Summing up 2013 in Fifteen Minutes
We’re about to wrap up a year of recovering from Miley Cyrus, celebrating celebrity babies, and grappling with government hysteria. In honor of our namesake, we compiled a list of the fifteen minutes—some historically significant, others not much more than a filler story that ended up dominating national news—that defined 2013, to read and remember before we ring in the new year.
February 3, 2013, 8:11 P.M. ET – Following the lip-syncing scandal at the 2013 Inauguration, Beyonce’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl sets a new record for the most-tweeted-about event in Twitter history. The show also includes a Destiny’s Child Reunion, fulfilling the dreams of millions of Americans.
February 28, 2013, 2:00 P.M. ET – Pope Benedict XVI becomes the first Pope to willingly resign since 1294, an event that captured national attention without being something anyone actually cared about.
March 5, 2013, 6:47 P.M. ET – Following nearly two years of mass killings and destruction, the London-based publication The Daily Telegraph announces that Syrian rebels have captured the governor of Raqqa Province, fueling what is to become a long, heated debate over whether or not America ought to intervene.
April 8, 2013, 7:47 A.M. ET – The Press Association releases the news that Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister and the original glass-ceiling shatterer, passed away at 87.
April 15, 2013, 2:50 P.M. ET – The first of two bombs detonates near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. With three dead and nearly 300 injured, police and the FBI spend the next four days engaging in a city-wide manhunt of the bombers; on April 19, one suspect is killed and the other is captured by FBI agents.
April 24, 2013, 6:25 A.M. ET – The Daily Telegraph reports the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh. With 1,129 dead and thousands more injured, the collapse is the deadliest garment factory accident in history, prompting national criticism of loosely-regulated North American companies. Fifteen of these companies, including Walmart and Macy’s, refuse to sign an international accord to expand factory safety in Bangladesh.
June 5, 2013, 7:04 P.M. ET – The Guardian publishes an article detailing Verizon’s excessive access to personal data, the first article of the so-called NSA Files. Edward Snowden becomes a household name, only to spend about a month chilling in a Russian airport.
July 3, 2013, 2:00 P.M. ET – After several hours of military deployment and an increasing armed presence throughout the capital, Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fatah al-Sissi announces his intent to oust Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.
July 13, 2013, 9:50 P.M. ET – Florida jury acquits Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.
July 15, 2013, 5:34 A.M. ET – Kim and Kanye beat out Kate and William following a tense, nine-month maternity race with the birth of their baby, North West. But props to the royal couple, who welcomed their son a week later, for choosing an actual name.
August 25, 2013, 9:23 P.M. ET – Yeah, you already know what this is: Miley’s VMA performance (which becomes one of the new most-tweeted events in Twitter history). It unites people of all races, genders, ages, and sexualities in their horror. There’s only so much twerking America can take—please, please stop.
September 8, 2013, 2:45 P.M. ET – Serena Williams, one of the only names in pro tennis that the average American even recognizes, wins her fifth U.S. open title and 17th major singles title.
October 1, 2013, 12:00 A.M. ET – The United States Government shuts down for the first time since 1995 amidst a congressional temper tantrum regarding the implementation of the PPACA. 17 days later, Obama signs the bipartisan agreement that ended the shutdown—but it expires this January. Get ready, 2014!
November 1, 2013, 4:45 P.M. ET - After dropping more than 50 percent over a 17 month period of recession, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sets its 39th record close, at 15,963.21.
November 6, 2013, 3:00 P.M. ET – With winds up to 235 mph, history’s fourth strongest super typhoon touches down near Guiuan. Typhoon Haiyan leaves in its wake entire cities without food or water and a climbing death toll that is likely to make Haiyan the Philippines’ deadliest natural disaster on record.