Look Back To 2020: What Happened That Year

Lockdown, clapping on doorsteps and a year nobody needs reminding of.

Here's 2020 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 2020

• 'Blinding Lights' by the Weeknd was the year's best-selling single worldwide and a fixture of the UK chart.
• Captain Tom Moore and Michael Ball's 'You'll Never Walk Alone' reached number one in April.
• Ladbaby's 'Don't Stop Me Eatin'' was the Christmas number one, a third year running.

In the news in 2020

• The first UK lockdown was announced on 23 March.
• Captain Sir Tom Moore walked one hundred laps of his garden before his hundredth birthday and raised nearly £33 million.
• The first Covid vaccination outside a trial was given in Coventry on 8 December.
• The UK left the EU on 31 January, with the transition period ending in December.

On screen in 2020

• Tiger King and Normal People were the lockdown programmes everybody watched.
• Cinemas were closed for much of the year; Tenet was the one big release.
• Quizzes on video calls became a national habit for about two months.

In sport in 2020

• The Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020 were both postponed by a year.
• Football returned in June behind closed doors with piped crowd noise.
• Liverpool won their first league title in thirty years, in an empty stadium.

Everyday life in 2020

• Thursday clapping, banana bread and daily government briefings at five o'clock.
• Panic buying emptied the shelves of pasta and toilet roll in March.
• Zoom, Teams and Houseparty went from unknown to unavoidable.

If you were born in 2020

• Anyone born in 2020 was born in the lockdown year, which will be on the front of a lot of their birthday cards.
• Their first birthday was also spent under restrictions.
• Anyone born in 2020 turns 30 in 2050, 40 in 2060, 50 in 2070, 60 in 2080 and 70 in 2090.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 2023
• Look back to 2022
• Look back to 2021
• The 2020s so far: the whole decade
• 2020s party playlist
• Viral and TikTok party games
• Phone party games
• How to run a quiz night
• Guess the year quiz
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Mother's Day gifts
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the Christmas number one in 2020?

'Don't Stop Me Eatin'' by Ladbaby.

When did the Covid vaccine rollout start in the UK?

8 December 2020, when Margaret Keenan received the first dose outside a clinical trial, in Coventry.

How old is someone born in 2020?

Subtract 2020 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2060, 50 in 2070, 60 in 2080 and 70 in 2090.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.