Welcome, one and all, to part one of the four-part series "End of the Year: 2011," The mj15 Blog's week-long look back into all of the best and most memorable things to have happened in the past twelve months. Today, we begin (as always) with a twelve month retrospective of the most notable moments to have occurred in 2011, from politics to sports to pop culture and everything in between. Enjoy.
So, just what in the hell happened during these past twelve months? Well, here's a convenient list to give you an idea:
2011
JANUARY
- In Tucson, Arizona, a 22 year old man by the name of Jarred Loughner fires gunshots near a local supermarket to Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords and eighteen other people, killing six of those victims. A memorial was held four days later, featuring a speech from U.S. President Barack Obama.
- The Auburn Tigers defeat the Oregon Ducks on a last second field goal to win the BCS National Championship game 22-19.
- Flooding and mudslides plague the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, killing 903 people.
- In Tunisia, longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali steps down from power after a 23 year reign a month of protests for liberation from his former subjects, fleeing to Saudi Arabia. This moment in times mark the beginning of the series of revolutionary protests in the Middle East known now as the Arab Spring.
- Around ten days after the Tunisian uprising, protesters in Egypt begin to rally for the resignation of their longtime president/dictator Hosni Mubarak. Other countries such as Libya, Syria, Yemen, Jordan also had citizens of their nation join in on the cause.
- In the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards, "The Social Network" picks up the film award for Best Drama while "The Kids Are All Right" wins for Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical, "Boardwalk Empire" wins for Best TV Drama, "Modern Family" wins for Best TV Comedy or Musical, and Ricky Gervais delivers a stirring and hilarious monologue as host.
- The 112th United States Congress, with a Republican controlled House and a Democratic controlled Senate, officially began on January 3rd.
- Discovery Health officially leaves the airwaves to become "OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network."
- "Bob's Burgers" and "Shameless" each premiere on this month, while the American debut of the British series "Downton Abbey" airs on PBS as part of their "Masterpiece" series for four weeks.
- In baseball, relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman announces his retirement after playing 18 year in MLB, becoming the league's all-time saves leader in the process (with 601).
- World famous fitness guru Jack LaLanne dies at the age of 96. LaLanne's death was one of the first notable deaths to have happened in this past year.
- Actor Charlie Sheen, best known then as the star of CBS's "Two and a Half Men," is sent to the hospital after a 36 hour bender that included cocaine, adult film stars, and hernia problems (the first of many more Sheen escapades soon to come).Once he went to a rehabilitation clinic a day after leaving the hospital, the network announced that they will halt production of the show.
- The internet is officially introduced to Ted Williams, a.k.a. the homeless man with the golden radio voice, who would become a month-long sensation.
- Novak Djokovic and Kim Clijsters each take home singles titles at this year's Australian Open.
- "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" airs its final broadcast after MSNBC fires Olbermann for campaign donations to a few Democratic candidates back in 2010.
- Adele's "21," one of the year most commercially successful and most critically acclaimed albums, is released, proving just how much creativity can be inspired from messy break-ups.
- In the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Jets to win the AFC Championship game while the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears to win the NFC Championship. Both teams are set to square off in Super Bowl XLV on February 6th at the new Cowboys Stadium.
FEBRUARY
- As a result of the widespread protests in his country, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak finally announces his resignation after a 30 year reign. In total, 846 people were killed as a result of the uprising.
-In Libya, the revolutionary protests that began on January 18th officially turns into a Civil War between forces on the side of dictator Muammar Gaddafi centered in the capital city of Tripoli and anti-Gaddafi rebel forces centered in the city of Benghazi that would last for many more months to come. Meanwhile, in Bahrain, the country's Shi'ite majority began a protest for a constitutional monarchy that wouldn't have them oppressed by their government dominated by a Sunni dynasty, while in Iraq, their protests lead to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announcing that he will not run for another term in 2014.
- The Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in an exciting Super Bowl XLV. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers picks up the honors for MVP after throwing for 3 TD passes.
- To the surprise of everyone who did not know who the hell they were, Arcade Fire wins the Grammy Award for Album of the Year with "Suburbs" (yet somehow loses Best Alternative Music Album to The Black Key's "Brothers"), while Lady Antebellum's single "Need You Now" picks up both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
- An energy crisis arises in America, with gas prices rising to as much as $5 a gallon as a result of the uprising in Libya.
- Thousands of people in Wisconsin gather around and inside the State Capitol in Madison to protest against a proposed budget by Governor Scott Walker that would limit the collective bargaining agreement rights to public employee unions.
- New York congressman Christopher Lee resigns in disgrace after website Gawker publishes a story of him trying to woo women with promise of sex on Craigslists, marking the first (but not only) time that a New York politicians gets in trouble with infidelity.
-Former White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel becomes the newly elected Mayor of Chicago.
