2020 was an interesting year, so we set out to find the most interesting moments, the ones that captivated us beyond the biggest forces of the year with COVID-19 and the presidential election. To do it, we gathered up a tally of 35 different moments that hit the headlines this year across Science, Technology, Fashion and Beauty, Food, Sports, Entertainment and Pop Culture. Not only did we answer what was most interesting in 2020, but we found human truths in the top 9 things that people cared about. Turns out, we’ve had some silver linings this year after all.

The social justice movement following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery showed us that we need change and that we have the power to bring about that change. From protests to #blackouttuesday it’s clear that social justice was top of mind for everyone as the #1 most interesting event this year. 

This year we were able to look back on and celebrate some incredible legacies: The inspiring life of RBG. Kobe Bryant’s mamba mentality. And Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’. And we found they were seen as some of the most interesting events of the year, making it clear that the legacies of these heroes aren’t going anywhere.

Even though we spent a lot of time indoors working from home this year, our attention was brought to the stars with the Mars Rover landing and the Pentagon confirming the existence of UFO’s. These events were the #3 and #7 most interesting events of 2020.

Remember that 10-step skin care routine we all had just perfected? Yeah, not this year. Interest in skin care was on mute this year as we were all WFH with our cameras off. The skin-care boom we were expecting this year came in as the least interesting thing of 2020.

Parents and non-parents aren’t so different after all. This year we found that for both groups the BLM movement and the loss of Kobe Bryant were considered the top 2 most interesting things that happened this year. 

For those who think we will be vacationing in space within the next 50 years, they weren’t all that interested in this year’s space exploration milestones (The Mars Rover Landing and UFOs being confirmed by the Pentagon). Instead, they were more interested in the social justice movement, the untimely death of Kobe and Gianna Bryan, and the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

If you like space, then you may not like the Beatles. Or at least our findings show that those who are fascinated by space exploration are more likely to think that the Beatles are… overrated. We would politely agree to disagree, but interesting nonetheless.

The future is a scary place. If you’re nodding in agreement then you were likely heavily affected by the passing of RBG, the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, and the killings of George, Breonna, and Ahmaud. Our data shows that those of us who are most anxious about the future were most impacted by those events.

But let’s not end on fear, let’s end on possibility. Like the oh-so-remote chance we might be able to meet in person by July. In the meantime, if you’d like to virtually say hello and learn a little more about what makes BSSP interesting or the interesting things we make, drop Patrick a line: pkiss@bssp.com