Day upon day of headline news leaves us to conclude that, overall, 2011 was not the best year. Here are just a few of the main stories that plagued us throughout that span.

The event that kicked off 2011 and set the tone for the new year was the attempted assassination of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, on Jan. 8.

Shortly after, on Feb. 6, the Cheeseheads, led by Aaron Rodgers, won the Super Bowl, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31 to 25. Aaron celebrated with a post-game "belt dance," a move which can now be seen in State Farm commercials.

About two months later, in response to accusations made mostly by celebrity Donald Trump, President Obama released his birth certificate on April 27. This proved that, without a doubt, he is a U.S. citizen and that, despite the beliefs of some, his parents did not forge his birth certificate after his birth in, say, Nigeria, move to Hawaii and then proceed to fake a birth announcement in the Honolulu paper in the chance that later in life Barack would want to become president of the United States.

Then, on May 2, Osama bin Laden, one of the FBI's ten most wanted fugitives, was killed in a firefight with American forces at his Pakistan compound, causing much rejoicing back in the States. And three weeks later, on May 21, the world failed to end, disproving yet another prophecy made by Christian broadcast group operator Harold Camping.

On June 24, New York made headlines when it publicly defied the Bible, becoming the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage.

The nation was shocked when, on July 5, in Orlando, Florida, a jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year-old daughter. Later that summer, on July 17, the Women's World Cup title match was tied 2-2 after overtime; Japan outscored the U.S. 3-1 in a penalty-kick shootout to win the championship, giving Americans yet another reason to stick to real sports – like stock car racing.

On Sept. 11, we commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Later that month, on Sept. 20, the repeal of the U.S.
military's 18-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" compromise took effect, allowing gay and lesbian service members to "come out of the closet" and serve openly.

Later that fall, on Oct. 5, Apple Inc. cofounder Steve Jobs died of cancer at the age of 56.

On Nov. 7 – two years and five months after the King of Pop's death – a Los Angeles jury convicts Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, of involuntary manslaughter for supplying an anesthetic implicated in MJ's death. Will he ever rest in peace?

That's a wrap. Now, fortunately, we can all feel satisfied that 2011 has finally come to an end. Cheers to 2012.

Share Link: