Can You Handle the Truth? 14 Haunting Millennial Moments from the 2000s

The first ten years of the twenty-first century were marked with significant newsworthy occasions, such as deadly terrorist attacks, environmental and humanitarian catastrophes around the world, and celebrity fatalities.

There was a marked increase in such tragedies compared to the previous decade. Let’s focus on 14 notable historical occurrences in the 2000s.

Terrorist Attacks of September 11

The world shook when they heard about a jet crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City. Two hijacked airplanes were flown into each WTC building on September 11, 2001, and another was flown into the Pentagon in one of the most blatant acts of terrorism.

A fourth airplane crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania when passengers assaulted the cockpit and forced it to crash. The most significant terrorist attack to ever occur in the nation claimed over 3,000 lives, making al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden known worldwide.

Boxing Day’s Tsunami

On December 26, 2004, a tsunami struck with a disastrous force typically reserved for post-apocalyptic action movies. A 9.1 magnitude earthquake on the Richter Scale hit West of Indonesia undersea.

The quake created waves up to 100 feet high, and the ensuing tsunami struck 11 countries, even as far away as South Africa. The Coastal towns suffered the worst fatalities from the tsunami.

Nearly 230,000 persons were ultimately reported dead, missing, or assumed dead. More than $7 billion was contributed to the devastated areas due to the devastation’s tremendous international humanitarian response.

Worldwide Recession

The United States had its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression in December 2007. The recession demonstrated how the effects of foreclosures, rising unemployment rates, contentious bank bailouts, and a weak gross domestic product can affect nations regardless of their level of globalization.

As many nations struggled with the effects of the downturns, world leaders debated how to rebuff the economic crisis in a coordinated way. In response, then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown failed to advance his “global new deal.” However, most world leaders concurred that more regulatory control was required to avert another crisis.

War of Iraq

There is still debate about the validity of intelligence that prompted Iraq’s invasion by the United States in March 2003. In any case, the event profoundly impacted the decade more than the Gulf War.

Saddam Hussein, the cruel dictator of Iraq since 1979, was overthrown; his two sons, Uday and Qusay, died while battling coalition forces; and Hussein was discovered on December 14, 2003, hiding in a hole.

Hussein was tried for crimes against humanity and hung on December 30, 2006, ending the Baathist dictatorship for good. Although American forces left Baghdad on June 29, 2009, the situation is still tumultuous. Millions of people in Iraq have died directly or indirectly due to the war in the past two decades.

The Largest Ponzi Scheme in History: Bernard Madoff

Former NASDAQ chairman Bernard Madoff ran his own investment advisory business. In 2008, he acknowledged running a massive Ponzi scam in which he paid investors with gains from other investors’ money. With the economic downturn 2008, he found it hard to cash out investors and find new ones to replace the funds.

Finally, everything fell apart, and he could not fulfill his duties. Madoff conned his clients of more than $50 billion in one of the biggest financial fraud scams in Wall Street history. He was subsequently given a 150-year prison sentence.

The Darfur Conflict

In 2003, violence erupted in western Sudan’s Darfur region. Then, rebel organizations started to battle the government and its ally, the Janjaweed militia, which spoke Arabic. The result was mass killings and the eviction of residents, which sparked an enormous humanitarian disaster.

Darfur, however, also developed a celebrity following, drawing supporters like George Clooney.

It sparked a discussion over what constitutes genocide and calls for U.N. action.

George W. Bush, the president of the United States, did, however, ultimately bring up the violence in 2004, which is thought to have cost 300,000 lives and dislocated two million individuals between 2003 and 2005.

Tropical Storm Katrina

The sixth-strongest hurricane in Atlantic history barreled toward the Gulf Coast as residents in that region readied themselves. On August 29, 2005, Katrina stormed ashore as a Category 3 storm, wreaking havoc from Texas to Florida.

