Our 25 Favorite Longreads of 2020
We weren’t just bingeing Netflix in this pandemic-blighted year. We were reading—voraciously. Yes, in 2020 WIRED readers flocked to long-form stories about the coronavirus disaster. But they also devoured in-depth articles about everything from alleged poker cheats to digital blackface to the finer points of eluding a hungry dinosaur.
So, on the off-chance that you missed any of these gems, we’re here to suggest a holiday reading list of our favorites from the past year. It’s an admittedly subjective compilation, fueled by the picks of WIRED editors, reader favorites, and, yes, a few of my own darlings.
Enjoy some reading. Then you can go back to Netflix.
Year in Review: What WIRED learned from tech, science, culture, and more in 2020
Artwork by Amy Friend; Photograph by Jack BoolThe Devastating Decline of a Brilliant Young Coder
Lee Holloway programmed internet security firm Cloudflare into being. Then he became apathetic, distant, and unpredictable—for a long time, no one could make sense of it.
Photographs: Ian AllenThe True Story of the Antifa Invasion of Forks, Washington
A false report on Twitter exploded into a call to arms. Then a bus, carrying a family and two dogs, rolled into a remote Northwestern town.
Photograph: Cody CobbThe Greatest Climate-Protecting Technology Ever Devised
Through the profound, irreplaceable, utterly ordinary bit of magic that is photosynthesis, old trees can hold far more carbon than anybody else.
Photograph: KEIRNAN MONAGHAN & THEO VAMVOUNAKISThe Cheating Scandal That Ripped the Poker World Apart
Mike Postle was on an epic winning streak at a California casino. Veronica Brill thought he had to be playing dirty. Let the chips fall where they may.
Photograph: Supranav DashThe Rise of a Hindu Vigilante in the Age of WhatsApp and Modi
India, the world's largest democracy, has also become the world's largest experiment in social-media-fueled terror.
PHOTOGRAPH: IKE EDEANITo Run My Best Marathon at Age 44, I Had to Outrun My Past
After 20 years of long-distance competition, I ran my fastest. All it took was tech, training, and a new understanding of my life.
Photograph: Jessica PettwayTikTok and the Evolution of Digital Blackface
On the app, users drape themselves in the trappings of Black culture—and steal the viral spotlight. It’s exploitation at its most refined and disturbing.
Photograph: Kevin SernaMy Friend Was Struck by ALS. To Fight Back, He Built a Movement
At 37, Brian Wallach was diagnosed with the fatal disease. So he tapped a lifetime of connections to give help and hope to fellow sufferers—while grappling with his own mortality.
Photographs by Terry Schmitt/San Francisco Chronicle/Polaris; Jessica Christian/San Franicsco Chronicle/Getty ImagesSan Francisco Was Uniquely Prepared for Covid-19
Why did an American city beset by inequality and dysfunction face the onset of the pandemic so well? Because history left it ready for this moment.
Illustration: JOHANNA GOODMANThe Gospel of Wealth According to Marc Benioff
The Salesforce founder has donated a fortune to right capitalism's wrongs, and he thinks his fellow billionaires should too. Why can't we just be grateful?
Photograph: Ramona RosalesThe Confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the Hacker Who Saved the Internet
At 22, he single-handedly put a stop to the worst cyberattack the world had ever seen. Then he was arrested by the FBI. This is his untold story.
Illustration: SAM WHITNEYThe Strange and Twisted Tale of Hydroxychloroquine
The much-hyped drug sparked a battle between power and knowledge. Let’s not repeat it.
Illustration: Mark Weaver/Getty ImagesGoing the Distance (and Beyond) to Catch Marathon Cheaters
Derek Murphy investigates runners whose times seem suspicious, which is what brought him to a 70-year-old doctor named Frank Meza.
Photograph: James Devaney/Getty ImagesThe Real Reason Veterinarians Gave a Tiger a Covid-19 Test
It’s hard for humans in New York City to get a test for the coronavirus. So when a Bronx Zoo tiger tested positive for Covid-19, it invited some questions.
Photograph: Jose Azel/Getty ImagesThe Media Monsters in the National Dialog
Journalists are the bane of your existence. Which is why we need to talk about spelling and computer history. Seriously.
Illustration: Sam Whitney; Getty Images; Photograph by Matt MasonA Nameless Hiker and the Case the Internet Can’t Crack
The man on the trail went by “Mostly Harmless." He was friendly and said he worked in tech. After he died in his tent, no one could figure out who he was.
Courtesy of Colonial WilliamsburgThe Quest to Unearth One of America’s Oldest Black Churches
First Baptist Church was founded in secret in 1776. It’s been hidden under a parking lot in Colonial Williamsburg for decades—a metaphor for the failures of archaeology and American history.
Illustration: Elena LaceyHow to Outrun a Dinosaur
If, through some scientific malfunction, you found yourself transported 70 million years into the past, you might be safer from certain hungry reptiles than you think.
Photograph: David Ryder/ReutersFirst Denial, Then Fear: Covid-19 Patients in Their Own Words
People infected with the coronavirus try to cope as the crisis accelerates. The professionals taking care of them are quickly becoming overwhelmed.
Illustration: Elena Lacey; Getty ImagesInside the Early Days of China’s Coronavirus Cover-Up
The dawn of a pandemic—as seen through the news and social media posts that vanished from China’s internet.
Photograph: Rozette RagoGravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel
For decades, Jim Woodward dreamed of a propellantless engine to take humans to the stars. Now he thinks he’s got it. But is it revolutionary—or illusory?
Illustration: Sam WhitneyHow Work Became an Inescapable Hellhole
Instead of optimizing work, technology has created a nonstop barrage of notifications and interactions. Six months into a pandemic, it's worse than ever.
Photograph: Paloma RincónHow Much Is a Human Life Actually Worth?
As the US economy reopens amid a deadly pandemic, a dire question looms. Let's weigh the risks—and do the math.
Illustration: Sam Whitney; Getty ImagesDeath, Love, and the Solace of a Million Motorcycle Parts
To cope with the uncertainty and sadness over my mother-in-law’s death, I set about building a four-cylinder superbike.
Illustrations by Eduardo RamónThe Secret History of a Cold War Mastermind
Gus Weiss, a shrewd intelligence insider, pulled off an audacious tech hack against the Soviets in the last century. Or did he?