Top News Stories of 2012

The year 2012 was a year when the tenets of our founding fathers were tested on many fronts. It was a year when gun control became part of the general conversation. It was a year when the first African-American president was re-elected for a second term of office. It was a year when natural disaster struck hard on the homefront. In this post, I will list a few of the momentous events that took place in the last twelve months. I do realize, however, that I have missed out many. But these should open the discussion for you.

Costa Concordia, an Italian cruise ship, became the largest passenger ship to sink, ever, when it ran aground at Isola de Giglio in Tuscany on January 13^th .

At a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado: 12 people were shot and killed.

David Patraeus, CIA Director, tendered his resignation after it was revealed that he had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

At a Sikh Gurudwara in Wisconsin, a military veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, who was dishonorably discharged, opened fire in a delusional attempt to rid himself and his country of a perceived enemy. The heroics of the Faithful drew national attention to a widely-misunderstood segment of the U.S. population.

Hurricane Sandy hit land, killing hundreds and costing billions in damages. It is the second-costliest storm in U.S. history.

A September 11^th assault on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was the result of a protest instigated by the release of an anti-Muslim film in the U.S.A.

U.S. Presidential Election: Contender Republican Mitt Romney versus Current President Democrat Barack Obama. Obama won re-election.

On Election Day, Maine, Maryland, and Washington, became the first states to legalize gay marriage.

Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut: 20 young school children and 6 staff members were shot, making it the second biggest shooting massacre in U.S. history.

Obama’s much-debated health care overhaul, popularly known as “Obamacare”, was upheld by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts (conservative-leaning).

An outbreak of peaceful protests in Syria descended into full-blown civil war between the regime of Bashar Assad and a potent rebel opposition.