1257 Samalas eruption

The 1257 Samalas eruption was a major volcanic eruption of the Samalas volcano , next to Mount Rinjani on the island of Lombok , Indonesia . It left a large caldera next to Rinjani volcano , the lake Segara Anak . This volcanic eruption reached a volcanic explosivity index of 7 , making it one of the largest eruptions of the Holocene . The occurrence of this eruption was originally deduced from ice core information revealing a spike in sulfate deposition around the year 1257 ; in 2013 the source of this eruption at Samalas was definitively proven as a result of historical records from that time .   This eruption proceeded during four distinct phases , alternately creating eruption columns reaching up for tens of kilometres and pyroclastic flows that buried large parts of Lombok , destroying human habitations including the city of Pamatan . Ash from the eruption fell as far as Java . The volume of the deposits left exceeds 10 km3 . Later activity from the volcano created additional volcanic centres in the caldera , including the present day active Barujari cone .   The eruption was witnessed by humans on Lombok , who recorded its effects on text written on palm leaves . The aerosols injected by the volcano into the atmosphere reduced the solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth , triggering a volcanic winter and cooling lasting for several years . It is possible that the 1257 Samalas eruption helped trigger the Little Ice Age .


1906 San Francisco earthquake

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on April 18 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI ( Extreme ) . Severe shaking was felt from Eureka on the North Coast to the Salinas Valley , an agricultural region to the south of the San Francisco Bay Area . Devastating fires soon broke out in the city and lasted for several days . As a result , about 3,000 people died and over 80 % of the city of San Francisco was destroyed . The events are remembered as one of the worst and deadliest natural disasters in the history of the United States . The death toll remains the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California 's history and high in the lists of American urban disasters .


1938 New England hurricane

The 1938 New England Hurricane ( also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and Long Island Express ) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike New England . The storm formed near the coast of Africa on September 9 , becoming a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island on September 21 . It is estimated that the hurricane killed 682 people , damaged or destroyed more than 57,000 homes , and caused property losses estimated at US$ 306 million ( $ 4.7 billion in ) . Damaged trees and buildings were still seen in the affected areas as late as 1951 . It remains the most powerful and deadliest hurricane in recorded New England history , eclipsed in landfall intensity perhaps only by the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 . It was only the third hurricane to strike New England since 1635 .


1990s

The 1990s ( pronounced `` nineteen-nineties '' and abbreviated as the `` Nineties '' ) was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1 , 1990 , and ended on December 31 , 1999 .


1993 Storm of the Century

The 1993 Storm of the Century ( also known as the 93 Super Storm or the Great Blizzard of 1993 ) was a large cyclonic storm that formed over the Gulf of Mexico on March 12 , 1993 . The storm eventually dissipated in the North Atlantic Ocean on March 15 , 1993 . It was unique for its intensity , massive size , and wide-reaching effects . At its height , the storm stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico . The cyclone moved through the Gulf of Mexico and then through the eastern United States before moving onto Canada .   Heavy snow was first reported in highland areas as far south as Alabama and northern Georgia , with Union County , Georgia reporting up to 35 inches of snow in the north Georgia mountains . Birmingham , Alabama , reported a rare 13 in of snow .  The Florida Panhandle reported up to 4 in , with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures . Between Louisiana and Cuba , the hurricane-force winds produced high storm surges across Northwestern Florida which , in combination with scattered tornadoes , killed dozens of people .   Record cold temperatures were seen across portions of the south and east of the US in the wake of this storm . In the United States , the storm was responsible for the loss of electric power to more than 10 million households . An estimated 40 percent of the country 's population experienced the effects of the storm with a total of 208 fatalities .


2000s (decade)

The 2000s ( pronounced `` two-thousands '' or `` twenty-hundreds '' ) was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1 , 2000 , and ended on December 31 , 2009 .   The growth of the Internet contributed to globalization during the decade , which allowed faster communication among people around the world .   The economic growth of the 2000s had considerable social , environmental and mass extinction consequences , raised demand for diminishing energy resources , and was still vulnerable , as demonstrated by the financial crisis of 2007 -- 08 .