- In two blockbusters NBA trades, All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony gets traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks while All-Star point guard Deron Williams goes from the Utah Jazz to the New Jersey Nets.
- The acclaimed TV drama "Friday Night Lights" officially comes to an end after five seasons with a very well-received series finale.
- Huffington Post co-founder Ariana Huffington announces that her online news site is being sold to AOL for a whopping $315 million.
- Nearly 100 million Americas were affected by a major snowstorm, especially in Chicago where the city was under its third largest blizzard in recorded history.
- CBS officially announces the complete shutdown of "Two and a Half Men" for the rest of the season after angry remarks Charlie Sheen made on the Alex Jones radio program, featuring insulting remarks to the show's creator, Chuck Lorre. As a result of this cancellation, Sheen went on a media rampage, taking interviews by everyone from ABC News to CNN's Piers Morgan to even the Howard Stern Show and giving out quite a lot of memorable moments and quotes in the process.
- American rock band The White Stripes officially announces its end.
- The 83rd annual Academy Awards is held, with top honors going to "The King's Speech" for Best Picture, Tom Hooper for Best Director, Colin Firth for Best Actor, Natalie Portman for Best Actress, Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor, Melissa Leo for Best Supporting Actress, and "Toy Story 3" for Best Animated Feature.
MARCH
- A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake strikes the nation of Japan, killing over 15,800 people, sparking massive floods and causing a major nuclear meltdown scare at a power plant in Fukushima.
- In Libya, the United Nations Security Council, in a showing of support towards the anti-Gaddafi forces, unanimously vote in favor of creating a no-fly zone over the area. Two days later, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France begin using fighter pilots to bomb pro-Gaddafi locations.
- Other Arab Spring news outside of Libya, Saudi Arabia and the UAE send 1,500 troops to Bahrain in order to fight off the protesters in the region, killing more than 30 people while clearing out over 500 demonstrators. Meanwhile, in Syria, thousands of protestors gathered on the 15th, calling for a revolution of their own against the government of President Bashar Assad. Just like in Libya, the government reacted swiftly and violently.
- The thirty-two NFL owners and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell officially begin a lockout of the league after collective bargaining negotiations failed between them and the NFL Players Association led by DeMaurice Smith.
- Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Taylor dies at the age of 79 due to heart failure, along with former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.
- Thirteen year old Rebecca Black's awful song "Friday," a collaboration with Ark Music Factory, is uploaded to the Internet for all to see, turns into an Internet sensation and becomes one of the most watched (and ridiculed) viral videos of the year.
- As a result of his tirades and embarrassing media binges, Warner Brothers Studios at last fires Charlie Sheen as actor of "Two and a Half Men." Sheen, in response, files for a $250 million lawsiut against the company and Chuck Lorre. The lawsuit was officially settled in September.
- "Rango," the animated film starring Johnny Depp, is released in theaters.
- "The Book of Mormon," the popular and critically acclaimed musical from "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, officially debuts on Broadway.
- In the NCAA Div. I men's basketball tournament, #3 seed Connecticut, #4 seed Kentucky, #8 seed Butler and (to the surprise of many) #11 seed Virginia Commonwealth advanced into the tournament's Final Four, marking the first time since 2006 that no #1 seeds made it that far.
APRIL
- England's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and fiancee Kate Middleton take part in a royal wedding that was watched by an estimated two billion people around the globe.
- "Game of Thrones," the fantasy TV series based on the books by George R.R. Martin, debuts on HBO, while the comedy "Happy Endings" premiered on ABC. Meanwhile, on the goodbye side of things, beloved actor Steve Carell's final episode as Michael Scott on "The Office" airs on NBC.
- The Connecticut Huskies defeat the Butler Bulldogs in a terrible game to win the NCAA Div. I men's basketball championship 53-41. One day later, the Texas A&M Aggies defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the basketball tournament on the women's side.
- The much beloved, Grammy award winning rock band LCD Soundsystem plays its final show at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
- The U.S. government officially shuts down some of the world's most popular online poker sites, including Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars.
- Popular tech company Apple releases the iPad 2, the new "updated" version to the original iPad released last April.
- The Chinese government officially announces the banning of time travel in movies and TV shows. Seriously.
- The United States government avoids its first shutdown since the Clinton administration thanks to an eleventh hour deal struck between Republicans and Democrats. The deal was reached after weeks of bickering and grid locking between both parties and President Obama.
- A violent, 80 mph. tornado strikes the southern portion of the United States including Alabama and Georgia, killing at least 300 people.
- In the 2011 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton from Auburn as their #1 overall pick. Other notable picks include the Denver Broncos taking Von Miller at #2, the Buffalo Bills taking Marcell Dareus at #3, the Cincinnati Bengals taking A.J. Green at #4 and Andy Dalton at #35, the Arizona Cardinals taking Patrick Peterson at #5, the Atlanta Falcons taking Julio Jones at #6, the Detroit Lions taking Nick Fairley at #12, the New Orleans Saints taking Marc Ingram at #28, and more.
