2014 was quite a newsworthy year, with big stories happening all around the world. Below is a brief summary with all you need to know.
January 1: Colorado becomes the first state to legalize the sale of marijuana and the first place in the world where the drug will be regulated from seed to sale.
January 2: 52 crew members from a Russian research vessel are rescued after having been stuck in Antarctica ice for nine days.
January 16: Ohioan inmate Dennis McGuire is executed using a combination of the drugs midazolam and hydromorphone. McGuire reportedly gasped, choked, clenched his fists, and struggled against his restraints for 10 minutes. The event raises questions about the humaneness of such executions, especially since the drug combination had been previously untested in the United States.
February 2: Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman dies at 46 from a toxic drug mixture.
February 7-23: XXII Winter Olympic Games are held in Sochi, Russia. Threats to sabotage the Games led Russian president Vladimir Putin to beef up security. This, combined with the modernizing of Sochi, made these Games the most expensive ever.
February 10: Child star and diplomat Shirley Temple dies at 86.
February 22: Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukoyvch is removed from office, causing political unrest in the country.
March 8: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears over the Gulf of Thailand shortly after takeoff with 239 people onboard.
September 7-8: Serena Williams wins the U.S. Open against Caroline Wozniacki, marking her 18th Grand Slam title. Marin Cilic defeats Kei Nishikori the next day to win his 1st Grand Slam event.
September 18: Scotland votes to remain part of the United Kingdom, with 55% of voters agreeing. British leaders have promised to listen to the 45% who voted for independence.
September 26: President Obama implements a plan that will create the world’s largest protected marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean, increasing it from 87,000 square miles to nearly half a million.
October 1: Julia Pierson, the first female Secret Service director, resigns just days after examination of how the Secret Service failed to prevent a White House breach.
October 13: The British Parliament votes 274-12 to diplomatically recognize Palestine in light of the recent conflict in Gaza.
October 20: Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta dies at 82.
November 11: China and the United States finally reach an agreement on climate change.
China will stop its carbon emissions from increasing by 2030 by using wind and solar power, while the United States will reduce emissions 26-28% by the same year.
November 12: European spacecraft Rosetta lands a probe onto the surface of a moving comet for the first time. The probe, Philae, reportedly bounced twice before settling and then lost all contact with Earth due to technical difficulties. (Pic 7 here)
November 19: Director Mike Nichols, who earned the rare EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), dies at 83.
November 24: A Missouri Grand Jury decides not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August. The decision sparks more protests around the nation.
December 2: Bobby Keys, saxophone player for the Rolling Stones, dies at 70.
December 16: The Taliban attacks an army-run school in Pakistan and kills at least 145 people, 132 of which are children.
December 17: Cuba releases American prisoner Alan Gross. In response to the release, president Obama announces that he will be working with Cuba to restore diplomatic relations for the first time since 1961. The MLB says they will be keeping a close eye on developments.
What a year! I couldn’t let this end without a couple of predictions that may or may not happen in 2015…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Laura Liu
December 20th, 2014
By Laura L.
2014 Year in Review
A Rundown of 2014 from the Events to the People Lost