BY- SARAH PASIA, NICK MCBERGIN, FLAVIA FERREIRA, ANI SARKAR, AND KATHY CHIEM The Readers Time

Year 2000 Political- Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York. It is the first time a former First Lady wins public office. Economic- The ruling in the case of the United States versus Microsoft states that the company did violate anti-trust laws by diminishing the capability of its rivals to compete Social- Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169.

2000 Pictures

Year 2001 Political- Victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election confirms George W. Bush as the victor, with Dick Cheney as his Vice-President Economic– Beijing wins the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. Social- September 11, Islamic terrorists hijack four U.S. planes and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. The attack of two planes levels the World Trade Center and the crash of one plane inflicts serious damage to the Pentagon, causing nearly a total of 3,000 deaths. The fourth plane is heroically crashed by passengers into a Shanksville, PA cornfield when they learn of the plot, preventing destruction of another structure in Washington, D.C. The plot is attributed to the Al-Qaeda organization led by Osama Bin Laden.

2001 Pictures

Year 2002 Political- Switzerland joins the United Nations. Social- Amid tight security due to terrorism concerns, the Winter Olympic Games are opened by President George W. Bush in Salt Lake City, Utah. They would continue without major incident until the closing ceremony on February 24. Economic- NATO invites additional members of the former Soviet bloc to join its membership. Seven nations are included in the invitation; Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

2002 Pictures

Year 2003 Political- The United States announces the withdrawal of troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, and the redeployment of some at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar Economic- The new United States Department of Homeland Security begins operation. Social- In 2003 Gary Ridgway also known as the "Green River Killer" confesses to murdering 48 women in his travels over the United States as a trucker. His confession brought some relief to the families of many missing women

2003 Pictures

Year 2004 Political- President George W. Bush wins re-election over Democratic Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts. He wins 50.7% of the popular vote and 286 votes in the Electoral College. Social- Mars rover MER-B (Opportunity) confirms to NASA that the area of their landing was once covered in water. Economic- growth rate to 4.4 percent, the best showing in five years.

2004 Pictures

Year 2005 Political- Iraq descends into chaos. “This year totally revolves around Iraq,” said Stephen Hess, a professor at George Washington University Social- Hurricane Katrina wreaks catastrophic damage on the Gulf coast; more than 1,000 people die and millions are left homeless. Americans are shaken not only by the magnitude of the disaster but by how ill-prepared all levels of government are in its aftermath. Economic- March 23 An explosion takes place at one of BP's largest oil refineries in Texas City, killing 15 and injuring more than 170.

2005 Pictures

Year 2006 Social- In our current world today, Apple iTunes has changed the way people listen to music. Thanks to iTunes, music is now easier to download for people of all ages to enjoy. In February of 2006, the billionth song was downloaded. Political- In the mid-term elections, both houses of Congress change back to Democratic hands for the first time since This is seen as a referendum by many on the Iraq policy of the Bush administration as well as personal Republican scandals among some House and Senate members. Economic- United States manufacturing capacity and esteem wanes, signaled by the sale of the last shares of his General Motors stock by U.S. billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.

2006 Pictures

Year 2007 Political- Nancy Pelosi from California is sworn into office as the first female speaker in the House of Representatives. Social- Four terrorists planned a terror plot in JFK airport but ended up being charged and arrested. Economic- Since the recession, the economy grew by only 2.2% the least it had grown in five years.

2007 Pictures

Year 2008 Economic- During the Summertime, Oil was $140 per barrel. President Bush had signed legislation as a $700 billion dollar bailout as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. Political/Social- John McCain chooses Sarah Palin as his running mate in the elections. Making this the first election where a woman and an African American are nominees for the presidential election. Political/Social- Barack Obama wins 365 votes out of 538 from the Electoral College against John McCain. The large margin made Obama the 44 th president and the first African American president in the U.S.

2008 Pictures

Year 2009 Social- The H1N1 virus, named the Swine Flu, is deemed a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. This is the first such designation since the Hong Kong flu in Political- Barack Obama takes the oath of office for President of the United States, becoming the first African-American president in the history of the nation. Washington, D.C. hosts more than one million visitors to the inauguration, covering the National Mall reminiscent of the Civil Rights March of Martin Luther King forty-six years earlier. Economic- The economic recession continues to deepen as jobless claims climb above 10.0%, reaching 10.2% with October's monthly figures.

2009 Pictures

Year 2010 Political- The Health Reform Bill was passed after nearly a year waiting. Economics- Standard & Poor's downgrades Greece's sovereign credit rating to junk four days after the activation of a €45-billion EU–IMF bailout, triggering the decline of stock markets worldwide and of the Euro's value, and furthering a European sovereign debt crisis. Social- A 7.0 magnitude earthquake occurs in Haiti, devastating the nation's capital, Port- au- Prince. With a death toll over 230,000.

2010 Pictures

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