Attention from across the world was focused on the north-east when, on August 12, three people were killed and six injured in a horrific train crash.
Heavy rain overnight led to a landslip on the railway line near Carmont, west of Stonehaven, causing a high speed train to derail.
Tributes were paid to Brett McCullough, Donald Dinnie and Christopher Stuchbury from across the world of transport, and thousands of pounds were raised in donations for their families.
There was also praise for off-duty ScotRail worker Nicola Whyte who, despite being injured herself, escaped the wreckage and walked three miles to raise the alarm and find help.
Just days before the crash, a series of local lockdown measures were imposed upon Aberdeen following a cluster of coronavirus cases linked to the hospitality industry.
Having started spreading at the Hawthorn Bar, it quickly involved 27 other premises. Health chiefs eventually determined that 263 people had been affected, with 1,265 close contacts identified.
During this time First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “furious” at eight players from Aberdeen FC who had broken lockdown rules to visit a bar – sparking the cancellation of an upcoming match and putting other fixtures in jeopardy.
That same month youngsters from across Scotland sat at their letterboxes impatiently waiting for their exam results.
While they initially faced predicted grades based on an algorithm, many found their final marks were lower than expected – prompting a dramatic reversal of the entire system and easing the disappointment of thousands of students.
July
July 2: A landslide at a Myanmar mine kills at least 174 people.
July 2: More than 800 people are arrested and £54m cash is seized by police as part of a sting to catch criminals using the EncroChat platform.
July 6: Beer gardens and outdoor dining reopen in Scotland.
July 9: High street stalwarts Boots and John Lewis announce job losses, with revenue hit by a drop in footfall.
July 10: The European Central Bank accepts Bulgaria and Croatia into the next step of the process of adopting the Euro.
July 10: Scotland moves into Phase 3 of its coronavirus route map, allowing for the reopening of hairdressers, pubs and visitor attractions. Face coverings in shops become mandatory.
July 14: The UK Government orders the removal of 5G equipment from Chinese firm Huawei over security fears.
July 21: Fears are raised that a “life-saving” flyover over the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road at Laurencekirk could be delayed because of four objectors.
July 23: Boris Johnson visits the Highlands and Northern Isles.
July 27: The operator of Aberdeen Market is fined £80,000 following the death of 80-year-old Frank Finnie, who lay undiscovered after falling down a dark flight of stairs in June 2018.
July 27: A major search operation is launched for George McGowan, 77, who got lost on Ben Bhraggie near Golspie. He is found after using a bike wing mirror to signal an SOS to a police helicopter.
July 30: Jackson Carlaw quits as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, just months after taking on the role.
July 30: Nasa launches the Mars 2020 rover mission to search for signs of ancient life.
July 30: Argos announces it will stop using its famed catalogue after almost 50 years, using two Inverness branches for a pilot test.
August
August 3: The Eat Out To Help Out scheme is rolled out across the UK.
August 4: Students across Scotland are given moderated results by the SQA, with 124,000 grades lower than estimated.
August 4: Two explosions caused by poorly-stored chemicals in Beirut, Lebanon, kill 220 people and injure thousands more.
August 5: Local lockdown measures are imposed on Aberdeen.
August 5: Douglas Ross is named the new Scottish Conservative leader.
August 10: Turner Prize winner Martin Creed unveils Everything Is Going To Be Alright, a multi-coloured neon installation in the grounds of Braemar Castle.
August 11: As youngsters begin returning to the classroom, Education Secretary John Swinney announces the SQA will reverse all downgraded exam results.
August 11: Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is appointed the party’s Scottish Parliament leader.
August 12: Three people are killed and six others injured in a train derailment near Stonehaven.
August 15: Events take place to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ (Victory in Japan) Day.
August 16: Ronnie O’Sullivan defeats Kyren Wilson to win the 2020 World Snooker Championship.
August 20: Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, is jailed for at least 55 years for his part in the atrocity.
August 26: Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos becomes the first person to have a net worth of more than $200 billion.
August 27: Sir Ed Davey is elected new leader of the Liberal Democrats.
August 28: Prison chiefs say work on a new jail for Inverness could begin in 2021 – but warn the total cost has soared by £26m to a total of £92m.
September
September 8: Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis says post-Brexit trading agreements could break international law in a “very specific and limited way”.
September 9: Shetland Islands Council agrees to look at options for “financial and political self-determination”.
September 10: The Protect Scotland contract tracing app launches.
September 12: Test events to reintroduce fans to sport take place, with crowds watching and Ross County host Celtic.
September 23: The “rule of six” comes into force in Scotland, allowing a maximum of six people from two households to meet outdoors.
September 25: A helicopter which crashed off the coast of Shetland in August 2013, killing four people, was caused by “pilot error,” Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle rules.
September 28: A series of coronavirus clusters is detected at Aberdeen University, with 216 people affected and “no evidence” of any wider spread.
September 29: The worldwide Covid-19 death toll reaches one million.
