2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
We've wrapped up the biggest stories from each month, pulled out your most clicked items in the Squiz Today email, and picked a pic and podcast to note. You're welcome... So let's take a look back on the year that was 2022.
January
The Big Stories
• Novak Djokovic double-faulted on his attempt to enter Oz - Yep, we got straight out the gates of 2022 with this one... The then #1 men's tennis star's visa was cancelled because he wasn't vaccinated for COVID, and an unsuccessful appeal saw him deported. Game. Set. Match.
• But the Aussies smashed the Aussie Open - World #1 Ash Barty became the first Aussie woman to win the Aussie Open singles title in 44 years. The Special Ks - Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis - took out the men's doubles against another Aussie pairing of Matt Ebden and Max Purcell (and we're still trying to get 'siuuu' out of our heads...) Meanwhile, freshly-minted Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott made the quad wheelchair singles final, but his last game pre-retirement was lost to Dutchman Sam Schroder.
• Prince Andrew was stripped of his titles - That followed allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was 17yo. Buckingham Palace announced his military titles and royal patronages would be returned to the Queen, and the civil case was settled the following month.
The Most Clicked
The world is divided into two kinds of people - those who shower at night and those who shower in the morning. But there is some science to it…
Image Of The Month
The perfect library. This professor's home library in Baltimore doesn't exist anymore, but thanks to the internet, its beauty lives on.
Shortcut Of The Month
February
The Big Stories
• Russia invades Ukraine - And we haven’t stopped talking about it since… After amassing troops along the border and last-ditch diplomatic efforts by the West, Russia launched its invasion on 24 February. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s response when offered to evacuate: “I need ammunition, not a ride”.
• Oz reopens its borders - After being closed for almost 2 years, Australia's international border reopened to travellers. Those not on the list to enter at that stage: unvaccinated travellers…
• A landmark settlement for Sandy Hook families - For the first time, a gun manufacturer was held liable for a mass shooting in the US. Remington and its insurers agreed to pay US$73 million in compensation to the families of the 26 victims of the 2012 tragedy.
The Most Clicked
Eagle-eyed comedian Adam Kay noticed that a social media post from the royal family of Queen Elizabeth and her famous red box full of top-secret documents was easy to zoom in on. And what they said was a bit of a surprise…
Image Of The Month
After a few hurdles in the form of Omicron and a diplomatic dispute over China’s human rights abuses that saw Aussie officials boycott the event, the Beijing Winter Olympics took to the ice. The Aussie team achieved our best-ever result. And athletes - like Jessie Diggins from the US - demonstrated the occupational hazards of their chosen profession...
Shortcut Of The Month
March
The Big Stories
• “A natural disaster of unprecedented proportions” - That’s what unfolded in Queensland and NSW with record-breaking floods that were declared a national emergency. The NSW city of Lismore was one of the worst hit, and Brissie also suffered major flooding as heavy rain drenched the east coast.
• South Australia got a new premier and state government - Labor made a convincing return in the state election that saw Steve Marshall's Liberals turfed out after one term. Adding insult to injury, the Libs became the first government to lose office since the start of the pandemic.
• Vale Shane Warne - He was Australia's most prolific wicket-taker, a larger-than-life character, and a genius for mind games. Warne died from a heart attack at 52yo within a day of the death of another cricket legend, Rod Marsh.
The Most Clicked
Selena Gomez took a trip down the red carpet at the SAG awards. Safe to say she recovered much more gracefully than we ever would…
Image Of The Month
An image we became all too familiar with this year - tinnies in our streets. This pic is from Lismore in NSW, which continues down its long road to recovery.
Shortcut Of The Month
April
The Big Stories
• The Solomons and China = BFFs - Just a week after Australia launched a last-ditch diplomatic effort to stop it, the Solomons signed a controversial security deal that allows China’s military forces to be stationed in the Pacific nation, less than 2,000km from our coastline.
• The great resignation - Tasmania’s Premier Peter Gutwein resigned, saying he said he has "nothing left in the tank to give" after the challenges of COVID. Taking a cue from Ash Barty in March, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner followed in May when he lost his leadership mojo.
• Netflix's binge on subscribers ends - It lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year, recording its first decline in audience numbers in more than a decade. The company put it down to people tightening their budgetary belts and suspending access to the platform in Russia.
