Here is a (very) incomplete list of major events to watch for this year.

New regulations: A series of new state laws come into effect this year. Most notable? 26 states and Washington, DC, will increase their minimum wage (California and parts of New York will raise it to at least $ 15 / hour).

• Plus, a controversial new California law that demands more living space for breeding pigs and other farm animals Took effect yesterday. Critics argue the new law will cause bacon prices to skyrocket in California – other researchers, however, have said any price increase will be modest.

Space: 2021 has been monumental for the space industry, from the launch of the James Webb Telescope to Jeff Bezos splashing an emotional William Shatner with champagne. But 2022 could surpass it.

• NASA is launching two extremely powerful rockets as part of its goal of returning astronauts to the Moon in 2025.
• SpaceX could launch its Starship rocket into orbit. It is the reusable spacecraft that will transport NASA astronauts from their capsule to the lunar surface and enable SpaceX’s ambitions on Mars.
• Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic will step up their space tourism efforts by selling more rides to wealthy people. Virgin hopes to begin commercial service this year.
• This cool space plane, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, could send cargo to the International Space Station.

Sports: 2022 will give us two major international sporting events.

1. Beijing will become the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Olympics when the Winter Games begin there in February. The United States and some of its allies are not sending diplomats to compete to protest the Chinese government’s human rights violations.
2. The World Cup will strangely take place in November, as it would be far too hot to play football in host country Qatar during the summer. Many critics have objected to accommodation in Qatar; Gulf state has been accused of mistreating migrant workers who built football stadiums and bribing FIFA officials to secure accommodation rights in the first place.

Diffusion: Netflix will look to revive last year’s sluggish growth with new seasons of his greatest hits, including Strange things, Bridgerton, and The crown. HBO will attempt to redeem the Unredeemable – Season 8 of Game of thrones-with a prequel, Dragon house. Amazon Prime Video will release its much anticipated and very expensive the Lord of the Rings series, while Disney + will provide us with more Marvel and Star Wars content that we’ve been so hungry for.

Music: One of the highlights of the year in music will certainly be ABBA Trip concert in May, where Swedish pop legends will perform in a specially constructed London arena using digital avatars. Good luck find tickets.

• We’re also hoping to see the return of festivals like Burning Man and Coachella, which were canceled for the past two years.
• Some notable album releases: Lizzo, Mitksi, The Weeknd, Avril Lavigne (!), And maybe Kendrick Lamar.

Global Politics: South Korea, France, Hungary, the Philippines and Brazil are among the countries the holding of pivotal elections This year. The American midterms will take place in November.