Nathan VanSteenkiste ‘26, Contributing Writer
2024 was eventful; from the solar eclipse to the Presidential election, this year was filled with many memorable and newsworthy events. Here’s a recap of 2024.
January:
Jan. 14 was a historic day for Detroit Lions fans, as the team won its first playoff game since 1991. The 33-year period saw the Lions make headlines for all of the wrong reasons: from being the first team to go 0-16—during the 2008 season—to losing their most recent playoff appearance—in 2017—against the Seahawks, 26-6.
However, after a strong surge during the late stages of the previous season, the Lions were more prepared than ever to play at a high level in 2024, and they did just that. The Lions won the NFC North with a 12-5 record; this earned them the number three seed in the playoffs, where they would face Former-Lions Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.
The first half of the game was an offensive battle, as the teams traded points, but the Lions had the upper hand, entering halftime with a 21-17 lead.
In the second half, the game became a defensive struggle, with neither team scoring another touchdown. The Lions scored their final points—after a 54-yard field goal—with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Luckily for Detroit, their defense remained strong, holding the Rams to just six points and allowing them to cling to a one-point lead for a 24-23 victory.
Regarding the game’s atmosphere, Lions Quarterback Jared Goff commented, “It was pretty unbelievable.” He added, “The people here are special, man. … I’m grateful for their support, and today, with the circumstances that were there, it meant a lot and it was special.”
The Lions went on to win in the Divisional Round, 31-23 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but lost the NFC Conference Championship to the San Francisco 49ers.
February:
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards celebrated the best recordings, compositions, and artists from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 15, 2023. The ceremony spurred controversy, especially with the Album of the Year category, as Taylor Swift’s Midnights won the top prize over other deserving records, including GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo, SOS by SZA, and Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Underneath Ocean Boulevard by Lana Del Ray.
Earlier during the show, Swift shocked attendees and sent the internet into a frenzy after announcing—during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album—that her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, would be released on April 19.
Another notable winner was Victoria Monét, who won Best New Artist over fellow nominees such as Noah Kahan, Ice Spice, Gracie Abrams, and Jelly Roll. Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus won her first two Grammys for “Flowers”—one for Record of The Year, recognizing the track’s production, and another for Best Pop Solo Performance.
After a captivating, acoustic performance, Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS won the Grammy for Song of the Year for “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie movie.
Dua Lipa, Billy Joel, Luke Combs, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Travis Scott, Miley Cyrus, and Joni Mitchell, among others, performed.
March:
The 2024 NCAA DI men’s basketball March Madness tournament saw the University of Connecticut Huskies become national champions for the second consecutive season, propelled by a convincing win 75-60 over Purdue in the Championship. Zach Edey, Purdue’s 7’4’’ center and winner of the past two NCAA Player of the Year Awards, played every minute of the game and led both teams in scoring and rebounds, with 37 and 10, respectively.
However, Edey’s strong showing was not enough to overcome the collectively strong performance of the Huskies, with then-senior guards Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer, and then-senior center Donovan Clingan each scoring more than 10 points.
The Huskies’ back-to-back championships mark the first time this has happened since the 2006-’07 season; only seven other teams have won consecutive titles, with UCLA going back-to-back in 1964-’65; they also had a seven-peat from 1967-’73.
Edey commented on the internet’s reaction to Purdue’s loss: “You can say whatever you want about me. However I played, you can say whatever.” He continued, “But you can never say that I didn’t give it my 100% every single time I stepped on the floor, every single time I went and practiced.”
The 2024 NCAA DI women’s basketball March Madness tournament was equally exciting, as the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Championship, 87-75, to cap off their historic run.
Led in scoring by then-freshman Tessa Johnson—who earned the Gamecocks 19 points—the South Carolina team overpowered the Hawkeye offense. The only bright spot was then-senior guard Caitlin Clark, but the Gamecocks kept her under control, especially from behind the three-point line, as well, limiting her to just 30 points—nearly two points fewer than average.
Regardless of the champion, the women’s tournament was notable for its massive progress towards equal representation in sports; for the first time, according to the NCAA, “the women’s title game drew more than the men’s, averaging 18.7 million viewers.” It also set an all-time attendance record of 436,055, nearly 80,000 more than the previous record set in 2023.