2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq lasted from 20 March to 1 May 2003 and signalled the start of the Iraq War , which was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States ( prior to 19 March , the mission in Iraq was called Operation Enduring Freedom , a carryover from the War in Afghanistan ) . The invasion consisted of 21 days of major combat operations , in which a combined force of troops from the United States , the United Kingdom , Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and deposed the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein . The invasion phase consisted primarily of a conventionally fought war which included the capture of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad by American forces with the implicit assistance of the United Kingdom alongside Australia and Poland .   160,000 troops were sent by the Coalition into Iraq , during the initial invasion phase , which lasted from 19 March to 9 April 2003 . About 130,000 were sent from the USA alone , with about 28,000 British soldiers , Australia ( 2,000 ) , and Poland ( 194 ) . 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath . In preparation for the invasion , 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February . The coalition forces also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan .   According to U.S. President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair , the coalition mission was `` to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction , to end Saddam Hussein 's support for terrorism , and to free the Iraqi people . '' Others place a much greater emphasis on the impact of the September 11 attacks , and the role this played in changing U.S. strategic calculations , and the rise of the freedom agenda . According to Blair , the trigger was Iraq 's failure to take a `` final opportunity '' to disarm itself of alleged nuclear , chemical , and biological weapons that U.S. and British officials called an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace .   In a January 2003 CBS poll , 64 % of Americans had approved of military action against Iraq ; however , 63 % wanted Bush to find a diplomatic solution rather than go to war , and 62 % believed the threat of terrorism directed against the U.S. would increase due to war . The invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some long-standing U.S. allies , including the governments of France , Germany , and New Zealand . Their leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that invading the country was not justified in the context of UNMOVIC 's 12 February 2003 report . On 15 February 2003 , a month before the invasion , there were worldwide protests against the Iraq War , including a rally of three million people in Rome , which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever anti-war rally . According to the French academic Dominique Reynié , between 3 January and 12 April 2003 , 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war .   The invasion was preceded by an airstrike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 20 March 2003 . The following day , coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border . While the special forces launched an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf to secure Basra and the surrounding petroleum fields , the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq , occupying the region and engaging in the Battle of Nasiriyah on 23 March . Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi command and control threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance . On 26 March , the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near the northern city of Kirkuk , where they joined forces with Kurdish rebels and fought several actions against the Iraqi Army to secure the northern part of the country .   The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance . Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and Baghdad was occupied on 9 April . Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi army , including the capture and occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April , and the attack and capture of Tikrit on 15 April . Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country . On 1 May , an end of major combat operations was declared , ending the invasion period and beginning the military occupation period .


2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on 26 December with the epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra , Indonesia . The shock had a moment magnitude of 9.1 -- 9.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX ( Violent ) . The undersea megathrust earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean , killing 230,000 -- 280,000 people in 14 countries , and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 m high . It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history . Indonesia was the hardest-hit country , followed by Sri Lanka , India , and Thailand .   It is the third-largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed , between 8.3 and 10 minutes . It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska . Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Indonesia . The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response . In all , the worldwide community donated more than US$ 14 billion ( 2004 ) in humanitarian aid . The event is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra -- Andaman earthquake . The resulting tsunami was given various names , including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami , South Asian tsunami , Indonesian tsunami , the Christmas tsunami , and the Boxing Day tsunami .


2006 European heat wave

The 2006 European heat wave was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries . The United Kingdom , France , Belgium , the Netherlands , Luxembourg , Italy , Poland , the Czech Republic , Hungary , Germany and western parts of Russia were most affected . Several records were broken . In the Netherlands , Belgium , Germany , Ireland and the United Kingdom , July 2006 was the warmest month since official measurements began .


2006 North American heat wave

The 2006 North American heat wave spread throughout most of the United States and Canada beginning on July 15 , 2006 , killing at least 225 people . That day the temperature reached 117 ° F ( 47 ° C ) in Pierre , South Dakota , with many places in South Dakota that hit well into the 120s . In early reports from this heat wave , at least three died in Philadelphia , Arkansas , and Indiana . In Maryland , the state health officials reported that three people died of heat-related causes . Another heat related death was suspected in Chicago .   Although many heat related deaths go unreported , by July 19 , the Associated Press reported that the soaring heat was blamed for 12 deaths from Oklahoma City to the Philadelphia area . Reports by early morning July 20 raised the death toll to at least 16 in seven states .   This period of heat also saw a wind storm ( derecho ) in St. Louis that caused widespread power outages , including for cooling centers designed to provide relief for those suffering from the heat . In addition , places on the West Coast , like California 's Central Valley and Southern California experienced humid heat , which is unusual for the area .


2006 Texas gubernatorial election

The 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006, to elect the Governor of Texas. The election was a rare five-way race, with incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry running for re-election against Democrat Chris Bell and Independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, as well as Libertarian nominee James Werner. Perry was re-elected to a second full term in office, winning 39% of the vote to Bell's 30%, Strayhorn's 18% and Friedman's 12%. Perry carried 209 out of the state's 254 counties, while Bell carried 39 and Strayhorn carried 6. Exit polls revealed that Perry won the Anglo vote with 46%, while Bell got 22%, Strayhorn got 16% and Friedman got 15%. Bell won 63% of African Americans, while Perry got 16%, Strayhorn got 15% and Friedman got 4%. Bell also won the Latino vote with 41%, while Perry got 31%, Strayhorn got 18% and Friedman got 4%. Perry was inaugurated for a second full four-year term on January 16, 2007. The ceremony was held inside the House of Representatives chamber at the Texas Capitol after thunderstorms cancelled the planned outdoor ceremony.


2007 Kangaroo Island bushfires

The 2007 Kangaroo Island bushfires were a series of bushfires caused by lightning strikes on 6 December 2007 on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, resulting in the destruction of 95,000 hectares (230,000 acres) of national park and wilderness protection area. The fires occurred mainly across the western side of the island near Flinders Chase National Park, Vivonne Bay, D'Estrees Bay, Western River and Riverleas.


2007 United Kingdom floods

A series of destructive floods occurred in parts of the United Kingdom during the summer of 2007 . The worst of the flooding occurred across Scotland on 14 June ; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June ; Yorkshire , The Midlands , Gloucestershire , Herefordshire and Worcestershire on 25 June ; and Gloucestershire , Herefordshire , Worcestershire , Oxfordshire , Berkshire and South Wales on 28 July 2007 .   June was one of the wettest months on record in Britain ( see List of weather records ) . Average rainfall across the country was 140 mm ; more than double the June average . Some areas received a month 's worth of precipitation in 24 hours . It was Britain 's wettest May -- July since records began in 1776 . July had unusually unsettled weather and above-average rainfall through the month , peaking on 20 July as an active frontal system dumped more than 120 mm of rain in southern England .   Civil and military authorities described the June and July rescue efforts as the biggest in peacetime Britain . The Environment Agency described the July floods as critical and expected them to exceed the 1947 benchmark .


2008 Atlantic hurricane season

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active hurricane season with sixteen named storms formed , including eight that became hurricanes and five that became major hurricanes . The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30 . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin . However , the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur caused the season to start two days early . This season is the fourth most costly on record , behind only the 2004 , 2005 and 2012 seasons , with over $ 47.5 billion in damage ( 2008 USD ) . It was the fourth busiest year since 1944 and the only year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November in the North Atlantic . Bertha became the longest lived July tropical cyclone on record for the basin , the first of several long-lived systems during 2008 . The season was devastating for Haiti , where over 800 people were killed by four consecutive tropical cyclones ( Fay , Gustav , Hanna , and Ike ) , especially Hanna , in August and September . Hurricane Paloma 's outer rain bands also made landfall over Haiti . Ike was also the most destructive storm of the season , as well as the strongest , devastating Cuba as a major hurricane and later making landfall near Galveston , Texas at Category 2 ( nearly Category 3 ) intensity .   One very unusual feat was a streak of tropical cyclones affecting land . All but one system impacted land in 2008 . The unprecedented number of storms with impact led to one of the deadliest and destructive seasons in the history of the Atlantic basin , especially with Hurricane Ike , as its overall damages made it the third costliest hurricane in the Atlantic .


