It would be disingenuous to say 2020 started out like any other year.

In January, the U.S. was mired in impeachment proceedings of a sitting president. Tensions with Iran were on the rise, nine people including basketball star Kobe Bryant were killed in a helicopter crash, a U.S. military base was attacked near Baghdad, and, on Jan. 21, the first case of a mysterious virus was reported in the United States.

As the months unfolded and the coronavirus spread, businesses shuttered, the economy tanked, and the death toll around the world rose. By Oct. 19, cases had reached 8.19 million in the United States with more than 220,000 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Virtually all parts of everyday life have changed, from how we socialize and study to how we shop and eat. A new normal has emerged; one featuring social distancing, facial coverings, and an ongoing sense of uncertainty about where we are headed.

LOOK: 50 photos of American life in 2020

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