January

U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords miraculously survives after being shot in an assassination attempt in Arizona on Jan. 8. In total, 17 people were shot and six people died from injuries.

On Jan. 14, the president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, fled the country after mass protests. This triggered the Middle East, Northern Africa, Egypt and Libya protests.

February

The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, 31-25, on Feb. 6. An estimated 111 million people watched the game.

Verizon begins to offer the iPhone 4 to their customers on Feb. 10, beginning the rivalry between AT&T and Verizon.

On Feb. 23, President Barack Obama declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. The Defense of Marriage Act is the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

March

The producers of the popular television show, Two and a Half Men, fired one of the men, Charlie Sheen, on March 7 after weeks of erratic behavior. Sheen was later replaced by actor Ashton Kutcher. #Winning

On March 11, an earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami in the northeastern coast of Japan destroying everything in its path. Nuclear radiation leaked from the nuclear power plants as a result of the tsunami.

Also on March 11, 13-year-old Rebecca Black ruined Fridays for us all with the release of her song “Friday.” On YouTube, the song received more than 3,190,000 dislikes in three months.

April

Three billion people world-wide tuned in to watch the wedding of England’s Prince William to Kate Middleton on April 29 at Westminster Abbey.

May

On May 1, President Barack Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden, the man behind the Sept. 11 attack, was killed by United States forces in Pakistan.

A massive F5 tornado hit and devastated the city of Joplin, Mo. on May 22. It was ranked as one of the most deadly and the most expensive tornado in American history. Estimated damages were $2.8 billion.

Oprah Winfrey ended her 25- year run as a daytime talk show host on May 25. She ended her show in order to start her own cable network, The O.

June

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat for the National Basketball Association championship title on June 12. This was the first world championship in franchise history.

New York state made same-sex marriage legal on June 24. New York is the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage, giving new momentum to the national gay-rights movement.

On June 27, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was convicted of sweeping corruption, finding him guilty on 11 criminal counts related to President Barack Obama’s Senate seat. He also was charged on six counts involving fundraising shakedowns of a hospital executive and a racetrack owner. He was later sentenced to 14 years in prison.

July

On July 5, Florida woman Casey Anthony was acquitted of killing her 4- year-old daughter Caylee.

Singer Amy Winehouse, 27, was found dead due to alcohol poisoning on July 23.

August

Reality star Kim Kardashian and NBA player Kris Humphries get married on Aug. 21 only to file for divorce 72 days later. This was Kardashian’s second marriage.

On Aug. 1, Congress makes a last-minute deal to end the national debt crisis. This created a bi-partisan Super Committee that would recommend $1.5 trillion in budget cuts. Congress failed to act on the committee’s recommendations in November triggering automatic budget cuts.

For the first time in history, on Aug. 5, credit agency Standard & Poor’s lowered the United State’s credit rating from AAA to AA+.

September

Sept. 11 marked the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

On Sept. 12, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic defeated Spaniard Rafael Nadal in four sets to win the U.S. Open. This was his third major championship win in 2011.

“Occupy Wall Street” began on Sept. 17 in New York with protesters voicing that “We are the 99 percent.” The purpose is to fight back against the one percent of Americans that control most of the country’s wealth. The movement spread to 1,500 cities nationally and globally and is still continuing today.

On Sept. 20, Don’t ask, don’t tell was repealed. This military policy prohibited openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

October

On Oct. 3, Amanda Knox was found not guilty of murdering her roommate while they were in Italy after appealing her original conviction of guilty. Knox was released from prison and was allowed to return to the United States.

On Oct. 4, Kansas City began searching for 10-month-old Lisa Irwin after her parents reported her missing. Even with questioning of her parents and national attention, Lisa has yet to be found.

Steve Jobs, the co- founder of Apple Computers, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Oct. 5. Jobs’ company is responsible for the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac and several other products and programs such as iTunes.

On Oct. 20, it was announced that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi had been killed.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 on Oct. 30 in game seven to win the franchise’s eleventh World Series championship.

November

On Nov. 4, broadcasting legend Andy Rooney died from complications from a recent surgery. He was 92.

On Nov. 5, former defensive coordinator for Penn State, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested on charges of 40 counts of sexual abuse of a minor over a 15-year period. Head coach Joe Paterno was fired for failing to notify the police in 2002 after he found out about the abuse.

The fourth movie in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn Part 1, hit theaters on Nov. 18 much to the delight of Twi-hards everywhere.

On Nov. 30, Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s doctor, was sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter regarding Jackson’s death in 2009.

December

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain officially dropped out of the presidential race on Dec. 3. Cain was accused of sexual harassment towards several women during his time as CEO at Godfather’s Pizza and even a 13- year affair which prompted his withdrawal from the race.

President Barack Obama visited Osawatomie, KS on Dec. 6 to discuss the economy. The visit was similar to the one that then President Teddy Roosevelt made to the small town in 1910.

On Dec. 12, it was announced that the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Todd Haley, was being relieved of his duties. Haley was in his third year with Kansas City. Even after winning the AFC West title in 2010, the Chiefs are currently 5-8.