It has been an interesting year. 2014 has been a year of diseases, marriages and announcements. Here are some of the biggest stories that we have seen throughout the year.
Recreational Marijuana legalized
On Jan. 1, 2014 Colorado was the first state to legalize the sales of recreational Marijuana. From there many other states
have followed with legalizations, like Oregon and Washington. This will help
generate tax revenue and economic opportunities while reducing drug enforcement
costs for those states.
Jay Leno Retiring
On Feb. 6, 2014 Jay Leno retired from The
Tonight Show. Jay Leno had been hosting
The Tonight Show for 22 years before retiring. After his retirement Jimmy
Fallon took over Leno’s iconic NBC spot.
The Lost Malaysian Airplane
In March 8, 2014, a Malaysian Airplane was lost
over the South China Sea. 239 passengers were on the plane that disappeared.
Over the next few months there were multiple efforts made to find the plane.
This was one of the most expensive and largest searches for a plane ever, but
in spite of all the efforts the plane was never found.
Donald Sterling
In April of 2014, recordings were released of Donald Sterling making racial slurs. At the time Donald Sterling owned of the L.A.
Clippers. Sterling had spent the next few months dealing with the surfacing of
the racial slurs. After much criticism of Sterling sold the Clippers for $2
billion.
Nigerian girls abduction
In April of 2014, 276 Nigerian schoolgirls were
kidnapped by Islamic militants. A group called Boko Haram abducted the girls. It has been said that the girls were forced to
convert to Islam, and married to the members of the Boko Haram. The abduction
launched a worldwide campaign “Bring Out Girls Back.” There has been no trace of the girls since
April of 2014.
The ASL Ice Bucket Challenge
In July of 2014, the ASL Ice Bucket Challenge
took over the Internet by storm. The ASL Ice Bucket Challenge was a social
media challenge that raised awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease. Pete Frates, a
27-year-old former baseball player from Boston College, started the challenge. Since
the challenge has started over $15 million has been raised for The ASL
Association.
Ferguson
On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was
shot in Ferguson, Miss. The shooting of the teen erupted a worldwide
protest over police and African American brutality. In November of 2014, a grand
jury declined to indict police officer Darren Wilson. This decision caused
riots and protest around the nation, and has made the issue of African American
and police relations more prevalent in America.
Comedy Loses Legends
The comedy world lost two great legends in 2014.
Over the course of two months Robin Williams and Joan Rivers passed away.
William died on Aug. 11, 2014. Williams’s death shocked millions around the
nation, and he will forever be missed.
Joan Rivers died on Sept. 4, 2014 at the age of 81. Rivers died in
the hospital of cardiac arrest after many days of fighting. The public will forever
miss Rivers and Williams.
LeBron James Leaves Miami
In September of 2014, LeBron James announced
that he would be leaving the Miami Heat to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron
started his NBA career playing in Cleveland. He made a very controversial move
to leave Cleveland in 2010. LeBron’s decision to move back shocked millions of
people, but the citizens of Cleveland were excited for his homecoming.
George Clooney Got Married
In September of 2014, the most eligible
bachelor, George Clooney, got married. Clooney married Amal Alamuddin in Venice,
Italy. Alamuddin’s dress was one of the last designs that Oscar De La Renta
ever made. The wedding was the biggest wedding of 2014, surpassing Angelia Jolie
and Brad Pitts marriage.
Problems within NFL
In September of 2014 a tape was released of NFL
Ravens player Ray Rice assaulting his wife. This video brought up a bunch of skeletons
for the NFL. Many more stories were leaked about how the NFL had been dealing
with these issues in the past. Along with Rice’s story other players stories
were leaked causing domestic violence scandal to become a major issue in the
NFL.
Sony Hack
In December of 2014 Sony had very controversial
email and employee information leaked to the public. After investigations it
was found that North Korea was behind all the hacking. North Korea was trying
to delay the releasing of Sony’s movie "The
Interview." In spite of North Korea’s attempts Sony decided to release "The Interview" online and in small movie
theaters across the nation.
Cuba
In December of 2014, Obama announced that the
United States was going to normalize
diplomatic relations with Cuba. This will end a half-century dispute between
the two countries. This means that the United States will now have fewer
restrictions on travel and banking with Cuba.
