2011 news in review

By Justin Albright Posted December 14, 2011

The year 2011 was without a doubt a very interesting year. There were many tragedies and many successes for not only the United States but for the world. Here are the top news stories of the year.

The death of Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden was the biggest terrorist threat in the world and on May 1, Seal Team Six snuck into his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and not only killed Bin Laden but killed everyone in the compound. Bin Laden was disposed of somewhere in the ocean to make sure that al Qaeda couldn’t receive the body. The death of Bin Laden definitely helped everyone in the world sleep a little bit better at night. Source: abcnews.go.com

The Japan earthquake. On March 11, Japan was hit with a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that affected everyone. 15,828 people were killed by this earthquake which was easily one of the biggest tragedies in Japan’s history. To make matters worse, the earthquake caused Japan’s nuclear reactors to explode causing multiple evacuations due to the threat of radiation in the area. Source: wikipedia.org

The Joplin tornado. On June 23, Joplin, Missouri was hit by an EF5 tornado causing mass destruction. The tornado that hit Joplin was recorded as the eighth worst tornado in US history, the tornado caused 122 deaths and 750 injuries, the tornado caused damage to the hospital which made it hard for doctors to atend to their patients. The tornados winds reached an astonishing 200 mph virtually destroying everything in its path. Source: usatoday.com

The Casey Anthony case. On July 5, Casey Anthony was found not guilty on charges of killing her daughter, three-year-old Caylee Anthony. This trial became world news as Casey Anthony was found partying as her daughter was reported missing. Many people believed that Anthony had murdered her daughter which is why many people were furious when the jury found her not guilty. Source: wikipedia.org

President Obama calls for US troops to leave Iraq. On October 21, President Obama called a withdrawal for US troops to leave Iraq, ending a nine-year war. There have been 4,400 US deaths in this war, and this announcement pleases many people who have family members in the war. Source: newenglandpost.com

The shooting in Arizona. On January 8, Tucson, Arizona experienced a terrible tragedy as a gunman opened fire on 19 people in a supermarket, fatally killing six people. US Representative Gabrielle Giffords was one of the innocent people shot. Giffords was sadly shot in the head but miraculously survived the shooting. Perhaps the most upsetting story of this was that an innocent nine-year-old girl was caught in the line of fire, dying at a very young age. Source: csmonitor.com

US missile strike kills Illyas Kashmiri. Illyas was the top al Qaeda leader as the United States took out two major opponents in the fight against terrorism. Kashmiri was a major threat in terrorism and this death helps out against this ongoing battle. Source: huffingtonpost.com

The I-Hop Massacre. On September 6, a gunman entered an I- Hop in Carson City and opened fire. Eight people were injured and four people were killed in the shooting. Nothing like this has ever happened in Carson City and it was a shock to all Nevadans. The four people that were killed were in the army, which led to the National Guard assisting in the investigation. The gunman ended up killing himself on sight so the police were unable to arrest him and find out his motive. Source: lahontanvalleynews.com

The Nevada Air Race tragedy. On September 16, an airplane flew into a grandstand at the Reno Air Races injuring and killing multiple people. The Pilot, Jimmy Leeward, was also killed in the crash that devastated the state of Nevada. An investigation into the crash determined that a mechanical failure caused the devastating wreck. Source: abcnews.go.com

The Caughlin Fire. On November 18, a fire started in the middle of the night in southwest Reno in the middle of the night. The fire burned a total of 1,935 acres and fortunately, there was only one death. That death was a man that tried to save his neighbors, but he suffered a fatal heart attack. Families were evacuated to local high schools because of the threat to their homes. Source: reno.gov

The death of Muammar Gaddafi. On October 20, Muammar Gaddafi was killed in Libya. Gaddafi has been a dictator in Libya since 1969 and was hated by many. Gaddafi started many wars and introduced nuclear weapons to Libya. The United Nations continuously put sanctions on Gaddafi but he didn’t care. Source: wikipedia.org

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