It was in 2019 that Billie Eilish hit one of her first eye-popping records, becoming the first artist born in the current millennium to have a number one album. At this year’s Grammys, however, she made much more public history, becoming the youngest person—and only the second person ever—to win all four of the top categories.
Adam Silver: The NBA Commissioner Who Made Safe Sports Possible
The NBA season was halted twice, first by the coronavirus pandemic and then by player strikes as protests for racial justice unfolded across the country. But it also found undeniable success with its COVID-safe “bubble,” where 22 teams could play while isolating from the rest of the world. After 172 games there were zero positive tests—the only major professional sport to pull off that feat.
Sarah McBride: America’s First Trans State Senator
During the same election that led its former senator Joe Biden to the White House, Delaware welcomed to its state senate Sarah McBride, who joins a small but growing group of trans elected officials nationwide. “I am hopeful that tonight’s result can send a potentially lifesaving message to a young trans kid,” McBride told BuzzFeed. “They can go to sleep knowing that their dreams and their truths are not mutually exclusive.”
Stacey Abrams: The Political Superstar Who Helped Turn Georgia Blue
In the two years since she narrowly lost Georgia’s gubernatorial election, Abrams and her groups the New Georgia Project and Fair Fight registered more than 800,000 new voters in the state, which was enough to hand the state’s electoral votes to Joe Biden. Her future options seem limitless, but for now she and thousands of volunteers are already back to work, focused on two Senate runoff races on January 5.