- President Obama finally reveals his birth certificate, racist birthers scrambles to find other ways to hate him.
- Gen. David Petraeus is promoted by the United States into the head of the C.I.A.
- Baseball slugger Manny Ramirez retires from MLB after a test found him to have used illegal substances for the second time in three years. In other MLB related news, owner Bud Selig announced that the league will take over all baseball operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers for as long as owner Frank McCourt kept the team, while Barry Bonds was found guilty of only one out of his five charges, leaving him with little punishment from the law. He would be sentenced to probation and a month of house arrest many weeks later.
- "Fast Five" the fifth movie of the "Fast and the Furious" series and one of the highest grossing films of the year, is released in movie theaters.
- In one of the most thrilling Masters Sundays in years, South African Charl Schwartzel birdies each of his final four holes to win the tournament and golf's coveted Green Jacket.
- The Foo Fighters release their seventh studio album "Wasting Light."
- Satellite company Dish Network buys bankrupt video rental chain Blockbuster at a price of $320 million. The company would eventually use Blockbuster as a Netflix-type video streaming service exclusively available for their customers.
- ABC announces the official end to two of its longest-running soap operas: "All My Children" (which ended in September) and "One Life to Live"( which will end in January).
- Sidney Lumet, director of such films as "12 Angry Men" and "Dog Day Afternoon," passes away.
MAY
- The United States announces that a team composed of six Navy seals have found and killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for organizing the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 at his compound in Pakistan, resulting in a widespread celebration of a relieved and enthusiastic nation. After being identified, Bin Laden's body was dropped in a Pakistani sea.
- 90 year old Harold Camping, leader of American Christian broadcaster Family Radio, announces that the end of the world will take place on May 21st, and backfires once the apocalypse never came. After that, he announces that the new date of the apocalypse would take place five months later on October 21st.
- Famed golfer Seve Ballesteros and former proffessional wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage each die at ages 54 and 59 respectively.
- The Beastie Boy's "Hot Sauce Committee Pt.2," Tyler the Creator's "Goblin," and Lady Gaga's "Born this Way" are just some of the many albums released this past month.
- Oprah Winfrey airs the final episode of her wildly popular, 25 year long syndicated talk show program, while Katie Couric announces the end to her 5 year long tenure as host of the CBS Evening News.
- Longtime Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel announces his resignation after news reports months earlier found him to have not reported to the school when he about the team's 2010 NCAA violations.
- Areas along the Mississippi River experience the worst case of flooding since the Great Depression, with over 60 feet of water, over $2 billion of damages to the area's agriculture and the evacuation of thousands of homes in that region (but especially in the Memphis, Tennessee area).
- FC Barcelona defeated Machester United 3-1 to win this year's UEFA Champions League title.
- In the city of Joplin, Missouri, a major tornado strikes, killing 142 people (and possibly more).
- Dominique Strauss-Khan, then head of the International Monetary Fund, is arrested on charges of raping a maid in the New York hotel that he was staying in.
- In a move that almost no one was surprised to hear, billionaire Donald Trump announces that he will not run as President for 2012 under the Republican ticket despite weeks of saying himself that he's pondering a decision to do so.
- Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano throws the first no-hitter of the season against the Chicago White Sox. A few weeks later, Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander does the same thing against the Toronto Blue Jays.
- CBS announces that Ashton Kutcher will be Charlie Sheen's new replacement on "Two and a Half Men."
- The 2011 summer blockbuster season officially begins, with "Thor," "Bridesmaids," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "The Hangover: Part II" and "Kung Fu Panda 2" all released in theaters. In addition, Terrence Malick's new movie "The Tree of Life," which won this year's Palm d'Ore and is one of the favorites to win Best Picture next year, is released to the American public.
- California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announces a separation with wife Maria Shriver after he announced that he had a child with their longtime maid.
- The late and wildly popular former pope John Paul II received beatification by the Catholic Church, a big step into his process of sainthood.
- In TV cancellation news, "The Chicago Code," "Lie To Me," "Human Target," "The Event," "Outsourced," "Brothers & Sisters" and "V" were just some of the many shows to have received the axe by the network TV station they were airing in just before Upfronts Week.
- The Adele single "Rolling in the Deep" becomes #1 in the United States after much success overseas, stays at the top for seven weeks
JUNE
- New York congressmen Anthony Weiner resigns from his office after having found to have "sexted" photos of himself to women that aren't his wife in what was the biggest story covered by the media at the time period.
- Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois before being impeached in 2009, was convicted in all of his charges of corruption, overturning the court decision last year that ruled that he was guilty of only one charge.
- The Dallas Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki, defeat Lebron James and the Miami Heat in six games to win the 2011 NBA finals.