Though it was only the third year that the women could use the March Madness branding and moniker, the women’s tournament—thanks to players like Clark, Angel Reese, JuJu Watkins, and Cameron Brink, who used Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals to build their brands, raise awareness about the NCAAW through sponsorships, and connect to the fans through social media—was a historic success.
April:
On April 8, the moon’s shadow made its way across North America, treating those in the path of totality to the breathtaking view of a total solar eclipse. Areas of totality, also known as places where the moon completely covers the sun offered the best views of the sun’s white, wispy-looking atmosphere, more formally known as the corona—which a person can only see when the moon is aptly positioned in front of the sun, according to NASA.
The 2024 total solar eclipse spanned parts of Mexico and Canada and was the first total eclipse since the 2017 “Great American Eclipse,” which traveled the entire continental United States.
This year’s eclipse reached a max duration of totality of about four minutes and 28 seconds near Torreón, Mexico. Cities in the US, from Dallas, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, experienced the total eclipse but saw a duration of totality closer to three-and-a-half minutes.
Nationally, the solar eclipse—traveling about 2,400 kph—was visible, and millions of sky-gazers witnessed the phenomenon using special glasses. However, areas farther away from the line of totality saw less overlap between the Sun and Moon. Most of Michigan was in the 80 percent to 90 percent coverage range.
According to CNN Travel, the next total solar eclipse in the US won’t be until March 30, 2033, with totality only in Alaska. In Aug. 2044, a total solar eclipse will occur in the contiguous US, with totality only in North Dakota and Montana. Meanwhile, the next coast-to-coast total solar eclipse won’t occur until Aug. 2045, and the path of totality will span from California to Florida.
May:
Amid a feud with fellow artist Drake, rapper Kendrick Lamar released the diss track “Not Like Us,” a new installment in their longstanding mutual hatred and musical rivalry. In 2013, according to USA Today, Lamar rapped on Big Sean’s “Control,” stating he wanted to “murder Drake and other prominent rappers,” starting rumors of a feud—Lamar would later clarify that the lyric was to “spur friendly competition” and not a rivalry.
However, in March 2024, tensions between the two increased after Lamar rapped on the Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like That.” In his verse, “seemingly in reference to Drake,” Lamar commented that it was time for Drake to “prove that he’s a problem.” Lamar also denied that there was a “big three” in rap—comprised of Lamar, Drake, and J.Cole—as Cole suggested in his feature on Drake’s track “First Person Shooter.”
Drake entered the feud on April 19, when he released a diss track, “Push Ups,” against Lamar, among other artists. Drake and Lamar would release several more tracks before Lamar released “Not Like Us” on May 4.
Lamar’s track, which “went even further and seemingly alluded to previous allegations of grooming on Drake,” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart by nearly 100 points, garnering over 70 million streams, 504.6 thousand units, and 15 thousand copies sold.
“Not Like Us” quickly became a trend, with millions of social media users making videos to the sound, specifically the section where Lamar raps, “Say, Drake, I hear you like (them) young. You better not ever go to cell block one.”
The diss track has been repeatedly hailed as one of the best ever released. Pitchfork named it the third-best song released in the 2020s so far, and they ranked it number one on its list of “The 100 Best Songs of 2024.”
“Not Like Us” has been nominated for Best Music Video, Best Rap Song, Song of the Year, and Record of The Year—among others—at the 2025 Grammys.
June:
On June 14, Inside Out 2—the sequel to the 2015 Pixar classic, Inside Out—released to theatres. The film, which follows a now-teenage Riley at hockey camp, explores the tribulations of puberty and the new emotions—and challenges—it brings. When new emotions, Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, show up at headquarters, determined to make a new, more complex Riley, the original emotions feel suppressed and are forced to adapt to the possibility of being replaced, according to IMDb.
Critics have praised Inside Out 2 for its emotional complexity and accessible narrative. The film explores themes of inner conflict, growing older, and body image, resonating with people of all ages. One scene towards the end of the film was especially emotional and relatable for those who struggle with anxiety and the tight grip it can have on one’s mind.
In its opening weekend, according to Screen Rant, “Inside Out 2 grossed $154.2 million at the domestic box office and an estimated $140 million from 38 international markets.” When combined, the film’s numbers reached a worldwide total of $294.2 million, making it the biggest opening weekend in Pixar’s history.
