It’s hard to remember exactly when in 2020 the world officially shattered. Ask anyone what moment solidified this year as a dystopian hellscape, and you’ll hear a number of instances: the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the fear of an impending Third World War after the assassination of Iran’s Qasem Soleimani, the start of the pandemic, economic collapse, the continuation of a Trump presidency, and the near-constant pang of death.
We experienced quite a few of these situations as global community, but many individuals have a point in their own personal lives when they knew this year would be like nothing they could have expected.
We asked readers to tell us what that moment was for them. Below are their responses. They have been condensed and edited for clarity.
