katherinebay Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:37 pmWhile many students at AHS are solely focused on issues within our own campus, we fail to notice what else that happens outside of Arcadia. The year of 2009—new beginnings, scandals, and deathly situations. With such an eventful year, here is a list of some of the craziest happenings that have occurred throughout the span of one year.
1. January 20: President Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African American to uphold such leadership. Millions of people witnessed history in the making that day as Obama gave his thought-provoking, inaugural speech.
2. January 31: Nadya Suleman, also known as “Octomom,” gave birth to eight children with the use of in vitro fertilization, a procedure that was deemed unethical to many people. Although she was not a celebrity before her matter became well-known, her situation of having eight children when she already had six became a fiery controversy.
3. April 21: The scandal between Miss California, Carrie Prejean, and a judge of the Miss USA Pageant, Perez Hilton, struck a controversy on the ethics of same-sex marriages. Prejean’s personal beliefs on marriage between a man and a woman caused her to lose the pageant and to be ridiculed by many.
4. June 11: Swine Flu, or H1N1, was deemed a global pandemic when medical situations got completely out of hand. As needed treatment for the virus reached its peak, President Obama later declared H1N1 a National Emergency in October.
5. June 22: Jon and Kate Gosselin filed their divorce as their family crumbled to pieces. Supposed affairs, misconceptions, and money madness swirled around the two parents of eight children as the climactic point of all of their disagreements struck.
6. July 25: Michael Jackson’s death caught the whole world by surprise. His death was not only tragic but also was the most memorable death that happened this year. The renowned “King of Pop” was cherished by many and his bright, beaming personality on stage will certainly be missed.
7. July 15: The acclaimed Blockbuster hit, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, debuted, making nearly $104 million its opening day and $935,230,924 worldwide. With that said, the film was named the highest grossing film of 2009.
8. September 9: The iPod Nano 5th generation was released on this date. From a video camera, to FM radio to even a pedometer, this new electronic gizmo was surely a hit to all of the techies out there.
9. September 13: Country pop sensation Taylor Swift won “Best Female Video” for her song “You Belong with Me” at the MTV Music Awards. Her acceptance speech was then interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who claimed that Beyoncé Knowle’s video deserved the award instead of Swift’s. While Swift was hurt and utterly shocked, many viewers looked down upon West and his arguable action.
10 October 9: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered that the moon had water in one of its craters. This huge accomplishment brought man one step closer to finding all the secrets Earth has in store for us.
11. November 20: The Twilight Saga: New Moon was a hit to both the young and young at heart, causing an immense, fanatic craze. Squealing was a common gesture made throughout the movie, especially when characters Edward and Jacob appeared on screen. While the movie had made a name for itself, mixed reviews were given for this film.
As 2010 looms around the corner, we shall never forget the events that occurred in 2009, despite how extreme they all may have been. For all we know, next year there could be something extreme such as an immense natural disaster to even a huge fight at an awards show. Although the future is unknown, let us anxiously wait to see what the following year will bring us, good, bad, or ugly.
1. January 20: President Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African American to uphold such leadership. Millions of people witnessed history in the making that day as Obama gave his thought-provoking, inaugural speech.
2. January 31: Nadya Suleman, also known as “Octomom,” gave birth to eight children with the use of in vitro fertilization, a procedure that was deemed unethical to many people. Although she was not a celebrity before her matter became well-known, her situation of having eight children when she already had six became a fiery controversy.
3. April 21: The scandal between Miss California, Carrie Prejean, and a judge of the Miss USA Pageant, Perez Hilton, struck a controversy on the ethics of same-sex marriages. Prejean’s personal beliefs on marriage between a man and a woman caused her to lose the pageant and to be ridiculed by many.
4. June 11: Swine Flu, or H1N1, was deemed a global pandemic when medical situations got completely out of hand. As needed treatment for the virus reached its peak, President Obama later declared H1N1 a National Emergency in October.
5. June 22: Jon and Kate Gosselin filed their divorce as their family crumbled to pieces. Supposed affairs, misconceptions, and money madness swirled around the two parents of eight children as the climactic point of all of their disagreements struck.
6. July 25: Michael Jackson’s death caught the whole world by surprise. His death was not only tragic but also was the most memorable death that happened this year. The renowned “King of Pop” was cherished by many and his bright, beaming personality on stage will certainly be missed.
7. July 15: The acclaimed Blockbuster hit, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, debuted, making nearly $104 million its opening day and $935,230,924 worldwide. With that said, the film was named the highest grossing film of 2009.
8. September 9: The iPod Nano 5th generation was released on this date. From a video camera, to FM radio to even a pedometer, this new electronic gizmo was surely a hit to all of the techies out there.
9. September 13: Country pop sensation Taylor Swift won “Best Female Video” for her song “You Belong with Me” at the MTV Music Awards. Her acceptance speech was then interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who claimed that Beyoncé Knowle’s video deserved the award instead of Swift’s. While Swift was hurt and utterly shocked, many viewers looked down upon West and his arguable action.
10 October 9: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered that the moon had water in one of its craters. This huge accomplishment brought man one step closer to finding all the secrets Earth has in store for us.
11. November 20: The Twilight Saga: New Moon was a hit to both the young and young at heart, causing an immense, fanatic craze. Squealing was a common gesture made throughout the movie, especially when characters Edward and Jacob appeared on screen. While the movie had made a name for itself, mixed reviews were given for this film.
As 2010 looms around the corner, we shall never forget the events that occurred in 2009, despite how extreme they all may have been. For all we know, next year there could be something extreme such as an immense natural disaster to even a huge fight at an awards show. Although the future is unknown, let us anxiously wait to see what the following year will bring us, good, bad, or ugly.