Annus horribilis (pl. anni horribiles) is a
Latin phrase, meaning "horrible year". It is complementary to annus mirabilis, which means "wonderful year".
Origin of phrase
The phrase "annus horribilis" was used in 1891 in an
Anglican publication to describe 1870, the year in which the
dogma of papal infallibility was defined in the Catholic Church.[1]
1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.
The "sympathetic correspondent" was later revealed to be her former assistant private secretary,
Sir Edward Ford.[3] The unpleasant events which happened to the royal family in this year include:[4]
Publication of photographs pertaining to an affair between
Sarah, Duchess of York, and Texan oil millionaire Steve Wyatt (18 January)
Hollywood actor and filmmaker
Ben Affleck once described that the year 2003 was his annus horribilis.[7] Affleck starred in the films Daredevil and Gigli, both of which received negative reviews from critics. Gigli bombed in the box office and drew particular ire from Hollywood critics and moviegoers, which culminated in
six wins at the 24th Golden Raspberry Awards. In addition, Affleck and his fiancée and later second wife,
Jennifer Lopez, were mocked and criticised by the public for their seemingly accommodating attitudes to and henceforth over-exposure in the tabloid media.[citation needed]
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan, the
United Nations Secretary-General, used the phrase in his year-end press conference on 21 December 2004. He reflected: "There's no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that this annus horribilis is coming to an end."[8] His remarks were widely interpreted as having alluded to persistent allegations of corruption in the UN's Iraq
Oil-for-Food Program.[9] He also spoke of upheaval and violence in
Afghanistan, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Iraq,
Palestine, and
Sudan; the ongoing process of UN internal reform; and "persistent...
criticism against the UN" and himself personally.[8][9] Annan's remarks came five days before the deadliest event of the year (and one of the deadliest natural disasters in history), the
Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December, when 227,898 people died.
Juan Carlos I
In 2007, the
Spanish royal family, in particular
King Juan Carlos I, faced a difficult year. Family tragedy and a series of controversies led Spanish newspapers to refer to the year as the king's annus horribilis.[10]
In February, Érika Ortiz Rocasolano, the youngest sister of
Letizia, then the Princess of Asturias, died of a sedative overdose in her apartment.[11]
In July, a humour magazine, El Jueves, published a drawing that ran on the cover, depicting
Felipe VI (then the Prince of Asturias), and the aforementioned Princess Letizia having sex, with a caption reading: "Just imagine if you end up pregnant. This will be the closest thing to work I've ever done in my life." It satirized a proposal by the government to give 2,500 euros to the parents of newborn children. The magazine was banned and removed from distribution, which led to a censorship controversy.
In September,
Catalan separatists were tried for having burned photographs of King Juan Carlos and
Queen Sofía at an anti-monarchy and Catalan separatist rally in
Girona while the royal couple toured the city.
Shortly after the summit, the royal house announced the separation of the king's daughter, the
Duchess of Lugo, and her husband,
Jaime de Marichalar. The couple has two children,
Felipe and
Victoria.
COVID-19 pandemic
The year 2020 was widely remarked as being an annus horribilis for the entire world in general, most notably due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide throughout 2020.[12][13][14] 2020 was also awarded a "Special Governors' Award for The Worst Calendar Year EVER!" at the
41st Golden Raspberry Awards. At the end of the year,
Netflix released Death to 2020, a mockumentary discussing the events of the year.