Final Project

A Political / Historical / Economic Events Timeline

1999
Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, storm Columbine High
School in Littleton , CO, killing twelve other students and a teacher,
then themselves (April 20).
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history_lesson/2009/04/th
e_four_most_important_lessons_of_columbine.html
In the years after the tragedy, Americans feared copycat crimes, that
children would carry out deadly school attacks.
In the 10 years since Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold struck, numerous
teenagers have plotted to blow up their high schools, and several have
proceeded to the action stage. But none has succeeded. Others have
sought to kill with automatic weapons, both in and outside of schools.
Some succeeded, but most of them, too, have been thwarted
The third key lesson of Columbine: We need to prepare students and
teachers better for an emergency. Harris and Klebold caught their high
school unprepared. We're less naive now. Most kids and their teachers are
now drilled on lockdowns and evacuations. Police departments have upto-date floor plans and alarm codes. (At Columbine, SWAT teams were
hampered by ear-splitting sirens and searched for the library on the wrong
end of the school building, unaware a new wing had recently been
added.)
http://www.history.com/topics/columbine-high-school-shootings
On April 20, 1999, two teens went on a shooting spree at Columbine High
School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 13 people and wounding more than
20 others before turning their guns on themselves and committing
suicide. The crime was the worst high school shooting in U.S. history and
prompted a national debate on gun control and school safety, as well as a
major investigation to determine what motivated the gunmen, Eric Harris,
18, and Dylan Klebold, 17. There was speculation that the two committed
the killings because they had been bullied, were members of a group of

social outcasts that was fascinated by Goth culture, or had been

influenced by violent video games and music; however none of these
theories was ever proven.

On the morning of April 20, 1999 two students of Columbine High School
in Littleton, Colorado open fired on their classmates. Eric Harris and Dylan
Klebold each brought a bomb set to detonate once inside the school. Once
the bombs failed to go off, Harris and Klebold, dressed in dark trench
coats, entered and attacked students and teachers at random. After killing
twelve students, and injuring over twenty others, the gunmen turned their
weapons to themselves and commited suicide by headshot. This was
significant because it led to other kids, copy-cat killers, trying to blow
up their own schools. School security and student suicide is taken more
seriously, and both teachers and students are prepared in the case of an
emergency.

2001
Terrorists attack United States. Hijackers ram jetliners into twin towers
of New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth
hijacked plane crashes 80 mi outside of Pittsburgh (Sept. 11). Toll of
dead and injured in thousands. Within days, Islamic militant Osama bin
Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network are identified as the parties
behind the attacks.
http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist
group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against

targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of
the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just
outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in
Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive
death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism
and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were
killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including
more than 400 police officers and firefighters.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/27/us/september-11-anniversary-fast-facts/
On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijack four fuel-loaded commercial airlines
bound for west coast destinations. This terrorist attack on the United States
is orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. A total of 2,977 people
are killed in New York City, Washington, DC and outside of Shanksville,
Pennsylvania, in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history
At the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, 2,753 people are killed
when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 are
intentionally crashed in the north and south towers...
At the Pentagon in Washington, 184 people are killed when hijacked
American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the building.
Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 40 passengers and crew members aboard
United Airlines Flight 93 die when the plane crashes into a field. It is believed
that the hijackers crashed the plane in that location, rather than their
unknown target, after the passengers and crew attempted to retake control
of the flight deck.
September 11, 2001 marks the most devastating terrorist attack on the
United States in history. Four planes were hijacked by a total of 19 men. Two
crashed into the north and south trade center towers in New York City, one in
the Pentagon, and another heading to an unknown target crashed near
Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A total of 2,977 people were killed of all ages. This
is significant because it led to the War on Terrorism and reinforcement of
security for all public enterprises and government buildings.
2005
Hurricane Katrina wreaks catastrophic damage on the Gulf coast; more
than 1,000 die and millions are left homeless. Americans are shaken

not simply by the magnitude of the disaster but by how ill-prepared all
levels of government are in its aftermath. (Aug. 25-30).
Hurricane Katrinas 145 mile an hour winds hit New Orleans on August 29,
2005. It killed 1,700, displaced hundreds of thousands, and affected millions
of people overall. It is one of the most costly, and damaging storms in the
history of the United States. Both local and federal governments were illprepared for such a disaster, adding to further devastation. Refugees went
days before being rescued, many sat waiting with neither food nor water. The
category three storm destroyed hundreds of miles of land, highways, and
human habitation. This was significant because it utterly destroyed New
Orleans, and displaced hundreds of thousands when such a catastrophe
could have been prevented.
2012
July 20: During a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, a
gunman opens fire on the crowded theater in a Denver suburb. Twelve
people are killed and 58 others are wounded. Directly after the
incident, James Holmes, age 24, is arrested in a parking lot behind the
theater.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/us/shooting-at-colorado-theatershowing-batman-movie.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
AURORA, Colo. Anticipation built in the packed, darkened movie theater.
Life and its cares began to recede.
Then, just after midnight on Friday, fantasy became nightmare, and a place
of escape became a trap, when a man strode to the front in a multiplex near
Denver and opened fire. At least 12 people were killed and 58 wounded, with
witnesses describing a scene of claustrophobia, panic and blood. Minutes
later, the police arrested James Holmes, 24, in the theaters parking lot
And so once again, with a squeeze of a trigger, just 20 miles from Columbine
High School, scene of the 1999 student massacre, the nation was plunged
into another debate about guns and violence
Some survivors thought at first they were witnessing a promotional stunt.
The gunman, wearing what Aurora Police Department officials described as
nearly head-to-toe ballistic gear, including a throat protector and leggings,
plus a gas mask and a long black coat, came in through a parking lot exit
door near the screen of Theater 9.

