WASHINGTON, D.C. (12/30/12) – 2012 is at an end. The past year marked the occurrance of several interesting moments, some good and some bad. This year was a leap year. Dick Clark, evangelist Charles Colson, actor Andy Griffith and astronaut Neil Armstrong all passed away in 2012.

2012 has featured triumph and tragedy. Here is a look back at ten major events from the year.

Disney buys Lucasfilm

After a year and a half, Disney came to a deal with George Lucas to purchase Lucasfilm LTD. for $4 billion. Lucas plans to serve as creative consultant, but will retire. Disney now has rights to the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” film franchises and plans to release a seventh Star Wars film in 2015.

Aurora Shooting

On July 20, James Holmes entered a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. at a midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” and opened fire, killing 12 and injuring 58. Holmes was charged with 142 charges, including 24 charges of first-degree murder.

Sky diver breaks sound barrier

Felix Baumgartner, Australian sky diver, took a 24 mile high jump from space. During his sky dive, Baumgartner reached 833.9 mph which is faster than the speed of sound.
“Sometimes you have to go really high to see how small you are,” he said before his jump.

NHL Lockout

Since Sept. 15, the National Hockey League has been working to resolve a labor dispute after its collective bargaining agreement expired. This has resulted in a lockout of professional hockey until the issue can be resolved. Resolutions are still being worked on.

Re-election of President Obama

On Nov. 6, President Barack Obama won re-election over Gov. Mitt Romney. Obama received 332 electoral votes and Romney received 206.

SOPA

The Stop Online Piracy Act that was introduced in 2011 prompted protests in January. The act was introduced to fight online trafficking of copyrighted material. On Jan. 18, a number f websites coordinated a service blackout to raise awareness of the act. It was believed that this act violated the first amendment and was the beginning to more internet censorship. On Jan. 20, the bill was thrown out.

Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day

Former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee declared Aug. 1 “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.” Huckabee called for citizens to eat at the fast food chain that day in support of the business after CEO Dan Cathy made a statement about same-sex marriage being sinful and took heat over it. Hundreds of thousands came to the restaurant to support.

Hurricane Sandy

In late Oct., the east coast was hit by Hurricane Sandy. At least 125 people were killed across the nation. $62 billion dollars of damage was caused from the storm.

Sandy Hook Shooting

On Dec. 14, Adam Lanza opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. 20 students were killed and 6 staff members. Lanza took his own life. Following this shooting, the gun control debate has become a major item. President Obama recently called for a team of delegates to come up with suggestions to help prevent gun violence and intends to act on these suggestions.

No End of the World

After months of prepping for doomsday, the prediction that the Mayan calendar foretold that the world would come to an end on Dec. 21 was proven wrong when nothing happened.

Aaron Frasier
SurfKY News

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