Events that Changed the World in 2014

These are the stories that made the world stop in 2014. They didn’t just affect one city or one country, but made the whole world sit-up and take notice. These were the stories that were talked about repeatedly for days or weeks on end by every news source in the world. Our social media accounts flooded with our friends sharing articles and opinions on each of these events. And then time passes – and all that we were engrossed in simply becomes “old news”, only to be replaced by the next big story.

Here is a look back at 2014 to see what events truly altered the course of human history and will be written about for years to come. These events changed the way we perceive our world. They act as a milestone in our lives and are moments we reflect on. In fact, they were so instrumental, they completely changed the way we handle our social, economic, and moral dilemmas. Check out the 10 events of 2014 that changed the world.

What are your thoughts on the topics we have discussed? Please share with a comment below!

Ebola Outbreak

In March, we saw the Ebola outbreak beginning to devastate portions of Central Africa, but the world didn’t seem too concerned, until it started spreading across the ocean to the United States. Although the rest of the world has yet to experience the same devastation the virus has caused in Central Africa, it did take over news outlets everywhere. Topics like travel bans, precautionary steps, and practically all updates were delivered and discussed for several continuous months – and even now to some degree. While we should take the issue seriously, the mass hysteria caused by the news coverage was unhelpful at best.

 

Nigeria School Girls Abduction

In mid-April, the Islamic Jihadist terrorist group, Boko Haram, kidnapped over 250 (some sources claiming over 300) girls from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Westernization of the area has been linked as the reason behind the group’s atrocious crimes as they insists that the government schools stick with teaching a pro-Islamic curriculum only. Reports have suggested that many girls had managed to escape, but many others have been forced to convert Islam and marry a Boko Haram member. Over 200 of the girls still remain unaccounted for.

US Lifting an Embargo on Cuba

With over 50 years of blockade on Cuba, the US has finally launched a dialogue in hopes of ending the over half a century embargo with our neighbor to the south. Although small steps are beginning, the topic has created a huge debate over the pros and cons of the situation. If this is truly what it is, lifting the embargo would be one of history’s most momentous events.

 

The Ukrainian Crisis

Ukrainians, tired of the political corruption, took their voices to the streets from November of 2013 to February of 2014. The biggest concern for the protesters was the overwhelming Russian influence on the governing policies of the country; Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych’s rejection to join the European Union was considered one of the triggering points. Many protests turned violent and even resulted in deaths. Eventually, the protesters were victorious as the Prime Minister eventually resigned and another (previous) constitution was adopted.

The anti-Russian sentiment however greatly affected those who were of Russian descent. Unpleased by the Ukrainian revolution and to protect people of Russian ancestry, the Russian leader made moves to annex Crimea (a heavily Russian populated Ukrainian area) into the Russian Federation. The annexation is not recognized by the majority of the world and has put Vladimir Putin on a Blacklist, as well as caused many countries to suspend trading with Russia.

Flight MH370 and QZ8501 Went Missing

Flight MH370, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, made its last contact over the South China Sea and have never been heard from since. While sources claim that the flight had to have crashed, no debris or signs of crash have been found – forcing many to believe it to be a terrorist attack. 227 passengers and 12 crew members were on the plane.

Just recently, an eerily similar scenario has happened with AirAsia flight QZ8501 – flying from Indonesia to Singapore. About 40 bodies have been discovered by the Indonesian navy and debris has been collected, also; 155 passengers and 7 crew members got on board the unfortunate journey.

Landing on a comet

On November 12, man made a momentous leap forward by landing the Philae spacecraft – a robotic lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft – on a comet and returned data back from its surface. A coverage of similar proportion – perhaps even bigger on some news channels – was given to Dr. Matt Taylor, one of the members that helped pioneer the Rosetta Mission, for wearing a shirt cover with semi-nude women; he was immediately labeled sexist.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge swept the social media world by storm. From celebrities to your relatives – if you didn’t participate in the challenge, well then you were not in the cool kids club of 2014. Although winter put the challenge to rest, the cause is still underway. The ALS Association has (and continues to) raised about $94 million dollars from your kind donations.

 

Verdicts that Gripped the World:

Michael Brown/Eric Garner

The Michael Brown verdict sparked a huge wave of protests concerning police brutality and overreach in United States. When the verdict for the police officer involved in the Michael Brown case came back not-guilty, the outcome became a rallying cry for many. Fuel was added to the fire when the police officer responsible for the death of Eric Garner was also not charged with murder. Numerous demonstrations took place throughout the country asking for a change with the current U.S policing policies – especially in regards to racial profiling.

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius served as an idol for the world. His was an unparalleled success story of overcoming unbeatable odds to become the first Para-Olympian to compete in the Olympics. His image as hero was tarnished when he appeared on the news across the world having murdered his girlfriend; whom he claimed to have thought was as an intruder. In October, he was found guilty for culpable homicide and sentenced to 5 years in prison.

 

Sochi Olympics

Controversy and major sporting events go hand in hand, but the amount of coverage the Sochi Olympics received for non-sports related material earns it a spot on this list. Controversy regarding Russia’s LGBT rights, Sochi’s spring like weather (during the winter Olympics mind you), and numerous political controversies associated with the event were consistently brought up as part of the coverage. Although, the anti-Russian attitude from most of the world may have helped keep these news stories on the surface.

The biggest of the controversies arose when the decision of the Women’s Figure Skating event went in favor of the Russian finalist Adelina Sotnikova over the South Korean (who was looking for her third consecutive gold medal). Corruption within the judging panel has been deemed the root of the problem – one of the judges was the wife of Valentin Piseev, the director of the Russian Skating Federation.

Guatemalan Refugees

The idea of immigration consistently made headlines this year and it came in from the thousands of Central American refugee children who left their homes to avoid living in poverty and violence. There were many against them getting refuge claiming they will eventually ruin American economics. Allowing the kids to stay can be seen as a sign for many others to flood in the country while the others find it to be a kind – humane – gesture. What is your take on this moral dilemma?