The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference , commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit , was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen , Denmark , between 7 and 18 December . The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties ( COP 15 ) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) and the 5th Meeting of the Parties ( MOP 5 ) to the Kyoto Protocol . According to the Bali Road Map , a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 was to be agreed there .   On Friday 18 December , the final day of the conference , international media reported that the climate talks were `` in disarray '' . Media also reported that in lieu of a summit collapse , only a `` weak political statement '' was anticipated at the conclusion of the conference . The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the United States , China , India , Brazil and South Africa on 18 December , and judged a `` meaningful agreement '' by the United States government . It was `` taken note of '' , but not `` adopted '' , in a debate of all the participating countries the next day , and it was not passed unanimously . The document recognised that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases to below 2 ° C . The document is not legally binding and does not contain any legally binding commitments for reducing emissions .   In January 2014 , documents leaked by Edward Snowden and published by Dagbladet Information revealed that the US government negotiators were in receipt of information during the conference that was being obtained by spying against other conference delegations . The US National Security Agency provided US delegates with advance details other delegations ' positions , including the Danish plan to `` rescue '' the talks should they flounder . Members of the Danish negotiating team said that both the US and Chinese delegations were `` peculiarly well-informed '' about closed-door discussions : `` They simply sat back , just as we had feared they would if they knew about our document . ''


2010 Northern Hemisphere heat waves

The 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves included severe heat waves that impacted most of the United States, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong, North Africa and the European continent as a whole, along with parts of Canada, Russia, Indochina, South Korea and Japan during May, June, July, and August 2010. The first phase of the global heatwaves was caused by a moderate El Niño event, which lasted from June 2009 to May 2010. The first phase lasted only from April 2010 to June 2010, and caused only moderate above average temperatures in the areas affected. But it also set new record high temperatures for most of the area affected, in the Northern Hemisphere. The second phase (the main, and most devastating phase) was caused by a very strong La Niña event, which lasted from June 2010 to June 2011. According to meteorologists, the 2010–11 La Niña event was one of the strongest La Niña events ever observed. That same La Niña event also had devastating effects in the Eastern states of Australia. The second phase lasted from June 2010 to October 2010, caused severe heat waves, and multiple record-breaking temperatures. The heatwaves began on April 2010, when strong anticyclones began to develop, over most of the affected regions, in the Northern Hemisphere. The heatwaves ended in October 2010, when the powerful anticyclones over most of the affected areas dissipated. The heat wave during the summer of 2010 was at its worst in June, over the Eastern United States, Middle East, Eastern Europe and European Russia, and over Northeastern China and southeastern Russia. June 2010 marked the fourth consecutive warmest month on record globally, at 0.66 °C (1.22 °F) above average, while the period April–June was the warmest ever recorded for land areas in the Northern Hemisphere, at 1.25 °C (2.25 °F) above average. The previous record for the global average temperature in June was set in 2005 at 0.66 °C (1.19 °F), and the previous warm record for April–June over Northern Hemisphere land areas was 1.16 °C (2.09 °F), set in 2007. The strongest of the anticyclones, the one situated over Siberia, registered a maximum high pressure of 1040 millibars. The weather caused forest fires in China, where three in a team of 300 died fighting a fire that broke out in the Binchuan County of Dali, as Yunnan suffered the worst drought in 60 years by February 17. A major drought was reported across the Sahel as early as January. In August, a section of the Petermann Glacier tongue connecting northern Greenland, the Nares Strait and the Arctic Ocean broke off, the biggest ice shelf in the Arctic to detach in 48 years. By the time the heatwaves had ended in late October 2010, about $500 billion (2011 USD) of damage was done, in the Northern Hemisphere alone. The World Meteorological Organization stated that the heat waves, droughts and flooding events fit with predictions based on global warming for the 21st century, include those based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 4th Assessment Report. Some climatologists argue that these weather events would not have happened if the atmospheric carbon dioxide was at pre-industrial levels.


2010 Russian wildfires

The 2010 Russian wildfires were several hundred wildfires that broke out across Russia , primarily in the west in summer 2010 . They started burning in late July and lasted until early September 2010 . The fires were associated with record-high temperatures , which were attributed to climate change -- the summer had been the hottest recorded in Russian history -- and drought .   Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared a state of emergency in seven regions , and 28 other regions were under a state of emergency due to crop failures caused by the drought . The fires cost roughly $ 15 billion in damages .   A combination of the smoke from the fires , producing heavy smog blanketing large urban regions and the record-breaking heat wave put stress on the Russian healthcare system . Munich Re estimated that in all , 56,000 people died from the effects of the smog and the heat wave . The 2010 wildfires were the worst on record to that time ; in 2012 , however , new wildfires broke out , and they proved even more extensive and damaging .


