As everyone is getting settled down after the excitement of a new year and a new decade, I began to think of what this previous decade gave us. This is what I came up with.
#10: Bush v. Gore
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The decade definitely started out with a bang. The first leader of the United States of America in the 21st century was to be decided by this election. It certainly wasn’t the simplest presidential election in American history. The Florida recount was the hurdle that stood in the way of one of these men. Eventually, the Supreme Court settled the issue and Bush was elected president. However, the Florida recount still stands as one of the most controversial reelection processes. Maybe, this was a sign that this decade wouldn’t exactly be a smooth ride.
#9: The New England Patriots
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The patriots definitely were the team of the decade. It’s a title that they very well deserve. Tom Brady led his tem to four super bowl appearances and won 3 of them and being the second team to ever do so in just four years. These achievements don’t exactly influence the world as some of the other events in this list have but they certainly awe any football fan.
#8: Bugatti Veyron
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At a top speed of 255 mph, over a 1000 horsepower, and a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds, this car broke barriers that people deemed unbreakable. It did the same as what the internet did to communication, what the television did to media coverage, what the invention of guns did to modern warfare. It is a huge engineering milestone, a concord of precision and beauty. There will be others that perform better but none of them would have been possible if it wasn’t for the Veyron.
#7: Michael Jackson
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The death of the “King of pop” certainly took everyone by surprise. He was a true legend and a music icon. He influenced the world in a way that no entertainer ever has. He will forever live on through his music.
#6: Natural disasters
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2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake: This earthquake created a tsunami that killed nearly 230,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters recorded in history.
2005 Hurricane Katrina: One of the biggest natural disasters that have ever hit the United States hit New Orleans, Louisiana the hardest on the 29th of August in 2009. The hurricane left at least 1,836 dead and thousands homeless.
#5: Our oldest ancestor: Ardi
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In 2009, scientists found a nearly complete skeleton of Ardipithecus ramidus or simply “Ardi”. Ardi overtook Lucy as our oldest ancestor. Ardi is 4.4 million years old. Scientists have concluded that Ardi could walk on two legs and was a skilled tree climber. This clearly is a great find towards discovering the true nature of our ancestors.
#4: Swine flu pandemic
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The outbreak started in the state of Veracruz, Mexico but soon became a worldwide epidemic. It became one of the biggest concerns in peoples’ minds. How to avoid it? What are the symptoms? A panic rose through out the world. People were right to panic as it resulted in over 14,000 deaths worldwide.
#3: Global warming
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This decade has been the warmest on record. Scientists had expected melting of the glaciers but nothing of this magnitude. The environment proved to be one of the biggest concerns of this decade. The rising seas due to the melting glaciers make cities more and more vulnerable to extreme flooding. This was definitely not just a concern in this decade but also for many more years to come unless we do something.
#2: 9/11
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Disaster! One of the worst days in American history took place this decade. September 11, 2001 is a day that no American will forget. 2,973 people died when 19 Al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercials airplanes and crashed two into the twin towers in New York City and one into the pentagon. One of the hijacks failed and crashed on a field in Pennsylvania through the brave efforts of the passengers on that flight. Many died and the tragedy left this nation scarred. However, it really showed Americans what they were made of. We united and set aside our differences for a common goal, a goal to fight and end terrorism.
#1: Yes we can!
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This event really speaks for itself and what it means. Not a many decades ago, African-Americans were discriminated against and were victims of cruel police brutality. Now, an African-American is the president of that very nation. The day that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. finally realized the full extent of his dreams. This was the sort of equality that Abraham Lincoln had pictured when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. We found out that day that America really is the land of opportunities and the land of the free.
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