Activity 25 Name - Minerals Council Of Australia: Fill & Download for Free

1 Introduction Any answer to this question must be framed against the background of China’s relative economic success when compared to the West. China grew at an economic growth rate of about 10% a year in PPP values between about 1975 and 2014 when China matched and outgrew the USA. From 2015 to 2017 Chinese economic growth fell to an average of about 6.8% [the CIA world Factbook records 6.9% (in 2017),6.7% (in 2016) and 6.9% (in 2015)] so about a 3.2% drop when compared to China’s previous rate of growth.1.1 My email to ChinaOn 21 May 2018, I emailed three individuals - one in the Council of the Institute of New Structural Economics and a second in the School of Economics with a third in the School of International Relations, all in Peking University - with the following suggestion“The purpose of this email is to suggest that the Chinese Government should consider employing me and ideally my friend, colleague, and mentor Professor Richard Werner to help accelerate China's economic growth rate and assist the policy of producing high income growth for workers based upon a continuing high level of productive investment funded by Shimomuran no-cost investment credit creation at the People's Bank of China and its provincial subsidiaries, and by the more complete creation of a system of Sparkassen-type local public banks to foster the establishment and growth of often high-tech Chinese SMEs. And to help achieve much else.”I estimated in that email that I and Werner had information which probably could“ accelerate the growth rate of China from its current level of about 7% pa real growth by an additional 5% pa (plus or minus 2.5%). That is, the growth rate of China could become at least about 12% pa (plus or minus 2.5%), significantly above its otherwise level.”I was disappointed but not surprised at the lack of any Chinese response. After all, I’m just a Scot who has co-authored two books and written a further five on my own, about Financing Industrial Investment and about Reversing Economic Decline and about The Role of Banks in Economic Development and about Lucky Bastards of the 20th Century -The Story of the Economic Bomb and about Shimomuran Economics and the Rise Of The Tokyo Consensus Ecnomies, to name but five. I’ve also written since 6th November 1971 over 400 articles on my favourite subject about how to accelerate economic development, and I predict I’ll probably complete my studies and research after 50 years, in 2021.1.2 A Proposal to Amend the Question I would prefer to nuance this question into “What have been the issues China did not get more correct in Chinese economic policy during the last decade?” because that changed question makes it clear that Chinese economic policy failures are more a matter of degree than about the adoption of the wrong policies. Which of these incomplete issues is the greatest failure, I leave for my readers to decide, but all are major policy inadequacies, and there is no one answer to this question. I think there are eight major issues where Chinese economic policy has been deficient during the last decade as listed at sections 2.1 to 2.8 below.1.3 This Issue Is One I’ve Considered Many Times Before so this Answer is studded with references to these previous articles. My major article probably isThe Most Successful Economic Policy Of All Time - The German Historical Economics Development of Shimomuran-Wernerian Macroeconomics2 The Eight Major Issues which China did not get more correct in Chinese economic policy during the last decade wereZonal imbalanceB&RI/OBOR projects without associated carbon captureNo provision in B&RI/OBOR for green electricity generationNo full examination and adoption of the Prof David Andrew Sinclair’s epigenetic research which can probably nullify the dependency trapNo adoption of ALL the growth-increasing and inflation-limiting and financially-stabilising procedures of Shimomuran-Wernerian macroeconomicsNo apparent use of the Granger Causation Analysis in its modern Henry II format of the indicative “Granger Causative” relationship between PBoC credit creation and economic growth at national and provincial levelsNo leadership on funding and reversing global warmingNo policy that China can Become the Educator in Growth Economics For The Rest of the WorldAll of these policy deficiencies are major issues and if not better handled will reverberate historically limiting China’s future growth and lessening its future place in the world.2.1 China has not adequately dealt with zonal economic imbalanceSince the start of the Chinese economic miracle, the Eastern Coastal provinces of China have had a higher growth rate than the Central provinces which in turn have had a higher growth rate than the Western provinces. This map of the 2013 income per capita in each Chinese province illustrates the position.See Mapping China's Income Inequality by Matt Schiavenza, The Atlantic, Sept 13 2013.This has not been a problem of the last decade but a persistent issue which the Chinese Government has not adequately addressed for decades. The major financial convoy belts moving PBoC created credit down to local SMEs do not appear to be as effective in the western and central provinces of China to the extent they are in the coastal provinces.The wealth and welfare of the people of each Chinese province is dependent upon the level of financial support provided to SMEs by local banks. As this answer reportsGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to What is active participation of people and why is it important in the development of a country?“See Slide 2 (copied below) of Lijuan Zang’s excellent slide presentation at Contributions Of SMEs To China’S Economic Development which states that”Because of the close relationship between SME support and Provincial incomes, the above map of income per head in each province is also an indicator of the level of support for provincial SMEs.As Hermann Simon has argued (see above answer) Germany with 81m people has for many years out-exported China which has 1.37bn people mainly because Germany has a nation-wide Sparkassen Banking Sytem of 431 Savings Banks with 15,600 branches and these banks support SME foundation and development. I calculate that the degree of development of China’s local SME-supporting system under China’s Small Business Law is about 64% effective. I can get answers in the range between 67% plus or minus 3% depending on the dataset I calculate it from.The Chinese Government appears to realise that the funding arrangements for the western and central provinces are inadequate. It seems that SME output would rise by a minimum of about an additional 50% if similar and better Public Banking arrangements for SME funding were made available across all China.This is a very significant issue. The future of China depends upon the level of inventive and innovative success of its people and a calculation of growth potential based on hidden champions produces near infinite results. SeeGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to What specific economic policies have been the most effective in promoting growth in a country?which states“The ingenuity of all people resides in their SMEs where invention (and if there are supporting financial systems, innovation) occurs and these initially small inventions become the foundation of the major industries of the future. This only occurs really well in Germany, where Sparkassen-Wernerian development leads (as Hermann Simon has shown) to a great export performance and the German domination of the EU.The foundation of world-leading manufacturing lies in the Shimomuran creation of vast flows of investment credit which produces vast factories with all their subsidiary SME parts-producers. Japan’s car industry, South Korea’s production of c37% of the world’s flat-screen TVs, and China’s high exports of motor vehicles and steel are but minor illustrations of that phenomenon.”and seeGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to Why is China the fastest-growing economy?where the issue of the inadequacy of Chinese local public bank support for SMEs is more fully considered. Section 2.3.2 suggests“Potential Chinese Innovation Levels Germany is producing 1,600 SME champions and has 80 million people - an SME innovation level of 20 champions per million people. If China had a similar rate of development of SME champions, it would have (1374 times 20) or 27,480 SME world champions. That’s about 8.5 times the current estimate of numbers of the SME champions