The Most Clicked
Fiddle leaf figs are out - meet the next big “it” plant…
Image Of The Month
A fisherman hauls in a giant prawn off Queensland’s Fraser Coast. There ain’t a cocktail glass large enough or quantities of iceberg lettuce and seafood sauce in all the land to accommodate him…
Photo credit: North Queen Seafoods Facebook
Shortcut Of The Month
May
The Big Stories
• From Scomo to Albo - Labor and Anthony Albanese defeated PM Scott Morrison's Coalition Government in an election campaign dominated by cost of living issues, climate change, and national security. It was the 2nd-worst thing that happened to Scott Morrison that month after currygate…
• Turmoil in Sri Lanka - The president and prime minister agreed to resign following big protests that saw angry citizens set fire to the PM’s home and make themselves comfortable in the official presidential residence. Things have settled down a bit, but the economic challenges persist.
• Interest rates on the rise - Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe confirmed that interest rates would rise from 0.1% to 0.35% - the first official rate hike in more than 11 years. He said that rising inflation would see future rate raises. Note: we're currently at 3.1%...
The Most Clicked
Toby Fisher, the husband of British commissioner to Kiwiland Laura Clarke, told the world he didn't much like the Wellington bucket fountain, almost causing a diplomatic incident in the process…
Image Of The Month
The iPod is no more. Still, the Apple devices we own continue to grow - we think they breed at night while depleting our accounts...
Shortcut Of The Month
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June
The Big Stories
• Roe v Wade is overturned in the US - The Supreme Court voted to end the nationwide constitutional right to abortion. “Trigger laws' saw the procedure restricted or banned in up to 22 states, and it’s an ongoing political issue that will likely linger into the 2024 elections.
• The Nadesalingam family returns to Bilo - The family were granted new bridging visas - after a long stint in immigration detention centres and community detention. They returned to the Queensland town that loves them, and the family was later granted permanent visas.
• Johnny Depp wins his defamation case against Amber Heard - After 6 weeks of testimony, countless witnesses and an argument about a severed finger - the defamation trial wrapped up in Depp’s favour. Note: Heard was also awarded $2 million after Depp's lawyer defamed her… An appeal led to a settlement in December.
The Most Clicked
“Please welcome Gail Warnings.” ABC News Breakfast weather presenter Nate Byrne introduced his drag queen alter ego - and she's a real blow in…
Image Of The Month
Queen Elizabeth and Co marked her Platty Jubes - aka 70 years on the throne. The breakout star goes to Prince Louis, who sure has main character energy…
Shortcut Of The Month
July
The Big Stories
• UK PM Boris Johnson resigns - It had been some time coming, but Johnson announced he would go as leader of the Conservative Party. He was pinged for partying during England's lockdowns, but his promotion of a problematic colleague was the straw that broke his colleagues’ backs.
• Vale Shinzo Abe - The former Japanese PM was assassinated while giving a campaign speech in Nara. The man accused of killing him said he did it because of the connections Abe and his party had to a religious group that financially ruined his mother.
• A wild Wimbledon showdown - Nick Kyrgios got through to the final of Wimbledon - and lost to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios was gracious in defeat, saying: "He's a bit of a god, I'm not going to lie. I thought I played well.”
The Most Clicked
The self-described “fashionable Irwin” - 18yo wildlife warrior Robert - stepped out of his trademark khakis for his first fashion shoot. It saw some liken him to a long-lost Hemsworth brother…
Image Of The Month
James Webb Space Telescope released the first images that are the deepest look at the Universe in infrared ever captured. Amazeballs...
Photo credit: NASA
Shortcut Of The Month
August
The Big Stories
• Chris Dawson is found guilty of murder - Lynette Dawson went missing back in 1982, but her family and friends never gave up on getting answers. Dawson’s 10-week trial was held without a jury to ensure proceedings weren’t tainted by the extremely high levels of media coverage of the case. In December, the 74yo was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison.
• Secretly sworn in - This was a political curveball… It was revealed former PM Scott Morrison was sworn into 5 portfolios during the pandemic, unbeknownst to the public and his colleagues. An inquiry recommended legislative changes to ensure future leaders don’t repeat ‘Morrison’s multiple ministries’.
