Election overload? Recall 2024's other top stories: Eclipse, bridge collapse, more
The presidential election dominated news coverage for many months in 2024, but the year had many more moments and stories that stand out. We've assembled some of our most memorable visual stories from the year, including a few related to the election.
2024 presidential election
With Inauguration Day just a few weeks away, here's a look at President-elect Donald Trump's victory, his likely Cabinet members and one of his primary initiatives: tariffs and how they might ripple through our economy.
Another memorable moment in politics this year: Former President Jimmy Carter turned 100 years old and became the first former president to reach that milestone. Carter was one of the first presidents to be satirized on "Saturday Night Live," which continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.
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Inflation remained on our minds and on our ballots
Trump is returning to White House partially because of voters' continued sticker shock following 40-year-high inflation. Prices throughout the economy, as reflected in the consumer price index, are up more than 20% since the pandemic.
Resonate, a predictive consumer and voter intelligence company, sampled U.S. consumer attitudes on a biweekly basis from the start of the pandemic through September 2024. They found that while the most extreme worries improved, two-thirds of Americans remain at least moderately concerned about the economy.
Solar eclipse drew millions while billions in space science had mixed results
Millions of Americans from Texas to Maine gazed collectively toward space as the moon passed in front of the sun in early April. When NASA officials gazed into space during 2024, the view wasn't always so glorious.
The space agency celebrated an overachieving little helicopter on Mars in January, but it later navigated a public relations mess when safety concerns about the Boeing Starliner capsule kept two astronauts unexpectedly on the International Space Station. More recently, A problem with a space capsule heat shield has forced NASA to postpone two highly anticipated flights to the moon, including one that would land astronauts on the lunar surface.
Weather disasters and climate change
The 24 largest, U.S. natural disasters caused more than $60 billion in damage in 2024, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information hasn't stopped counting. NOAA's most updated cost estimates don't include Hurricanes Helene and Milton that led to at least 249 deaths and heavily damaged several cities and towns in the Southeast.
The toll of the Israel-Hamas war
Caitlin Clark and Shohei Ohtani smashed records
Questions, questions, questions
Within our more than 500 visual explainers, we answered many questions for readers. Here's a sampling: