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Obama Administration
January 20th, 2009. Barack Obama was the first African American man voted and put into presidency in the history of the United states. This brought on many cultural sways, seeing as a good 50% of elderly African American citizens came out and voted for him (ones that wouldn’t usually vote). Obama’s “catchphrase” or slogan for his first presidential campaign was “Change”. -
Deepwater Horizon Explosion
On the 20th of April, 2010, the oil company BP’s drill in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and caused a massive leak after it sank. This greatly impacted the fishing industry that was prevalent in the Gulf. In June, scientists confirmed that the BP oil spill was the largest oil spill in history. Not only did all the fresh, crude oil spreading into the Gulf damage the fishing industry, but the ecosystem there as well. Birds were covered in oil, so they were weighed down and drowned in the Gulf. -
Japan Earthquake
The most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan struck, causing massive tsunamis and flooding a majority of the island. Tsunamis reached a height of 133 feet when they struck the Island. 15,878 people were confirmed dead due to the Earthquake, and 129,225 buildings were collapsed in the Country of Japan. The Earthquake also caused three Level 7 Meltdowns at their Nuclear Factories. The estimates of reparations came to 34.6 Billion dollars. -
Assassination of Osama Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden was the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda when killed in Pakistan on May 2nd. The U.S. Navy Seal Team 6 was the group set to do the killing, and came through with that when the U.S. discovered his hidden compound in Pakistan. The death was confirmed May 6th by Al-Qaeda on May 6th when threats and messages were broadcast stating that they would avenge the killing. People question why Seal Team 6 didn't take him in alive despite him being unarmed. -
SOPA
Stop Online Piracy Act was a bill proposed on the 26th of October. While the bill had good intentions, parts of it were too damaging and vague. It would have taken care of (through punishment) the posting of copyrighted material across the internet. This sounded good, but it left it to such interpretation that your little sister could be imprisoned for 5 years for posting those lyrics to her favorite song. The bill was just too damaging for it to be sustained. -
Aurora Theater Shooting
The Aurora Theater Shooting was committed by James Holmes. He injured 58 and killed 12 people in the shooting. James Holmes attempted to use the Insanity plea when was present in court. This seems unlikely to occur due to the fact that he was very aware of his position and surroundings, as well as had the event planned out and written in a journal at his booby-trapped apartment. James Holmes was armed with numerous weapons including tear gas and two hand guns. -
iPhone 5 Release
This is the 6th generation of the iPhone that has been released by Apple and is a major competitor in the smart phone market. This is important because it is showing the steady and greatly progressive science that we are implementing in our daily lives. Not even 100 years ago and we were so stunted technologically, but now we have so much to use at our disposal. iPad’s and iPhone’s are a common thing now, we are becoming more technologically dependent, we’re progressing. -
Hurricane Sandy
The hurricane Sandy was only a category 2 hurricane, yet it devastated the East Coast. The Hurricane left the East Coast without power for days, and it ravaged those in New York, anyone really who lives on the coast. Every State’s National Guard was put on alert and sent off to their states emergency shelters during the Hurricane. The subways in New York were flooded by the stormy waters. -
Amendment 64
The Amendment was passed in Colorado on the 6th of November, but proposes some issues. The legality of Marijuana is a bit of conundrum considering that it’s illegal on a Federal level yet legal on a state level. This issue is to be discussed in the future over the clash of Federal vs. State. Over all, this is a step forward in the plane of legalizing un-harmful substances. -
International CES
Consumer Electronics Show is a show that has been held in Las Vegas since 1998 and is a front for many of the new electronics that are ever introduced to the public. Some of the staples of today have been shown at CES, including (as of late) VCR’s and Flat screens just to name a few. This year, they’re showing Ultra-High resolution TV’s.
