SPECIALISSUETHEYEARINPICTURES202071PhotographsFromanUnforgettableYear01.2021“Mindsarelikeparachutes,theyfunctionbetterwhenopen”—TommyDewarQUENCHYOURCURIOSITYATDEWARS.COM&DISCOVEROURRANGEOFFINEWHISKIESENJOYRESPONSIBLY.©2020.DEWAR’SBLENDEDSCOTCHWHISKY40%ALC.BYVOL.IMPORTEDBYJOHNDEWAR&SONSCOMPANY,CORALGABLES,FL.08.28ADAYLONGSHOWOFCOMMITMENTPhotographbySTEPHENWILKES�Fifty-sevenyearstothedayafterMartinLutherKing,Jr.,deliveredhis“IHaveaDream”speechinfrontoftheLincolnMemorial,anothermarchforcivilrightsandsocialjusticedrewthousandsofpeopletotheNationalMallinWashington,D.C.OrganizersdubbedittheCommitmentMarch:GetYourKneeOffOurNecks,areferencetoGeorgeFloyd’sMay25killing.Tocapturethisscene,StephenWilkesphoto-graphedfromasinglefixedcamerapositiononanelevatedcrane,makingimagesatintervalsthroughouta16-hourperiod.Hetheneditedthebestmomentsandblendedthemseamlesslyintooneimage.BYSUSANGOLDBERGPHOTOGRAPHSFROMTHEEDITORMANYSUPERLATIVEScanbeappliedto2020,mostofthemnegative.“Worstyearever,”I’veheardpeoplesay—asubjectivejudgmentweeachwouldmakedifferently.Butitwasunques-tionablyaharrowingyear,markedbyCOVID-19’stragicdeathtoll,thehurtfulracialstrife,andthedivisivepoliticalenvironment.Inthisspecialissue,“TheYearinPictures,”we’vedocumented2020throughtheworkofsomeoftheworld’smostgiftedphotographers.Inour133years,NationalGeographichasneversingledoutoneyearforaretrospectivelikethis.Butifeverayeardemandedthat,2020does.Insomerespects,makingthisissuewasnothard.Weaddedmorethan1.7millionimagestotheNationalGeo-graphicarchivelastyear—likelyfewerthanusualbecausethepandemiccom-plicatedtravelassignments,butstillawealthofmaterial.Thechallengewasnarrowingthattofewerthanahun-dredimagesforourprintplatform—imagesthatmostpowerfullycapturethisastonishingyear.Aswechosephotos,thethemesof2020begantoeyeartestedusinmorewcanlist,fromthestillgrocountofthepandemictaroundtheglobe:hurricanlocusts.ItisolatedusfromSchoolsandofficesclosed,behindmasks,sociallydisfromourownfamilies.Yetthatalsoempoweredus,a...