2010 United Kingdom general election

The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom under the first-past-the-post system. The election resulted in a large swing to the Conservative Party similar to that seen in 1979; the Labour Party lost the 66-seat majority it had previously enjoyed, but no party achieved the 326 seats needed for a majority. The Conservatives, led by David Cameron, won the most votes and seats, but still fell 20 seats short. This resulted in a hung parliament where no party was able to command a majority in the House of Commons. This was only the second general election since the Second World War to return a hung parliament, the first being the February 1974 election. However, a hung parliament was anticipated this time, so politicians and voters were better prepared for the constitutional process that would follow such a result. The coalition government that was subsequently formed was the first to eventuate directly from a UK election. The hung parliament came about in spite of the Conservatives managing both a higher vote total and a higher share of the vote than the previous Labour government had done in 2005, when it secured a comfortable majority. A total of 149 sitting MPs stood down at the election, the highest since 1945, including many former New Labour Cabinet ministers such as former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Alan Milburn, Geoff Hoon, Ruth Kelly, James Purnell and John Reid. One reason for the very high number of MPs standing down was the parliamentary expenses scandal a year earlier. Coalition talks began immediately between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, and lasted for five days. There was an aborted attempt to put together a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition (although 11 seats from other smaller parties would have been required). To facilitate this, Gordon Brown announced on the evening of Monday 10 May that he would resign as Leader of the Labour Party. Realising that a deal between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats was imminent, Brown resigned the next day, on Tuesday 11 May, as Prime Minister, marking the end of 13 years of Labour government. This was accepted by Queen Elizabeth II, who then invited David Cameron to form a government in her name and become Prime Minister. Just after midnight on 12 May, the Liberal Democrats approved the agreement "overwhelmingly", sealing a coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. None of the three main party leaders had previously led a general election campaign, a situation which had not occurred since the 1979 election. During the campaign, the three main party leaders engaged in the first televised debates. The Liberal Democrats achieved a breakthrough in opinion polls after the first debate, in which their leader Nick Clegg was widely seen as the strongest performer. Nonetheless, on polling day their share of the vote increased by only 1%, with a net loss of five seats. This was still the Liberal Democrats' largest popular vote since the party's creation in 1988, and they found themselves in a pivotal role in the formation of the new government. The share of votes for parties other than Labour or the Conservatives was 35%, the largest since the 1918 general election. In terms of votes it was the most "three-cornered" election since 1923, and in terms of seats since 1929. The Green Party of England and Wales won its first ever seat in the House of Commons, and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland also gained its first elected member. The general election saw a 5.1% national swing from Labour to the Conservatives, the third-largest since 1945. The result in one constituency, Oldham East and Saddleworth, was subsequently declared void on petition because of illegal practices during the campaign, the first such instance since 1910.


2010s


2011 Wisconsin protests

The 2011 Wisconsin protests were a series of demonstrations in the state of Wisconsin in the United States beginning in February involving at its zenith as many as 100,000 protesters opposing the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 , also called the `` Wisconsin Budget Repair bill . '' Subsequently , anti-tax activists and other conservatives , including Tea Party advocates , launched small pockets of counter protests . The protests centered on the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison , with satellite protests also occurring at other municipalities throughout the state . Demonstrations took place at various college campuses , including the University of Wisconsin -- Madison and the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee . After the collective bargaining bill was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on June 14 , the number of protesters declined to about 1,000 within a couple days .   The protests were a major driving force for recall elections of state senators in 2011 and 2012 , the failed recall of Governor Scott Walker in 2012 and a contentious Wisconsin Supreme Court election in 2011 .


2012 in science

The year 2012 involved many significant scientific events and discoveries , including the first orbital rendezvous by a commercial spacecraft , the discovery of a particle highly similar to the long-sought Higgs boson , and the near-eradication of guinea worm disease . A total of 72 successful orbital spaceflights occurred in 2012 , and the year also saw numerous developments in fields such as robotics , 3D printing , stem cell research and genetics . Over 540,000 technological patent applications were made in the United States alone in 2012 .   2012 was declared the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All by the United Nations . 2012 also marked Alan Turing Year , a celebration of the life and work of the English mathematician , logician , cryptanalyst and computer scientist Alan Turing .


