Top 10 Stories Of 2024: A Year In Review

The year is swiftly coming to a close. So, as always, it’s time to take a look at the Top 10 Stories of 2024.

Top News Today :
Interestingly, 2024 was a huge year for news.  The magnificent solar eclipse in April with a path of totality that crossed much of the United States was a huge news moment (I personally witnessed this stellar event at Niagara Falls).  Other honorable mentions include a man setting himself on fire outside a Donald Trump trial in New York, the Israeli-Hamas war, unprecedented rains and flooding in Dubai, as well as a jet losing its door mid-flight.

Although these were all huge stories, they were not the biggest of the year. So, let’s check out the Top 10 Stories of 2024:

10.) NYC Earthquake

On April 5, 2024, at about 10 a.m., New York City was hit with a 4.8 earthquake. The quake was centered in Lebanon, New Jersey, but it rocked much of the East Coast and shocked usually unflappable New Yorkers who were in bed, on underground subways, or in high-rise skyscrapers.

Unlike places such as California, New York is not known (or built) for earthquakes, which made this ground-shaking news one of the Top 10 Stories of 2024.

9.) Baltimore Bridge Collapse

On March 24, 2024, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, causing the entire bridge to collapse into the river. Six maintenance crew members were working on the roadway at the time and were sent crashing into the waters below. Although 2 were rescued, 4 were sadly killed.

8.) P. Diddy Video Beating of Cassie + Jail

In May of this year, hotel surveillance video showed music mogul Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs kicking and beating then-girlfriend Cassie in a hallway near the hotel elevators.

That video was the beginning of the end for P. Diddy. He was arrested in September on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. He has since been denied bail multiple times and remains in a New York City prison to this day.

7.) College Protests HAMAS

An Israeli-Hamas conflict in the Middle East prompted students at college campuses from around the world to stage massive protests to voice their displeasure with US support of Israel.

Mostly Palestinian students engaged in coordinated sit-ins, set up encampments, and occupied academic buildings at Columbia University in New York, and universities in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Australia, and Canada.

6.) Trump Assassination Attempt

In July, a gunman attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during an outdoor political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, PA fired 8 rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump in his right ear. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks instantly.

Trump wore a huge ear bandage for a month. However, once the bandage was removed, he showed no sign of trauma, stitches, or even a mark — prompting many to believe he may have only been nicked by shrapnel or possibly staged the entire event for political gain.

5.) Jimmy Carter Turns 100

On Tuesday, October 1st, former President Jimmy Carter became the oldest living president in US history.

Mr. Carter turned 100 years old and celebrated the blessed milestone with his family in Georgia. Ironically, the former president was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and placed in hospice care nearly 2 years ago. However, despite his continuously declining health, he managed to break all odds and make it to his centennial celebration.

No other former president in US history has lived this long.

4.) Deaths

2023

At the end of 2023 (and after our annual list had already been published), the world lost such notable entertainers as Tommy Smothers (The Smothers Brothers), Maurice Hines (tap dancer and brother of Maurice Hines), Shecky Greene (Vegas comic), Joyce Randolph (“Trixie” from The Honeymooners).

2024

In 2024, we said goodbye to these beloved names:

David Soul (Starsky & Hutch actor), Adan Canto (actor), Dexter Scott King (MLK son), Charles Osgood (CBS journalist), Hinton Battle (Broadway star), Chita Rivera (West Side Story), Carl Weathers (Rocky actor), Toby Keith (Country music star), Richard Lewis (comedian), Steve Lawrence (Eydie Gorme’ husband/singer), Eric Carmen (singer), Sandra Crouch (Gospel singer), former Senator and Al Gore vice presidential running mate Joe Lieberman, Louis Gossett, Jr., Joe Flaherty (SCTV actor), Peter Higgs (scientist who discovered the Higgs bison particle), O.J. Simpson, Bob Graham (former Florida Sen. and Gov.), David Sandborn (Jazz saxophonist), Dabney Coleman (actor), Bill Walton (NBA great), Marian Robinson (Michelle Obama’s mother), Jerry West (NBA legend), Howard Fineman (political analyst), Angela Bofill (singer), baseball legend Willie Mays, Donald Sutherland, Renauld White (trailblazing model), Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Shelley Duvall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Richard Simmons (fitness guru), Shannen Doherty (actress), Joe Bryant (Kobe Bryant dad), Bob Newhart, Lou Dobbs (conservative journalist), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir (The Four Tops), Phil Donahue, Sergio Mendes (Brazilian jazz musician), James Earl Jones, Frankie Beverly (singer), Tito Jackson, Maggie Smith, Kris Kristofferson, Dikembe Mutombo (former NBA player), Pete Rose, John Amos (Good Times), Cissy Houston (singer/Whitney Houston mother), Ethel Kennedy, Liam Payne (One Direction singer), Teri Garr, Quincy Jones, Judith Jameson (dancer/choreographer), Chuck Woolery (game show host), Nikki Giovanni (poet).

3.) Luigi Mangione Murders UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione was charged with 1st-degree murder after killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. Mangione shot and killed Thompson in cold blood as he was entering a hotel in New York City to attend an insurance convention.

The killer’s tale became one of the Top 10 Stories of 2024 due to his model good looks. Interestingly, the court of public opinion became so obsessed with him that they sided with the murderer instead of mourning the deceased CEO.

2.) Biden Drops Out; Kamala Harris Drops In

On July 21, 2024, President Joe Biden announced that he was dropping out of contention for re-election to a 2nd term. Mr. Biden said in a statement that he made the difficult decision on his own. However, social media users were convinced that the president was forced out by his party after an embarrassing debate performance and a feeble demeanor that made many believe he was incapable of serving 4 more years.

That same day, Mr. Biden offered his full-throated endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him. She went on to seize the Democratic nomination — becoming the first female of color to win a major party presidential nomination — and raised more than a billion dollars in campaign funds.

And, coming in at #1 in our Top 10 Stories of 2024:

1.) Trump Is Re-elected

On November 5, 2024, Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris by winning the popular vote and electoral count. He will begin a 2nd term in January of 2025.

So, there you have it — the Top 10 Stories of 2024. Did we place the stories in the correct order? Did we leave anything out? Tell us in the comments below.

OK WASSUP! discusses the Top News Today:
The annual OK WASSUP! Top 10 Stories of 2024.