This previous decade has been filled with profound events and people. Some were positive, some less so. To celebrate the end of the 2010s, here is one thing from each of the past ten years that made this decade what it was.
The decade started off with a geographic disaster, the Haiti earthquake on January 7, 2010. This 7.0 earthquake left Haiti in ruins and chaos with many citizens displaced. No official death count was recovered, however, the Haitian government estimated around 300,000 fatalities. Numerous organizations contributed to the recovery of the affected areas as well as countless donations and volunteer help from all around the world. With all the help, Haiti was put on the road to recovery from the disaster.
On a more positive note, in 2011, a new generation of British royals was formed. Prince William, Prince Charles’ eldest son, married Catherine Middleton. By the end of the decade they had three children, with Prince Goerge now third in line to the British throne.
In the following year, the 2012 Olympics took place in London. With the 2012 Olympics being held there, London became the first city to host the Olympics three times, holding a record. Many viewers say the event resembled something from Broadway with the bright and colorful lights and extreme decoration.
The next impactful thing from this decade is a person. In 2013, Malala Yousafzai recovered from when she was shot by a Taliban gunman while fighting for women’s rights. More specifically, the right for girls to receive an education and go to school in Pakistan, just like the boys. When she was shot, people from all around the world rushed to help her in any way they could, most donating money. With all the help from her admirers and supporters, Malala was able to recover and keep fighting for her cause and was celebrated with a Nobel Peace Prize the following year.
In 2014, a profound advancement was made for space technology. On August 6, 2014, a robot named Rosetta became the first spacecraft to orbit a moving comet. This event was not only a huge advancement for technology, but also a big headway for robots and what they are capable of, as well as how they could contribute to society more. Only months later, in 2015, another profound advancement was made. SpaceX successfully landed Falcon9 in Florida after having been in space. When Falcon9 landed, it became the first possibly reusable rocket, which could save huge sums of money for the industry.
2016’s event can best be described as an “invasion.” On social media, and in real life, “killer clowns” roamed the streets and flooded the internet. No actual injuries or incidents were recorded, only videos of clowns chasing people or just standing like a statue. However, the clowns became so severe that schools had to ban any makeup or costumes that resembled clowns for halloween. This trend was concluded when a remake of the movie “It” by Stephan King came out at the end of the year. While this supposed invasion might not have had a tremendous effect on the decade, it certainly stood out as an example of how bizarre our world can be.
In 2017, Brexit, the withdrawl of the United Kingdom from European union, dominating many headlines. In June of 2016, there was a referendum where 51.9% voted for the United Kingdom to leave European Union. This act became official in 2017, although it continues to be a major point of discussion.
With the decade almost to a close, 2018 was a year of a worldwide realization of Climate Change. Countless warnings were given by authoritative people and organizations. The World Meteorological Organization gave a report that impacts of climate change are accelerating faster than ever before with record greenhouse gas concentrations driving temperatures to dangerously high levels. These temperature levels affect agriculture, communities, health, water, economy, and all the life on oceans and coasts, as well as life on land all around the world. The WMO also stated that in only a few years, the Earth would pass the point of being able to be revived from the pollution and chemical change.
One of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the decade came last year with the first picture of a black hole. On April 10, 2019, Scientists were able to take the first real picture of a black hole in space and release it to the public. Scientists know close to nothing about black holes, so this photo was a huge advancement.
This past decade was a pool of memorable and impactful events and people. 2020 has barely started and headlines have already been crowded, with more sure to come.
