Serena Williams, Elon Musk or Elizabeth II… Ten record years
From rising prices to wildfires and the reign of Elizabeth II, take a look at 2022 in ten records.
The increase in prices
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 led to a rise in energy and food prices: the food price index of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reached an all-time high in March, as did the price of European gas.
This resulted in an increase in inflation over the year, for example +10.6% in the Eurozone in October, the strongest increase since the inception of this index in 1997.
Refugee flow
According to UNHCR estimates in May, the war in Ukraine has led to the largest influx of refugees to Europe since the end of World War II: more than six million to neighboring countries and eight million internally displaced. (UNHCR). Globally, the number of uprooted people has exceeded 100 million for the first time.
Heat waves and fires
The year was marked by new climate records: the summer in Europe was the hottest ever recorded, and the areas burned by the fires destroyed more than 600,000 hectares of land. Globally, CO2 emissions from fossil fuels have never been higher than in 2022.
Rocket rain
North Korea fired a record number of missiles into the Sea of Japan in November, including a peak of 23 launches in a 24-hour period on November 2, in response to the largest joint air drills ever conducted by South Korea and the United States.
Unconventional reign and funeral
Seventy-year reign, seven years longer than her great-grandmother Victoria: Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 aged 96, had an unusual presence at her funeral in London. Crowds estimated at a quarter of a million lined up for miles to pay their last respects and parade past his coffin at Westminster.
Elon Musk, billions and fiasco
Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet, estimated by Forbes to be worth about $199 billion at the end of 2022, is pictured with his flip-flops on Twitter. in the end, to $44 billion in October. It has since alienated advertisers, (former) employees and regulators, leaving the social network in a precarious position.
Record auction
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s art collection was auctioned in New York in November for a record $1.62 billion, along with paintings by Georges Seurat, Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt. Another powerhouse in the art market, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol became the most expensive work of art of the 20th century in May: $195 million.
At the top of world tennis
By winning Roland Garros for the 14th time in June, Spain’s Rafael Nadal broke the record for major titles among men’s tennis: 22 Grand Slam tournaments, ahead of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (21 titles) and Switzerland’s Roger Federer (20). He finished his career in September.
American player Serena Williams, who also lost in September, surpasses these three champions with 23 Grand Slam titles.
Fins for Taylor Swift
The release of Taylor Swift’s tenth album, Midnight In October, it caused a Spotify outage and broke the record for “most streamed album in one day”. Ten songs from the album entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number one. According to the marketing agency Yard, the American singer also won the award “the most polluting celebrity of the year” for his numerous private jet flights.
eight billion people
According to the United Nations, the world’s population exceeded 8 billion in mid-November. “Unprecedented growth” when there were only 2.5 billion people in 1950.