2013 New South Wales bushfires

The 2013 New South Wales bushfires were a series of bushfires in Australia across the state of New South Wales primarily starting , or becoming notable , on 13 October 2013 ; followed by the worst of the fires beginning in the Greater Blue Mountains Area on 16 and 17 October 2013 .   High fuel loads , coupled with warm , dry and windy weather , provided dangerous conditions which fuelled the fires . At the peak of the fires , on the morning of 18 October , over 100 fires were burning across the state . The Premier of New South Wales Barry O'Farrell declared a state of emergency on 20 October , empowering firefighters to evict residents and demolish fire-affected buildings .   The fires are the worst in New South Wales since the 1960s . , 248 houses and other structures were destroyed across the state . Two fatalities were attributed to the fires . It was estimated that claims will exceed 94 million .


2013 in science

A number of significant scientific events occurred in 2013 , including the discovery of numerous Earthlike exoplanets , the development of viable lab-grown ears , teeth , livers and blood vessels , and the atmospheric entry of the most destructive meteor since 1908 . The year also saw successful new treatments for diseases such as HIV , Usher syndrome and leukodystrophy , and a major expansion in the use and capabilities of technologies such as 3D printing and autonomous cars .   The United Nations designated 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation .


2013–14 North American winter

The 2013 -- 14 North American winter refers to winter as it occurred across the continent from late 2013 through early 2014 . While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere , there are two definitions of winter which may be used . Based on the astronomical definition , winter begins at the winter solstice , which in 2013 occurred on December 21 , and ends at the March equinox , which in 2014 occurred on March 20 . Based on the meteorological definition , the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28 . Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months , with some variability .  __ TOC __


2014 California wildfires

The 2014 California wildfire season saw several notable wildfires ignited in the state of California , especially during the month of May , when multiple fires were ablaze concurrently in Southern California , and during September , when several massive wildfires were burning in Northern California . In the context of the 2012 -- 15 North American drought ( especially the 2011 -- 15 California drought ) , as well as powerful Santa Ana winds , weather conditions were ideal for wildfires . The season began unusually early when a wildfire ignited on January 1 , followed by 6 more fires igniting later within the same month . During a heat wave and dry Santa Ana conditions in May 2014 , multiple wildfires broke out simultaneously in San Diego County , along with several other wildfires elsewhere in California . By mid-May , fire officials said they had already dealt with 1,400 wildfires in California in 2014 - twice the normal amount for that time of year - and a spokesman for CAL FIRE described the conditions as `` unprecedented . '' The May 2014 San Diego County wildfires were estimated to have caused at least $ 60 million ( 2014 USD ) in damage . In late June to early August , another group of wildfires ignited across the state , some of which reached over twenty thousand acres in size . In mid-September , the largest group of wildfires erupted , with some wildfires becoming larger than 50,000 acres in size . In early September 2014 , the Happy Complex Fire became the largest wildfire of the season , eventually topping out at 135369 acres in size on September 27 . On October 8 , an aerial tanker crashed during a firefighting effort at the Dog Rock Fire , which killed the pilot and sparked a small wildfire . From late September to late October , the latest flare-up of major wildfires were extinguished by cooler weather and precipitation . From December 10 -- 13 , a powerful winter storm extinguished the remaining wildfires that were present . In mid-December through late December , several more small wildfires sparked , but they were all extinguished by December 31 . A total of 5,620 wildfires ignited throughout the year , which burned at least 631434 acres of land . The wildfires caused a total of 146 injuries and 2 fatalities , in addition to causing at least $ 184.02 million ( 2014 USD ) in damage .


2014 in science

A number of significant scientific events occurred in 2014 , including the first robotic landing on a comet and the first complete stem-cell-assisted recovery from paraplegia . The year also saw a significant expansion in the worldwide use and sophistication of technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles and wearable electronics .   The United Nations declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming and Crystallography .


