2011 Snapshot
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The Vibe
Pop Culture
Game of Thrones
Slang
"Winning"
Price Check
Gas: $3.53
Notable Deaths
Steve Jobs, Amy Winehouse, Elizabeth Taylor
Music & Style
Dubstep
World Affairs
Bin Laden Killed
Libyan Civil War
Year's Summary
- Global Events: The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami trigger the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. The death of Osama bin Laden. South Sudan becomes the world's newest country.
- Culture & Mood: Game of Thrones premieres on HBO, beginning a decade of 'Event TV.' Occupy Wall Street protests highlight global economic inequality.
- Fashion & Slang: Planking becomes a viral (and strange) internet craze. If someone is winning, they are 'Winning' (Charlie Sheen style).
- Fun Fact: 2011 was the year Minecraft was officially released, going on to become the best-selling video game of all time!
- 11 Mar 2011: Fukushima Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster Strike Japan – A catastrophic magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake off Sendai triggered massive tsunamis reaching up to 40 meters high, causing immense coastal destruction in northeastern Japan and precipitating the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown.
- 11 Feb 2011: Hosni Mubarak Resigns Amid Arab Spring Protests in Egypt – Following eighteen days of massive popular demonstrations centered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned after nearly thirty years in power, transferring authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
- 2 May 2011: United States Special Forces Eliminate Osama bin Laden in Pakistan – United States Navy SEALs executed a targeted raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, and ending a decade-long international manhunt.
- 9 Jul 2011: South Sudan Officially Gains Independence as World's Newest Nation – Following a overwhelming referendum vote in January, South Sudan formally declared its sovereign independence from Sudan, becoming the 193rd member state of the United Nations and the world's youngest recognized country.
- 22 Jul 2011: Norwegian Domestic Terrorist Attacks Shock Oslo and Utøya – Far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik detonated a van bomb in central Oslo killing eight people, before launching a horrific mass shooting at a youth camp on Utøya island, resulting in sixty-nine further fatalities.
- 20 Oct 2011: Deposition and Death of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya – Former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebel forces near his hometown of Sirte following an international NATO military intervention, concluding the Libyan Civil War and ending his forty-two-year regime.