2009

At the time, he took office, world censuses estimated a world population of roughly 6.8 billion. The birth of babies commonly named Jacob and Isabella helped this number continue its upward trajectory. While we may not know who will change the world, we do know that the Suleman Octuplets became the longest surviving set in history.

We lost some amazing people in 2009. Included among them were Clive Granger, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcet, Les Paul, and Walter Cronkite.
The top box office releases included Avatar, Coraline, Star Trek, and Inglourious Basterds. Meanwhile, for the bookworms of the world, Catching Fire and The Help took home first and second place. Read on to find out how 2009 forever changed the US automotive industry.

Some notable firsts of 2009 include the development of an AIDs vaccine, the revival of an extinct species from cloning, and the invention of the first bladeless fan. While Slovakia became the 16th country to join the European Union, Croatia and Albania became official members of NATO.

A variety of disasters also rocked the world as Victorian-based Australian bushfires were proclaimed the worst natural disaster in Australian history. But many more countries faced a crisis much more economic than climate-based. Countries such as Thailand and Switzerland slipped into what would be a hard-hitting recession. At the same time, closer to home, the US watched in horror as GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy. Though no one knew it then, these 365 days would come to mark what would become the worst economic crisis since The Great Depression.

When you remember 2009, picture a time when science-fiction was king and the automobile assembly lines nearly ground to a halt.