Despite initial predictions from Industry experts being much lower—with some predicting only $80-90 million domestically—the sequel showed that Pixar still has the capability to produce fantastic, high-profiting films. As of Dec. 19, 2024, according to Box Office Mojo, Inside Out 2 has earned almost $1.7 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film since Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2022 and made about $2.3 billion worldwide.
July-August:
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games were extremely successful for the United States; the U.S. won the most medals, with 126, and tied China for the most gold, with 40 each.
In the pool, the U.S. and Australian swim teams faced off, as a bitter rivalry between the two countries had been brewing in the months leading up to the competition. According to CBS Sports, the Australians, who had “not won more swim golds than the U.S. since the 1956 Games in Melbourne,” entered 2024 hoping to finally break the “curse.”
After a Day one gold from Australian Ariarne Titmus, who beat American Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400m freestyle and another in the 4x100m women’s relay, the Australians were more prepared than ever. Days two and three saw the U.S. and Australia trade the lead for most golds several times, but on Day four, Australia appeared to “ice the duel” after adding three more golds.
But Day five was equally shocking after the U.S. swimmers swept all head-to-head races: the women’s 800m freestyle and the mixed 4x100m medley relay. And on the final day of competition, American Bobby Finke in the 1500m freestyle, and Americans Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh, Lilly King, and Torri Huske in the 4x100m women’s medley relay set world record times, allowing the U.S. to edge ahead of Australia. The U.S. finished with 28 medals and eight golds. Australia finished just short, with 18 medals and seven golds.
The United States is expected to continue its dominance in 2028 at the Los Angeles games.
In the gymnastics competition, the U.S. men’s team won bronze—their best result since 2008, when they also took bronze. After placing fifth in the qualification rounds, the chances of the U.S. making the podium seemed bleak. However, after each team member—Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Fred Richard, and Stephen Nedoroscik—performed clean, remaining calm under pressure, they were able to capitalize on others’ mistakes and medal.
Nedoroscik, a pommel horse specialist, meaning he only performs that one event, became an internet sensation. Many called him “Superman” for his clutch routine in the team final that secured a bronze medal. He also won a bronze medal in the individual finals for pommel horse, with a score of 15.300.
The American women’s gymnastics team, led by Simone Biles, had a routine competition. They won their fourth gold medal in the team event—the first since 2016—by more than six points over second-place Italy.
This gold medal had extra significance for Biles after a shocking runner-up finish in Tokyo, where she withdrew from the competition following an Amanar vault; according to NBC Chicago, Biles only “completed one and a half twists … instead of the usual two and a half twists.” Caused by a mental block, known by gymnasts as the “Twisties,” Biles could not continue competing and withdrew from the rest of the team final, the all-around final, the floor exercise final, and the vault final.
Despite being one of the best vaulters in history, with two skills named after her, Biles said in an interview on Alex Cooper’s podcast, Call Her Daddy, “It’s like your mind and your body [are] at a disconnect.” She added, “Your body is going to try to do something, and your mind is like, ‘No, you’re not doing this, you’re going to open out’ … You’ve been doing something for so long, and you no longer have control.”
Biles’ challenging—and very public—experience at the Tokyo Games only motivated her comeback, and she earned four more medals—three of them gold and one silver—in Paris, making her the most decorated American gymnast. After battling two kidney diseases while trying to return to elite competition, Biles’ teammate, Sunisa “Suni” Lee—the all-around gold winner in Tokyo—added two more bronze medals in addition to her gold in the team event. Meanwhile, Jade Carey earned a bronze medal in the vault finals.
Jordan Chiles was awarded a bronze medal for the floor final after an inquiry submitted by Chiles’ team was approved, bumping up her initial score and placement from fifth to third. However, the ruling was later changed after new evidence suggested that Chiles’ inquiry was submitted after the allotted time window, and they stripped her of her medal. Chiles’ team has since been able to prove—through video footage—that the inquiry was on time, and they have tried to appeal multiple times at the Court of Arbitration for Sport but have not had success.
On the track, American Noah Lyles—who claimed he was “the fastest man alive” after becoming the world champion in the 100m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships for Track and Field—can now confidently call himself the fastest man on the planet after winning gold.
