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Ryan Sutton: Birth
I was born. -
Iraq Disarmament Crisis: Iraq Liberation Act
The ongoing crisis with Iraq leads Congress to pass the Iraq Liberation Act, which officially announced that the United States of America was to remove Saddam Hussein from power. -
STS-95: The Oldest Person in Space
The Space Shuttle "Discovery" blasts off with 77-year-old John Glenn on board, who had previously became the first American to orbit the Earth on 20 February 1962. He then becomes the oldest person to go into space. -
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Iraq Disarmament Crisis: Airstrikes?
President Clinton orders airstrikes on Iraq, but then calls them off at the last minute when Iraq promises once again to "unconditionally" cooperate with UNSCOM. -
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Iraq Disarmament Crisis: Airstrikes and Withdrawal
President Clinton orders the American and British airstrikes on Iraq, while UNSCOM withdraws all weapons inspectors from Iraq. -
Lewinsky Scandal: Impeachment
President Clinton is successfully impeached by the United States House of Representatives. -
Iraq Disarmament Crisis: No-Fly Zones
Iraq announces that it intends to fire upon any U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern "no-fly zones." -
Impeachment of Bill Clinton: Acquittal
Though being impeached by the House of Representatives, President Clinton is acquitted by the Senate. -
Columbine High School Massacre
In Littleton, Colorado, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, open fire on their teachers and classmates. They kill 12 students and a single teacher before killing themselves. This is known as the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, and sparked debates on school bullying, gun control and violence in the media. -
Elián González Affair: Ruling
In a large and controversial possession-of-a-child case, Attorney General Janet Reno rules that a child rescued by the Coastguards, Elián González, must be returned to his father in Cuba. -
United States Microsoft Antitrust Case
A Court orders the breakup of the Microsoft corporation because of its monopoly in the computer software market. -
United States Presidential Election, 2000: Disputed Outcome
Texas Governor George W. Bush, the Republican candidate for the presidential election, defeats the Democratic Vice President Al Gore in the closest election in history, but the final outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida. -
U.S. Presidential Election, 2000: Recount
As per the Florida law, an automatic recount begins in the state due to the narrow margin of the outcome. -
U.S. Presidential Election, 2000: Certification Prevention
Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris is prevented from certifying the election results by the Supreme Court of Florida, allowing recounting to continue. -
U.S. Presidential Election, 2000: Manual Recount
The Supreme Court of Florida orders a statewide manual recount of the votes in the presidential election. -
U.S. Presidential Election, 2000: Stay
The U.S. Supreme Court places a stay on the Florida order for a manual recount. -
U.S. Presidential Election, 2000: Bush v. Gore
The Supreme Court overturns the ruling of the Florida Supreme Court, ending the recount. This effectively gives the state and the Presidency to George W. Bush. -
United States v. Microsoft: Lesser Penalty
Choosing to instead seek a lesser antitrust penalty, the United States Justice Department announces that it will no longer seek to break up software maker Microsoft. -
9/11 Attacks
On my third birthday, almost 3,000 are killed when terrorists coordinate four suicide attacks with planes at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the rural area of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. -
U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan: Begin the Operation
Operation Anaconda, where CIA Paramilitary Officers, allied Afghan military forces, and other allies attempt to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, begins in eastern Afghanistan. -
U.S. War in Afghanistan: End the Operation
Operation Anaconda ends, with 500 dead Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters and 11 dead allied troops. -
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
Bobby Frank Cherry, a Ku Klux Klan member, is convicted by a jury in Birmingham, Alabama of the 1963 murders of four girls. -
Iraq Diarmament Crisis: "Danger"
President Bush addresses the United Nations and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq. The only alternative he gives is to allows the United States and likeminded nations act. -
STS-107: Tragic End
Upon re-entry from launching on January 16, Space Shuttle "Columbia" disintegrates over Texas, killing all 7 astronauts on board. -
Iraq Disarmament Crisis: Ultimatum
President Bush gives an ultimatum to Iraq. Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the United States' choosing. -
Iraq War: Ending the Regime
Upon seizing control of Baghdad, U.S. forces effectively end the regime of Saddam Hussein. -
Grutter v. Bollinger
The Supreme Court upholds affirmative action in university admissions. -
Lawrence v. Texas
The U.S. Supreme Court declares sodomy laws unconstitutional. -
Iraq War: Hussein Captured
Operation Red Dawn ends, which results in capturing Saddam Hussein in his hometown of Tikrit. -
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Second Battle of Fallujah
U.S., U.K., and Iraqi forces launch a major assault on the Iraqi town of Fallujah to rid the area of Iraqi insurgents before the elections in January. -
Roper v. Simmons
The Supreme Court rules that the death penalty is unconstitutional for juveniles who committed their crimes before the age of 18. -
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Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina strikes coastal areas from Lousiana to Alabama and travels up the entire state of Mississippi. There were at least 1,836 killed and $108 billion in damages. -
2005 New York City Transit Strike
New York City's Transport Workers Union Local 100 goes on strike for three days, shutting down all New York City Subway and Bus services. -
Ryan Sutton: First Mammalian Pet
As a birthday present, I get my first mammalian pet, which is a guinea pig by the name of Lue. -
War in Somalia
U.S. planes conduct air strikes in Somalia against suspected terrorists. -
Global Financial Crisis: Bush's Solution
In response to the global financial crisis, President Bush signs the revised Emergency Economic Stabilization Act into law, creating a $700 billion Treasury fund to purchase failing bank assets. -
United States presidential election, 2008
Democratic U.S. Senator Barack Obama is elected as the 44th President, while U.S. Senator Joe Biden is elected as the 47th Vice President. Obama is the first African-American President. -
Air Force One Photo Op Controversy
At approximately 1,000 feet over Lower Manhattan, an Air Force One back-up plane and an F-16 fighter jet fly in a photo opportunity organized by the United States Department of Defense. Citizens who weren't informed of the event are alarmed due to fears of a 9/11 attack repeat. -
Ryan Sutton: Pet Death
Unfortunately, Lue, my guinea pig pet, dies from old age. -
Citizens United v. FEC
The Supreme Court rules that the First Amendment prohibits restrictions on independent political expenditures by corporations, associations, and unions. -
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Illegals Program
Uncovered by the FBI as Russian spies, ten people plead guilty in court to conspiracy to act as foreign agents. They are deported in exchange for four people imprisoned for alleged contact with Western intelligence. -
Iraq War: End
President Obama declares an end to combat operations in Iraq, just 11 days after the last U.S. combat troops leave Iraq. -
United States Diplomatic Cables Leak
WikiLeaks publicly releases the first of thousands of confidential documents that were sent by United States diplomats. -
Anthony Weiner Photo Scandal: "Won't Resign"
Representative Anthony Weiner admits he sent a lewd photograph of himself over Twitter to a Washington woman and to sending explicit photgraphs and messages to at least 6 other women over the past 3 years. Despite this, he says he won't resign. -
Anthony Weiner Photo Scandal: Well...