- The Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks to win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in seven games. The loss to Boston resulted in many Canucks fans rioting in downtown Vancouver hours after the game had come to an end. After the Finals were over, the NHL gave out some notable season-ending awards that included MVPs to both Daniel Sedin and Corey Perry, a Calder Trophy to Jeff Skinner and a Vezina Award to Tim Thomas.
- The 65th annual Tony Awards were held, with "The Book of Mormon" winning Best Musical and "War Horse" picking up Best Play.
- Rafael Nadal defeats rival Roger Federer to win his sixth French Open, the most won by any male tennis player in history. Meanwhile. on the women's side, Li Na becomes the first Chinese tennis player to take home a major with her win at Roland Garros.
- Controversial conservative radio host Glenn Beck airs the final episode of his FOX News hour-long program, while "The United States of Tara" aired its final episode on Showtime.
- On AMC, "The Killing" airs an insulting season finale that provided the angriest fans response of an episode since the "Lost" series finale.
- Social networking website MySpace is sold for 1/10th the price of its original buying price back in 2005.
- In a speech to the American public, President Obama announces that he will bring back at 33,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the fall of 2012.
- Eleven-time NBA Championship winning head coach Phil Jackson announces his retirement.
- Young 22 year old golf phenom Rory McIlroy crushes the competition at the U.S. Open, defeating everyone by at least 8 strokes on his way to his first career major championship of what will surely be many more to come.
- The state of New York finally legalizes same-sex marriage, becoming the largest state in the U.S. to have ever done so.
- After six months, Gabriel Giffords is finally released from the hospital for the first time since her shooting.
- In a move that initially looked to be the end of Newt Gingrich's chances at becoming the Republican nominee for President, his entire senior campaign staff resigns.
- "Bon Iver, Bon Iver," the self-titled album of rock band Bon Iver, is released and becomes one of the year's most well-reviewed albums.
- After months of production delay, cast and crew member injuries, & large amounts of ridicule, the musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," with lyrics written by Bono and The Edge of U2, debuts to Broadway.
- Kylie Irving of Duke and Tristan Thompson of Texas wer chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 1st and 4th pick of this year's NBA draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Derrick Williams at #2, Turkey's Enes Kanter was taken at #3 by the Utah Jazz, NCAA tournament MVP Kemba Walker was selected at #9 by the Charlotte Bobcats, and Jimmer Fredette is drafted by the Sacramento Kings at #10, to name a few.
- The South Carolina Gamecocks defeat the Florida Gators to win the College World Series.
- A lot of notable famous people died in June. Some of them include: "Dr. Death" Jack Kevorkian, Emmy award winning actor Peter Falk, saxophone player Clarence Clemons, and longtime U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger.
JULY
- The final installment of the Harry Potter film series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," is released in theaters.
- The area of South Sudan officially secedes from the country of Sudan.
- In a trial that captivated millions of people across the United States and around the world, Florida native Casey Anthony was found not guilty for the murder of her two-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony in 2008.
- Japan defeats the United States on penalty kicks in an exciting game to win this year's FIFA Women's Cup after one of their players, Homare Sawa, tied the game on the 117th minute.
-Australia's Cadel Evans, 34, wins this year's Tour de France.
- As a result of an NCAA investigation of their own, the University of North Carolina fires its head football coach, Butch Davis.
- In one of the worst business decisions of the year, movie rental and streaming company NetFlix announces that it will separate the monthly cost of its mail-in rental program and its instant streaming program, increasing subscription cost by as much as 60%. Nearly 800,000 of its subscribers responded to it in negative fashion, effectively cancelling their subscriptions.
- Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal to win the men's Wimbledon singles title, while Petra Kvitova defeats Maria Sharipova to win in an upset on the women's side.
- All charges put on Dominique Strauss-Khan from his May arrest were effectively dropped.
- 43 year old golfer Darren Clarke takes home his first career major championship after winning the Open Championship by two strokes over Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
- TNT cancels "Men of a Certain Age."
- A whole bunch of realignment officially occured in college sports, with Colorado and Utah joining the newly-formed Pac-12, Nebraska joining the Big Ten, Boise State joining the Mountain West, BYU becoming a football independent and a WAC everything else.
- The United States declares a famine in the country of Somalia.
- NASA's thirty year long space shuttle program finally comes to a close with the arrival back home of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
- Former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens had his perjury case declared a mistrial on the second day of testimony.
- Amid scandal and a hearing by British Parliament on whether they were responsible for illegal phone hacking, Rupert Murdoch and his company Newscorp. announce that the long-running newspaper that was being under investigation, News of the World, would end after over 170 years.
- 76 people were killed in Norway as a result of a terrorist attack in Oslo's government center and at youth camp in a nearby island.
- Former first lady Betty Ford and Amy Winehouse are dead.
