~ The Incredible Events that Shaped the World in 2014 ~

[MysteRy]

2014's Most Notable Events

As 2014 over, it’s time to remember the most notable events of that year. From January to December, it has been a turbulent year with many significant events. These are some most noteworthy events of the year:



January: West Africa Ebola Outbreak



During 2013, there were very few isolated cases in Guinea, but at the beginning of 2014 Ebola rapidly spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. This has been the worst known outbreak in the disease’ history. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that by November, there were 16,000 cases of infection and over 7,000 fatalities.

[MysteRy]

February 7: 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi



The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics began despite a global condemnation of Russia’s harsh crackdown on its gay community. There were significant concerns about Russia being ready to host such a large-scale event, and indeed – the opening ceremony had a few embarrassing mishaps, along with many images of the city of Sochi’s poor state of preparedness, including half-built hotels, open manholes, etc.

[MysteRy]

February 24: The beginning of the Ukrainian revolution



When the Pro-Russian president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, decided to backtrack on Ukraine’s integration into the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia, the public wouldn’t have it and a violent protest began in November 2013. By February 2014, the protests reached a fever-pitch and became a full revolution, when the president fled the country. (The image shows Kiev’s Independence Square before and during the riots)

[MysteRy]

March 8: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears



On a routine commercial flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, MH370 disappeared from the radar. Relatives of the 239 passengers were left confused and angry when no answers as to the whereabouts of their family members came from the airline and Malaysian government. An international search was conducted along the flight’s path from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean and was the largest search in aviation history. Experts claim that it may take years until we discovered what truly happened to MH370…

[MysteRy]

March 21: Russia annexes Crimea



In lieu of the February revolution, Russia refused to accept the political change in Ukraine and moved to secure its military installation in the Crimean Peninsula. A Pro-Russian politician by the name of Sergey Aksyonov seized the local government with the help of armed soldiers and declared himself the new prime minister of the “Autonomous Republic of Crimea”. The Russian-backed move was followed by Russian military forces deploying throughout Crimea and a full annexation of Crimea in March 21.

[MysteRy]

April 2: The beginning of India’s biggest general election



Beginning in April 2, India’s elections took over a month, with 9 phases of voting and over 815 million registered voters. The final phase ended on May 12 and on May 16 the winner was announced to be Narendra Modi, the leader of the Indian nationalist opposition party (Bharatiya Janata Party), with over sixty percent of the seats in the Indian Parliament.

[MysteRy]

April 14: Abduction of the Nigerian Schoolgirls



Armed terrorists from the Islamic organization Boko Haram attacked an all-girl school in the Nigerian village of Chibok. They gathered 276 teenagers and loaded them onto trucks and drove away to the rural and remote hills on the border with Cameroon. The kidnapping caused a wave of international outrage, with many countries promising to save the kidnaped girls and destroy Boko Haram. Until the end of 2014, only a few of the girls managed to return home, and only because they managed to escape their captors. BringBackOurGirls

[MysteRy]

April 16: The MV Sewol ferry disaster in Korea



On the morning of April 16, a ferry carrying 476 passengers traveling from the Korean mainland to the island of Jeju sank. 304 of the passengers died, the majority of them were schoolchildren who were ordered to remain in their cabins. At the same time, the captain and crew escaped in the lifeboats. The captain of the ferry, Lee Jun-Seuk was later charged with gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison.

[MysteRy]

May 13: Coal mine disaster in Soma, Turkey



In the worst mining accident in Turkey’s history, 301 miners lost their lives in an explosion (and subsequent fires) in a coal mine in the Turkish city of Manisa.

[MysteRy]

May 22: Military Coup d’état in Thailand



Following several years of political unrest and instability, Thailand’s government was overthrown by the head of Thailand’s military - Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha. Following a short period of imposed martial law, Chan-ocha received the blessing of Thailand’s king to be the head of the military council that will temporarily run the country.

[MysteRy]

June 4: The 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre



Tens of thousands of people attended the candlelight vigil held in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 2,500 pro-democracy activists by China’s military on June 4, 1989.

[MysteRy]

June 29: The rise of ISIS (“Islamic State”)



The Fundamentalist Islamic terrorist organization called ISIL (Islamic State from Iraq to the Levant), an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, gained its initial global infamy by capturing vast territories in Iraq and Syria. On June 29, they renamed themselves to “Islamic State” and proclaimed their captured territory to be an Islamic caliphate. Since then, the brutality of this group has been shown on many occasions, and includes executions of children, decapitation of journalists & rape of “slave wives”, amongst other things, with the acts purposefully videotaped and broadcast to international media.

[MysteRy]

July 8: The Israel/Gaza Conflict



Following months of sporadic rocket attacks aimed at the southern cities of Israel, and prompted by the kidnapping and murder of 3 teenage Israelis, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) launched a massive aerial campaign against the Islamic Terrorist organization Hamas, which is the current governing body in the Gaza Strip. Hamas then increased the amount of rocket attacks into Israeli population centers, as well as attempted to launch several guerrilla attacks into Israel via tunnels dug for this purpose in the preceding years. The operation ended on August 26.

[MysteRy]

July 13: Germany Wins the 2014 FIFA World Cup



In an intense final match that saw a lot of incredible plays but no goals for over 90 minutes, Germany managed to beat Argentina 1-0 in the 113th minute, and becoming the first team to ever win three World Cup championships.

[MysteRy]

July 17: Malaysia Airlines flight 17 is shot down in Ukraine



On July 17, MH17 crashed near the Ukrainian town of Torez on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Later investigation uncovered that the flight was shot down after being mistaken for a military transport. At this time, the responsible party has not yet been confirmed.