Eric Flood's Timeline of Major Events of the World (1996-2014)

Hurricane Katrina was arguably the most destructive and influential hurricane of modern history. The storm caused a flood in New Orleans causing millions of dollars in damage and irrevocable emotional scarring.

The Great Recession of 2007 was the worst economic crisis for the United States since the Great Depression. The event led to highest rate of unemployment since the 1930s.

The Housing Market Crash caused the great recession of 2008. When people were unable to pay their mortgages banks were unable to make loans and people couldn't get money. This finally led to a failure of the stock market. Leading to the worst economic crisis since the depression.

The Stock Market Crash of 2008 essentially occurred because of the failure of the housing market. Billions of dollars were lost when the stock market crash.

After the crash of the stock market the big three in Detroit began to suffer significantly(excluding Ford). GM was granted billions of dollars in order to avoid bankruptcy just like the banks. Considering how many jobs may have been lost it was in the best interest of the country to bailout those companies.

Guantanamo Bay houses some of the United States' worst enemies. The proposed closure would grant prisoners of war more rights. Guantanamo allows the U.S to essentially treat prisoners however it wants to.

This legislation is better known as the Stimulus Act. The purpose of the Act was to help pump money back into the economy in order to encourage spending.

The Captain Philips incident allowed the U.S to show that they do not take hostage situations lightly. Philips was taken hostage by 4 Somali pirates who planned to hold Philips for ransom. The event was significant enough to warrant Hollywood to completely butcher the true story.

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) marks the first successful iteration of Universal Healthcare in the United States. The system still needs some polish, but it's nice to see the government moving forward and trying new things.

The START treaty was an agreement between the U.S and Russia. The goal of the treaty was to come to an agreement between the two superpowers to reduce the amount of Nuclear Arms between the nations.

The BP Oil spill is one of the worst man made natural events in history. Millions and millions of gallons of oil ran into the ocean. Affecting hundreds of animals and destroying almost all of the beaches in the surrounding area.

The Bank Reform Act was passed in order to prevent Banks from participating in proprietary trade.

The Egyptian Revolution was started by rebels who wanted to overthrow Hosni Mubarak. The revolution consisted of demonstrations, strikes, occupations, and riots.

The Syrian Civil War was started by the rebels who wanted to overthrow Bashar al-Assad. The dictator is one of the most ruthless leaders in the world today. The people began to rise up against the government and the Syrian military was dispatched in order to suppress the uprisings.

The killing of Osama Bin Laden marked the end of the largest manhunt in the world. Bin Laden was the most wanted man in the world and was responsible for terrorism attacks around the world including 9/11. His death means the world is one step closer to winning the war against terrorism.

The tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri brought about unimaginable destruction. The tornado completely obliterated the city and left practically nothing standing.

Edward Snowden was responsible for the largest leak of classified information in the history of the U.S. The documents revealed that the U.S was spying on not only its own citizens, but others including the Prime Minister of Germany.

The Norway Bombing took place at a government center where a suspect planted a bomb and proceeded to a camp where he killed another 80 people. It was the bloodiest day on Norway soil since World War 2.

In order to create more equality in the U.S military Obama decided to repeal "Don't ask, Don't tell". This means that whatever someone's sexual orientation they do not have to disclose it.

The end of the war in Iraq signifies the end of an era. The war was shrouded in controversy and its purpose seemed misguided. Americans began to wonder why so many had to be sacrificed for such a questionable cause.

Throughout history there have been several mass shootings that have changed the world and sparked movements. The shooting in Aurora, Colorado was a significant event gun control advocates used to show that weapons need to be controlled to protect the public.

Hurricane Sandy was the closest thing to Hurricane Katrina that the eastern seaboard may get. Sandy destroyed a significant portion of the New Jersey boardwalk and caused millions of dollars of damage in New Jersey and New York.

This was perhaps the most tragic massacre in United Sates history. The loss of life was indescribable and inhumane. This was yet another event that stirred the debate as to whether or not the right to bear arms should be limited.

The Boston Marathon Bombing brought the country to its knees. The two people responsible for the bombing came from Europe and had known ties to radical terrorist organizations. The chase to bring the suspects in started a manhunt in Boston that led to one being killed by police officers.

The crisis in Ukraine didn't have an exact starting date, however, the first major event was a protest in Kiev's independence square. Eventually this exploded into a full blown revolution in Ukraine. Now the people have sized control of the capitol and want to rejoin Russia.

The United States usually has a strict policy of not negotiating with terrorists. However, this event seemed to be a special case. A U.S soldier was captured by Al Qaeda. In order to get the soldier back the United States released five known terrorists for one soldier. This exchange led to a major controversy in the U.S, because some fear that this may have set a precedence.

-http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/world/europe/23oslo.html?pagewanted=all

-http://www.whitehouse.gov/

-http://millercenter.org/president

-CNN.com