Considering the year is about 10 days before it's end (depending on where you live it could be 9...), I figured it was about time I summed up all the biggest events of the departing 2013. Before we all go welcoming in the next year, let's take a trip down memory lane and remember all the things that shocked us, made us laugh or disappointed us, so that we can cherish them, not only for 2014, but for many years to come.
Since the number of events that occurred during this year were many, I figured I would take it one month at a time. As always, a year begins with January. This month brought about what could be one of the greatest discoveries of our generation, as the Curiosity Rover vehicle that was deployed by NASA to our neighboring planet, Mars, found Calcium deposits on it's surface, which could lead to further evidence that it's environment does in fact contain water! In other news, U.S. President Barrack Obama was reinstated in office at the White House and during his inauguration, gave his word that he would do his best in order for homosexuals (which he publicly called "gay") to be treated as equals in society and have the rights that other people have. In Japan, plans were made to build the world's largest wind farm next to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In sports, Leonel Messi won his third consecutive Ballon D'or award, a feat accomplished only by the current UEFA chairman Michel Platini. Meanwhile, gold-medal cyclist and testicular cancer survivor Lance Armstrong admitted to using drug-enhancements during all his major sporting events.
The greatest news of February were a massive storm that hit part of the U.S. and Canada, resulting in 15 deaths and more than 5,000 flight cancellations, a meteor that grazes the surface of the Earth (30 miles), fragments of which landed in Siberia and resulted in 1,200 injuries and the Pope Benedict XVIth's resignation and speech. Shocking news when it was revealed that South African runner Oscar Pistorius had killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He pleaded innocent, claiming that he mistook her for an intruder. In entertainment news, Jennifer Lawrence becomes the youngest actress to win an Academy Award for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook".
March was marked by the election of a new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would henceforth be known as Pope Francis, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson (a.k.a. the "God") particle, and a $13 billion bailout for Cyprus that was decided by the EU and the IMF in common, but brought outrage to the Cypriot people. In Mexico, president Hugo Chavez dies and Nicolas Maduro is elected to take up presidency until the next election takes place.
The tragedy of the Boston Marathon monopolized interest for most of April. Very close to the finish line, someone had placed a bomb which killed three people and a few hours later, another bomb went off at a nearby library. After a series of events, it was revealed that the ones behind the incident were Chechenyan brothers Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev. After a shootout with the police, only the one survived and was arrested. In other news, same-sex marriage seemed to be gaining a lot of support since the number of countries that had signed the official bill for it was raised to 15 (amongst them France). In Mexico, Maduro was officially elected president after Chavez's death. And in sports, Bayern Munich conquered the Bundesliga, having six games to spare, and Manchester United are once again crowned Premier League champions.
In May, the Syrian civil war that had been taking place leaks into Lebanon, which forces the U.S. to take action. Senator John McCain goes to Syria and speaks to the rebels, explaining to them a possible involvement of the U.S. in their affairs. To what the same-sex marriage is concerned, the issue seemed to be gathering even more support, but it makes sense that there would be people with a different opinion. Some of them made themselves heard in France. About 100,000 people gathered in front of parliament to protest the upvote, which resulted in more than 100 arrests. In sports, May was the deciding month for most championships. In Italy it was Juventus, in France it was Paris Saint-Germain, in Spain it was Barcelona. The Champions League went to Bayern Munich after a dramatic final against Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund that ended 2-1, and considering Bayern had also won the Bundesliga itself and they won the German Cup a few days later, they made history by becoming the first ever German team to make a treble. In England, Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson retired after 27 years at the club, saying his tearful goodbyes during his final game at the Old Trafford with a standing ovation of over 60,000 people. Former Everton manager David Moyes is hired to replace him.
June was defined by the massive outbreaks in Egypt during president Mohammed Morsi's inauguration. More than 1 million people of all social and financial statuses took to the streets, demanding he step down. Not a day later, their request was granted and Adly Manssour was appointed interim president. In Australia, the first ever female Prime Minister Julia Gillard is forced to resign after being ousted in a labor party vote. In sports, Serena Williams and Rafa Nadal conquer the U.S. Open, the Miami Heat are crowned NBA champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-3 and LeBron James is named Player Of The Year.
England seemed to monopolize interest during July. The main reason was that Lady Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, had a baby. This boy is to be the third in line for Great Britain's throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William. He is later named George Alexander Louis. The second reason is that Her Majesty, the Queen decided to upvote same-sex marriages in England and Wales, leading many couples to have civil or religious weddings. Other major news included the "Snowden incident" during which, an airplane that was heading from Russia to South America was denied access because it was firmly believed by the European nations that the former CIA agent that had leaked classified intel, Edward Snowden was on board. Unfortunately, the person who was on board, Bolivian politician Morales, saw this as a diplomatic furor and one day after the incident, despite France's official apology, he meets with the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, demanding an official explanation about the course of events. In sports, Marion Bartoli and Andy Murray win in the Wimbledon Tennis Open.
August sees the continuation of the "Snowden incident" take place, with Russia providing asylum to the refugee, rendering the U.S. unable to locate him. Meanwhile, in Syria there are reports of chemical weapon use during the civil war and Egypt police declares the country in a state of emergency, due to it's lack of manpower. In entertainment news, the 30th MTV Awards take place, and among the winners are Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars.
In September, and after the United Nations officially confirm the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war, U.S. president Barrack Obama takes action and asks the Senate for approval in order to take military action. In Australia, Tony Abbott becomes Prime Minister after a liberal party coalition. 515 people are killed in Pakistan after a 7,7 magnitude earthquake. In sports, Rafa Nadal and Selena Williams win the 2013 U.S. Open and in entertainment, "Modern Family" and "Breaking Bad" win Prime Time Emmy Awards.
The shutdown of the U.S. government was the headline for most of October. This occured due to a disagreement between the Republicans in the White House and the government itself, over a new health care bill. After 16 days of negotiations, the U.S. government officially begins working again on 16/10. The events of the "Snowden incident" continue to unfold, in the meantime. After yet another leak, it is revealed to the French people that during the course of one day, about 70 million of their tele-communications had been monitored in 2010. Also, another revelation that sees the light of day is that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone had been wired since 2002 by the NSA. Both these events lead to the strain of relations between the U.S. and the two European countries. The Organization For the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins 2013 Nobel Peace prize, and Peter Higgs and Francois Englert win 2013 Nobel Physics prize.
The leader of the Taliban is taken down by U.S. forces and the trial of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi begins. And that pretty much sums up an uneventful November. In entertainment, Eminem is named Global Icon at the 2013 MTV Video Awards. He also performs at the first ever Youtube awards. At a tragic car accident, Hollywood actor and "Fast and the Furious" star Paul Walker, dies.
In our current month, December, the death of a person has cast it's shadow over everything. The one I am speaking of is of course South African inspirational leader, Nelson Mandela. His death is mourned by people the world over and his funeral is attended by thousands. Meanwhile, in Ukraine there are massive protests in order for the current president Viktor Yanukovich to resign and India bans same sex marriage. In sports, the World Cup 2014 group draw is made. Amongst the teams playing, special note is made on the group containing England, Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
And there you have it! The year in review (or at least to what politics and sports are concerned. I'll do another "special" review for the year in gaming, considering the events that occurred in that field are so many, I need a whole different post!). The one thing that isn't in this post, and that I did notice while doing my review, was the very high number of casualties, especially in the African zone! If I am allowed one wish for this next year, it is for everyone to get along better! We all live on the same planet, there's no need to fight over it! Happy New Year everyone!!!
Since the number of events that occurred during this year were many, I figured I would take it one month at a time. As always, a year begins with January. This month brought about what could be one of the greatest discoveries of our generation, as the Curiosity Rover vehicle that was deployed by NASA to our neighboring planet, Mars, found Calcium deposits on it's surface, which could lead to further evidence that it's environment does in fact contain water! In other news, U.S. President Barrack Obama was reinstated in office at the White House and during his inauguration, gave his word that he would do his best in order for homosexuals (which he publicly called "gay") to be treated as equals in society and have the rights that other people have. In Japan, plans were made to build the world's largest wind farm next to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In sports, Leonel Messi won his third consecutive Ballon D'or award, a feat accomplished only by the current UEFA chairman Michel Platini. Meanwhile, gold-medal cyclist and testicular cancer survivor Lance Armstrong admitted to using drug-enhancements during all his major sporting events.
The greatest news of February were a massive storm that hit part of the U.S. and Canada, resulting in 15 deaths and more than 5,000 flight cancellations, a meteor that grazes the surface of the Earth (30 miles), fragments of which landed in Siberia and resulted in 1,200 injuries and the Pope Benedict XVIth's resignation and speech. Shocking news when it was revealed that South African runner Oscar Pistorius had killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He pleaded innocent, claiming that he mistook her for an intruder. In entertainment news, Jennifer Lawrence becomes the youngest actress to win an Academy Award for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook".
March was marked by the election of a new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would henceforth be known as Pope Francis, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson (a.k.a. the "God") particle, and a $13 billion bailout for Cyprus that was decided by the EU and the IMF in common, but brought outrage to the Cypriot people. In Mexico, president Hugo Chavez dies and Nicolas Maduro is elected to take up presidency until the next election takes place.
The tragedy of the Boston Marathon monopolized interest for most of April. Very close to the finish line, someone had placed a bomb which killed three people and a few hours later, another bomb went off at a nearby library. After a series of events, it was revealed that the ones behind the incident were Chechenyan brothers Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev. After a shootout with the police, only the one survived and was arrested. In other news, same-sex marriage seemed to be gaining a lot of support since the number of countries that had signed the official bill for it was raised to 15 (amongst them France). In Mexico, Maduro was officially elected president after Chavez's death. And in sports, Bayern Munich conquered the Bundesliga, having six games to spare, and Manchester United are once again crowned Premier League champions.