He walked in so casually, said a witness, Jordan Crofter, 19, a Batman fan

who had gone with a group of friends and had a seat in the front row. The
gunman, still perhaps regarded by some as a performer, then released two
devices down the theater aisles emitting what the police said was smoke or
some sort of irritant
Mr. Holmes was detained by the police soon afterward, standing by his white
Hyundai. He was identified by the authorities as a former Ph.D. student at
the University of Colorado in Denver, and an honors graduate in
neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside. He had in the car
an AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and a .40 caliber
Glock handgun, said Chief Dan Oates of the Aurora police, and all three were
believed to have been used inside the theater. Another Glock .40 caliber
handgun was recovered inside the theater. Chief Oates said that many,
many rounds were fired, but that there was no count so far.
In the last 60 days Mr. Holmes had purchased four guns at local gun shops,
Chief Oates said. And through the Internet, he bought more than 6,000
rounds of ammunition: more than 3,000 rounds for the assault rifle, 3,000
rounds of .40 caliber ammunition for the two Glocks, and 300 rounds for the
12-gauge shotgun. The guns were all bought legally, a federal law
enforcement official said.
Mr. Holmes also purchased online multiple magazines for the assault rifle,
including one 100-round drum magazine. With that drum magazine, he
could have gotten off 50, 60 rounds, even if it was semiautomatic, within one
minute, Chief Oates said.
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-has-changed-since-aurora-theatershooting-in-colorado-2013-7
Colorado saw some of the most significant changes.
In May, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill that allocates $20
million for an expansion of mental health services, including walk-in crisis
centers, and a 24-hour hotline. Mental health issues have been linked to
many mass shootings, and lawmakers hope that early intervention can get
these people the help they need.
Colorado also passed a series of gun control measures, under fierce
opposition from the state's strong gun lobby.

The state passed a law limiting gun magazines to 15 rounds of ammunition,

though sheriffs and firearms dealers are seeking to have the law declared
unconstitutional. Another bill passed Colorado's legislature that requires
universal background checks for everyone who tries to buy a gun in the
state, including private purchases between individuals. Colorado lawmakers
also approved a measure that bans online certification for concealed carry
permits.

Just twenty miles from the Columbine High School scene, in Aurora,
Colorado, a gunman opened fire on a crowded movie theatre on July 20,
2012. Twenty-four year old James Holmes, a seemingly quiet, socially
awkward individual with a Ph. D. in neuroscience killed twelve people and
injured fifty-eight at the midnight premier of The Dark Knight Rises. He first
impaired the crowd with canisters of smoke or irritant before firing with
assault rifle, handgun, and 12-gauge shotgun. Holmess apartment was
discovered to be heavily booby trapped as well. This is significant because it
led to a twenty million dollar bill devoted to expansion in mental health
services in Colorado, as well as several bills passed and actions taken
towards stricter gun control protocol in the state.

2013
April 15: Multiple bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston
Marathon. At least three people are killed. One is an eight year old boy.
More than 170 people are injured

http://www.history.com/topics/boston-marathon-bombings
On April 15, 2013, two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston
Marathon, killing three spectators and wounding more than 260 other
people. Four days later, after an intense manhunt that shut down the
Boston area, police captured one of the bombing suspects, 19-year-old
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whose older brother and fellow suspect, 26-year-old
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died following a shootout with law enforcement earlier
that same day. Investigators later concluded that the Tsarnaevs, who
spent part of their childhoods in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan
but lived in the United States for about a decade prior to the bombings,

planned and carried out the attack on their own and were not connected
to any terrorist organizations. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is scheduled to stand
trial in November 2014; federal prosecutors have announced they will
seek the death penalty.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1924021/Boston-Marathonbombing-of-2013
Boston Marathon bombing of 2013, terrorist attack that took place a
short distance from the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15,
2013. A pair of homemade bombs detonated in the crowd watching the
race, killing 3 people and injuring more than 260.
The marathon is traditionally held on Patriots Day, a public holiday in
Massachusetts that commemorates the American Revolutionary War
Battles of Lexington and Concord. The festive atmosphere draws hundreds
of thousands of spectators to the 26-mile 385-yard (42,195-metre) route
from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to Bostons Back Bay neighbourhood.
More than 26,000 runners participated in the race in 2013, marking the
117th time that the worlds oldest annual marathon had been contested.
About five hours into the race, the first bomb exploded less than half a
block from the finish line, on the north side of Boylston Street. Roughly 12
seconds later a second bomb exploded some 600 feet (180 metres) from
the first. It too was planted on the north side of ,Boylston Street amid a
crowd of onlookers. First responders reacted immediately, and a medical
tent that had been erected to treat runners was turned into an emergency
medical facility. Three bombing victims died of their injuries, and more
than 100 of the seriously injured were transferred to area hospitals as
local police and federal investigators surveyed a crime scene that covered
15 square blocks.

Two homemade bombs detonated about twelve seconds apart from

each other near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2015.
Three victims died from their wounds, and over 250 were injured. The
suspects are brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Tamerlan, the older, died in a shootout with a law enforcement officer and
Dzhokar Tsarnev will stand trial in a matter of months. The two are not

connected to a terrorist group. This was significant because it raised

awareness and highlighted the importance of emergency care.