of the world. The effects of that would be incredible. Imagine over 75 times the innovative effect of the USA. The numbers seem fantastic, but then so do many such in China.” And note Section 2.3.5 which states that:“Chinese SMEs are the Major Driver in Chinese Economic Development and the Key to the Innovative Future of China. The 2003 Chinese SME Promotion Law has helped that to happen. These 45 million SME companies are producing 58.5% of China’s GDP output and contributing 50% of tax revenues, about 70% of exports and 75% of employment growth in China. Amazingly, more SMEs could do much more.Germany has 3.75 million SMES and China has 45 million such organisations. Given that the Chinese population is about 17 times larger than Germany’s, about 64 million Chinese SMEs would be expected to exist. An extra 19 million Chinese SMEs would probably come into existence as a result of the better regional funding of invention and innovation. These new organisations would add some 42% more to the current growth, tax revenues and exports of China.China’s GDP would rise in the short term of a few years by about 24%, its tax revenues by 21%, and its exports by about 29%, due to these many more SMEs.The return on annual expenditure is very high - about a 24% increase in GDP (about $21.29tr. times 0.24, or $5.11tn), divided by (0.31 percent of GDP or $6.6bn) - or a benefit/cost ratio of about 77.”All of these calculations are approximate but at the right level of “Fermi calculations.” Obviously this is a major issue.2.2 The B&RI/OBOR project should be retrofitted with cement plants which convert about 90% of the very hot CO2 (produced by coal-fired, gas-fired and oil-fired power generation) into high quality cementChina is by far the largest producer of cement in the world. As List of countries by cement production - Wikipedia recordsList of Countries by Cement Production - Hydraulic Cement World Leading Producers - Million Metric Tonsin 2014 China produced 2,500 million tons of cement out of a world total of 4,180 million tons - that’s about 60% of world production in China. The production of cement in China from July 2017 to July 2018 was about 2,477 tons.See China: cement production 2018 | StatisticThe largest project in the world - the B&RI/OBOR project -has a very large cement pour in virtually all of its capital projects. It is possible to minimise the global warming effect of that cement production by retro-fitting recent technology which converts 90% of the hot CO2 into cement. See the Scientific American report at Cement from CO 2 : A Concrete Cure for Global Warming?The cement pour from the B&RI/OBOR projects, as currently designed, would significantly increase global warming as a by-product of the increased CO2 coming from the use of gas and coal and oil fuelled energy plants to make cement. Coal oil and gas energy generation can be combined with cement production to reduce CO2 emissions by 90%. Of course it may need the transport of, or some piped seawater, to inland power generators but that’s a small price to pay for the cement generation and the CO2 reduction. SeeEnvironmental impact of concrete - Wikipedia estimates that“The CO2 emission from the concrete production is directly proportional to the cement content used in the concrete mix; 900 kg of CO2 are emitted for the fabrication of every ton of cement, accounting for 88% of the emissions associated with the average concrete mix.[4][5] Cement manufacture contributes greenhouse gases both directly through the production of carbon dioxide when calcium carbonate is thermally decomposed, producing lime and carbon dioxide, [6] and also through the use of energy, particularly from the combustion of fossil fuels.”All of the aspects of cement production can be adjusted to lessen the release of CO2 at all points in the production process. That could be and should be done. I am reminded of a bit of A E Houseman doggeral (see The Shades of Night... A.E. Houseman) which in my amended form says“The wealth of man is growing fastThe ice is melting fasterWe must reduce the greenhouse gasesTo prevent disaster.”And China should fit that cement-creating technology next to its many coal and gas fired power plants in locations where that cement can be used.2.3 The B&RI/OBOR Project should be driven by Sustainable Electricity GenerationThe B&RI/OBOR project is at present the largest in the world, and its only competitor in terms of scale could be its successor projects. See paras 3,2 ofGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to Are Belt and Road Initiative loans beneficent or predatory? which suggests the B&RI/OBOR could grow to a much larger $14tr project in a B&RI/MBMR (Many Belts, Many Roads) improving the communications in Africa, South America, and in the Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean.The estimated increases in Chinese GDP from that total project becomes about $11tr over a decade or so and the extra projects costs involving hot CO2 conversion to cement and green power generation might be about another $3tr.2.4 China should rapidly assess the merits of the Epigenetic Research of Professor David Andrew Sinclair and Should Become The First Nation to Sidestep the Rising Dependency TrapSeeGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to What are barriers to China's economic growth?The ground-breaking research of Prof David Andrew Sinclair may avoid metabolic syndrome diseases entirely and enable China to become the first country to break free from the “dependency trap” and to grow even faster based upon a larger, longer-living, healthier population.In previous situations, the “dependents” - defined as the numbers of the non-working young and the old - become a larger fraction of the “workers”, or those who are economically productive. The improvement in the healthspan plus the lengthening of the lifespan creates a lasting increase in the working population and the probability of a much larger economy.Again, not a minor issue.2.5 China Should Consider Adopting ALL of the Shimomuran-Wernerian Economic PrinciplesRelevant articles:George Tait Edwards's answer to What makes a GDP grow high or stay high?George Tait Edwards's answer to Why does George Tait Edwards see Shimomuran-Wernerian macroeconomics as the key understanding in the future of mankind?George Tait Edwards's answer to Why didn't China become a world superpower when it first invented gunpowder, printing, paper, the compass, and great ocean sailing ships, before the West did? and perhaps most significantly my 18 February 2016 ArticleHow China Surpasses The EU and the USA, or The Seven Pre-Requisites for High-Growth Shimomuran…Please also read How could China grow more rapidly with regards to its economy?where the first paragraph begins“Introduce The Missing Policies to Increase Chinese Economic DevelopmentAs that article records, on my estimate, China is only scoring about 4.2 out of seven on the adoption of the key measures which provide a Shimomuran advantage in producing higher economic growth. That’s better than any other country in the world is doing but as an obsessive teacher of realistic economics I would mark China’s report card “Could do much better.” I not only think it could, I think it will.2.6 No apparent use of the Granger Causation Analysis in its modern Henry II format of the indicative “Granger Causative” relationship between PBoC credit creation at national and provincial levelsIn 1969 Clive Granger (1934–2009) put forward the amended correlation calculations of Granger Causation Analysis. That was immense improvement in econometric calculations and Clive Granger and Robert Engle won the Nobel Prize in 2003 for that enormous advance in econometric calculations and Granger Causative understanding of the statistically reliable relationships between leading indicators and following results. See Clive Granger - Wikipedia and Granger causality - Wikipedia and Engle, Granger win Nobel Prize for Economics. And see Henry II Forecasting.If the Granger Causation Analysis in their most modern format of Henry II calculations were performed for China, then the Chinese Government would have the best available future estimates of the most probable Chinese rates of economic growth based upon the leading indicator of PBoC credit creation. Professor Richard Werner has already calculated such a formula for Japan.Such a calculation automatically incorporates the declining trend in the efficiency of capital otherwise expressed in the increasing capital-output ratio.Such a calculation would increase the real options available to the Chinese