, my foot got lodged under a giant wire. Luckily, the power was off. 

Once we got to the residents, we called the command center for boats. It was hard to get the boats right up to the building. It was like fitting pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Three or four officers held each boat in place while others helped people into them. We tried to keep calm and let everyone know that we’d get through this together.  

One little girl I rescued was named Star. I told her I was proud of her for being brave in a scary situation. I let her know that we were there to help her and her family. 

I felt sad about what these people had to go through. Their homes were destroyed. But I was struck by their resiliency. They were happy their relatives and friends were OK. It was good to see everyone come together. 

Courtesy of Clearwater Police Department

Jared Coupland (front left) and other rescue workers guide a lifeboat through a flooded street on October 10. 

  1. What does the article mean when it says that the Paris Olympics marked a “triumphant comeback” for Simone Biles?
  2. Find an example of a cause and a related effect in the 2024 Year in Review. Describe them and note the section in which you found them.
  3. What are two words you would use to describe Jared Coupland? Explain.
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