In May, the Syrian civil war that had been taking place leaks into Lebanon, which forces the U.S. to take action. Senator John McCain goes to Syria and speaks to the rebels, explaining to them a possible involvement of the U.S. in their affairs. To what the same-sex marriage is concerned, the issue seemed to be gathering even more support, but it makes sense that there would be people with a different opinion. Some of them made themselves heard in France. About 100,000 people gathered in front of parliament to protest the upvote, which resulted in more than 100 arrests. In sports, May was the deciding month for most championships. In Italy it was Juventus, in France it was Paris Saint-Germain, in Spain it was Barcelona. The Champions League went to Bayern Munich after a dramatic final against Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund that ended 2-1, and considering Bayern had also won the Bundesliga itself and they won the German Cup a few days later, they made history by becoming the first ever German team to make a treble. In England, Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson retired after 27 years at the club, saying his tearful goodbyes during his final game at the Old Trafford with a standing ovation of over 60,000 people. Former Everton manager David Moyes is hired to replace him.
June was defined by the massive outbreaks in Egypt during president Mohammed Morsi's inauguration. More than 1 million people of all social and financial statuses took to the streets, demanding he step down. Not a day later, their request was granted and Adly Manssour was appointed interim president. In Australia, the first ever female Prime Minister Julia Gillard is forced to resign after being ousted in a labor party vote. In sports, Serena Williams and Rafa Nadal conquer the U.S. Open, the Miami Heat are crowned NBA champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-3 and LeBron James is named Player Of The Year.
England seemed to monopolize interest during July. The main reason was that Lady Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, had a baby. This boy is to be the third in line for Great Britain's throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William. He is later named George Alexander Louis. The second reason is that Her Majesty, the Queen decided to upvote same-sex marriages in England and Wales, leading many couples to have civil or religious weddings. Other major news included the "Snowden incident" during which, an airplane that was heading from Russia to South America was denied access because it was firmly believed by the European nations that the former CIA agent that had leaked classified intel, Edward Snowden was on board. Unfortunately, the person who was on board, Bolivian politician Morales, saw this as a diplomatic furor and one day after the incident, despite France's official apology, he meets with the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, demanding an official explanation about the course of events. In sports, Marion Bartoli and Andy Murray win in the Wimbledon Tennis Open.
August sees the continuation of the "Snowden incident" take place, with Russia providing asylum to the refugee, rendering the U.S. unable to locate him. Meanwhile, in Syria there are reports of chemical weapon use during the civil war and Egypt police declares the country in a state of emergency, due to it's lack of manpower. In entertainment news, the 30th MTV Awards take place, and among the winners are Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars.
In September, and after the United Nations officially confirm the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war, U.S. president Barrack Obama takes action and asks the Senate for approval in order to take military action. In Australia, Tony Abbott becomes Prime Minister after a liberal party coalition. 515 people are killed in Pakistan after a 7,7 magnitude earthquake. In sports, Rafa Nadal and Selena Williams win the 2013 U.S. Open and in entertainment, "Modern Family" and "Breaking Bad" win Prime Time Emmy Awards.
The shutdown of the U.S. government was the headline for most of October. This occured due to a disagreement between the Republicans in the White House and the government itself, over a new health care bill. After 16 days of negotiations, the U.S. government officially begins working again on 16/10. The events of the "Snowden incident" continue to unfold, in the meantime. After yet another leak, it is revealed to the French people that during the course of one day, about 70 million of their tele-communications had been monitored in 2010. Also, another revelation that sees the light of day is that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone had been wired since 2002 by the NSA. Both these events lead to the strain of relations between the U.S. and the two European countries. The Organization For the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins 2013 Nobel Peace prize, and Peter Higgs and Francois Englert win 2013 Nobel Physics prize.
The leader of the Taliban is taken down by U.S. forces and the trial of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi begins. And that pretty much sums up an uneventful November. In entertainment, Eminem is named Global Icon at the 2013 MTV Video Awards. He also performs at the first ever Youtube awards. At a tragic car accident, Hollywood actor and "Fast and the Furious" star Paul Walker, dies.
In our current month, December, the death of a person has cast it's shadow over everything. The one I am speaking of is of course South African inspirational leader, Nelson Mandela. His death is mourned by people the world over and his funeral is attended by thousands. Meanwhile, in Ukraine there are massive protests in order for the current president Viktor Yanukovich to resign and India bans same sex marriage. In sports, the World Cup 2014 group draw is made. Amongst the teams playing, special note is made on the group containing England, Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
And there you have it! The year in review (or at least to what politics and sports are concerned. I'll do another "special" review for the year in gaming, considering the events that occurred in that field are so many, I need a whole different post!). The one thing that isn't in this post, and that I did notice while doing my review, was the very high number of casualties, especially in the African zone! If I am allowed one wish for this next year, it is for everyone to get along better! We all live on the same planet, there's no need to fight over it! Happy New Year everyone!!!
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