Government when considering the future leading indicator of PBoC credit creation levels and the consequential result of Chinese economic growth.This may seem a technical point but it is not. The Chinese Government should know in advance where the economy is heading and should have the advantage of the best available technology to predict that.In my view Henry II calculations could probably be done for each of the Chinese provinces, if the data exists (which I think that is likely). That too would assist Chinese economic policy decisions.It is a mistake in any nation not to use the best available technology to predict the future and to inform policy makers about the likely results of different options.2.7 China Should Take The Lead In Reversing Global WarmingPresident Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and China is the natural leader of the giant project of reversing Global Warming. China has both the production capacity and the economic capability to lead the nations of the world in reversing global warming through sustainable energy production through the use of wind power turbines, solar panels, and giant dams, all of which China has demonstrated it is pre-eminent in producing. See the undated Guardian report (previous to 2013,when Li Keqiang became President of China) Le aboutChina's green growth potential 'could create 9.5m new jobs'“The report was released this week by the China Council of International Co-operation on Environment and Development, which is headed by Li Keqiang – widely tipped to become the next prime minister – and includes 200 domestic and overseas experts and leading figures in the United Nations and other world bodies”China is leading in these technologies but these are not as widely implemented as they should be. SeeChina cementing global dominance of renewable energy and technologyWhich remarks“China is cementing its global dominance of renewable energy and supporting technologies, aggressively investing in them both at home and around the globe, leaving countries including the US, UK and Australia at risk of missing the growing market.A report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa) found China’s dominance in renewables is rapidly spreading overseas, with the country accelerating its foreign investment in renewable energy and supporting technologies.Analysing Chinese foreign investments over US$1bn, there are 13 such in 2016, worth a combined $32bn. That represented a 60% jump over similar investments in 2015.China to generate a quarter of electricity from wind power by 2030China was already widely recognised as the largest investor in domestic renewable energy, investing $102bn in 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance – more than twice that invested domestically by the US and about five times that of the UK.The big foreign investments in 2016 included two in Australia, two in Germany and two in Brazil, as well as deals in Chile, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan and Vietnam.In Australia, China Light & Power struck a $1.1bn deal, buying power from wind and solar farmsIn Chile, Tianqi Lithium spent $2.5bn acquiring a 25% stake of a lithium miner and processor. (Lithium is essential for lithium batteries used in electric vehicles and home battery storage.)In Germany, Beijing Enterprises Holdings Ltd spend $1.6bn on a Waste to Energy development.The report noted the global expansion cements China’s total domination of renewable energy growth globally. China now owned:Five of the world’s six largest solar-module manufacturing firmsThe largest wind-turbine manufacturerThe world’s largest lithium ion manufacturerThe world’s largest electricity utility”That’s tremendous progress but not yet adequate to reverse global warming, but it could do once it is scaled up.2.6 China Should Become the Economics Educator For The Rest Of The WorldChinese leaders should stop saying that the economic model which produces the Chinese economic miracle is not applicable elswhere. It is.It should be.3 Discussion3.1 Legislation to Give Chinese Women an Equal Place in Chinese SocietyOn May 27 2018 a photograph taken “during trade talks between the US and China has gone viral on Chinese social media. Interpreted by many as symbol of the changing of the global guard, the picture reveals US negotiators looking far older. than their Chinese counterparts.” SeeA contrast between Chinese and US trade negotiators has gone viral in ChinaHere’s the photo:China, like the USA, has far too few women at this top table or even around this top table and I think the ones that are there, are probably interpreters or observers.In my opinion legislation should be introduced into China to give Chinese women an equal chance to gain a more equal place in business, in society and in politics. And if possible within the family, although the Chinese tradition of Ancestor Worship will be difficult to modify. Women are perfectly capable of attending the family graves and are the re-creators of mankind. They are that half of the human race that places the love of their children above themselves. Leonardo da Vinci said ”Everything I am, I owe to my mother” and I think that may be true of nearly all transcendentals.See Gender equality? What research reveals andhttps://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/Gender-Equality-Pays.pdfAnd see (PDF) The impact of Gender inequality on Economic Growth3.2 Other IssuesAlso seeGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to What did China get right in its economic and social development which the US got wrong? andGeorge Tait Edwards's answer to What is the future of China? Is the economic future of China a bubble, or do you think it’s solid?There could be hundreds of such articles appended, but I must stop somewhere. And of course I think the Chinese Government may be mistaken not to pay the appropriate attention to my research and to that of Professor Richard Werner.4 AnswerI cannot identify a single biggest failure in Chinese economic policy during the last ten years, but there seem to me to be about eight issues where the economic policy of China could have been better implemented. as listed above.

The twenty eight Prime Ministers of Australia rose from a diverse mix of backgrounds. We've had many solicitors and barristers, two Rhodes Scholars and quite a few Oxford University graduates.We've elected Wesley High School students, plus a large number of self-educated men who started work in their teens or even as children, attended night schools and rose to power via the union movement and business guilds. Their stories are inspiring.We've chosen Doctors, Teachers and a man who became a Lord. Many of our Prime Ministers have gone on to be awarded honorary doctorates.The following biographical excerpts were extracted from Australia's PMs - Australia's Prime Ministers and provide a fascinating glimpse into not just the character of these people, but the history of Australia.1. Edmund Barton, 1901 -03.From the age of ten, Barton attended Sydney Grammar School in College Street. Twice dux of the school and school captain, Barton went on to an equally brilliant record at the University of Sydney. He was 19 years old when he graduated in 1868 with first class honours in classics. He had also achieved renown in the University Cricket Club. Barton became a barrister in 1871.2. Alfred Deakin, 1903 -04, 1905 -08, 1909 -10.When he was seven Alfred Deakin went to Melbourne Church of England Grammar School. At sixteen he began studying law at the University of Melbourne. He was a keen member of the university’s debating club and other societies promoting radical thought, including spiritualism. The sixteen-year-old was also the editor of a spiritualist paper. When he became a barrister in 1878, he had already written a play (Quentin Massys) and published a long book, A New Pilgrim’s Progress.3. Chris Watson, 1904.Watson was probably born in Valparaiso, Chile on 9 April 1867, the only son of Martha and Johan Tanck. When Watson was two, his mother married George Watson, and the family lived in New Zealand. At the age of ten, Watson left school to work on a railway construction site. Aged 13, he was apprenticed as a newspaper compositor. On becoming a qualified tradesman, he joined the local typographers union.Six years later Watson migrated to New South Wales where he worked in Sydney on the Daily Telegraph, the Sydney Morning Herald and, from 1888, the Australian Star, a protectionist paper.4. George Reid, 1904 -05.Reid went to school at the Melbourne Academy (later Scotch College). As in Scotland, the family’s fortunes were indifferent. In 1858 his parents moved with their three youngest children to Sydney, and 13-year-old George Reid started work as a clerk in a city merchant’s ‘counting house’.5. Andrew Fisher, 1908 -09, 1910 -13, 1914 -15.Andrew Fisher was born on 29 August 1862 in the coalmining village of Crosshouse, near Glasgow, Scotland. He was one of eight children of Jane and Robert Fisher. Though the legal working age was twelve, Fisher was apparently aged only ten when he joined his older brother in the mines. At seventeen Fisher was local secretary of the miners union headed by Scots socialist James Keir Hardie. For the next five years Fisher was well known for his union work and his leadership in organising strike action.6. Joseph Cook, 1913-14.Joseph Cook was born in Staffordshire in England on 7 December 1860 to William and Margaret (Fletcher) Cooke. At the age of nine he started work in the mines as a pit boy. Cook joined the local Primitive Methodist Church, and read and studied to make up for his lack of education. At the age of sixteen he was a lay preacher and active in the local trade union. During this period he began spelling his name ‘Cook’ without the final ‘e’.By 1885 Cook was earning a living as a railway worker.In Lithgow, Joseph Cook led a busy life. He worked in the mines and was an active unionist. He was studying to become a Methodist minister, as well as learning typing, shorthand and book-keeping.7. William Hughes, 1915 -23.Before his election to federal parliament, Hughes had joined the labour organisations that became the New South Wales Labor Party and, in 1894, won a seat in the New South Wales parliament. Hughes was 22 when he migrated to Australia from England, where he had worked as a teacher. His first two years in Australia were spent in Queensland where he took various jobs in the bush. He moved to Sydney and later to Melbourne. Studying part-time, Hughes gained a law degree and became a barrister.8. Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1923 -29.Bruce entered Trinity Hall at Cambridge University in January 1903, and his achievements there were capped with a rowing Blue. He graduated in 1906 and was admitted as a barrister. He continued to coach for Cambridge and was known on the tow-path as ‘Bruggins’.He was a decorated war hero before he became Prime Minister in 1923. SM Bruce became Australia’s longest-serving High Commissioner in London and his work at the League of Nations laid the foundations of enduring international agencies.The highest of the many official honours he earned was his peerage and from 1947 he was titled Lord Bruce of Melbourne.9. James Scullin, 1929 -32.He went to the local school at Trawalla, Victoria, and then to the Mount Rowan school near Ballarat.By the time he was fourteen he had left school and worked first in a grocer’s, then, during the 1890s depression years, at any job he could find in mines and on farms. At night and on weekends he studied at evening classes and in public libraries.About 1900, Scullin found a job managing a small grocery in Ballarat. He made the most of everything Ballarat had to offer – the public library, the vibrant South Street debating society, and the meetings and guest speakers of the Australian Natives Association. He was also a regular at the study groups of the Catholic Young Men's Society, where he developed a thorough knowledge of the Rerum Novarum, the powerful social justice encyclical issued by Pope Leo in the 1890s.10. Joseph Lyons, 1932 -39.In 1887 the family were plunged into poverty after an unfortunate Melbourne Cup bet and, at age nine, Joseph Lyons was working at odd jobs as well as attending the convent school at Ulverstone. In 1891, when he was 12 years old, his mother’s sisters paid his upkeep so he could go to the state school at Stanley. At 16 he became a pupil-teacher, completing his training in 1901.His first teaching posts were tiny country schools in northwestern Tasmania. In 1905, he transferred to Smithton as head teacher. There Lyons started the Duck River branch of the Workers Political League and a local debating society. In 1907, when he was 26, Lyons formally qualified at Tasmania’s new teacher training college in Hobart.11. Earl Page, 1939.Page went to school in Grafton and won a scholarship to undertake his final year at Sydney High School in 1894. He was only 14 when he enrolled in an Arts degree at the University of Sydney. He won a prestigious scholarship at the end of the year that enabled him to transfer to medicine in 1896. He topped his final year in 1900, and spent two years working first as a house surgeon and then as a pathologist at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.12. Robert Menzies, 1939 -41, 1949 -66.Menzies’ academic performance during his first two years at Wesley was not outstanding. During his third and final year, however, he gained the top marks in the English and History examinations, and won one of the 25 exhibitions awarded by the state for university study. Menzies credited two teachers at Wesley, Harold Stewart and Frank Shann, with helping him achieve the result. His own self-discipline and single-minded determination were also factors in his success.In 1913 Menzies enrolled in first-year law at the University of Melbourne, where he continued to shine. He won university prizes and exhibitions in history, jurisprudence and law, and the coveted Bowen Prize for an English essay. He also took a leading role in student affairs, serving as president of the Students’ Christian Union, editor of the Melbourne University Magazine and president of the Students’ Representative Council.13. Arthur Fadden, 1941.In 1909, aged 15, he began work in the local canefields. He then found work as an office boy at the Pleystowe sugar mill. By April 1913 he worked as a clerk at the Mackay Town Council, and was involved in local cricket, Rugby Union and amateur theatre. Fadden’s skill with figures won him the post of Mackay Town Clerk in 1916. On 27 December that year, he and local milliner Ilma Thornber were married.After qualifying through a correspondence course, Fadden set up an accountancy practice in Townsville in September 1918. He later established accountancy partnerships there and in Brisbane.14. John Curtin, 1941 -45.Curtin had a good, if brief, education at a mix of state and Catholic schools. At the age of 14 he became responsible for earning the family’s income, but it took him four years to find a permanent position as a tally clerk in a South Melbourne factory.15. Francis Forde, 1945.Forde went to primary school in Mitchell, then boarded at the Christian Brothers College in Toowoomba. He worked there as a pupil teacher until 1910. He then joined the Postmaster-General’s Department and worked as a telegraphist at the General Post Office in Brisbane. In 1914 Forde was transferred to the post office in Rockhampton, as assistant to the district engineer.16. Ben Chifley, 1945 -49.When he was five years old, Chifley was taken to live on the Limekilns farm to help his grandfather and aunt, and went to the small local school. In January 1899, when Chifley was just thirteen years old, his grandfather died and Chifley returned to his parents’ home. For a year he went to a local Catholic school and then went to work – first at a local store and then at a tannery. Chifley’s third job was at the Bathurst railway yards, just across the road from his parents’ house.Chifley began railway work as a shop boy in Bathurst’s extensive steam shed in September 1903. Six years later he was a fireman, shovelling coal into the engine’s firebox to maintain an even head of steam to drive the train. A keen reader and a regular at evening classes, Chifley’s education continued at his own direction and by his own determination. He was an active member of the Federated Engine-drivers and Firemen’s Association of Australasia, and also of the Labor Party. In July 1913, at the relatively young age of twenty-seven, he became an engine-driver.17. Harold Holt, 1966 -67.He attended four different schools in Sydney, Nubba and Adelaide between 1913 and 1919, then from 1920 to 1926 finished school at Wesley College in Melbourne, where his father had become a theatre manager.As a student at the University of Melbourne, Holt was outstanding in sports and in debating, graduating in 1930 with a law degree. He worked first for a local firm of solicitors, and was admitted to the Bar in 1932, at the age of 24. Unable to make a living as a barrister during the Depression, he set up his own practice as a solicitor in 1933.18. John