A snapshot of 2014 significant world events

Ebola Outbreak
According to the World Health Organization, almost 8,000 people died from an outbreak of Ebola that occurred in West Africa. The Ebola epidemic is considered to be the largest in history, also affecting smaller numbers of people in Nigeria and Senegal. There were also a few cases in Europe and the United States.  TIME Magazine named Ebola fighters as their “Person of the Year” and said, “The rest of the world can sleep at night because a group of men and women are willing to stand and fight.”

World Cup
FIFA World Cup was hosted in Brazil from June 12 to July 13. Despite the first few days of chaotic travels from citizens across the world coming in, Brazil kept the games going without any delays. In the final round, Germany won against Argentina after going into overtime in the final match.

Windows XP Discontinued
Support for 12-year-old, Windows XP ended April 8. Updates are no longer provided including security updates, which protect computers from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, driver updates, or software updates.

Malaysia Airline Flight Disappearance
A plane carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared on March 8.  Malaysia Airlines say they lost contact with the plane less than an hour after takeoff, over the South China Sea. Details are still unknown.  Flight 370 could have been hijacked or there could have been a tragic accident.  The disappearance has prompted advances in technology for tracking the location of planes around the world.

Graphic | Tam Duong Jr.
Russia Annexes Crimea
This crisis was triggered by the collapse of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s pro-Russian President. According to the International Business Times, more than 3600 people have been killed in the Ukraine, and almost 9,000 were wounded in the violent conflict between government forces.

Hong Kong Protests
On Sept. 22, more than 13,000 students gathered in the square of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  The students had yellow armbands, held umbrellas up and yelled, “Reject fake elections!” In early October, planned talks between student leaders and government representatives were called off.  On Dec. 3, three protest leaders surrendered themselves to authorities.

Police Brutality
On Aug. 9, Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Protests broke out in Ferguson, Los Angeles, Oakland, and other cities around the U.S. as a result of Wilson not being indicted. As well, a series of other cases relating to police brutality broke out around causing a storm of conversation and demand for reform in the U.S.

Crash in Oil Prices
“Oil prices have dropped in part because supply is increasing; the advent of hydraulic fracturing has sent U.S. oil productions soaring, Libyan oil has come back on line, and OPEC can’t agree on production cuts,” according to The Water’s Edge blogger, James M. Lindsay. In July, a barrel would cost around $100, but as of now, the same barrel only costs about $60, and is decreasing still in price.

Youngest Noble Peace Prize
Youngest 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner was awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai. Yousafzai is the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Sony Hack
Sony’s executive board and other employee’s emails and documents were leaked from a hack and caused many controversies. Ranging from racist remarks from Amy Pascal, to movie scripts and the questionable response from Sony to pull “The Interview” from ttheaters soon after.

ISIS Streams
Isis filled TV’s, social media, and YouTube with their shocking brutality. Showcasing their beheading of journalist James Foley, the militant group spread their propaganda across the web, increasing their numbers and supporters with constant uploads of more beheading with increased frequency.