Editing 2021 (section)

{{Events by month|2021|prefix=Portal:Current events/}}
[[File:2021 collage V2.png|Clockwise from top-left: the [[James Webb Space Telescope]] is launched; protesters in [[Yangon]], [[Myanmar]], following the [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état|coup d'état]]; a civil demonstration against the [[October–November 2021 Sudanese coup d'état|October coup in Sudan]]; supporters of then United States president [[Donald Trump]] [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|stormed the country's Capitol]] in a [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|failed attempt to overturn]] the [[2020 United States presidential election]]; the [[container ship]] ''[[Ever Given]]'' [[2021 Suez Canal obstruction|gets stuck]] in the [[Suez Canal]], blocking international shipping for six days; the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] are held in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]; the [[Ingenuity (helicopter)|''Ingenuity'' helicopter]] after deployment on the Martian surface by the Mars [[Perseverance (rover)|''Perseverance'' rover]]; [[Taliban]] fighters on a captured Humvee following the [[Fall of Kabul (2021)|fall]] of [[Kabul]] at the end of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]].|300x300px|thumb]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}<!-- DO NOT CHANGE DATE FORMAT WITHOUT CONSENSUS -->
{{Year nav|2021}}
{{C21 year in topic}}
{{Year in various calendars|year=2021}}
{{Year article header|2021}}

Like the year [[2020]], 2021 was also heavily defined by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], due to the emergence of multiple [[Variants of SARS-CoV-2|COVID-19 variants]]. The major global rollout of [[COVID-19 vaccine]]s, which began at the end of 2020, continued in 2021. Most major events scheduled for 2020 that were postponed due to the pandemic<!-- Please do not change the name of the pandemic here. It is the COVID-19 pandemic or coronavirus pandemic, not the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic or 2019-nCoV pandemic during the year. --> were hosted in 2021, including the [[2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference|26th United Nations Climate Change Conference]], [[Expo 2020]], and sporting events such as [[UEFA Euro 2020]], the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] and [[2020 Summer Paralympics|Paralympics]], as well as the [[2021 Copa América]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/major-events-cancelled-or-postponed-due-to-the-coronavirus-2020?r=AU&IR=T|title=Here are the latest major events that have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Burning Man, and the 74th Annual Tony Awards|work=[[Business Insider]]|last1=Hadden|first1=Joey|last2=Casado|first2=Laura|date=10 April 2020|access-date=29 August 2020|archive-date=September 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926081208/https://www.businessinsider.com/major-events-cancelled-or-postponed-due-to-the-coronavirus-2020?r=AU&IR=T|url-status=live}}</ref> 

2021 additionally witnessed numerous advancements in space exploration, particularly by the [[United Arab Emirates Space Agency|United Arab Emirates]], [[NASA]] and [[SpaceX]], including the launch of the [[James Webb Space Telescope]].

Civil unrest grew in 2021, with coups occurring in [[2021 Sudan coup d'état|Sudan]], [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état|Myanmar]], [[2021 Malian coup d'état|Mali]] and [[2021 Guinean coup d'état|Guinea]], and insurrections occurring in [[2021 Armenian political crisis|Armenia]] and the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|United States]].{{horizontal TOC|nonum=yes}}