McEwen, 1967 -68.At the age of 13 McEwen left school and helped support the family, working at local wholesale pharmaceutical supplier Rocke, Tompsitt & Co. In 1914, the family moved to the Melbourne suburb of Balwyn, where McEwen studied at night school. After two years of classes at Hassett’s Business College in Chapel Street, Prahran, he qualified for entry to the Commonwealth Public Service. At the age of 16 he started work at the Crown Solicitor’s Office in Melbourne, under Frederick Whitlam, the father of Gough Whitlam.In 1919 McEwen joined the Victorian Farmers Union, one of the most influential of the primary producers groups that founded the Country Party the following year.McEwen had hoped to enrol at the Royal Military College at Duntroon in Canberra, but instead applied for enlistment in the 1st Australian Imperial Force when he turned 18. He was called up on 9 August 1918 and was in camp awaiting embarkation for France when the armistice was declared on 11 November. After his discharge he went to work as a farmhand, but his enlistment qualified him for a loan to buy a farm under the ‘soldier-settler’ scheme. He applied for a 35-hectare block at Tongala in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. To raise capital he took labouring jobs, including one on the Melbourne wharves.19. John Gorton, 1968 -71.James Darling persuaded Gorton’s father to raise a mortgage and send his son to Oxford University. Gorton was admitted to Brasenose College in October 1932. He later claimed that he had ‘majored in rowing’, but he left Oxford in 1935 with a good upper second degree and a strong grounding in history, politics and economics.20. William McMahon, 1971 -72.McMahon went to Sydney Grammar School from 1923 to 1926, then to the University of Sydney. He graduated in 1933 with a law degree and became a solicitor with leading Sydney legal firm Allen, Allen & Hemsley. After war was declared in 1939, McMahon joined the 2nd Australian Imperial Force. A hearing problem preventing him from being sent overseas, so he served in Australia until the end of the war in 1945. McMahon then travelled to England, France and North America before returning to Australia in 1946. He enrolled at the University of Sydney to study economics and graduated in 1949 with distinction.21. Gough Whitlam, 1972 -75.In 1927 he went to Telopea Park Intermediate High School, where he edited the school magazine, the Telopea. He completed the leaving certificate in 1931. Aged only 15, he was considered too young to go to university. He went to Canberra Grammar School to further his grounding in the classics by studying Ancient Greek. Whitlam sat the leaving certificate exam three more times between 1932 and 1934, and edited the school magazine,The Canberran.Gough Whitlam enrolled at the University of Sydney in 1935. He completed an arts degree and began a law degree. His sport was rowing, and he was heavily involved in debating and the St Paul’s College Revues. He edited his college journal, The Pauline, from 1938 to 1941 and the student magazine, Hermes, from 1939 to 1941.22. Malcolm Fraser, 1975 -83.Malcolm Fraser was an Oxford graduate and a grazier when he won the seat of Wannon. Aged 25, he became the youngest member of the 22nd parliament in 1955.23. Robert Hawke, 1983 -91.Bob Hawke went to Oxford University in 1953, as Western Australia’s Rhodes scholar. Abandoning his planned degree, he submitted a thesis on the history of wage-fixing in Australia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Letters in 1955 and returned to Australia in 1956.24. Paul Keating, 1991 -96.Paul John Keating was born in Sydney on 18 January 1944, the eldest of four children of Min and Matt Keating. His father was a boilermaker and union official, and the family lived in the industrial suburb of Bankstown in Sydney’s southwest. Keating had three years of high school at Bankstown’s De La Salle College. On 16 January 1959 he took a job as a pay clerk at Sydney’s electricity authority and joined the Labor Party the same year. Keating went to evening classes for two years at Belmore Technical College to finish high school, but did not sit the final exams.25. John Howard, 1996 -07John Howard completed a law degree at the University of Sydney in 1961 and worked as a solicitor. He joined the Young Liberals when he was 18 and was active in political campaigns for the Liberal Party. In 1973 he won pre-selection for the House of Representatives seat of Bennelong. He won the seat at the federal election in May 1974 and entered parliament as an Opposition backbencher.26. Kevin Rudd, 2007 -10, 2013.Kevin Rudd joined the Australian Labor Party in 1972, at the age of 15. In 1975 he was dux of his school. He spent a year in Sydney before enrolling in Asian studies at The Australian National University in Canberra in 1977. He specialised in Chinese history and language, graduating in 1981 with first class honours for his thesis on Chinese dissident and democracy campaigner Wei Jingsheng.27. Julia Gillard, 2010 -13.An Arts/Law student, Julia Gillard took a prominent role in campus politics, including campaigning for better student representation in running the University of Adelaide Union. In 1981 she was elected president of the Union's council, its first student head.28. Tony Abbott, 2013 -Abbott was born in London, England, to an Australian mother and English father, and emigrated to Sydney with his parents in 1960. Prior to entering Parliament, he studied for a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney, and later for a Master of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics as a Rhodes Scholar at The Queen's College, Oxford.After graduating, Abbott trained as a Roman Catholic seminarian, later working as a journalist, manager and political advisor.Sources:Images: Australia's PMs - Australia's Prime MinistersBiographies: excerpted from "Before office" at Australia's PMs - Australia's Prime Ministers and Wikipedia: Tony Abbott

I spent a few days trying to figure out how I wanted to format this post, as there are so many events that took place this past decade. I decided I’d make a mini timeline of events, selecting 10 from each year which I believe have shaped our world. Please note that I do not mean this to be a comprehensive list of events. These are just some of many historic events that happened between 2010 and 2019.January 12, 2010 - A major earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.0 struck Haiti. The earthquake affected about 3 million people, killed around 250,000 and injured 300,000 more.On January 20, aftershocks struck the country, causing further destruction to the buildings.The earthquake caused one of the greatest needs for humanitarian relief in history.(image: National Geographic)February 27, 2010 - An earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.8 struck Chile.The earthquake subsequently triggered a tsunami, killing over 500 people.It was one of the largest earthquakes recorded in history.March 26, 2010 - A South Korean naval ship called the ROKS Cheonan sunk off the west coast of the country.Forty-six of the 104 personnel on board died. An investigation blamed North Korea for the attack. North Korea denied all allegations.April 14, 2010 - An Icelandic ice cap called Mount Eyjafjallajökull produced heavy ash after several volcanic eruptions.The ash caused disruptions in air traffic across northern and western Europe.The University of Iceland estimates Mount Eyjafjallajökull erupted over 750 tonnes of magma.(image: Reuters via Telegraph)April 20, 2010 - BP’s oil drilling platform, Deep Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.Eleven workers died and the oil spill is one of the largest in history.Waters and ecosystems on the U.S. coastline were damaged, prompting international debate about offshore drilling.(image: Reuters/Lee Celano via Gist)May 2, 2010 - After dealing with financial strife, the Eurozone and International Monetary Fund agreed to bail out Greece for 110 billion euros.The bailout package included strict measures Greece needed to follow.June 24, 2010 - Julia Gillard, the first female Prime Minister of Australia, is sworn in after an unopposed election.October 6, 2010 - Popular social media site, Instagram opened to the public.Founders posted test photos earlier in the year.October 13, 2010 - After surviving over two months of being trapped underground, crews rescued 33 miners in the San Jose Mines in Chile.The collapse trapped the miners approximately three miles from the entrance of the mine.(image: Wikimedia Commons)December 22, 2010 - U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill repealing the controversial “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” bill.This bill disallowed openly gay people from serving in the U.S. military for 17 years.January 25, 2011 - The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 began.Protesters against President Hosni Mubarak and increased police brutality started street demonstrations, rallies, civil disobedience, and other violent clashes in Egypt’s major cities.President Mubarak resigned after 18 days of protest.(image: My Student Voices)February 15, 2011 - The First Libyan Civil war began.The war caused uncertainty over Libyan oil output, increasing oil prices by 20% over a two-week period. This led to the 2011 energy crisis.March 11, 2011 - A 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami.The natural disaster killed thousands of people and destroyed a nuclear power plant, causing the second worst nuclear accident in Japan’s history.(image: Britannica)April 19, 2011 - After serving 45 years on the Communist Party of Cuba’s central committee, Fidel Castro resigned.Castro resigned from his presidency in 2008.April 29, 2011 - Prince William, Duke of Cambridge married Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey. Approximately two billion people watched the couple wed.(image: Billboard)May 2, 2011 - U.S. Navy SEALs captured and killed Osama Bin Laden.Bin Laden was the suspected person behind the September 11 attacks.Until his death, he was the number one person on the U.S. FBI’s most wanted list.July 22, 2011 - Two terrorist attacks perpetrated by Anders Behring Breivik shook Norway.First, Brevik bombed a government building in Oslo, killing eight people.Second, Brevik opened fire at a Workers’ Youth League in Utøya.Brevik received Norway’s maximum sentence of 21 years in preventative detention.September 17, 2011 - The United States’s Occupy Wall Street movement began.The movement against economic inequality inspired over 70 other Occupy movements in other countries.(image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Rolling Stone)October 18, 2011 - Israel began a prisoner exchange with Hamas, a militant Palestinian organization.Hamas captured an Israeli Army solider named Gilad Shalit.In exchange for 1,027 Palestinians and Israeli-Arab prisoners being released, Hamas would release Shalit to Israel officials.December 15, 2011 - The United States ended the first insurgency of the controversial Iraq War. Immediately after, the second insurgency began.January 13, 2012 - The Costa Concordia, a passenger cruise ship capsized off the coast of Italy because of the negligence of captain Francesco Schettino.Thirty-two people died because of the incident, making it the second deadliest cruise ship crash after the Titanic disaster in 1912.Schettino is serving sixteen years in prison for manslaughter.(image: Associated Press via Los Angeles Times)February 21, 2012 - Eurozone bailed out Greece for the second time; this time for 130 billion euros.June 30, 2012 - Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood became president of Egypt.The election sparked controversy and protests across the country.July 18, 2012 - Kim Jong-un was officially appointed as ruler of North Korea. Kim sat as the leader since 2011, after his father Kim Jong-il died.(image: New York Times)July 20, 2012 - James Holmes opened fire in a movie theater during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.Holmes, who claimed he was The Joker, killed twelve people and injured 58 more.Police arrested Holmes on-scene and later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.July 30–31, 2012 - India experienced the worst power outage in world history. The blackout left about 700 million people without power.September 11–27, 2012 - Terrorists targeted United States diplomatic embassies worldwide, killing U.S. ambassador J. Christopher Stevens in Libya.The attacks may have been a reaction to a YouTube trailer for a film called Innocence of Muslims.November 25, 2012 - Typhoon Bopha (AKA Typhoon Pablo) hit the Philippines, killing over 1,000 people. Most of the damage was to the island of Mindanao.Over 800 people are still missing.(image: World Vision / Cryslin Felisilda via World News)December 14, 2012 - Adam Lanza killed his mother in her home then opened fire on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States.Twenty-eight people, including Lanza, who shot himself, died. Most of the victims were children.(image: Britannica)December 24, 2012 - WikiLeaks released a list of names, credit card numbers, passwords, and home and email addresses of employees for major agencies such as Bank of America, Lockheed Martin, and the United Nations.This was a part of an attack on a geopolitical intelligence group, Stratfor. Earlier in 2011, e-mails revealing surveillance of protest groups were released to WikiLeaks.January 16–20, 2013 - Terrorists held workers hostage at a natural gas facility in Algeria. Thirty-nine international workers and one security guard died.February 15, 2013 - Over 1,000 were injured after a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. The meteor was the most powerful meteor to strike Earth in over a century.(image: Alex Alishevskikh via NASA)February 28, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI resigned as pope.Benedict was the first pope to resign voluntarily since 1294. Benedict cited his health and age as the reasons for his resignation.March 14, 2013 - China named Xi Jinping President of the People’s Republic of China.April 15, 2013 - Two Islamist brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonated two bombs at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.Three people died and the blasts injured 264 more.The brothers then attempted to escape by killing an MIT officer, kidnapping a man, and stealing his car. Authorities captured the brothers in a shootout, which two officers were severely injured. Police shot Tamerlan several times. Tamerlan ran over his brother in the stolen car while trying to get away from police. Dzhokhar died from his injuries.Four days later, police apprehended the surviving brother. Tamerlan was eventually sentenced to the death penalty for his crimes.(image: Tom Green / Zuma Press via NBC News)May 16, 2013 - Scientists successfully cloned human stem cells for the first time.June 6, 2013 - Edward Snowden, a former U.S. CIA employee disclosed that the United States has a mass surveillance program.Snowden fled the country and Russia granted him temporary asylum.(image: Biography)August 14, 2013 - Egyptian military raided two-anti coup camps following the overthrowing of Egypt’s president, Mohamed Morsi.Over 2,000 people died because of the raids. This was one of the largest killings of protesters in recent history.August 21, 2013 - West Syria attacked East Syria using chemical warfare, killing over 1,400 people. In the early hours of morning,West Syria launched two rockets containing Sarin gas on a suburb called Ghouta. The attack was the worst use of chemical warfare since the Iran-Iraq war.September 21, 2013 - Islamic militants from the group Al-Shabab attacked the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya. The terrorist attacks killed over 70 people, including four attackers and injured at least 200 more.(image: BBC)February 22, 2014 - The Ukranian Parliament voted to replace President Viktor Yanukovych with Oleksandr Turchynov after days of civil unrest. A series of violent events killed almost 100 people in Kiev.March 8, 2014 - Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared while flying over the Gulf of Thailand. The flight had 239 people on board.The search for Flight 370 became the costliest search for an airplane in history.In 2015 and 2016, debris from the plane washed ashore off the coast of the Indian Ocean.Still the events surrounding the crash are a mystery, making it one of the greatest aviation mysteries of our time.(image: file photo via Avionics International)March 23, 2014 - The World Health Organization (WHO) announced an Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Over the two-year period of the epidemic, the virus infected over 25,000 people. Of those people infected, over 11,000 people died.WHO named this the worst Ebola outbreak in history.