The ten biggest and most memorable events of 2009

It seems that every year of the new millennium has seen great events take place; perhaps a little on the magnitude of 9/11, 2001 or the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, but still, here are the ten biggest and most memorable events of the MMIX year (so far), in reverse order:

NUMBER 10

July 22: The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century occurs

Lasting six minutes and 38 seconds, this was the second of three eclipses (the first and third were smaller penumbral lunar eclipses) in a month and was watched by millions in China, Japan, Nepal and India. The next solar eclipse of comparable size will occur beyond our time in 2132.

NUMBER 9

January 20 – President Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

Heralding new hope, President Obama takes office amid deep uncertainty surrounding the global financial crisis. His catchphrase, ‘Yes we can’, is appropriate; he seems like the man of the hour for a time like this.

NUMBER 8

March 3 – Gunmen attack a bus carrying Sri Lankan international cricketers; eight people die

It was not a major terrorist event, but it was significant by virtue of the objective. International teams now receive more notices while traveling to hot spots around the world.

NUMBER 7

February 7 – Black Saturday bushfires kill 173 people and leave 7,500 homeless in Victoria, Australia.

An astonishingly devastating set of weather conditions and a combination of fires started by electricity and deliberately causing unprecedented fire emergencies across the state. The event transformed Australian bushfire culture from generally laid-back to vigilant almost overnight, such was the depth of human tragedy experienced. The national response to the plight of victims through charity is an unprecedented success.

NUMBER 6

May 25 – North Korea announces that it has successfully conducted its second nuclear weapons test.

This was a significant event from the perspective of future peace and sustainability of the world and the diplomatic unity of a major country. North Korea continues to defy international conventions and arrogantly stands as one of the key dictatorial and recalcitrant countries of the 21st century.

NUMBER 5

September 29-30: Tsunamis off Samoa and Sumatra kill more than 1,000 people and destroy critical infrastructure

Following the Boxing Day tsunamis of 2004, there is increased awareness of the cost and scope of tsunami events in terms of human tragedy. Fortunately, this was next to nothing compared to the 2004 event in terms of human losses, where more than 300,000 are believed to have lost their lives.

NUMBER 4

June 1 – Air France Flight 447 flying from Brazil plunges into the Atlantic Ocean killing 228

Mystery surrounded this event for days afterward and still does. Only 51 bodies of the 228 dead have been recovered and the black box flight data recorder has also not been found, significantly impeding the investigation.

NUMBER 3

April 24 – The World Health Organization is concerned about the initial outbreak of influenza (later known as swine flu). [H1N1])

Subsequently, June 11 was considered a global pandemic. Although this pandemic was the first of its kind since the Hong Kong strain in 1967/68, its virulence was less than expected, although many lost their lives and millions suffered from highly debilitating influenza.

NUMBER 2

November 25 – Rumors begin to circulate about Tiger Woods’ extramarital affairs

No one likes to see a superstar, especially one with as sleek and clean an image as Tiger had, go under and lose an incredible amount of credibility, destroying their reputation, but this has happened. This event sparks a world of popular and media interest, inappropriate humor and condemnation.

NUMBER 1

June 25 – the death of the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson

For much of the world, this was a shocking and horribly sad end to the King of Pop, who was wrapping up his rehearsals for “This Is It,” his fifty London shows, the finishing touch on his musical career. The reporting of his death and the subsequent memorial service (July 7) drove Internet traffic to unprecedented levels: an electronic tsunami.

So, there we have it: a great year in anyone’s language. What awaits us in 2010, besides changing our year naming convention? (ie instead of two thousand nine/ten, we will start calling the years that follow from now twenty ten, and so on).

Will there be a more massive or catastrophic natural disaster? And more specifically, will we be prepared? (Can we be ready?) What famous figures will die? Will there be a key murder? Will the world plunge into ‘electronic darkness’ for a while?

Everything remains to be seen.

© 2009 SJ Wickham.

Data source: “2009”. Wikipediaaccessed December 10, 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009