BTS. Kurt Cobain’s FBI file. The Doomsday Glacier. Rolling Stone’These were just a few of the many topics covered in 2021’s most read stories.
Several of the year’s biggest investigations are here: A deep dive into the planning of Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol; physical- and sexual-abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson; Eric Clapton’s funding of anti-vax propaganda. But so, too, is the bundled-up-Bernie-Sanders inauguration meme and a debunk of a viral video featuring a woman appearing to breastfeed a cat.
Note: The following list does not include any of the above. Not Our wildly popular pop culture lists are included. If we included those, 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,Published in September, it would be at the top (R–E-S-P–E-C-T). Also, it does not contain obituaries. Articles about the life or death of Joey Jordison, Dustin Diamond, Norm MacDonald, DMX,And Michael Nesmith These are not the most highly ranked.
These are our top stories for the year in reverse order:
“Everybody’s Absolutely Horrified”: High Society Is Bracing Itself for Ghislaine Maxwell’s Trial
On the eve of Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, people wondered whether the British socialite and longtime associate of disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein might name names if she took the stand. The trial concluded Wednesday, Maxwell being convicted of five out of six charges related sex trafficking. She will spend the rest her life behind bars. “Who should be afraid?” remains.
The NBA’s Anti-Vaxxers Are Trying to Push Around the League — And It’s Working
When Kyrie Irving’s camp told Rolling Stone that the Brooklyn Nets superstar would boycott home games rather than comply with New York’s vaccine requirement, it seemed like an anti-vaxxer fantasy. It turned out that it was very true.
He scored the first platinum hit. 45 years later, his family is fighting for every penny
For years, the heirs of R&B and disco star Johnnie Taylor have claimed Sony hasn’t been transparent with royalty payments. The label paid them $97,000 in royalty payments last year. However, the family spoke out. Rolling StoneAbout how they are still distrustful.
Bernie Sanders Made His Inauguration Memo into a Sweatshirt to Support Charity
Although it looks like it was taken last year, this photo is actually from the same year. Sanders’ campaign turned the viral photo of him bundled up at Joe Biden’s inauguration into a new sweatshirt, with all proceeds going to charity.
Kings of Leon will be the first band to release an album as an NFT
In March, the band revealed that they would be releasing a new album. How to See Yourself. in the form of a non-fungible token, and apparently was the first group to do so — and a lot of people were excited to read about it.
Here’s What’s Really Going On With That Video of a Woman Breastfeeding a Cat
If there’s anything we’ve learned about viral content, it’s that if a video seems too good to be true, it probably is. Avoid plane content.
Triumph of BTS
May: Rolling StoneHere’s how seven young music-biz stars became the largest band in the globe. “BTS’ downright magical levels of charisma, their genre-defying, sleek-but-personal music, even their casually nontoxic, skin-care-intensive brand of masculinity — every bit of it feels like a visitation from some brighter, more hopeful timeline.” An interview with BTS’ Jung Kook Also, this year’s most-read list was high up.
‘The Fuse Has Been Blown,’The Doomsday Glacier is Coming for All
This article was published Dec. 27, 2009. Some readers commented that the story reminded of the plot of Don’t Look Up,Netflix currently streams the content. New data suggests that the ice shelf may collapse within five years. “We are dealing with an event that no human has ever witnessed,”One scientist said so. “We have no analog for this.”
Secret Service Confirms John Mulaney Investigation Over ‘SNL’Jokes
John Mulaney explained: “The joke was about how it was a leap year, and leap year had been started by Julius Caesar to correct the calendar, and another thing that happened with Caesar was that he was stabbed by a bunch of senators ’cause he went crazy. I replied, ‘That’s an interesting thing that could happen.’ “
FBI Releases Kurt Cobain Long-Storied File
For decades, the government kept a file on conspiracy theories about Cobain’s death. The 10-page file was released in May and includes two letters, sent from names that have been redacted, urging the FBI to investigate Cobain’s 1994 death as a murder, rather than suicide.
Marilyn Manson: The Monster Hiding In Plain Sight
November Rolling Stone published a 9,500-word investigation into sexual-, physical-, and psychological-abuse claims against Brian Warner, better known as Marilyn Manson. Although he had been a provocative media darling over the decades, his exes claim that he was an abuser who made them miserable. (Related: The Nine-Month Investigation: 10 Key Takeaways)
Eric Clapton Isn’t Just Spouting Vaccine Nonsense — He’s Bankrolling It
Eric Clapton, who was the first to create rock guitar standards, became a prominent vaccine skeptic in 2021. A May articleOn him complaining about his “disastrous”Two AstraZeneca shots and a pleasant experience“Propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone,” he wrote) was high up on the most-read list, as was this October examination of Clapton’s past and present behavior, which includes shockingly racist statements and his funding an anti-vaccine band.
We’re All MissingThe Point of the Armie Hammer Cannibalism Scandal
In this commentary, EJ Dickson argues that the cannibalism fetish isn’t the most disturbing part of the leaked sexts that the star allegedly sent.
Jan. 6 Protest Organisers: They Participated ‘Dozens’Planning Meetings with Members Of Congress and White House Staff
Hunter Walker’s first investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 events, which culminated in a violent and deadly attack on Washington by a Trump-inspired mob seeking to stop the certification for the 2020 presidential election, is the most read piece of 2021. This article quoted Dustin Stockton and Jennifer Lynn Lawrence, two key organizers of the events of Jan. 6, who said members of Congress were involved in planning Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. This article is a follow-up pieceThese two organizers were also among the most read stories this year. They discussed their plans for testifying before the House select panel investigating the Capitol attack. Also, they promised to turn in documents, including texts messages, that show extensive involvement by members of Congress as well as the Trump administration. “We’re turning it all over and we’ll let the cards fall where they may,”Stockton stated.