(NewsNation) — News moves fast in the digital age. Stories that grabbed headlines for weeks in a previous era now last a matter of hours.
With the sheer volume of content, it’s easy to forget what happened and when.
Here are seven stories from 2022 you might have forgotten about.
Spotify gets backlash for Joe Rogan deal
In January, music streaming giant Spotify faced criticism after reportedly spending $100 million to become the sole distributor of Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Within days of the announcement, “Delete Spotify” started trending on Twitter and musicians like Neil Young asked to have their content removed from the platform.
The outcry re-ignited an ongoing debate about the extent to which streaming platforms should be responsible for moderating creators’ content.
Chinese spies target Olympic figure skater
Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu was one of several Americans targeted in a spy operation allegedly orchestrated by the Chinese government.
In March, the U.S. Justice Department charged five men in an espionage scheme. The DOJ said the men were acting on behalf of the Chinese government when they stalked and intimidated Chinese dissidents living in the U.S.
‘Jeopardy!’ announces permanent hosts
After a revolving door of celebrity guest hosts following the death of the beloved Alex Trebek, “Jeopardy!” announced in July that Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik would split hosting duties going forward.
Jennings has the record for the longest “Jeopardy!” winning streak, while Bialik holds a Ph.D in neuroscience and is known for her work as an actress on the “Big Bang Theory.”
Lizzo plays James Madison’s crystal flute
Grammy-award-winning singer Lizzo, who also happens to be a classically trained flautist, had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in September to play a crystal flute that belonged to former President James Madison.
In a video that went viral, Lizzo played a few notes while twerking before handing the flute back to someone on stage. Some in the conservative media felt the behavior was disrespectful to American history.
Fishermen cheating scandal in Ohio
In October, a scandal in the world of competitive fishing made national headlines after a video from the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Championship in Ohio appeared to show fish stuffed with lead weights ahead of the tournament’s final weigh-in.
Jacob Runyan, 42, and Chase Cominsky, 35, were charged with cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools and unlawful ownership of wild animals in connection to the incident.
1 person wins $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot
In November, one person won a grand prize worth more than $2 billion — the largest Powerball jackpot in history.
The ticket was sold at a gas station in Altadena, an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County, according to the California Lottery.
That person took home an estimated $997.6 million if they opted for the lump sum.
Search for missing daughter ends 51 years later
A Texas family was reunited last month more than 50 years after a kidnapper tore them apart. In 1971, 22-month-old Melissa Highsmith was abducted from her Fort Worth home by a babysitter who had answered a help-wanted ad in the local newspaper.
The breakthrough came after Jeffrie Highsmith, Melissa’s biological father, submitted DNA to 23andMe and learned that he was a match to Melissa’s children.
