Those are only a few of the big stories of the year. So, as the year winds down to a close, here is our traditional list of the TOP 10 STORIES of 2013:
10) ROYAL BABY –
On July 22nd, Prince William and his bride Katherine added an heir to the British throne with the birth of baby George, also known as Prince George, who will one day be known as King George.
9) POPE BENEDICT RESIGNS, MAKES WAY FOR POPE FRANCIS –
It is unprecedented in the history of Catholicism. A pope traditionally serves until the very day he dies. However that tradition was broken in 2013 when Pope Benedict resigned and went into retirement at the Vatican. Pope Francis was chosen as his successor and has proven to be radically different from most every pope before him.
8) EDWARD SNOWDEN –
He was once an Internet worker within the National Security Agency, who was privy to a ton of sensitive data and information. However, instead of honoring his security clearance, Snowden opened Pandora’s box and told the world intricate details of how the NSA had been spying on everyday Americans. He fled the long arm of the American law, seeking asylum in any safe foreign land willing to have him, ending up in Russia where he lives and works today. Currently, the U.S. is considering offering him immunity for his crimes, so that he can return to his native land and prevent whatever government secrets he hasn’t already told from falling further into foreign hands.
7) MANTI TEO –
He was a star football player at Notre Dame. He was also the victim (so he claims) of an elaborate Internet love hoax, known as “Catfishing.” Teo says he began chatting with Lennay Kekua across the Internet and fell in love with her. Teo and Kekua began a torrid love affair via the web, even though they never met in person. Coincidentally, Kekua contracted a deadly disease and died before they could ever consummate any sort of in person relationship. However, it was later discovered that Lennay Kekua never really existed and the person chatting on the other end of their computer relationship was actually a man who had a “thing” for Manti. To this day, people still wonder if Manti Teo is secretly gay and knew about his relationship with the “girl” who turned out to be a man, or if he was really that stupid to fall in love with some pretend girl on the Internet whom he’d never met.
6) GAY RIGHTS –
2013 was a huge year for the advancement of gay rights. The Boy Scouts of America opened their minds and ranks to gay members. NBA basketball player Jason Collins came out and announced he is homosexual. Also, same-sex marriage became legal in New Jersey, New Mexico, Illinois and a host of other states, raising the total number of states where gays and lesbians can legally marry to 14 (including the District of Columbia).
5) LANCE ARMSTRONG CONFESSES –
For years, pro cyclist Lance Armstrong insisted that his cycling success came from good, old-fashioned hard work and not performance enhancing drugs, as many had long claimed. However, Armstrong chose 2013 as the year to end his charade, with a televised confession to Oprah Winfrey that he had in fact been doping for many years. His eventual admission prompted officials to revoke all of his previous championship titles and erase his winnings from the history books.
4) BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING –
It was a deadly tragedy that caught even the most seasoned professionals by surprise. On the afternoon of April 15th at approx. 2:49pm, a bomb exploded during the annual running of the Boston Marathon. As spectators scrambled to safety and first responders raced to help the injured, a 2nd bomb detonated, causing further havoc. Brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were behind the devastation that killed 6 and injured nearly 300. During a high speed chase and eventual shoot out, Dzhokhar was later killed. His brother Tamerlan escaped, but was eventually found hiding inside a boat in a Boston backyard and is currently awaiting trial.
3) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN –
This self-appointed neighborhood watchman was fed up with “undesirables” coming into his neighborhood and causing trouble. So when he saw Trayvon Martin walking around one night, he immediately assumed he wasn’t supposed to be there and followed him. After a fight ensued, Zimmerman shot and killed Martin, was was merely a 17-year-old kid trying to return home from a walk to the local convenience store. The conviction of the bi-racial (Mexican and White) Zimmerman seemed inevitable for killing the unarmed black teen. However, a jury found Zimmerman not guilty, setting off a firestorm of criticism of the U.S. justice system. Zimmerman has since been in hiding after literally hundreds of death threats have promised that street justice will be served. His wife, who stood by his side throughout the trial, has since divorced him. Zimmerman was recently arrested again after a domestic disturbance involving his current girlfriend.
2) NELSON MANDELA PASSES AWAY –
He was the father of the apartheid movement aimed at ending racial segregation in South Africa. He spent decades in prison for fighting against the government, but was later released and became the nations first black president. Mandela passed away on December 5th after a lengthy illness. Nelson Mandela was 95.
Other notable deaths in 2013 include former Speaker of the House Tom Foley; former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez; former New York City Mayor Ed Koch; New Jersey’s Sen. Frank Lautenberg; Malcolm Shabazz (grandson of Malcolm X who set fire to his home as a child, killing his grandmother Betty Shabazz); former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop; noted psychologist, Dr. Joyce Brothers; famed film critic Roger Ebert; journalist David Frost; noted member of the White House press corps Helen Thomas; NBC News correspondent John Palmer; author Tom Clancy; boxing great Ken Norton; football great Deacon Jones; karate expert turned actor Jim Kelly; owner of the Los Angeles Lakers Dr. Jerry Buss; noted sound engineer Ray Dolby; actors Jean Stapleton, Marcia Wallace, Jonathan Winters, Annette Funicello, Karen Black, Esther Williams, Dennis Farina, Bonnie Franklin, Lee Thompson Young, Ellen Brennan, Paul Walker, Corey Monteith, James Gandolfini, Peter O’Toole; singers Eydie Gorme, lead singer of The Spinners Bobby Smith, Lou Reed, blues great Bobby Blue Bland, Patti Page, Country & Western star Slim Whitman, jazz/fusion musician George Duke.
1) OBAMACARE –
President Obama bet his entire presidency on universal health care for all Americans. After his 2nd inauguration in January, the president believed this would finally be the year for a revamped U.S. health care system. However, Mr. Obama never imagined that his signature health care reform bill would be plagued by 2 very powerful detractors: Republicans, who were hell-bent on making sure that the Obama health plan would never succeed, and the Internet.
Day 1 of the health care web-based sign-up was a disaster! Applicants were greeted with a myriad of problems that slowed or even prevented them from signing up altogether. Republicans no longer needed to fight against Obamacare, as the plan seemed to be inflicting demise on itself.
After firing several of the initial Internet designers and invoking assistance from Google, Apple and other tech specialists, the healthcare.gov website is vastly improved and said to be on the rise. However, it was almost dead on arrival in 2013!
OTHER NOTABLE STORIES IN 2013:
Paula Deen controversy
Oklahoma tornadoes
Jay Leno out; Jimmy Fallon in
Obama inauguration
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The two stories that will always sit with me is. 1) Trayvon Martin was murdered like Emmet Till. Hes captor walked away scott free and the message it was okay to kill black people unjustly was sent and cosigned on with a fixed trial.
2) Nelson Mandela's death. His Death marks the end of an error when black people fought for their rights and didn't sit on their butts and take injustice. The old leaders are almost gone and there is no one who stands to take their place. Very Scary.