2015 has been quite eventful to say the least. Here’s a look back on some major events in both U.S. news and International news.
The year started off on the wrong foot when the Paris office of the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, was attacked on January 7. This attack left 11 wounded and 12 dead. The gunmen attacked Charlie Hebdo in order to punish the magazine for the publication of cartoons that mocked the Prophet Mohammad. 2 days later, the Kouachi brothers are shot and killed in a standoff with police.
Here in the U.S., 2015 didn’t start positive either. Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, is found facedown and unresponsive in a bathtub full of water.
In February, the controversial topic of the legalization of marijuana heated up when both Alaska and Washington D.C. deemed it legal for up to 2 ounces in possession.
Italy’s Supreme Court overturned Amanda Knox’s and Raffaele Sollecito’s murder convictions for the death of Knox’s roommate, Meredith Kercher in November 2007 in March.
In an interview in April, Bruce Jenner, former Olympian and reality star, told Diane Sawyer, “yes, for all intents
Being proud of who she is, Caitlyn Jenner appears on the cover of Vanity Fair
and purposes, I am a woman.” April also saw a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, near Kathmandu, killing more
than 8,000 people and injuring 17,866.
May 2nd was the day of “The Fight of the Century:” aka when Floyd Mayweather claims a unanimous points victory against Manny Pacquiao, making May undefeated. Meanwhile in England Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge has her second child with Prince William. Their daughter, weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz., will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
Also in May, The World Health Organization declares the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia as over, after more than a year.
Just weeks after Nepal’s 7.8 earthquake, May 12, a second 7.3-magnitude one strikes the country.
Although the first few months of the year were rough, there was a slight shift in June when same-sex marriage was made legal in all 50 states. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of same-sex marriage.
July also started a lot more positive than the months before when NASA’s New Horizon spacecraft completes its first-ever flyby of Pluto, giving researchers an up-close look at the planet. Cuba and the United States also officially re-established diplomatic relations after 54 years.
Unfortunately, after months of being unresponsive, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was pronounced dead on July 26th.
The Animas River in Colorado turns orange after millions of gallons of contaminated water poured out of an abandoned mine. The accident occurs when EPA officials try to safely pump and treat the toxic water in early August.
Not soon after did Former President Jimmy Carter announce that he has cancer and that it has spread to other areas of his body.
Greece receives the first portion of its third bailout August 20. All of the countries that use the euro have agreed in principle to the bailout; however, the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, did not contribute direct financial support, unlike in previous bailouts and is only monitoring the situation. This package is worth up to 86 billion euros ($95 billion).
September 22, New York Yankee fans suffered the terrible loss of Yogi Berra. Also on September 22, Pope Francis becomes the “fourth head of the Church to visit the United States, nearly 50 years after Pope Paul VI made the first visit by a pontiff to the country in October 1965.” While in the United States, Pope Francis visits Washington, D.C., speaks at a joint meeting of Congress, addresses the U.N. General Assembly in New York, and holds Mass at Madison Square Garden, and attends the Festival of Families in Philadelphia. Pope Francis remained in the U.S. until September 28.
November 13 was the day of the Paris bombings. Gun-wielding ISIS suicide bombers hit six locations around Paris, killing 130 people and wounding hundreds.
Not soon after in early December married couple Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik open fire on a holiday party taking place at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, killing 14 people.
A few days after the San Bernardino tragedy, Former President Jimmy Carter announces that according to his most recent MRI brain scan, his cancer is gone.
To finish off the year, A landmark climate change agreement was approved in Paris at the 21st Conference of Parties or COP21.
It’s safe to say that 2015 was one wicked roller coaster. Hopefully 2016 will be much more positive.
