Special

In the early morning hours of Jan. 7, Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, was elected speaker of the House on a 15th ballot, the longest such fight since before the Civil War. By October, however, he would already be ousted from that role.Why did Mr. McCarthy eventually lose his speakership?

On Jan. 30, the streaming service said it would add a “content advisory” notice to virus-related content after growing complaints from musicians and listeners over the role of Joe Rogan, the service’s star podcaster, in spreading what had been widely criticized as misinformation about the coronavirus.

, defying pleas from his own party to resign, said on Feb. 2 that he would remain in office, and flatly denied — despite an earlier admission — that he had worn Ku Klux Klan robes or appeared in blackface in an image from his medical school yearbook that had upended his governorship and embarrassed…

What story could this image tell? Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this illustration. Post it in the comments, then read the related article to find out what this image is all about. Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson…

Times readers shared their fun, unique and eccentric holiday rituals — like singing to the turkey with a sibling while it roasts outside. What are yours?

See what you remember about this extraordinary year by taking our special 2024 news quiz.

A lucky dime, an old shirt, a sentimental piece of refuse — do you own anything that has a meaningful story behind it? Tell us about it.