Decade Recap

The end of the decade, the end of an era. The current decade is coming to a halt at a rapid pace, and all the memories made will be left behind within it. Between political movements, the advancement of technology, devastating tragedies, and great successes, the world has changed drastically in the past ten years. This decade will go into history as the decade of change, the ten years of history where the world came together to create a better environment for future generations. 

2010

Technology begins to emerge into modern-day uses after Instagram is launched and the first iPad is introduced. Although the largest oil spill in American history occurred at the Gulf of Mexico and 230,000 people died after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, many revolutionary events also took place in the first year of the decade. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai opened to the public and stood as the tallest structure in the world, as well as Dilma Roussef being elected into office as the first female president of Brazil.

2011

Technology trends upward after Snapchat is first launched. The Syrian Civil War begins shortly after Southern Sudan finally gained its independence. The world’s longest bridge (Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge) is opened in China boosting the expectations of world architecture. Although the Space Shuttle Program is shut down, commandos conduct a raid in Pakistan resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden. And most importantly, the world’s population reaches seven billion souls inhabiting the earth.

2012

The year 2012 is filled with plague and dismay. The American school shooting epidemic begins starting with The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting as well as the 2012 Aurora shooting. Hurricane Sandy spreads its wrath across the East Coast of North America and Typhoon Bopha ends the lives of over 1,600 people in the Philippines. However, 2012 also brought many technological advancements including Curiosity (the first US rover) taking a selfie on Mars. Gangnam Style by Psy became the most-watched video ever and thousands of people were convinced that the world was supposed to end on December 21 due to the end of the Mayan Calendar. 

2013

2013 was a moderately quiet year, despite the discovery of the Higgs particle. Many scientists believe that the Higgs particle is even smaller than protons and electrons, yet answers some of the world’s biggest questions about life. Additionally, the Boston Marathon bombings occurred devastating the lives of many runners. The world said goodbye to a beautiful soul, Nelson Mandela uniting thousands of people to carry on his legacy. And most importantly, on November twenty-seventh of 2013 Frozen premiered in the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood California. 

2014

February of 2014 resulted in the loss of 11,000 plus lives after the Ebola Outbreak spread across the world. The Philae (a robot) makes the first-ever comet landing and Obama opens relations between Cuba through the creation of an embassy in Havana after the two governments agreed upon a peace offer. Malala Yousafazi became the youngest recipient of a Nobel Prize after the young woman courageously fought for children’s right to education in Pakistan. Not to mention, the world was crazed over the viral ice-bucket challenge across the internet advocating over $115 million for ASL research and awareness. 

2015

Although 2015 was the year the world was split in two over the colors of a dress, (it was blue and black), 2015 was also the year of environmental progressions and unity amongst all nations. Greece becomes the first country to default the International Monetary Fund as all fifty states in America legalize same-sex marriage. 195 nations complied upon lowering carbon emissions and liquid water was seen on Mars for the very first time. Queen Elizabeth made history after she became the longest-reigning monarch in British History. Withal, the year ends in misfortune after a series of terrorist attacks occur across Paris on Friday the thirteenth in November. Despite the countless population of injured men, some good was taken out of the attacks after the rest of the world came together to lend their support for those affected by the attacks. 

2016

The year of political change, in 2016 Donald Trump was elected the forty-sixth president of the United States of America while in Brazil their current president (Dilma Rousseff) has been impeached. Britain votes to leave the European Union in the Brexit Referendum. As Rodrigo Duterte becomes president of the Philippines and Andrei Karlov (the Russian ambassador in Turkey) is assassinated in Ankara, the United Nations lift sanctions on Iran to recognize their dismantling of a nuclear program. Furthermore, the Gotthard Base Tunnel becomes the world’s largest railway tunnel following the completion of the bridge. 2016 has its fault after a twenty-nine-year-old man shoots up a gay nightclub in Orlando Florida killing forty-nine people and injuring fifty-three others. Harambe the gorilla took over the internet in May 2016, and Pokemon Go had its time to shine shortly before Vine shut it down.

2017

The year filled with tremendous loss is awarded to 2017. Between mass shootings, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters, the world lost thousands of people to unnatural causes. While hurricane Harvey becomes the costliest hurricane in American history, both hurricane Irma and Maria result in serious loss. Fifty-eight lives are lost after a mass shooting in Las Vegas, over five-hundred people are injured after a bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in England, a bombing in Somalia kills over five-hundred people becoming one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern history. After the Grenfell Tower in London kills over seventy people, and two earthquakes strike in Mexico killing more than three hundred fifty people, the worst seems to be over. The year is concluded when Facebook hits two billion global users and Oumuamua (the first known interstellar object) is discovered.

2018

The year 2018 did not begin pleasantly either. The Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami along with the Sunda strait tsunami end the lives of almost 5,000 people and injures over 25,000. Additionally, the Parkland shooting was a tragic wakeup call for Americans causing an uprise of protests and citizens advertising for stricter gun laws. Afterward, 2018 was a primarily pleasant year. The first-ever monkey was cloned in China and the first genetically modified humans are reported. The twenty year Eritrean/Ethiopian border conflict is formally ended while Apple becomes the first public company to be worth one trillion dollars. Sadly, the Northern White Rhinoceros officially became extinct, hopefully inspiring many to advocate for the reduction of illegal poaching.

2019

Although it is debatable, 2019 has been a year for the books. Scientists made history after capturing the first-ever photo of a black hole. Austria legalized same-sex marriage and a youth-led climate activism campaign went global. The European Union banned single-use plastic, along with many other nations in the hope of reversing environmental damage done in the past. A rare albino panda was spotted in China, and China also makes a historic landing on the far side of the moon. Two women make history by performing a NASA spacewalk, and Saudi Arabia opens up for tourism for the first time. 2019 is the year history was changed, between the promotion of women’s rights, acceptance of same-sex marriage, and environmental care the world seems tobe changing for the better. Although many tragedies occurred in the decade, many incredible matters were acted upon showing how the world is capable of growing and improving every day.