Alex Settle
Staff Writer
As we say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010, it’s around now that we look back and see what the most memorable moments of the past year were. The following is a compilation of events that the Harriton community has specifically pointed out as the biggest and most memorable moments of 2009:
10. Palin Resigns
On July 3, 2009, Governor of Alaska and 2008 Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin announced at a press conference that she would not run for reelection in the 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election and would resign before the end of July. The election brought her into the limelight, and launched a full-scale media attack on her personal life. She claims to have stepped down because she wanted to avoid the “insanity” of everything that was going on around her.
9. Super Bowl XLIII and Santonio Holmes
February 1st, 2009, during the biggest game of the NFL Season, the score was 23-20 in the fourth quarter, and the Arizona Cardinals were in the lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers after having come back from a 20-7 deficit at halftime. The Steelers drove down the field, and with the game on the line, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a risky pass to the corner of the end zone, leading to an incredible catch by Wide Receiver Santonio Holmes to win the game.
Harriton senior Eli Murphy-Trotsky says, “It was one of the most amazing clutch catches I have ever seen, but I kind of had a feeling like you knew it was going to happen, you knew the Steelers were the more experienced and that they were the better team, you were just waiting for that comeback drive to happen, but when it happened it seemed magical.”
8. US Airways Flight 1549
Also known as the Miracle on the Hudson River, on January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of Canada Geese and immediately lost all thrust, causing the pilot to have to make a crash landing. Barely staying in the air, the crew managed to fly the plane directly into the Hudson River, crashing into nothing but the water. The miraculous landing resulted in no deaths and only some minors injuries.
7. A-Rod’s Admission
Alex Rodriguez, third baseman for the New York Yankees, in an interview with ESPN admitted to the public that he had been using steroids during his career with the Texas Rangers. The sports world erupted in discussion after hearing news of this. To most of them, Alex Rodriguez seemed to be the only pure and still great player left in the MLB, and his confession marked a turning point in baseball, truly dubbing this era as the “Steroid Era”.
6. Obama’s Nobel Prize
On October 9th, 2009, it was announced that Barack Obama had received the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, a controversy that angered many people. It was questionable as to whether or not he had done anything to deserve it or not. Harriton Senior David Eisenberg says, “Obama didn’t want the Nobel Prize, and didn’t really deserve it, nor is he under the illusion that he did. He was given the peace prize in a similar way to others in the past, giving the prize in an attempt to encourage peaceful actions instead of for actual past peaceful actions.”
5. Tiger’s Troubles
On November 25th, 2009 at 2:30 AM, Tiger Woods got into a car crash involving a fire hydrant, a hedge, and a tree, from which he received minor wounds. Speculation of why he was out driving fast this late at night led to a full investigation, at which time it was found out that he had been having multiple affairs outside of his marriage to former model Elin Nordegren.
Outraged by this, the public berated him for his actions, eventually forcing him to take an indefinite leave from golf so he could try to rebuild his family. This issue divided the general public: some people were outraged, while others were apathetic to the situation. Sophomore Zico Gaeffke was understanding: “Let the man be, we’re not all perfect.”
4. Kanye Interrupts Taylor Swift
On September 13th, 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, while Taylor Swift was accepting the award for Best Female Video, rapper Kanye West jumped onto the stage, stole the microphone from Taylor, and proclaimed that Beyonce’s video for her song “Single Ladies” was “one of the best videos of all time.”
In perhaps one of the most bizarre moments in recent pop culture, Kanye West managed to embarrass himself, Taylor Swift and Beyonce. His comment caused an uproar, with hardly sympathetic to Kanye’s side. Even President Obama denounced Kanye in a famous “off-the-record” interview.
3. Michael Jackson’s Death
On June 24th, 2009, Michael Jackson rehearsed at the Staples Center for his upcoming concert series “This is it”. What we didn’t know at the time was that it would be the last rehearsal of his life. The next morning, emergency services received a call from his physician, saying he had gone into cardiac arrest. They brought him back to the hospital after 42 minutes of CPR and tried to resuscitate him, but they were unsuccessful and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m.
Michael Jackson touched innumerable people worldwide with his music (despite any allegations against him), deserving his moniker as “king of pop”. Sophomore Abigail Dawson laments, “It wasn’t as much of a surprise to me as it was just tragic. I don’t know how [many] of the charges against Jackson were true, but his personal life aside, nobody can deny what an incredible singer, dancer, and overall performer he was. His influence will live on.”
2. Swine Flu
The H1N1 Influenza Virus, or Swine Flu, as many call it, was one of the greatest fears of every American in 2009. It spread rapidly across the world, killing 14,000 people as of January 1st, 2010. For anyone who does not know what Swine Flu is (for those who have been in a coma or living under a rock), it is a new strain of the common flu virus, nicknamed swine flu because of it’s ability to infect pigs, not because you can catch it from pigs (a common misunderstanding).
Swine Flu spread quickly, but not as quickly as the idea of swine flu itself. Thanks to fast media reaction, within weeks of the first outbreak, everyone in the world knew about the Swine Flu. At first it was frightening, but after proving fairly harmless to all but infants and pregnant women, became the object of humor. It became the inside joke of every summer camp, using slogans like “No Swine in ’09!”, and was adapted into a popular Halloween costume. Whether it really was potentially harmful, or the media just blew it out of proportion for shock factor, everyone will remember the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic.
1. Obama Inauguration
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 was a date that many people had been counting down to for years. It was the day that George W. Bush was officially removed from office and replaced by the current president, Barack Obama. The event was an electrifying moment of American History as the first ever African-American president was sworn into office. The day was filled with music and the wise words of inspirational speakers, including the invocation by Evangelical pastor Rick Warren, and a John Williams composition “Air and Simple Gifts”, performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero, and clarinetist Anthony McGill.
Two days before the actual inauguration, the “We Are One” concert event honored the new president and his family with music and speeches from influential celebrities. The all-star line up for the event included Mary J. Blige, John Mellencamp, Queen Latifah, Denzel Washington, The US Army Band, Herbie Hancock, Will.i.am, Jack Black, Usher, Stevie Wonder and U2.
The swearing in, as many may recall, did not go as smoothly as the rest of Obama’s inauguration. Chief Justice John Roberts made multiple errors in reciting the 35-word oath, a slipup that did not go unnoticed, but the amends were quickly made. A day later, Roberts administered the oath to Obama again in the White House to ensure his presidency.