- New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter gets his 3,000th career hit on a home run, becoming just the 28th person in MLB history to do so and the first ever Yankee to do it as well. It was also during the same month that Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim became just the third pitcher this season to throw a no-hitter.
- The world's first artificial organ transplant is performed and done successfully.
- "Party Rock Anthem," the first successful single by LMFAO, becomes the most popular hit song in the U.S., staying #1 in the Billboard charts for six weeks and introducing many Americans to the concept of "shuffling."
- During the same month when the NFL announced the end of its lockout, the NBA announced the start of theirs.
- Nickelodeon channel TeeNick launches a late night line-up titled "The 90s Are All That," featuring old Nickelodeon shows from the 1990s in the year's most nostalgia-inducing story.
- 2011 MLB trade deadline highlights: the San Francisco Giants trade for Carlos Beltran, the St. Louis Cardinals receiving Edwin Jackson from the White Sox in a three-team deal, the Philadelphia Phillies acquiring Hunter Pence, the Cleveland Indians getting Ubaldo Jimenez, and the Detroit Tigers trading for Doug Fister.
AUGUST
- In Libya, the resiliant anti-Gaddafi rebel forces finally take over the nation's capital of Tripoli, officially beginning the process of a country without their once powerful ruler.
- For four days, all eyes were on England as cities ranging from from Tottenham to Manchester to Birmingham all were under chaos from riots in the area caused by the police killing of North Londoner Mark Duggan. Buildings were burned, and the stores of small businesses were destroyed, as these protesters apparently forgot who it was that they were supposed to be fighting against.
- Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple as a result of his increasingly worse pancreatic cancer.
- After another lengthy process of bickering and party partisanship between both sides of Congress, the United States government was finally able to reach a deal on the nation's debt ceiling. A few days later, credit company Standard & Poor downgrade the U.S. from a 'AAA' credit rating to a 'AA+,' citing certain Republican policy that they found in the debt ceiling agreement that they found unfavorable. Meanwhile, all eyes were on Wall Street as the stock market had one of its most up and down two week period in recent memory.
- In the same month that Minnesota congresswoman wins the Ames, Iowa Republican caucus, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty drops out of the race while Texas governor Rick Perry joins in and instantly becomes the new favorite of the anti-Romney bunch.
- A whole lotta of trades and free agency deals occurred in the two weeks that followed the end of the NFL lockout.
-Hurricane Irene terrorizes the East Coast, yet ends up being a lot better than what many members of the media theorized it would be like. A few days before the hurricane, the East Coast also went through a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, the largest of its kind in that region since 1944.
- Minnesota Twins designated hitter Jim Thome hits his 600th career home run, becoming only the eighth player in MLB history to accomplish such a remarkable feat and doing so without any negative remarks by the media.
- A United States helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, killing 30 U.S. troops and approxiamately seven Afghan civilians.
- In what was his first ever major appearance, 25 year old Keegan Bradley defeats Jason Dufner to win this year's PGA Championship.
- The stage of the Indiana state fair collapses thanks to wind gusts ranging up to 60 mph during a performance by music group Sugarland, killing at least 5 people.
- The West Memphis Three are finally released from prison after fighting for their innocence in the past twenty years.
- "The Help" debuts in movie theaters across the country, dominating the U.S. box office and becoming the country's most favorite "White Woman Helps Black People Overcome" film since "The Blind Side."
- Anti-gay Indiana Republican Congressman Phil Hinkle discovered to have searched for male prostitutes on Craigslist. Hinkle has yet to resign over this news story.
- The University of Tennessee's women's basketball coach, Pat Summit, officially announces that she is suffering early on-set dementia and will be slowly give up her coaching duties to her assisstant coaches over the coming months and years.
- In a well-detailed story on Yahoo! sports, investigative reporter Charles Robinson covered an in-depth report on all the notable illegal benefits received by University of Miami football players between 2002 and 2010.
- The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is finally introduced in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
- Chuck Testa, bitches.
-"Watch the Throne," the first collaboration album by both Kanye West and Jay Z, is released, along with the newest Lil' Wayne album "Tha Carter IV."
- Major floods impact the nation of Pakistan, killing an estimated 434 people.
- Singer Katy Perry becomes just the second recording artist to have five number one singles from the same album (the album, in this case, being 2010's "Teenage Dream").
SEPTEMBER
- The nationwide movement that we know today as Occupy Wall Street kicks off its first day over at New York's Zuchotti Park, an area by the city's financial district. What started out as a little demonstration would only get bigger and more widespread over time.
- The United States remembers the tenth anniversary of 9/11 through memorial service held across the country and the formal opening of the National 9/11 Memorial in Ground Zero.