Known for his pre-race dramatics, like pulling out a Pokémon card or running a 25m sprint, Lyles’ confidence was apparent, and he did not let it get the best of him. Lyles posted a personal best time of 9.79 seconds. In second place was Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who also posted a 9.79 time, but Lyles—after checking the instant replay—nosed Thompson out by the slimmest of margins: a slight lean of the torso, which made Lyles’ time five-thousands of a second faster. And despite a slow start—he was in last place 40m into the final race—Lyles was able to make a late charge and proved why he is the “fastest man alive.”
September-October:
Back-to-back hurricanes pummeled the Southern region of the United States in late September and early October. The first of the two deadly storms, Helene, hit Florida’s Taylor County on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm.
Due to its high wind speeds and immense rainfall, Helene caused, according to ABC News writer Lilia Geho, “damage across the Southeast, including cataclysmic floods and landslides in North Carolina and Tennessee.” In the same article, Geho stated that this resulted in a death toll surpassing 230, making Helene “the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.”
A few weeks after Helene, Hurricane Milton, which started as a small storm in the Gulf of Mexico, quickly became a Category 5 bullet, with wind speeds exceeding 157 mph on Oct. 7, according to the Convoy of Hope. It made landfall on Oct. 10 near Siesta Key, Florida, tearing through Florida’s middle and southern regions with “sustained winds of 120mph,” resulting in more than “100 tornadoes across the state.” A report done by Harvard University found that Hurricane Milton itself caused “an estimated $50 billion in damage and claimed the lives of at least 14 people.”
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross and help their efforts to restore and rebuild communities affected by these hurricanes, visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/.
November:
On Nov. 5, Donald Trump completed his political comeback, winning back the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020. According to CNN, like his 2016 victory, Trump broke through the “blue wall,” defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. As expected, Trump easily won states like Georgia and North Carolina, while Harris won the liberal-leaning California.
Trump, who “made gains with nearly every demographic group compared to his 2020 loss,” won all of the battleground states—Biden only won six of seven in 2020. He also won the popular vote by about 1.5 percent (slightly more than 2 million votes), marking the first time a Republican candidate has done so since George W. Bush in 2004.
Democrats will leave this election cycle very disappointed; they lost not only the presidency but also control of the Senate and could not regain a majority in the House. The party was quick to point fingers, with many Democrats blaming Biden for not dropping out soon enough; others blamed Harris and called her a weak candidate who would not have won the nomination had there been a Democratic primary. Bernie Sanders, who ran for president in 2016 and 2020, criticized the campaign, calling it “disastrous,” explaining that they ignored key demographics of voters—Latino and Black voters —and misused funds by spending money on military aid for Israel.
Furthermore, millions of women who hoped to see the first female president will leave disheartened in an election with a “significant gender split,” as most women supported Harris, and the majority of men voted for Trump.
December:
In March 2023, Taylor Swift began her “Eras Tour,” which quickly became a global phenomenon; but, on Dec. 8, after nearly 150 shows—played across five continents—Swift gave her final performance. The show, with a setlist of 44 songs from 10 different “eras” of Swift’s music, was a three-and-a-half-hour experience, leaving her fans experiencing every emotion from joy to heartbreak.
The “Eras Tour” was historic—beyond fan experience—because of its impressive attendance and ticket sales. According to the NY Times, all 149 dates sold out, and “Swift’s tour sold a total of $2,077,618,725 in tickets [and ] a total of 10,168,008 people attended the concerts.” The tour doubled the gross ticket sales of “any other concert tour in history,” smashing the previous record—held by Coldplay—by about $1 billion dollars.
Furthermore, the tour remained exciting for Swift and her fans, as millions of Swifties gathered on live streams each night to see what “surprise songs” she would play that night or if she would finally announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version). Swift also used the tour to announce exciting projects, like Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which were released amidst the tour.
Swift would also later release a nearly three-hour concert film, which grossed about $261 million worldwide before Swift signed a deal with Disney+ to send her film to streaming.
In April of this year, when Swift released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, she made massive adjustments to each era, including what songs she was performing and in what order to include TTPD in the setlist.
Though the tour had dark moments—like when “a terrorist bomb plot was uncovered before three planned shows in Vienna,” forcing Swift to postpone the concerts indefinitely—Swifties kept the vibes positive, creating their own traditions, like making and trading friendship bracelets, further contributing to a tour that spread so much joy and had a massive cultural compact.
The conclusion of the Eras Tour coincided with Swift’s TTPD returning to #1 on the Billboard 200 for its 16th week.
Lyon Life 