One thing special about this year is that it’s a leap year. Leap years occur every four years in order to accommodate for the discrepancy between earth’s orbit and the celestial cycle.
2024 Astronomical Events
People can also look forward to a total solar eclipse on April 8. Only parts of Mexico, Canada, and the United States will be able to view the total eclipse, while everyone else will only see a partial eclipse. This total solar eclipse is the last observable one in the United States until 2044.
Another fun moon occurrence to look forward to is NASA’s Artemis II mission. They’ve been planning on returning people to the moon’s orbit since 1972. Four astronauts will go on the surface, one being the first black astronaut and one being the first female astronaut to do so. The objective of this mission will be to take a step towards living on the moon.
2024 New Releases in Entertainment
A few of the highly anticipated movies to be released this year are Mean Girls: The Musical (Jan. 12), Dune: Part Two (Mar. 1), Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24), Inside Out 2 (June 12), and Wicked Part 1 (Nov. 27).
New TV shows in 2024 include Echo, Avatar: The Last Airbender live action remake, Star Wars: The Acolyte, and Shōgun. Some returning favorites are Bridgerton, Cobra Kai, and Umbrella Academy.
2024 will bring a lot of new music, including Jennifer Lopez’s first studio album in over 20 years, This Is Me…Now. Green Day is also releasing their 14th studio album, Savior. Other artists expected to produce new music this year include Dua Lipa, Usher, Cardi B., Ariana Grande, and Tyla. There are also many artists that are expected to be touring this year, including Taylor Swift, who will be in Europe and Asia for the spring and summer before going back to North America in the fall for more shows. Some older people touring include Billy Joel, blink-182, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Nicks.
2024 Traditions
This year will also bring some important anniversaries. Amazon will be celebrating 30 years of business after being established in 1994 under the name “Cadabra” along with Facebook celebrating it’s 20th anniversary. Along with important anniversaries for large companies, there are also important anniversaries for major events. This year will mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the 100th anniversary of the Winter Olympics, and the 135th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower opening.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympics will also be occurring this year in Paris. For the first time ever, break dancing will be an official category for the Olympics.
2024 Political Events
There will be two major elections this year. One is the election for the next President of the United States. The candidates in the running as of now are Joseph R. Biden Jr., Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips, Donald J. Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Ryan Binkley, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein. Along with the U.S. election, there is also an interesting election happening in Mexico. A historic first, two women are running against each other to be the country’s next president. The two candidates are Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, and Xóchitl Gálvez, an engineer with a rural background.
Over in Indonesia, the capital will be moved from Jakarta to an area on Borneo Island. This is due to congestion, overpopulation, and climate change, as well as the fact that Jakarta is prone to flooding and is sinking into the sea. The new capital with be named Nusantara, or “archipelago,” in the Indonesian language.