- In a speech to Congress, President Obama unveils his $447 billion Jobs Act to the nation. In the four months since it was unveiled, this bill has yet to go anywhere on the congressional floor. He also went ahead and announced his brand new deficit reduction rule, featuring a stipulation called "the Buffett rule" (after billionaire Warren Buffett) that would effectively raise taxes on the rich.
- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" officially becomes repealed.
- In the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, "Mad Men" picks up its record-tying fourth straight award for Outstanding Drama Series, while "Modern Family" picks up Outstanding Comedy (and so much more other awards in that genre), and "Downton Abbey" cruises along to win Outstanding Miniseries or TV Movie
- The countries of India and Bangladesh officially come on an agreement to end their 40 year long border demarcation conflict.
- Novak Djokovic wins the U.S. Open's men's singles title, picking up his third major of what has been a historically good season. Samantha Stosur wins the singles tournament on the women's side.
- Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is announced as inactive until mid-December at the earliest (and eventually through the entire 2011 season). The Colts would start their season 0-13 without Manning.
- A vintage World War II fighter pilot crashes down on a Reno, Nevada air show, killing 11 people while injuring 70 others.
- In one of the most surprising news stories coming out of the film industry this year, Disney re-released "The Lion King" to theaters in 3D and it ended up winning the weekend box office for two weeks in a row, adding $117 million to its box office totals since 1994.
- Other notable films to be released in the month of September: "Drive," "Moneyball," "Contagion," and "Margaret."
- Fast food company "Wendy's" brings back its once-famous ad campaign "Where's the Beef?"
- The area of Palestine submits itself for statehood to the United Nations.
- Due to the start of the fall TV season, a lot of new shows (both network and cable) had their debut. Some were good ("The New Girl," "Suburgatory"), some were middle of the road ("Up All Night," "Prime Suspect," "Revenge") while most (like "H8R," "Whitney," and the Ashton Kutcher era of "Two and a Half Men") were just plain awful.
- The DOW Jones experiences its worst week since October 2008 late in the month.
-Amazon announces their company's new digital tablet, the Kindle Fire, a product which has the same features of the Kindle and popular features found on many other tablets.
- Members of legendary American rock band R.E.M. announces its break-up after thirty years of working together..
- Despite strong support by thousands, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last minute stay on the execution of 42 year old Troy Davis, who was convicted of murdering a Georgia policeman in 1989 despite DNA evidence years later suggesting that he might have been innocent.
- In other ill-fated move by Netflix, the company announced that it would separate their mail-in service and instant streaming service into two different companies, with the former being named Qwikster. Following negative reviews, the company decided to end its Qwikster plans weeks later.
- Scientists at Italy's CERN Institute found that there are particles called neutrinos that are actually faster than the speed of light, an earth-shattering discovery if universally recognized by the scientific community as true as it would effectively prove Albert Einstein's famous theory of relativity incorrect.
- MLB has itself arguably the most exciting final day in its history, with both the AL and NL wild card (won by Tampa Bay and St. Louis, respectively) being one on many exciting clutch home runs and extra inning finishes. In other MLB news, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera passes Trevor Hoffman's record for most recorded saves with 603 and counting.
OCTOBER
- Now former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is finally found and killed by rebel forces in the town of Sirte, officially ending the civil war going on in that nation while completing the eighth month long uprising.
- Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs is finally pronounced dead of the pancreatic cancer illness that forced him to resign two month earlier. Other people to die in the month of October include Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
- In the same timespan that their former CEO passes away, Apple also released their newest phone, the iPhone 4S. As with every new Apple product in the past decade, the product was met with great anticipation, as over a million ended up buying it on the first week alone.
- A historic swap between was held between Israel and Hamas on the 18th, with 1,027 Palestinian and Israel-Arab prisoners set free in exchange for the return home of Israeli army soldier Gilad Shalit.
- The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Texas Rangers to win a thrilling game-seven World Series, highlighted by the instant classic that was game six, when the Cardinals came back from one strike left to win 10-9 in the 11th inning. Cardinals third baseman David Freese would win the Series' MVP trophy. A few days later, Tony La Russa, the Cardinals manager, announced his retirement (because if you're going to quit, it might as well be on top).
- This year's Nobel Prizes were handed out. Among some of those who received the honor included a proffessor of Iowa State University, an economics proffessor at Princeton and three female African activists.
- Tim Tebow officially replaces Kyle Orton as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos and played his first game this season having to overcome his team's 15 point deficit to lead them to an overtime victory in the begin of what the Tebowmania that swept the media (and the U.S.).
- A 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes the eastern half of Turkey, killing 604 people, while in Thailand, 657 people were killed as the result of a major flood.
- American Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found not guilty of complicity in the murder of British student Meredit Kercher in 2007, overturning the 2009 decision that put her in the slammer.
- 2009's famous Yemeni "Underwear Bomber" pleads guilty to his trial on the second day, sentencing him to a long time in prison.