• Vale Judith Durham, Olivia Newton-John, Archie Roach, and Uncle Jack Charles - Archie died at the end of July, Judith and Olivia died in August, and Uncle Jack in September. That's the definition of a terrible run…
The Most Clicked
Remote locations that have become Insta famous = not so much fun to visit anymore. To illustrate, a clever photographer produced time-lapse collages that show all the people who had visited the area over an hour. How's the serenity…
Image Of The Month
Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed by 24yo Hadi Matar as he was about to give a public lecture on free expression in New York. He continues to recover, and his family says he's determined not to be a victim.
Shortcut Of The Month
September
The Big Stories
• Vale Queen Elizabeth II, long live King Charles III - The Commonwealth bid farewell to the longest-reigning British monarch in history, notching up 70 years on the throne. She was 96yo. Those hoping the funeral would heal a rift between William and Harry were disappointed…
• Huge protests erupted in Iran - Following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's "morality police” for not wearing her headscarf properly, nationwide protests became the biggest threat to the ruling regime since the Islamic revolution in the late 70s.
• Liz Truss becomes UK PM - She was sworn in as the UK’s 56th prime minister after winning the final round of the Conservative Party’s leadership contest. More on that in October…
The Most Clicked
Here are the Queen’s official portraits over the years. Happily, it includes our favourite of her with the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret wearing matching blue satin blouses…
Image Of The Month
Aussie surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore claimed a record-breaking 8th world title, making her the undisputed GOAT of women’s surfing.
Shortcut Of The Month
October
The Big Stories
• Russia strikes back - In the first major attack on Kyiv in months, Russia unleashed a wave of deadly air strikes on the country in what President Vladimir Putin said was retaliation for Ukraine’s fiery blast on the bridge in Crimea.
• Xi tightens his grip on power - Chinese President Xi Jinping received a historic 3rd term in the nation’s top job - an anticipated outcome of the Chinese Communist Party’s annual meeting. Experts say it makes him the country's most powerful ruler since founder Mao Zedong.
• Truss is out, Sunak is in - The lettuce won… UK PM Liz Truss resigned after 45 tumultuous days in office - she became the shortest-serving PM in British history. Former Chancellor/Truss challenger Rishi Sunak was sworn in as her replacement, becoming the first person of colour to serve as British PM - and the richest…
The Most Clicked
Kate Middleton "swapped her heirloom diamonds for an everywoman jewellery trend" by sporting a chunky gold Laura Lombardi necklace.
Image Of The Month
158 people, including 2 Aussies, died and about 200 others were injured in a crush of partygoers in the South Korean capital of Seoul.
Shortcut Of The Month
November
The Big Stories
• Democrats defy history in the US midterms - After an election campaign focused on the cost of living, immigration and abortion rights, there was no ‘red wave’ of support for the Republicans as some polls had predicted. President Joe Biden’s party managed to hold onto a slim majority in the Senate, and most of former President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates failed to get voter support.
• North Korea fires up - Tensions on the Korean peninsula rose to their highest point in decades after North Korea fired a series of missiles towards South Korea, with one breaching the country's 'Northern Limit Line' (aka the maritime border) for the first time since the split more than 70 years ago.
• Welcome home, Professor Sean Turnell - The Aussie economist, who was an adviser to Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was allowed to come home. His account of his time in jail and his enduring love for the country is remarkable…
The Most Clicked
Can’t be bothered heading outdoors to see the latest eclipse? The Squiz had your back…
Image Of The Month
The world's (now 2nd) richest man Elon Musk wasted no time making changes at Twitter after a bumpy acquisition process...
Shortcut Of The Month
December
The Big Stories
• A tragedy blamed on extremists - Two young police officers and a well-meaning neighbour were shot and killed in the Western Downs village of Wieambilla in Queensland during a routine welfare check on one of the men accused of killing the trio. The Albanese Government has foreshadowed changes to Australia's anti-extremism laws.
• The charges against Bruce Lehrmann were dropped - He's the man accused of assaulting Brittany Higgins - prosecutors said they had concerns for her mental health after the original trial ended abruptly in October.
• An incredible showing by the Socceroos - This year’s World Cup in Qatar may have been marred by human rights concerns and allegations of poor labour practices, but gee, the men's national team did Oz proud… And then this happened in Melbourne…
The Most Clicked
Port Macquarie’s Christmas tree fail. "Our poor tree does look like it was decorated by Santa after he's whizzed around the world and had too many eggnogs," the local council admitted…
Image Of The Month
Well, you can’t go past the tree, really…
Shortcut Of The Month
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