2021’s record breaking events

As the countdown to 2022 is underway, the year we are leaving behind will be remembered for some significant records. 

Here is a list of some records that were made this year.

The hottest month

July 2021 became the hottest month globally ever recorded, according to data released by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad.

On the other hand, wildfires in North America, Siberia and around the Mediterranean in July and August have fuelled the record levels of CO2 emissions in the Northern Hemisphere,  Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported.

Record gas prices

With the re-emergence of world economies from the pandemic, excessive gas demand caused price jumps in Europe, Asia and the UK as Europe's reference Dutch TTF gas price hit 187.78 euros per megawatt-hour which were 10 times higher compared with the start of the year.

The efforts of transformation from coal plants to renewable sources to meet energy needs caused a vulnerability for many countries; coal plants close while gas stockpiles remain much lower than the pre-pandemic period.

Biggest airlift

After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, the United States has carried out its biggest ever airlift that is bigger even than the evacuation of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.

It airlifted more than 123,000 people out of Kabul, including US citizens, Afghan interpreters and others who supported the US mission.

Around 55,000 people were evacuated from southern Vietnam in 1975.

Suez Canal blockage

Global shipping routes have been massively disrupted after the giant Ever Given container ship found itself wedged sideways between the Suez Canal.

The 400-metre-long ship, which is as long as the Empire State Building is tall, has caused the worst traffic jam on earth, blocking transit in both directions through one of the world’s busiest shipping channels for oil and grain other trade linking Asia and Europe.

The six days of disruption caused a record traffic jam of 422 ships loaded with 26 million tonnes of merchandise.

Chinese incursions

The most dramatic Chinese incursion into disputed Taiwanese airspace occurred at the start of October as China marked its annual national day when a record 149 flights crossed into Taiwan's southwestern air defence zone in four days.

Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them, the ministry said.

Taiwan called China's repeated nearby military activities "grey zone" warfare, designed to both wear out Taiwan's forces by making them repeatedly scramble, and also to test Taiwan's responses.

Bitcoin hits historic high

Cryptocurrency Bitcoin soared to record levels in late 2021 with its value reaching $68,513 on November 9. The digital currency increasingly won support from small and large investors, some of whom see it as a way of protecting themselves against inflation, which hit a 30-year high in the US in October.

Art goes wild

Art sales records in 2021 included works by Frida Kahlo, veteran French artist Pierre Soulages and Banksy reaching sky-high levels.

Revenues from sales of contemporary art have never been as high, totalling $2.7 billion, boosted in particular by the explosion in sales of unique digital works and NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

Space tourists

Captain Kirk of "Star Trek", alias veteran actor William Shatner, became the oldest person to go into space at 90.

He was among two dozen non-professionals who blasted off into space in 2021 on rockets owned by billionaires Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin), Elon Musk (SpaceX) and Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic).

Ronaldo versus Messi

Two of football's living legends, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi, rewrote the record books.

Ronaldo became the top scorer of all time for a national team with 115 goals and also the most capped European, having been selected 184 times.

Messi outstripped Brazil's Pele as the best Latin American striker with 79 goals for Argentina.

Everest and the Channel

Nepal's Kami Rita Sherpa beat his own record for climbing Everest, claiming a 25th successful ascent to the roof of the world in May.

Australia's Chloe McCardel, 36, became the person to have swum the Channel the most -- a remarkable 44 times.