- For the first time ever, a Catholic bishop was charged with the cover up of a sexual abuse, another low blow to the reputation of the Catholic Church.
- After 14 years of being off the air, the popular animated cartoon "Beavis and Butthead" returned to MTV. Meanwhile, shows like the wonderful freshman drama "Homeland" and the batsh*t crazy "American Horror Story," premiered, while long-running comedy "The Simpsons" got renewed for what will likely be their final two seasons.
- Speaking of revival, "Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz announced that he will be bringing back the much-beloved cult sitcom into a short 8-10 episode mini-season in 2013 before their long rumored movie. And although there had yet to be any of the old castmembers signed onto the project, Netflix announced a few weeks later that it would be the exclusive home to the show whenever it makes its debut.
- The Occupy Wall Street Movement of Several Causes (and there were several) gains some major steam across the U.S. and around the globe. By October 10th, there were spin-off protests in not only every state in the country, but also in areas like Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, and Australia. Along the way, the movement also met with some celebrity endorsements, some opposition and some clashes with police, including the most famous one that was held at the Brooklyn Bridge earlier in the month.
- UNESCO approves Palestine as a state by a vote of 107 member states to 14 member states.
- Some notable films released in the past month include "The Ides of March," "Martha Marcy May Marlene," and the Shrek spin-off "Puss in Boots."
-As a result of the lockout, the NBA announces that it has decided to cancel any game action before November 30th at the earliest.
- President Obama announces that he will pulling out all remaining U.S. troops from Iraq for good by the end of the year.
- With anti-Romney Republicans realizing that Rick Perry might not have been a good candidate of choice after all, the new favorite of the party became former Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain, who ended up winning straw polls in states like Illinois and Florida. Unfortunately for Cain, it wouldn't take too long for him to fall, thanks in large part to sexual harassment charges that began to pop up and the majority of Americans beginning to realize how bad some of his proposed policies (such as the 9-9-9 Plan) were.
- In other 2012 election news, both New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin announce that they would not run for the Republican ticket despite the race continuing to be very much wide open.
- Yemen's President Saleh announced that he would meet with government leader to discuss his resignation as a result of the country's protest against him. Saleh has yet to act on his resignation promise.
- Popular rock band Coldplay releases Mylo Xyloto, their fifth studio album. In singles news, Adele hits #1 for the second time with "Someone Like You," a song that would stay #1 for six weeks.
- The European Union announces an agreement to tackle the continent's debt crisis in a plan that included writing down 50% of the struggling Greece's bonds and an increase in bailout of 1 trillion euros by the EFSF.
-The human population reaches a landmark 7 billion people for the first time ever.
NOVEMBER
- The NBA owners and NBAPA finally agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, effectively ending the lockout in order to resume basketball for a season opening date of December 25th.
- The Occupy Wall Street movements starts to weaken. Not only were there some major clashes with police gone violent (most notably in Oakland and in the campus of UC Davis), but there were also cases of being dying on the camp grounds. Most importantly, a lot of cities began to shut down the operations of many of these "Occupy" locations, from Los Angeles to Boston to Chicago to Sydney, to (of course) New York City, where Zuchotti Park was finally cleaned out of all the signs and tests that had occupied it for two months prior.
- Penn State University's Joe Paterno passes Eddie Robinson's record for most wins as a head football coach, gets rewarded (along with the rest of America) by having to resign weeks later after news broke that he had knowledge of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulting young boys for years. In addition to the Paterno firing, the scandal at Penn State also led to the firing of the school's athletic director and the administrative lead of the assistant coach that reported Sandusky's sexual assault to Paterno.
- The #1 LSU Tigers defeat the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide 9-6 in overtime in a game that was hyped beforehand as the Game of the Century.
- Florence and the Machine's "Ceremonials," Drake's "Take Care," and Rihanna's "Talk That Talk," are just some of the albums released this month. Meanwhile, on the week of November 12th, Rihanna surpasses Adele at #1 with her song "We Found Love" and, as of now, has yet to be knocked off.
- The Congressional "supercommittee," a committee of six Republicans and six Democrats assigned to reach a deal on a debt reduction plan as a result of August's debt ceiling compromise, failed, leading both sides of Congress thinking up alternative solutions.
- Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi resigns as a result of his country's austerity measures.
- "60 Minutes" contributor Andy Rooney, former heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier, singer Heavy D, and comedian Patrice O'Neal all die in one way or the other.
- A 21 year old man by the name of Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez was arrested and accused of trying to assassinate President Obama.
- Egypt, now a military autocracy, holds its first ever elections in the post-Mubarak era.
- Talk show host Conan O'Brien returned to New York for a special week of "Conan" that featured the first televised gay marriage in late night TV history.
- In MLB postseason award news, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander pick up the awards for NL and AL Cy Young respectively. Verlander would also pick up the AL MVP award a week later, the first pitcher to do so since Roger Clemens in 1986, while Ryan Braun defeated Matt Kemp to win the NL MVP.
- Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor during the time of his death, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death and was sentenced to four years in prison as a result.
- In celebrity relationship news, Ashton Kutcher and actress Demi Moore officially separated after six years of marriage.
- As a result of the multiple sexual assault charges against him and his one time extra-marital affair with a woman named Ginger White, Herman Cain announced the suspension of his campaign for the Republican presidential ticket. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, once thought dead in the race, gained the most out of this, climbing up at least 25 points to become the frontrunner in the Iowa polls.
- Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski passes Bob Knight's record for most wins as a men's head coach with 903. He's now up to 910, adding onto his record.
- NBC releases its mid season schedule with "Community," the critically acclaimed cult sitcom, not being on it. The decision led to a major backlash by fans, leading to a big "Save Community" campaign that included letters to the network as well as to advertisers of the product, several Twitter trending topics, an increase in ratings for almost every episode after the announcement, and more. Not to be outdone, ABC also made a disappointing mid season move of its own by pushing "Cougar Town" from its scheduled January premiere date to one in March.
- Regis Philbin co-hosts his final episode of "Live!" for the first time after 28 years working on the show.
- The Florida Marlins of MLB officially rename itself as the Miami Marlins (with Ozzie Guillen as manager) while the Los Angeles Dodgers agree to an 8 year, $160 million extension with Matt Kemp.
- A pretty big month in movies, with potential Oscar candidates like "The Descendants," "The Artist," and "Hugo" premiering in limited-to-wide releases. The second to last movie of the Twilight series "Breaking Dawn-Part 1" also premiered theaters to big numbers at the box office.
DECEMBER
- North Korea announces the death of its longtime leader Kim Jon-Il. His youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, is now the country's newest leader.
- Despite the many setbacks it has suffered in the past few weeks, the Occupy Wall Street movement still marches on, if only smaller than what it used to be.
- First baseman Albert Pujols, one of the greatest baseball players of the last ten years, agrees to a 10 year, $254 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
- Urban Meyer, the two-time national championship winner for the Florida Gators, is announced as the newest head coach of Ohio State University.
- In other college football news, the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide both finish the year in the top two of the BCS standings, leading to an upcoming re-match for the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans, while Robert Griffin III, quarterback for Baylor University, is this year's Heisman Trophy winner.
- The New Orleans Hornets trade All Star point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. In other NBA offseason moves, the Lakers trade Lamar Odom to the defending champion Dallas Mavericks while the Chicago Bulls sign Richard Hamilton and the Knicks sign Tyson Chandler, to name a few.
- Once again, it seems like the anti-Romney Repulicans just can't seem to pick a side, with Ron Paul all of a sudden now gaining some steam as Newt Gingrich's stock continues to drop. The 2012 Iowa Caucus, the first major primary election of the year, occurs on January 2nd.
- President Obama gets probably the best Christmas gift of all, with Republicans caving and agreeing to the payroll tax cut bill passed by the Senate a week earlier.
- Rod Blagojevich is sentenced to 14 years in prison as a result of his convictions.
- Protests in Russia were held in opposition of Vladimir Putin's fourteen year long reign of power after many came under assumption that Putin and his party rigged the last nationwide election.
-NBC announces that radio host Howard Stern will be the newest judge to "America's Got Talent" when it returns next summer on the same month that it brought "Fear Factor" back onto the airwaves after being cancelled for five years.
- The Black Key's new album "El Camino," along with the newest album of The Roots, "undun" hits music stores on the exact same week. Also in music, the 2012 Grammy nominations were announced, with Kanye West, Adele, The Foo Fighters, and Bruno Mars receiving the most recognition by the music industry.
- "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "War Horse," "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol III" "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Adventures of Tintin" are some of the final good movies released as the year comes to a close.
- A report by ESPN's "Outside the Lines" found that NL MVP Ryan Braun uses some sort of performance enhancing drug this past season.
- The 2012 Golden Globe nominees were announced, with "The Artist," The Descendants" and "The Help" receiving the most nominations in the film categories and "Downton Abbey," "Mildred Pierce," "Boardwalk Empire" and "Modern Family" leading the pack when it TV nominations.
- The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Green Bay Packers 19-14, making this their first loss of the season after starting it out 13-0. They would be the last undefeated team in the NFL to fall this year.
-New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees passes Dan Marino's 1984 record for most passing yards in a single NFL season.
- The final U.S. troops are finally pulled out of Iraq on December 15th, officially putting the nine-year long Iraq War to a controversial close.
If you have anything important about 2011 in your mind that you feel should be included onto the list, just let your voice be heard in the comments. I will be back for part 2, which will be my votes for the year's ten best viral videos (a few of which I already mentioned here), on Wednesday. Until then, enjoy the beginning of the end (2011, that is)!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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