Pictures of the Year: Top images from 2020(54 images)

2020 has been a year unlike any other, with the world coming to a virtual standstill amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected every aspect of life. UPI photographers around the United States and the world captured the year from all angles. Here are some of the most striking images.

Some 20,000 American flags are placed by the COVID Memorial Project on the National Mall to represent the 200,000 Americans who had died due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Washington, D.C., on September 21. The death toll has since surged even higher. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

A protester participates in a rally at the U.S. Capitol against police brutality and the death of George Floyd on June 3. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A worshipper has their temperature taken with an infrared thermometer at the entrance of Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo on October 18. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

A child wears a face shield while playing near an open fire hydrant as temperatures reached around 90 degrees in a summer of extremely hot and humid weather in New York City on July 29, 2020. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Tiger Woods is framed by fall foliage as he putts on the 12th green during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on November 12. The tournament is normally held in May; it was delayed due to the pandemic. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Justin Mayes, from the Willie Watkins Funeral Home, scatters rose petals on the Edmund Pettus Bridge before the start of the procession carrying the casket of Rep. John Lewis in Selma, Ala., on July 26. Lewis died at age 80 after serving 32 years in Congress. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo

Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Fla., on February 2. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A visitor takes in the views of New Jersey and the Manhattan skyline at the Edge sky deck in Hudson Yards in New York City on March 11. The highest outdoor sky deck (100th floor) in the Western Hemisphere offers 360-degree views. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

David Ragan (36) maneuvers by the inverted car of Ryan Newman at the finish of the Daytona 500 in Daytona, Fla., on February 17. Photo by Edwin Locke/UPI | License Photo

Officially designated social distancing circles are set up to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Domino Park in New York City on May 21. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A woman walks through Times Square wearing protective goggles, latex gloves and a face mask in New York City on April 7,. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A protester participates in a rally at the U.S. Capitol against police brutality and the death of George Floyd on June 3. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Palestinian groom Mohamed abu Daga (L) and bride Israa wear face masks amid the COVID-19 epidemic during a photo shoot before their wedding ceremony in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, on March 23. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

Dr. Michelle Chester fills a syringe with the fluid of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center Northwell Health in New York City on December 14. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Workers in protective suits wait for the arrival of possible patients at New York state's first drive-through coronavirus mobile testing center at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, N.Y., on March 13. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A shopper navigates an aisle of shelves empty of toilet paper due to coronavirus panic stockpiling in San Francisco on March 12. Photo by Peter DaSilva/UPI | License Photo

A man walks on Haight Street past a boarded-up business in San Francisco on March 18 during a "shelter in place" order due to the pandemic. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A worker adjusts a candle at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City on December 21, where the church is closed to the public for Christmas this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

The USNS Comfort Navy ship is docked at Pier 90, treating COVID-19 patients to help reduce the strain and pressure placed on the hospitals in New York City on April 16. The ship discharged its final patient later that month. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Demonstrators wear "Handmaid's Tale" costumes as they protest the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court on October 15. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Mark and Patricia McCloskey hold a pistol and semi-automatic rifle as protesters walk past their house en route to St. Louis, Mo., Mayor Lyda Krewson's home on June 28. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

A Super Worm Moon sets behind the Statue Of Liberty shorty before sunrise on March 8 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

South Korean war veterans, joined by military and government officials, release doves toward North Korea as a gesture of peace at a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War in Cheorwon, South Korea on June 25. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

Military helicopters perform a flyover while cadets throw their hats in the air after a commencement ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the ceremony on June 13. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Trump hugs and kisses an American flag as he concludes his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 29 in National Harbor, Md. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

Trump supporters, one wearing a President Trump mask, rally under a giant American flag on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., on December 12. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Shakira (L) and Jennifer Lopez perform during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on February 2. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Janelle Monáe arrives for the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 9. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Kayleigh McEnany, White House press secretary, listens as President Donald Trump delivers remarks on "Operation Legend: Combating Violent Crime in American Cities" in the East Room of White House on July 22. Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo

Trump arrives for a coronavirus briefing at the White House on April 2. Photo Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Paulina Rubio walks the red carpet at the Latin Billboard Music Awards in Sunrise, Fla., on October 21. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo

Lightning strikes near One World Trade Center and the skyline of Manhattan in New York City on July 22. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on July 30. Onboard the vehicle are NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity Mars helicopter. Both spacecraft are destined for Mars and are scheduled to arrive on the Red Planet in February 2021. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

Trees burn in the Glass Fire in Napa County, Calif., on September 27. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A woman dances with a Trump flag during a campaign rally for the president's re-election in Lancaster, Pa., on November 1. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo

Observers dressed in black hold a protest against sexual assault outside while American film producer Harvey Weinstein is in Manhattan Court as jury selection continues in his sexual misconduct trial on January 10. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Fireworks are set off over the Lincoln Memorial as Trump hosts the "Salute to America" event to celebrate America's Independence Day in Washington, D.C., on July 4. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

A double rainbow appears over Gaza City on a rainy day on on February 10. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

Cincinnati Reds players watch from the dugout in the ninth inning in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series in Atlanta on October 1. Photo by Tami Chappell/UPI | License Photo

A church worker prays before a service with photos of parishioners at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Maryland Heights, Mo., on April 19. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Trump speaks at a press briefing on COVID-19 at the White House on February 26. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol during a short recess in the impeachment trial of Trump on January 21. Photo by Pete Marovich/UPI | License Photo

Lev Parnas waits in the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to procure tickets to the Senate impeachment trial of Trump at the U.S. Capitol on January 29. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

Trump participates in the final debate with former Vice President Joe Biden at Belmont University in Nashville on October 22. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (R) and her husband Doug Emhoff buy a shirt that reads "Madam Vice President" at the D.C. Holiday Market on Small Business Saturday in Washington, D.C., on November 28. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

The St. Louis Cardinals' Jack Flaherty wears shoes with names of those who have been killed by police, as he delivers a pitch to the Cleveland Indians in St. Louis on August 29. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Chuck Smith, running for attorney general in Virginia, speaks to members of the Right to Bear Arms in front of the state Capitol in Richmond on June 20. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

Vanessa Mnobu of Frederick, Md., participates in a demonstration at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., on June 27. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo

Officers in riot gear approach protesters during a demonstration against the Minnesota police killing of George Floyd near the White House on June 1. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo

Sami Snow reacts as friends pass by during a surprise drive-by Bat Mitzvah celebration for her in Potomac, Md., on May 2. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A model takes the catwalk during Yves Saint Laurent's show as part of the Fall-Winter 2020 Fashion Week presentations in Paris on February 25. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo

Works of art titled "Seascape" are on display at a press preview for "Gerhard Richter: Painting After All" at the Met Breuer in New York City on March 2. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Ariana Grande arrives at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the Grammy Awards on January 26. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

A worker walks through cardboard cutouts of fans before the Philadelphia Eagles play the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on September 20. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

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