Anthony Weiner resigns. -
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United States Debt-Ceiling Crisis
In a series of incredulous economic events, the Dow Jones Industrial Average drops historically low, causing the days around this time period to be some of the worst for stocks. -
2011 Reno Air Races Crash
A P-51D Mustang airplane crashes into the crowd at the annual Reno Air Races in Reno, Nevada, killing 11 and injuring at least 75, 25 of them critically. -
Occupy Wall Street
In response to high unemployment, record executive bonuses, and extensive bailouts of the financial system, thousands march on Wall Street. -
Ryan Sutton: Near-Death Experience
I manage to not die while being a passenger on a plane that has its engine fail. This is mostly due to a very good pilot. -
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National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius: Arguments
In three days of arguments, the Supreme Court hears from 26 states arguing against the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. -
Arizona v. United States
In a 5-3 decision, the Supreme Court strikes down most of the Arizona Immigration Law passed in 2010. However, it unanimously upholds the most controverisal provision: the one which allows police officers to ask the immigration status of any person suspected of a crime. -
National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius: Ruling
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upholds the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as consitutional under the taxing and spending clause. -
2012 Aurora Shooting
James Holmes opens fire on a crowd during the screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. He kills 12 and injures 58, then is found behind the theater claiming to be "The Joker." -
2012 Elections
Barack Obama is reelected as President of the United States, managing to defeat the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney. -
Ryan Sutton: Scar
I, in a series of unfortunate and frankly embarassing events, get a scar on my nose. -
Syrian Civil War
President Obama recognizes Syria's rebel opposition as the "legitimate representatives" of the Syrian people. -
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Boston Marathon Bombings
Two explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon leave 3 people dead and 260 injured. A later gunfight on an MIT campus kills Tamerlan Tsarnaev, while Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains at large until a tip leads the police to a backyard-stored boat at a home in the Boston suburb of Watertown, Massachusetts, where the second suspect is captured. -
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2013 Ricin Attacks
Mail sent to the US Senate is suspended after a letter sent to Senator Roger Wicker tests positive for ricin at an offsite facility. After the release of a previous suspect without charge, an adversary of his, Everett Dutschke of Mississippi, was arrested for mailing letters containing ricin to the President, a senator, and a federal judge. -
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Debt-Ceiling Crisis
With the tensions between the two parties regarding the Affordable Care Act still high, Congress ultimately reaches a stalemate while voting on the mandatory budget for the 2014 fiscal year. This results in a shutdown of all federal government departments deemed nonessential and hundreds of thousands of federal government workers furloughed. It eventually ends with Congress voting to postpone the debates until february 2014. -
Ryan Sutton: Complex Migraine
I, for the first time in my life, have a complex migraine. It caused symptoms so bad that it sends me to the Emergency Room. -
Shooting of Michael Brown: Curfew
The governor of Missouri issues a state of emergency for Ferguson and a five-hour curfew. Another curfew is issued the following night. -
Ryan Sutton: New House
My family and I close on the current house we are living in. -
Shooting of Michael Brown: Riots
It is announced there was insufficient evidence to indict Officer Darren Wilson, causing riots to break out in Ferugson. The protests include mass looting and the burning of 12 buildings, resulting in 29 arrests. This also occurs in major cities, like New York City and Los Angeles. -
Death of Eric Garner
A grand jury decides to not indict NYPD officers Daniel Pantaleo and Justin Damico in the death of Eric Garner, resulting in protests in New York City. The protests continue throughout the week in cities for both the deaths of Garner and Michael Brown. -
Ryan Sutton: Second Mammalian Pet
As an early Christmas present for the entire family, I get my second mammalian pet, a dog named Rufus. -
Republican Folly: The Iran Letter
47 Republican Senators sign a letter ot the leadership of Iran in regards to Iran's nuclear program. It warns Iran that any foreign treaty made by a President without congressional approval can be overturned by a future-elected President. -
Same-Sex Couples Case
The Supreme Court hears arguments regarding whether the Constitution guarantees the right to marriage to same-sex couples. -
Boston Marathon Bombings: Death Penalty
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is sentenced to death for committing the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. -
USA Fredom Act
After several delays and revisions, the USA Freedom Act is signed into law by President Obama. The law restricts government surveillance under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, but doesn't end bulk collection of American phone metadata, which will now be collected by phone companies that may still give the information to the NSA voluntarily under the bill.