Year 2021: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 2021. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, computer and Internet history, famous deaths, retail prices, entertainment trivia, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. President of the United States: Donald Trump (R-Florida)—Until January 20
2. President of the United States: Joe Biden (D-Delaware)—Beginning on January 20
3. Vice President: Mike Pence (R-Indiana)—Until January 20
4. Vice President: Kamala Harris (D-California)—Beginning on January 20
5. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: John Roberts (Maryland)
6. Speaker of the House of Representatives: Nancy Pelosi (D-California)
7. Senate Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)—Until January 20
8. Senate Majority Leader: Chuck Schumer (D-New York)—Beginning on January 20
9. The 116th U.S. Congress was in session until January 3. On that day, the 117th U.S. Congress convened.
10. Inflation rate: 4.70%
11. Consumer price index (CPI): 270.970
12. U.S. unemployment rate: 5.3%
13. $100.00 in 2021 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $122.90 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 4.21% per year” between 2021 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 22.90%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 81.367% of what it could purchase back in 2021.
14. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost 19% of its value since 2021.
15. As 2021 began, the United States remained deeply affected by COVID-19, the coronavirus that appeared in late December 2019 and rapidly led to worldwide lockdowns and a significant recession in 2020.
16. On January 6, a mob of pro-Trump demonstrators “stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop lawmakers from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.” Five people died in the chaos before, during, or following the event, including a Capitol police officer. “Lawmakers from both political parties, including Vice President Mike Pence, were forced to flee the congressional chamber for safety. Accused of inciting his supporters to riot, Trump became the first president to be impeached (and acquitted) twice. More than 600 people were later charged for their role in the insurrection, and the House established an independent committee to investigate this attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.”
17. On January 7, Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla, became the world's richest person, overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
18. On January 25, Janet Yellen was confirmed as the first female treasury secretary by the U.S. Senate.
19. In February, combined with frigid temperatures, storms brought snow, sleet, and freezing rain to Texas, “causing road closures, widespread power outages, and loss of heat, electricity, and water for millions of people.”
20. In April, President Biden “announced a plan for the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.”
21. On April 25, at the 93rd Academy Awards, Nomadland won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) won an Oscar for Best Director.
22. In June, President Biden signed legislation establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, “a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.”
23. In June, 34-year-old Alberto Montemayor was arrested for stealing an estimated 42,000 pounds of pistachios from the Touchstone Pistachio Company in Tulare County, California.
24. On July 8, the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed. “Ninety-eight people were killed in the incident, which was attributed to structural damage in the concrete building that had first been reported several years earlier.”
25. July 23 to August 8: After being postponed in 2020, the Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan, “though no spectators were allowed after Japan declared a new state of emergency due to COVID-19.”
26. In September, audiences returned to Broadway theaters in New York City for the first time in 18 months.
27. On September 19, at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and The Crown (Netflix) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
28. In 2021, Aunt Jemima products—rebranded as Pearl Milling Company—began to appear on grocery store shelves.
29. Most popular websites: TikTok, Google, and Facebook
30. Google processed over 40,000 search queries every second.
31. The average internet user spent over six hours online each day, “allocating roughly one-third of that time to social media.”
32. Most popular TV programs: Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, and The Big Bang Theory
33. Highest-grossing movie: Spider-Man: No Way Home
34. Most-watched YouTube video: MrBeast’s I Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive
35. Most popular song: Dua Lipa's Levitating
36. Miss America: Emma Broyles (Alaska)
37. Popular baby names for the year were Liam, Jackson, Noah, Aiden, Grayson, Sophia, Olivia, Emma, Ava, and Aria.
38. Notable people who died in 2021 included Betty White (TV actress), Larry King (TV show host), and Prince Philip (British prince).
39. In 2021 as well, the words “AHI,” “anomalous health incident,” “cheugy,” “delta variant,” “gyatt,” “rizz,” and “sonder” all appeared in print for the first time.
40. Indianapolis 500 winner: Felix Rosenqvist
41. Kentucky Derby winner: Mandaloun
42. NBA champions: Milwaukee Bucks
43. NFL champs: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
44. Orange Bowl winner (January 2): Texas A&M
45. Orange Bowl winner (December 31): Georgia
46. Rose Bowl winner: Alabama Crimson Tide
47. Stanley Cup champs: Tampa Bay Lightning
48. Sugar Bowl winner: Ohio State Buckeyes
49. Super Bowl LV winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
50. World Series champions: Atlanta Braves
51. A 12-pack of soda: About $4.68
52. A dozen eggs: Around $1.55
53. A large bag of potato chips: About $3.96
54. A large bottle of orange juice: Around $6.78
55. A loaf of bread: About $1.83
56. American cheese: Around 99 cents a pound
57. A pound of butter: About $3.49
58. Bacon (Oscar Mayer): Around $3.99 for a one-pound package
59. Bananas: About $1.16 per bunch
60. Bread (Maier's Italian, 20-ounce loaf): Around $3.98
61. Ground coffee (Melitta, 12-ounce can): About $2.99
62. One package of chocolate chip cookies: Around $3.01
63. Sausage (Banquet brown 'n serve, 6.4-ounce package): About $1.49
64. Spiral sliced ham: Around $1.29 a pound
65. Steak (porterhouse or T-bone): About $4.99 a pound
66. 2021 Toyota RAV4: $27,565
67. Daily newspaper: $2.00
68. Earbuds: $69.99
69. Electric toothbrush (Sonicare Essence): $49.99
70. Keurig coffee maker: $229.99

References:

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2026/05/15/heres-how-a-typical-bag-of-groceries-in-2021-costs-over-50-more-today/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/2021
3. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/2021.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_in_the_United_States
5. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/2021
6. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-2020.html
7. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2021
8. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Morris-County-Library-Reference-Guides/Historic-Prices/Historic-Prices-2020s/Historic-Prices-2021
9. https://www.history.com/articles/2021-events

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor