Who Did Start The Fire??

Ok, so today I was listenin to my IpoD at work like I do everyday, and one of my favorite songs came on. It is "We Didn't Start The Fire", by Billy Joel. I'm sure most if not all of you know the song. It is a list of events in his life. Starting with the year he was born and working to the year the song was released. There are so many events listed...Disneyland, the Kennedy Assassination, Space Flight, and The Cola Wars among others. Important and interesting. It is his legacy. His claim to History and what it has left us. So here I was singing and dancing and it hit me...why not write down the events of my life? My, or I should say OUR legacy. So for all of you born around the same year I was, this is for us. For those of you reading who are perhaps older (Hi Pops), your legacy stretches further, and entails so much more. So without any more blabber and even less ado, let us begin our walk through History.

1971
I was born August 19th of that year. China joined the UN that year as well. On November 14th, the NASA Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. The Soviets followed a month later with Mars 2 and Mars 3. Cigarettes were no longer advertised on TV that year..they had been banned. And Greenpeace was formed.

1972
HBO was luanched. Nike running shoes are introduced. Governor George Wallace was shot. The EPA banned DDT that year. In June of that year, the Watergate burglary was committed. A 15 year old boy named Bobby Fischer beats Russia to win the world chess championship. In December of that year, Eugene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon.

1973
UPC Barcodes are first used. The Opera House in Sydney, Australlia opens. Nixon releases the Watergate tapes and the Bahamas gain their Independence from Brittain. Tower number 2 of the World Trade Center opens. The Vietnam war ends and all troops are pulled out by President Nixon. On November 13, the third and final SkyLab was launched. It landed later the next year.

1974
On August 8th, President Richard M. Nixon resigns the Presidency. Patty Hearst was abducted. The Heimlich maneuver was developed. Beverly Johnson becomes the first black model for Vogue magazine. Gerald Ford pardons tricky Dick and grants amnesty to all draft dodgers. Babe Ruth's long standing home run record falls to Hank Aaron. Evil Kneivel attempts to jump the Snake River in Idaho only to fall 600 feet. It is the first of four attempts. India tests its first nuclear bomb.

1975
Lyme disease was first discovered. Saigon falls to Communism. Disposable razors are introduced. Jimmy Hoffa vansihes. New York City is bailed out by the Federal Government. Microsoft is founded. The Alaska pipeline begins. After a 19 month search, Patty Hearst is arrested. The first joint US-USSR space mission, the Apollo-Soyuz is launched.

1976
Apple Computers is launched. Betamax and VHS VCR's are released. Ebola outbreak in Africa (it exists still today). The Viking probe lands on Mars, and West Point admits women. Oh yeah, and it's America's 200th Birthday.

1977
The first MRI is used. Red Dye no.2 is banned. The Son of Sam is arrested in New York. On May 3rd, the Alskan pipeline is completed. On August 16th, Elvis Presley is pronounced dead at Memphis Hospital. The treaty to return the Panama Canal is signed by President Carter, it was returned to the country on December 31, 1999. The first black Miss Universe is crowned. President Carter pardons all Vietnam draft dodgers.

1978
Garfield the cat is syndicated. The first ultrasound was used. Hustler publisher Larry Flynt was shot and paralyzed. 900 people drink a fruit-flavored cyanide drink in the Jonestown Massacre. The first test-tube baby is created, and Atlantic City allows gambling.

1979
Iranian students storm the Us Embassy holding 52 hostages for 444 days. This will be Jimmy Carter's undoing. The first Susan B. Anthony dollar coin is released. Sony Walkmans are marketed. The final SkyLab falls into the Indian Ocean. On February 11th, the Ayatollah Khomeini takes power in Iran. The federal Gov't grants $100 million to the Sioux nation in land reparations. Mother Theresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize. The Soviets invade Afghanistan. On September 7th, ESPN makes its debut.

1980
Post-it notes are marketed by 3-M. Dallas debuts on TV and is an instant hit. Mark David Chapman shoots and kills John Lennon. Mt St. Helens erupts, killing 60 people and coating five states in ash. CNN is launched as the first news network. Small Pox is considered eradicated. The Us boycotts the summer Olympics in Moscow, but the US goes on to beat Russia in Hockey for the Winter Olympic games. Insulin is gentetically engineered.

1981
The Columbia becomes the first launched space shuttle. Luke and Laura get married on General Hospital..it becomes the most watched wedding until Charles and Diana. The first DeLorean rolls off assembly lines. On August 1st, MTv launches...music will never be the same. The American hostages are released in Iran after 14 months. Pac-Man is introduced. On March 30th, Mark Hinkley attempts to assasinate Ronald Reagan.

1982
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" sells 30 million copies. The Tylenol scare. Ozzy bites the head off a live bat. Princess Grace of Monaco dies in a car accident. Liposuction is introduced. On March 5th, John Belushi dies of a heroin overdose. The Vietnam Memorial is erected in Washington D.C.. The first heart transplant takes place, the patient lives 112 days. Italy wins the World Cup in Spain.

1983
Camcorders are marketed. Cabbage patch kids are the craze. On February 4th, Karen Carpenter dies of anorexia. The final episode of M.A.S.H. airs and the advertising costs more than the Super Bowl. Compact Disc's are released. The US Embassy is bombed in Beirut. Australia wins the America's Cup after 132 years. HIV is discovered.

1984
The Cosby Show airs. Stonewashed jeans are introduced. The Soviets boycott the Olympics in Los Angeles. Indira Gandhi is assasinated. AIDS Virus discovered. Thanks to the FCC, the first "infomercials" hit the airwaves. Apple releases the first Macintosh personal computer. Geraldine Ferraro becomes first woman to run for a Presidential office (she ran for VP). Vanessa Williams becomes first African American Miss America...she is later de-throned when nude pictures surface.

1985
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes last President of Russia. Nintendo is introduced. Rock and Roll hall of fame opens. Rock Hudson dies on October 2nd..he is the first major public figure to succumb to the AIDS Virus. Crack cocaine appears. Leaded gass officially banned.

1986
January 28, the space shuttle Challenger explodes after liftoff. Chernobyl suffers the worst nuclear disaster in history. Haley's comet makes a return. The Statue of Liberty celebrates a 100th birthday. Martin Luther King day is celebrated for the first time. The Iran Contra scandal is reported in a Lebonese magazine in November. The Fox network airs. Boston sends all three of their sports teams to the "big games" (Red Sox, Celtics, and the Patriots.), with the Celtics being the only winners.

1987
On October 14th, baby Jessica falls down a well, she is rescued two days later. Margaret Thatcher is re-elected for her third term as Prime Minister. Condom commercials begin to appear on TV. Les Miserables debuts on broadway and wins 8 Tony Awards. On November 21, Demi Moore marries Bruce Willis. The World population reaches 5 billion people. Gary Hart and Jimmy Bakker are both rocked by scandal. The California Condor makes the Endangered Species List, with only 27 remaining.

1988
Prozac is introduced. Flight 103 is blown out of the sky over Scotland, terroism starts. Sony Bono becomes Mayor of Palm Springs. The Soviets finally leave Afghanistan. Human Genome project begins. Yellowstone National Park suffers a horrible fire, 35% of the park is burned. McDonalds opens in the USSR.

1989
On November 9th, the Berlin wall comes down. The Exxon Valdez crashes in Alaska spilling its contents into the water. On April 26th, Lucille Ball dies. June 3rd brought about the protests in Tienanmen Square...3000-7000 are killed. The fourteenth Dalai Lama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles become an overnight sensation. Milli Vanilli returns their Grammy's after a lip synching scandal. On August 24th, Pete Rose is banned from baseball. Burma changes its name to Myanmar. Pan-Am files chapter 11. Geraldo Rivera gets his nose broken by a Nazi on his talk show.

1990
Smoking on Domestic flights is banned. Margaret Thatcher resigns. NC-17 bcomes a new movie rating. The Hubble telescope is launched into space. Clean Air Act is passed. The Americans with Dissabilities Act is signed (ADA). Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years. On May 10th, Jim Henson dies. The United States enters The Gulf War.

1991
"Magic" Johnson tests positive for the AIDS Virus. President Taylor is exhumed to determine wether he died of arsenic poisoning or not. Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested. Rodney King is beaten in Los Angeles. The World Wide Web is created on August 16th. Prince Charles and Princess Di split and dissolve their marriage.

1992
The "Teflon Don" John Gotti is convicted and sentenced. Johnny Carson retires from the Tonight Show. Hurricane Andrew hits Florida and leaves 250,000 homeless and 14 dead. The "Long Island Lolita" Amy Fisher pleads guilty to attempted murder and is sentenced to prison. Windsor Castle suffers a fire.

1993
Waco tragedy. February 26th, the World Trade Center is bombed. Michael Jordan retires. Lorena Bobbit is arrested for "chopping and lobbing". The Final epsiode of Cheers airs. Prince changes his name to a symbol. Wrestler and actor Andre the Giant dies. August ushers in the era of the Power Rangers.

1994
The Hubble telescope produces proof of Black Holes. Major League Baseball strikes. National Hockey League players locked out over salary disputes. Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed by rival Tonya Harding. The underwater "chunnel" between Brittain and France opens on May 3rd. On June 13th, OJ Simpson runs from the police after being suspected in a double homicide. Susan Smith drowns her two sons and lies on national Tv about the deaths. Kurt Cobain dies from a single gunshot wound to the head..it is ruled a suicide. Tiger Woods becomes the first minority and the youngest person to win the Masters. Richard Nixon dies at 81. Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley and Friends hits the air..lasting 1o years.

1995
April 19th brings us the bombing of the F Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma. October 4th OJ Simpson is found innocent. Jerry Garcia dies. Selena is murdered by her fan club President. Netscape debuts. Windows 95 is released. President Bill Clinton confirms Area 51 exists.

1996
The unabomber Ted Kaczynski is arrested. Ebonics is declared an official language. Tupac Shakur is shot and killed. The Olympics in Altanta are bombed. Lance Armstrong is diagnosed with cancer. Dolly, the cloned sheep exisits. Jon Bennet Ramsey is found murdered..a tragedy never solved. Madeline Albright becomes first female Secretary of State.

1997
"Heaven's Gate" mass suicide in California. Timothy McVeigh is found guilty of the Oklahoma bombing and sentenced to death. China assumes control of Hong Kong after 156 years under Brittish rule. Princess Diana is killed in a car accident. Gianni Versace is murdered in Florida. Titanic opens in the theaters and Harry Potter is published. Mother Theresa dies. Pokemon are introduced and Camel cigarettes removes Joe Camel as their spokesperson after he is more recognized by american youth than Mickey Mouse.

1998
The Price is Right airs its 5000th epsiode. Newt Gingrich resigns. John Glenn returns to space at age 77. Seinfeld ends. The International Space Station is launched. After 2o years Dale Earnhardt wins the Daytona 500. Disney opens the Wild Animal Kingdom in Florida. El Nino becomes a household name.

1999
April 20th, Columbine High School is attacked by two gunmen. It becomes the worst school tragedy in history, but not the last. Bill Clinton is acquitted. The Womens Soccer Team wins the World's Cup...Brandi Chastain is forever burned into the minds of all men worldwide. Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee divorce. The Elian Gonzalez battle begins...it dampens America's relationship with Cuba. George Harrison dies at 58. John F. Kennedy and his wife die in a tragic small plane crash. The "Great One" Wayne Gretzky retires. The attack of the boy bands begins and the Dream Team gear up for the Olympics. Y2K has everyone stocking up and in a panic...it proves bogus.

2000
Larry Linville (M.A.S.H.) and Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys) die. Alan Greenspan is nominated for a fourth term. America Online purchases Time-Warner for $162 billion. The final Peanuts cartoon strip is released after the death of Charles Schultz (they are still printed, just not originals). Vicente Fox is elected President of Mexico. Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman in the Senate. Montgomery Ward closes its doors after 127 years in business.

2001
Microsoft releases Windows XP. Tropical Storm Allsion hits Houston briging 36 inches of rain and killing 22. The first self-contained artifical heart is transplanted. Barry Bonds breaks the single season home run record. Anthrax attacks are reported throughout the US. The World Trade Center Towers were brought down by airplanes. Almost 3,000 die in the worst terrosit attack on American soil in history. Enron files chapter 11. Three years after winning the Daytona 500 for the first time, Dale Earnhardt is killed while doing what he loved. Perry Como and Joey Ramone both die.

2002
Daniel Pearl is murdered in Pakistan. Princess Margaret dies after suffering a stroke. Operation Anaconda, the United States invasion of Afghanistan begins March 1st. Andrea Yeates drowns her five children in Houston and is found guilty. The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth dies at 101 years of age. Serena Williams wins her first of several French Opens. United Airlines files for bankruptcy.

2003
The World Health Organization issues the SARS warning. The United States invades Iraq. The "Old Man of the Mountain", a rock formation in New Hampshire crumbles after heavy rain. Pen Hadow becomes the first peron to walk alone from Canada to the North Pole. Dewey, the first cloned deer, is born. Arnold becomes the "Governator" in California. The Concorde makes its last commercial flight. A massive earthquake devastates southern Iran, killing over 40,000. The space shuttle Columbia breaks up uopn re-entry killing all aboard. Bob Hope, Barry White, Buddy Epsen and Katharine Hepburn all leave us.

2004
Facebook is founded in Cambridge, Mass. Athens, Greece sees its first snow storm in over 300 years. The Lord of the Rings ties the record with 11 wins at the Academy Awards. The US lifts a 23 year travel ban against Libya. Vladimir Putin wins his second term in office. Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse is shown on 60 minutes. The World War II memorial is dedicated in Washington D.C.. Hurricane Charley kills 27 in Florida, 4 in Cuba and is the worst hurricane since Andrew. Mount St. Helens becomes active again. Martha Stewart begins her 5 month stay at club fed. Michael Scumacher wins his 7th (5th consecutive) Formula One title..making him the winningnest driver in Formula One history. The Entertainment world loses Janet Leigh, Rodney Dangerfield, Christopher Reeve, and Tony Randall.

2005
Saudi Arabia holds its first ever municipal elections. The National Hockey League cancels the season over labor disputes. The BTK killer, Dennis Rader is apprehended in Wichita , Kansas 31 years after his first murder. Steve Fossett goes around the world non-stop and non-refueled setting a record. Pope John Paul II dies. The first airbus 380 makes its virgin flight. Kuwaiti women are granted the right to vote. The first Disneyland is opened in Hong Kong. Hunter S. Thompson and Sandra Dee (look at me) leave us.

2006
Marks the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging ( he was executed December 30th). The Playstation 3 and the Wii are both released in the US. Not much else happened.


And as I have researched, not much of note has happened since. I apologise for this being the longest, most drawn out blog to date. I guess I got carried away. I find that so much has happened and so many events have changed the way we remember the past. No one will ever forget 9/11, or Columbine. And we will all remember where we were and what we were doing. It is our legacy, stories to be passed down to our kids and their kids. I hope this little look back was fun for you. There is so much i didn't post, and so much more that happened. I could have gone on forever. I thank you as always for being patient and for reading. I haven't posted in some time, so I had so much in my system to get out.

I promise the next post wont be so long....be good!!

Brandon