Happy New Year! I’m Sheila B Robinson, AEA365’s Lead Curator and sometimes Saturday contributor. To some it’s just another date on the calendar; others see January 1, 2020 as a starting (or ending) point for something important, hailing it as the perfect time for new beginnings.
1.) Wikipedia’s interesting facts about 2020 lists of worldwide events happening throughout the year.
2.) US works published in 1924 will enter pubic domain. Rules vary in other countries.
3.) The 2020 US Census will attempt to count every person living in the 50 US States, the District of Columbia, and 5 US Territories. See also results of the American Community Survey, a tremendous resource for exploring US demographic groups.
4.) Enjoy 2020 just a bit longer than other years, since it’s a Leap Year.
5.) The Pantone Color of the Year 2020 is Classic Blue, a fact that may come in handy for data visualization or reporting.
6.) 2020 is a presidential election year, the 59th quadrennial US presidential election.
7.) 2020 is MMXX in Roman numerals, easier than 1888, for example (MDCCCLXXXVIII).
8.) Discover Magazine published this article in 2000, chronicling what we would need to know by 2020. How many of these ring true today? The author was spot on with this one: “Even in 2020 you will always need to know if the facts you’ve dredged up are accurate and truthful.“
9.) In a similar vein, WIRED published their 2020 predictions 20 years ago. Here’s one: “our electronics will be 10,000 times as capable as they are today…” How evaluators collect data through technology has evolved dramatically in recent decades.
10.) There’s no shortage of current articles outlining predictions for 2020 (e.g., NBC News and Business Insider).
11.) Data visualization and design hero* Florence Nightingale (yes, that one!) would have been 200 years old (see this huge list of 2020 anniversaries, or this list, specific to the US).
12.) If all this trivia drives you to drink, remember that 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of Prohibition in the US.
13.) Double digit years (1919, 1818, 1717…) only come around every 100 years, so it’s pretty special that we’re alive for this one. Most of us unfortunately, won’t get to experience two double digit years, but a few certainly will!
14.) 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, making women’s suffrage national law. I have a special connection as Rochester, NY is my home where Susan B. Anthony played a prominent role in women’s suffrage. She died in 1906 and is buried in a beautiful historic cemetery here.
15.) The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will feature 5 new events: Karate, baseball/softball, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing. The statistics and resulting dataviz will be worth watching for as well.
16.) Whether January 1, 2020 is the start of a new decade is the subject of some debate. As evaluators, we’re pretty used to dealing with uncertainty and multiple perspectives.
17.) Medicine is rapidly advancing to help us stay healthy. Here are the Cleveland Clinic’s Top 10 Medical Innovations of 2020.
18.) We have 10 years left to achieve the SGDs, adopted by 193 countries in 2015, and very near and dear to many evaluators’ hearts.
19.) If you’re in the right geographic area December 14, 2020, you’ll be witness to the Great South American Eclipse.
20.) You have 173 days to attend the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.
Wishing you good health and much happiness in 2020.
*Article is behind a paywall, but free trial is available.
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.
A fantastic list. Thank you!