2014 now lies in the history books, and it was definitely one to look back and reflect upon. New inventions were created, conflicts were started, and events happened that no one will soon forget. As we do every year (or at least since 2012), we're going to look back at 14 of the biggest stories of the year. These stories range from technology to politics to sports to everything in-between. Let's get started.
1. The Ebola Outbreak- It seems like every year, there is a "new and exotic" disease that everyone is afraid of getting of. Past examples include SARS and swine flu. This year, it was Ebola. Despite the disease existing for decades, 2014 was the year it burst into the international spotlight. Soon, countries all over the world were taking preventive measures against it. The Ebola Fighters were even named POY by TIME.
2. Ferguson, Missouri- This small town was put on the map after an African-American teenager named Michael Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Brown was unarmed at the time, but reports conflict about his actions right before his death. In response to the teen's death, the city erupted in violent protests that featured tear gas and looting. Wilson (who was married in October) was found not guilty by a grand jury, causing even more unrest. The riots were the most tweeted about event of the year.
3. ISIS- Originally an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria burst onto the headlines this summer. In June, they began invading cities in Iraq. Later that month, they announced the creation of a caliphate. Since then, the radical Muslim group has continued to shock the world by releasing the videos of beheading hostages and recruiting people from all over the world, including the United States.
4. U.S./Cuba Relations- In December, President Obama made a landmark announcement would begin restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. He announced that the U.S. would re-open an embassy in Havana and soften travel restrictions. The move came about after Cuba released American Alan Gross, who had been held captive for five years. This ends a thaw between the two countries that started in 1961.
5. Malaysian Airlines- It was not a good year for Malaysian Airlines. First, in March, Flight 370 disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Crews are still searching from the plane. Then, four months later, Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 passengers and crew members were killed. A final report on the crash is expected in August of 2015.
6. Taylor Swift- The country star's newest album 1989 was the best-selling album of 2014 and one of only two albums that sold over 1 million copies (the other was the Frozen soundtrack). Swift also made headlines when she had all of her music pulled from Spotify.
7. Luis Suarez- The Uruguayan soccer star made headlines at the World Cup when he bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a match. As a result, Suarez was suspended for the rest of the Cup. After this incident, Suarez left Liverpool FC for FC Barcelona. The transfer fee of 75 million pounds set a new record.
8. Robin Williams- The world was shocked when comedy legend Robin Williams passed away on November 11th. The coroner ruled that the death was by suicide. Williams leaves us with classic works such as Dead Poets Society, Jumanji, Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, and Good Morning, Vietnam.
9. Landon Donovan- The greatest American soccer player of all time first made big headlines when it was announced that Coach Jurgen Klinsmann had not selected him for the World Cup roster. Instead, Donovan worked as a World Cup analyst for ESPN. Then, in December, Donovan and his team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, beat New England Revolution to win the MLS Cup,
10. Chris Pratt- Pratt started the year as a cast member on the penultimate season of Parks and Recreation. Then, in the summer, Guardians of the Galaxy released, which Pratt starred in as Star-Lord. The Marvel movie turned out to be a huge success and was one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. To top it all off, Pratt hosted the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September.
11. The Interview- Originally, this was supposed to be a standard movie. Starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, this movie was about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. However, this movie jumped into the limelight when the dictator announced that there would be big consequences if this movie was released. Sony was then hacked by a group called Guardians of Peace, which was against the release of The Interview. Despite all of this uproar, the movie was released in select theaters and online.
12. Midterm Elections- On November 4th, the Midterm elections took place. Despite a very low voter turnout (36.3%), the Republicans took control of the Senate and kept their grip on the House of Representatives. Many political analysts interpreted this as unhappiness over President Obama's policies.
13. Matthew McConaughey- It was an all-around fantastic year for McConaughey. Many people believed that his best days were behind him, but the Texan proved them all wrong. First, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. which he also won a Golden Globe for. Then, he was nominated for two Emmys for HBO's True Detective: one for his lead role and the second for being one of the shows's executive producers (the show was nominated for Best Drama Series). He capped off his wonderful year with the release of the sci-fi movie Interstellar.
14. International Sporting Events- Two big international sporting events took place this year: the FIFA World Cup, which took place over the summer in Rio de Janeio, Brazil, and the Winter Olympics, which took place in February in Sochi, Russia. Germany beat Argentina in the finals to clinch the World Cup while Russia won more medals and gold medals than any other country.
What was your favorite story of 2014? Comment and let me know.
1. The Ebola Outbreak- It seems like every year, there is a "new and exotic" disease that everyone is afraid of getting of. Past examples include SARS and swine flu. This year, it was Ebola. Despite the disease existing for decades, 2014 was the year it burst into the international spotlight. Soon, countries all over the world were taking preventive measures against it. The Ebola Fighters were even named POY by TIME.
2. Ferguson, Missouri- This small town was put on the map after an African-American teenager named Michael Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Brown was unarmed at the time, but reports conflict about his actions right before his death. In response to the teen's death, the city erupted in violent protests that featured tear gas and looting. Wilson (who was married in October) was found not guilty by a grand jury, causing even more unrest. The riots were the most tweeted about event of the year.
3. ISIS- Originally an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria burst onto the headlines this summer. In June, they began invading cities in Iraq. Later that month, they announced the creation of a caliphate. Since then, the radical Muslim group has continued to shock the world by releasing the videos of beheading hostages and recruiting people from all over the world, including the United States.
4. U.S./Cuba Relations- In December, President Obama made a landmark announcement would begin restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. He announced that the U.S. would re-open an embassy in Havana and soften travel restrictions. The move came about after Cuba released American Alan Gross, who had been held captive for five years. This ends a thaw between the two countries that started in 1961.
5. Malaysian Airlines- It was not a good year for Malaysian Airlines. First, in March, Flight 370 disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Crews are still searching from the plane. Then, four months later, Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 passengers and crew members were killed. A final report on the crash is expected in August of 2015.
6. Taylor Swift- The country star's newest album 1989 was the best-selling album of 2014 and one of only two albums that sold over 1 million copies (the other was the Frozen soundtrack). Swift also made headlines when she had all of her music pulled from Spotify.
7. Luis Suarez- The Uruguayan soccer star made headlines at the World Cup when he bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a match. As a result, Suarez was suspended for the rest of the Cup. After this incident, Suarez left Liverpool FC for FC Barcelona. The transfer fee of 75 million pounds set a new record.
8. Robin Williams- The world was shocked when comedy legend Robin Williams passed away on November 11th. The coroner ruled that the death was by suicide. Williams leaves us with classic works such as Dead Poets Society, Jumanji, Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, and Good Morning, Vietnam.
9. Landon Donovan- The greatest American soccer player of all time first made big headlines when it was announced that Coach Jurgen Klinsmann had not selected him for the World Cup roster. Instead, Donovan worked as a World Cup analyst for ESPN. Then, in December, Donovan and his team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, beat New England Revolution to win the MLS Cup,
10. Chris Pratt- Pratt started the year as a cast member on the penultimate season of Parks and Recreation. Then, in the summer, Guardians of the Galaxy released, which Pratt starred in as Star-Lord. The Marvel movie turned out to be a huge success and was one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. To top it all off, Pratt hosted the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September.
11. The Interview- Originally, this was supposed to be a standard movie. Starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, this movie was about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. However, this movie jumped into the limelight when the dictator announced that there would be big consequences if this movie was released. Sony was then hacked by a group called Guardians of Peace, which was against the release of The Interview. Despite all of this uproar, the movie was released in select theaters and online.
12. Midterm Elections- On November 4th, the Midterm elections took place. Despite a very low voter turnout (36.3%), the Republicans took control of the Senate and kept their grip on the House of Representatives. Many political analysts interpreted this as unhappiness over President Obama's policies.
13. Matthew McConaughey- It was an all-around fantastic year for McConaughey. Many people believed that his best days were behind him, but the Texan proved them all wrong. First, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. which he also won a Golden Globe for. Then, he was nominated for two Emmys for HBO's True Detective: one for his lead role and the second for being one of the shows's executive producers (the show was nominated for Best Drama Series). He capped off his wonderful year with the release of the sci-fi movie Interstellar.
14. International Sporting Events- Two big international sporting events took place this year: the FIFA World Cup, which took place over the summer in Rio de Janeio, Brazil, and the Winter Olympics, which took place in February in Sochi, Russia. Germany beat Argentina in the finals to clinch the World Cup while Russia won more medals and gold medals than any other country.
What was your favorite story of 2014? Comment and let me know.