However, the subsequent breach of the levees in New Orleans turned the hurricane into a humanitarian catastrophe. For weeks, 80 percent of the city was submerged in floodwaters.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s inadequate reaction, with the Coast Guard in charge of rescue operations, worsened the issue. 1,836 individuals died due to Katrina, while 705 were reported missing.

The Iranian Nuclear Race

Iran steadfastly affirmed that its atomic program was for peaceful energy objectives, but many information sources claimed that the country was potentially close to developing an atomic weapon.

The Iranian establishment, which has repeatedly leaped on the West and Israel, has left little doubt about where it got the idea of wanting an atomic weapon or how ready it is to use one. The topic has only been covered in specific consultative processes, tests, and approved interactions with Joined Countries.

Michael Jackson’s Passing

The world paid respect to Michael Jackson after learning of his passing on June 25, 2009, at 50. The music star’s untimely demise was blamed on a mix of medicines that caused his heart to stop.

Allegations of sexual abuse and other controversies dogged the controversial figure. Jackson’s doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, was under investigation because of the prescription contributing to his demise.

The singer’s memorial service was attended by many celebrities and held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. His three kids were among them, whom Jackson had infamously shielded from the media.

Psychological Warfare in Conflict

The severe Taliban government was overthrown on October 7, 2001, by the joint U.S.-UK invasion of Afghanistan. In a battle that has altered the nature of warfare, it stands out as the most traditional activity.

Although Osama bin Laden’s organization had previously attacked U.S. targets, the September 11, 2001, al-Qaida assaults on American territory ignited the worldwide war on terror. The USS Cole off Yemen and the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were among the previous attacks.

Since these events took place, several nations have committed to the campaign to end international terrorism.

Catholic Revolution

Since 1978, Pope John Paul II has presided over the one billion Roman Catholics around the globe. He passed away in the Vatican on April 2, 2005. The funeral in Rome brought about what has been dubbed the most prominent Christian pilgrimage in history, with four million people attending.

The service attracted the most state leaders in history, including 14 heads of state from other majority religions, 70 presidents and prime ministers, four kings, and five queens.

The world awaited Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s election as pope on April 19, 2005, following John Paul’s burial. The conservative, elderly Ratzinger adopted the title of Pope Benedict XVI, and being the first German pope, the office wasn’t given to an Italian right away.

Technology Bubble Deflating

Internet usage was fashionable. Entrepreneurs recognized the promise of online commerce. Online commerce, however, was still relatively young. Everyone was discussing the “new economy,” which they all understood as an internet-based economy. Like Yahoo.com, the majority of dot.com equities were listed on the NASDAQ.

Unprofitable stocks with high prices and greater price/earnings ratios, such as those belonging to software companies and businesses related to computers and the Internet, were making investors wealthy.

For instance, in March 2000, shares of Cisco Systems traded at more than 150 times earnings. The speculative bubble burst in April 2000 due to an inflation report, which resulted in significant investment losses.

The Growth of China and India as Global Financial Powers

In 2005, watching China and India emerge as global financial giants was nothing short of astounding. China experienced average annual growth of 9.8% over the past two decades. One-third of the world’s population was spread over the two nations.

Initially, inexpensive labor in China and India led nations like the United States to begin outsourcing work, but this is no longer true. They decided to keep their jobs in the two countries because they discovered talent—talent for invention in high-tech fields.

Housing Bubble and the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis 2007-2008

The housing market in the United States was growing at the start of the twenty-first century. The cost of housing was high. There emerged a phenomenon known as sub-prime lending. People received mortgage loans from banks for homes with inflated valuations.

They could not pay their mortgage due to rising interest rates and the cost of their adjustable-rate loans. Large financial institutions quickly found themselves owning portfolios of worthless loans—the “credit crunch” and the subprime mortgage catastrophe that followed.

Conclusion

Despite the difficulty of accepting these circumstances, some events that shook the world in the 2000s still impact today. They impacted public policy, emergency preparedness, military planning, and more.

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