(image: NBC News)April 14–15, 2014 - Terrorist organization Boko Haram allegedly kidnapped over 200 women and girls from a school in Nigeria and held them hostage.Over the next months, authorities rescued 57 of the schoolgirls, however many remained missing. In May 2016, authorities rescued one of the kidnapped girls, who said six of the girls died. They found another in January 2017.The group released 21 girls in 2016 and another 82 in 2017.April 25, 2014 - Government officials changed the water source in Flint, Michigan, United States, starting the Flint Water Crisis.Residents soon reported changes in the color, smell, and taste of water. The water tested positive for both e.coli and c.diff bacteria.Later investigation found lead in the water supply. Government agencies did too little too late to help the people of Flint, causing mass criticism.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the water tested safe in 2017, but as of 2019, there are doubts that this is true.(image: AP/Ryan Garza via Guardian)June 5, 2014 - Islamic terrorist group, ISIS began their reign of terror in norther Iraq. ISIS aimed to capture Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad and overthrow the government.July 17, 2014 - Pro-Russian rebels allegedly shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Eastern Ukraine. The crash killed all 298 people aboard. This was the second incident involving a Malaysia Airlines plane in 2014.August 9, 2014 - A police officer shot an unarmed black man named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, United States. The events prompted protests and uprisings in Ferguson.(image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via The Atlantic)November 24, 2014 - A hacker group named “Guardians of Peace” leaked confidential information from Sony Pictures.Data leaked included e-mails between employees, information about employees and their families, unreleased Sony films, plans for future films, scripts, and more. The hackers then erased the Sony Pictures computer infrastructure.The hackers finally demanded for the movie premiere of The Interview to be withdrawn. The film depicted an assassination attempt on North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Sony Pictures agreed and skipped theater showings of the movie. The movie went straight to Netflix.The U.S. blamed North Korea for the hacks.December 17, 2014 - U.S. President Barack Obama announced that relations between the United States and Cuba would resume as normal, ending 50 years of tension between the countries.January 7, 2015 - Terrorists belonging to Yemen’s Al-Qaeda branch ceased fire on the Paris, France headquarters of Charlie Hebdo.The shootings killed 12 people and wounded 11 more.The attack brought together over a million people and 40 world leaders together for an anti-terrorism demonstration.(image: Remy de la Mauviniere/Associated Press via CBC)April 25, 2015 - A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck Nepal and affected India, China, and Bangladesh.The earthquake caused over 9,000 deaths.On May 12, 2015, less than a month after the first earthquake, another major earthquake affected the same four countries, this time with a magnitude of 7.3.The second earthquake killed over 200 people.May 22, 2015 - Ireland voted to legalize same-sex marriage. The country became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.June 25–26, 2015 - ISIS claimed responsibility for three attacks on Ramadan, a Muslim holiday.The first of the attacks involved three car bombs in Kobani, Syria. The attackers then opened fire at civilians. Over 220 people died.The second attacks involved a 22-year-old opening fire at a tourist resort in Tunisia. Over 30 people died.The final attack targeted a mosque in Kuwait City. A suicide bomb killed 27 people and injured over 227 others.August 12, 2015 - A chemical fire caused an explosion at a port in the Chinese city of Tianjin. The fire killed 17 people and injured hundreds more.On August 31, 2015, another chemical fire caused an explosion in a factory in Dongying, China. This time, 13 people died. The fire lasted over 5 hours.(image: EPA via Independent)September 24, 2015 - During a hajj (pilgrimage) in the holy city of Mecca, a 10-minute stampede killed over 2,000 people. The stampede injured 900 more, with over 650 people missing.October 23, 2015 - Hurricane Patricia struck the Pacific coast of Mexico.Patricia reached winds of 150 mph and had a pressure of 872 mbar, making it the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.November 13, 2015 - Nine ISIS terrorists attacked multiple locations in Paris, France.First, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade De France during a football game.Gunmen then shot outside several cafes and restaurants. A suicide bomber also hit this location.Last, gunmen conducted a mass shooting at the Bataclan theatre where the Eagles of Death Metal were performing.The attacks killed 131 people and seven of the perpetrators. They injured 413 more, with almost 100 of the injuries being critical.(image: Thibault Camus/AP via MSNBC)November 30, 2015 - Global leaders from 147 countries gathered at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris, France.On December 12, they agreed a global pact to combat climate change. This became known as the Paris Agreement.December 2, 2015 - Two ISIS-affiliated shooters opened fire at a San Bernardino, California office building in the United States.Initial reports said the attacks struck a facility for people with developmental disabilities but were inaccurate.Police killed the gunmen in a shootout. Sixteen people, including the gunmen, died because of the shooting.(image: WRGT)January 28, 2016 - The World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak of the Zika virus.The virus started in Brazil and spread to other parts of South and North America.The virus transmitted via mosquitoes could affect fetal development in pregnant women, causing microcephaly and other brain anomalies in their unborn child.The WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic in February 2016.March 22, 2016 - Suicide bombers associated with ISIS attacked Brussels, Belgium.The first attack affected Zavatem airport. The second attack affected Maalbeek metro station. The attacks killed 32 people and three of the five perpetrators. The attack also injured over 300 people.(image: Le Libre via EurActiv)April 3, 2016 - Offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca released 11.5 confidential documents called the Panama Papers.The documents exposed illegal activities, including fraud and tax evasion, conducted by the world’s elite. The attacks were named the largest global data leak.May 28, 2016 - Zookeepers shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe after a boy fell in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, United States.The incident caused worldwide controversy and debate, with animal rights activists questioning whether Harambe needed to die.(image: Wikimedia Commons)June 12, 2016 - Omar Mateen, a member of ISIS open fire on Pulse Nightclub, a gay club in Orlando, Florida, United States.Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 others. Officers shot Mateen after a three-hour standoff, killing the mass shooter.The shooting was the deadliest terrorist attack since the September 11 attacks in 2001.It is the second deadliest shooting in United States history.July 6, 2016 - Developers released Pokemon Go, an augmented reality mobile game. The game broke many records in terms of sales and revenue. It was one of the most popular apps ever.(image: Junkee)August 5–21, 2016 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Rio games were the first Olympic games in a South American country.(image: Wikimedia Commons)September 3, 2016 - Both The United States and China entered the Paris Agreement against global warming.The two countries were responsible for 40% of the world’s carbon emissions.October 7, 2016 - Three major events affecting the U.S. Presidential Election came to light.First, the U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russia for hacking computers to interfere with the U.S. election process.Second, The Washington Post released videos showing Donald Trump bragging about sexual exploits.Third, Wikileaks released thousands of emails exposing the inner workings of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.November 8, 2016 - Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.Clinton won the popular vote, but the controversial electoral college elected Trump as president.Trump is the first president in U.S. history who doesn’t have political or military background.January 21, 2017 - The day after Donald Trump is inaugurated as U.S. President, people in 420 United States cities and in 168 countries protested the presidency in Women’s Marches.The marches became the largest single-day protest in the United States’s history and it was the largest global protest in recent history.(image: Samantha Goresh / Reuters via The Atlantic)February 17, 2017 - Discoverers found a mostly underwater continent called Zealandia. New Zealand makes up part of this country.March 29, 2017 - The United Kingdom started negotiations for Brexit. Brexit would break the United Kingdom away from the European Union (EU).In June 2016, popular vote agreed to break the U.K. away from the EU.May 17, 2017 - After U.S. President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey just a few days prior, Robert Muller is named Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice.Muller became in charge of investigating the alleged Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.May 22, 2017 - A suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS attacked Manchester Arena in Manchester, England during an Ariana Grande concert. The bombing killed 22 people and injured over 500 others.August 12, 2017 - Neo-nazis and other alt-right extremist groups gathered in Charlottesville, Virgina, United States to protest the removal of Confederate statues across the country.The violent protests called Unite the Right injured hundreds and a counter-protester was killed after being hit by a car.(image: Wikimedia Commons)August and September 2017 - Three major hurricanes, Hurricane Harvey (August 25–30), Hurricane Irma (September 6–10), and Hurricane Maria (September 19–20) struck land.Harvey, a category 4 hurricane left damage to Houston, Texas in the United States.Irma, a category 5, struck The Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico as the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.Maria hit The Caribbean and Dominica as a category 5 hurricane. It then hit Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, as a category 4 hurricane.All three hurricanes left catastrophic damage to the subsequent areas.(image: AFP/Getty Images via ABC News)October 1, 2017 - A gunman named Stephen Paddock opened fire on people at a music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.The shooting injured 869 people, 413 which were injured by gunshot wounds. The attacks also killed 58 people, making it the deadliest mass shooting in United States history.(image: David Becker / KTNV Las Vegas)November 21, 2017 - After a 37 year rule, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe resigned from his presidency. This happened after military placed Mugabe on house arrest after they took control of Zimbabwe.December 5, 2017 - The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from the 2018 after allegations of state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.February 14, 2018 - Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old man, opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The shooting killed 17 people and injured 17 more.Prosecutors charged Cruz with 17 counts of premeditated (first degree) murder. Cruz pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail until his trial in January 2020.If convicted, Cruz faces either death penalty or life without parole.(image: USA Today)March 4, 2018 - A former Russian double spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, England with a nerve gas. Russia found Skripal guilty of spying for the British. Counter-terrorism forces are investigating Russian involvement in the crime.March 11, 2018 - China removed term limits for leaders, meaning Chinese President Xi Jinping can serve in his position for life.June 12, 2018 - U.S. President Donald Trump met North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un, making history as the first U.S. President to meet with a North Korean ruler.(image: Saul Loeb/AFB - Getty Images via NBC News)June 19, 2018 - Days after the United Nations’s human rights leader, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein criticized the U.S. Trump Administration for separating children from their parents at the Mexican border, the United States withdraws from the U.N. Humans Right council.Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Trump for his actions.July 26, 2018 - Facebook’s share price dropped by almost 20%, devaluing the social media website by over $109 billion. The price drop followed a data leak scandal and was the largest single day loss in corporate history.August 2, 2018 - Apple became the world’s first public company to reach $1 trillion USD in value, beating Amazon in the race to number one.September 23, 2018 - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched “Modicare,” a free health care program for 500 million Indians. Modicare is the largest government-funded healthcare program.(image: Rakesh Tiwari via YouTube)October 16, 2018 - Canada became the largest industrialized country to legalize recreational marijuana use. It is only the second country in the world to legalize its use.October 27, 2018 - An anti-Semite named Robert Gregory Bowers opened fire on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States during Shabbat morning services. Eleven people died, and seven people, including the gunman, were injured.(image Post-Gazette)January 2019 - Wildfires began to ravage the Amazon Rainforest in South America. A combination of slash-and-burn deforestation techniques and an unusually long dry season caused the Rainforest to have record numbers of wildfires.The wildfires continue to burn to this day.(image: Mario Tama/Getty Images via Common Dreams)March 15, 2019 - Brenton Harrison Tarrant, a far-right extremist from Australia opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand, killing 51 people and injuring 49 more.A live stream of the attacks made its way on Facebook and spread across social media. Websites such as Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, and Twitter removed the videos off their platforms and warned anyone supporting the attacks would be removed.Police arrested Tarrant, who pleaded not guilty to the attacks. A judge set his trial for sometime in 2020.April 15, 2019 - Paris’s famed historical cathedral, Notre Dame caught on fire. The blaze caused the cathedral’s roof to collapse and destroyed its main spire.Historians estimate there is only a 50% chance Notre Dame can be salvaged.(image: USA Today)April 21, 2019 - Sri Lanka faced its first major terrorist attack in a decade after a series of eight bomb attacks ravaged the country on Easter Sunday.The attacks targeted three churches, four hotels, and one housing complex. The blasts left 259 people dead and over 500 people were injured.ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.August 3, 2019 - Patrick Crusius, an alt-right white supremacist opened fire in a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, United States, targeting Hispanics.Crusius posted his manifesto online, which police found shortly after the attacks. Police arrested the gunman a short time later. He plead not guilty and as of October 2019, is awaiting arraignment.The attacks killed 22 people and injured 24 more.(image: Mark Ralston / AFP - Getty Images via NBC News)August 4, 2019 - Just 13 hours after the El Paso shootings, a man named Connor Stephen Betts opened fire in front of a bar in Dayton, Ohio, United States.In 32 seconds, Betts managed to kill nine people and injure 27 more. Police shot the gunman down and he died from his injuries.September 27, 2019 - Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led 500,000 people in a protest against climate change in Montreal, Canada. Worldwide, 4,000,000 people went on strike for the cause.TIME Magazine named Thunberg their 2019 Person of the Year for being a powerful activist at such a young age.(image: The Canada Press/Ryan Remiorz via Global News Canada)October 27, 2019 - U.S. President Donald Trump announced that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.During a U.S. special operations mission, al-Baghdadi detonated a bomb while U.S. troops chased him through a tunnel.December 16, 2019 - Pope Francis took action on the Catholic Church’s sex abuse issue by abolishing pontifical secrecy. The Pope also raised the age of child pornography from 14 to 18 years old.December 19, 2019 - The United States House of Representatives voted to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump based on two articles of impeachment. The impeachment will move to the U.S. Senate sometime in 2020.Trump is the third U.S. president to be impeached, after President Andrew Johnston and President Bill Clinton.Here’s to a [hopefully more peaceful] decade!