Dr. Anthony Fauci’s quote that implored people to “wear a mask” topped a Yale librarian’s list of notable 2020 quotes, The Associated Press reported Monday.
Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the library, compiles the list every year for the “Yale Book of Quotations,” the AP reported. The list was first published in 2006. (RELATED: Dictionary Names ‘Lockdown’ As 2020’s Word Of The Year)
“I think the two biggest news stories this year were the pandemic and the election campaign,” Shapiro told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“In terms of the pandemic, it was a major development that Dr. Fauci and other experts who had originally not been advocating everyone wearing masks because they were concerned there wouldn’t be enough masks to go around for healthcare personnel. They changed to advocate everyone should wear masks and it obviously was a major development in terms of healthcare and politics,” Shapiro told the DCNF.
Fauci plea to “wear a mask” tops list of most notable 2020 quotes https://t.co/lFupzf0dTB pic.twitter.com/dNz4nmgFTn
— The Hill (@thehill) December 7, 2020
Fauci first said the notable quote during a May 21 interview on CNN, the AP reported.
Taking second place on Yale’s list was George Floyd’s “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd had said “I can’t breathe” while former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck when being arrested, The Hill reported.
Floyd’s death sparked racial justice protests across the country.
Shapiro said the third biggest story in 2020 was racial tensions, but the “I can’t breathe quote” has appeared on his list previously.
Black Lives Matter has used the quote for years in order to rally after Erik Garner said it before his death in police custody in New York.
“The fact that the exact same issue is still with us I thought was very notable,” Shapiro told the DCNF.
Shapiro said he chooses the quotes based on whether they are famous or are especially indicative of the essence of the times, the AP reported. Others who made the list were President Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden, former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Los Angeles Clipper’s coach Doc Rivers.
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