2014–15 North American winter

The 2014 -- 15 North American winter refers to winter as it occurred across the continent from late 2014 through early 2015 . While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere , there are two definitions of winter which may be used . Based on the astronomical definition , winter begins at the winter solstice , which in 2014 occurred on December 21 , and ends at the March equinox , which in 2015 occurred on March 20 . Based on the meteorological definition , the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28 . Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months , with some variability .   While both the meteorological and astronomical definitions of winter involve the onset of winter occurring in December , many places in North America experienced their first wintry weather during mid November . A period of below-average temperatures affected much of the contiguous United States , and several records were broken . An early trace of snowfall was recorded in Arkansas . There were greater accumulations of snow across parts of Oklahoma as well . A quasi-permanent phenomenon referred to as the polar vortex may have been partly responsible for the cold weather . Temperatures in much of the United States dropped 15 to below average by November 19 following a southward `` dip '' of the polar vortex into the eastern two-thirds of the country . The effects of this dip were widespread , bringing about temperatures as low as 28 F in Pensacola , Florida . Following a significant snowstorm there , Buffalo , New York received several feet of snow from November 17 -- 21 . During the 2014 -- 15 winter season , Boston broke its all-time official seasonal 107.6 in snowfall record from the winter of 1995 -- 96 , with a total snowfall record of 108.6 in as of March 15 , 2015 .   Many records for snowfall and temperature were broken , many for the month of February , with every state east of the Mississippi River being colder than average , some for the entire winter . However , this meteorological winter was the 19th-warmest of the past 120 winters over the lower 48 states , largely due to persistent warm weather in the West .


2014–16 El Niño event

The 2014 -- 16 El Niño was a warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that resulted in unusually warm waters developing between the coast of South America and the International Date Line . These unusually warm waters influenced the world 's weather in a number of ways , which in turn significantly affected various parts of the world . These included drought conditions in Venezuela , Australia and a number of Pacific islands while significant flooding was also recorded . During the event more tropical cyclones than normal occurred within the Pacific Ocean , while fewer than normal occurred in the Atlantic Ocean .


2015 Indian heat wave

In May 2015 , India was struck by a severe heat wave . , it has caused the deaths of at least 2,500 people in multiple regions . The heat wave occurred during the Indian dry season , which typically lasts from March to July with peak temperatures in April and May . Although it typically remains hot until late October , Indian monsoons often provide some respite from the heat .   The South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and the neighbouring Telangana , where more than 1,735 and 585 people died respectively , were the areas most affected by the heat wave . Other casualties were from the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha . The high demand for electricity to power air conditioning led to power outages in some cities . The 2015 heat wave has had the highest recorded temperatures since 1995 . In May 2016 , a new record was set in Phalodi .


2015 South Indian floods

The 2015 South Indian floods resulted from heavy rainfall generated by the annual northeast monsoon in November -- December 2015 . They affected the Coromandel Coast region of the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh , and the union territory of Puducherry , with Tamil Nadu and the city of Chennai particularly hard-hit . More than 500 people were killed and over 18 lakh ( 1.8 million ) people were displaced . With estimates of damages and losses ranging from nearly to over , the floods were the costliest to have occurred in 2015 , and were among the costliest natural disasters of the year . The flooding has been attributed to the 2014 -- 16 El Niño event .


2015 United Kingdom general election

The 2015 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 members to the House of Commons. It was the first general election at the end of a fixed-term Parliament. Local elections took place in most areas on the same day. Polls and commentators had predicted the outcome would be too close to call and would result in a second consecutive hung parliament that would be either similar or more complicated than the 2010 election. Opinion polls were eventually proven to have underestimated the Conservative vote as the party unexpectedly won an outright majority, which bore resemblance to its victory at the 1992 general election. Having governed in coalition with the Liberal Democrats since 2010, the Conservatives won 330 seats and 36.9% of the vote share, giving them a small overall majority of 12 seats and their first outright win for 23 years. The Labour Party, led by Ed Miliband, saw a small increase in its share of the vote to 30.4%, but incurred a net loss of seats to return 232 MPs. This was its lowest seat tally since the 1987 general election. Senior Labour Shadow Cabinet members, notably Ed Balls, Douglas Alexander, and Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, were defeated. The Scottish National Party, enjoying a surge in support after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, recorded a number of swings of over 30% from Labour, as it won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats to become the third-largest party in the Commons. The Liberal Democrats, led by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, had their worst result since their formation in 1988, holding just eight out of their previous 57 seats, with Cabinet ministers Vince Cable, Ed Davey and Danny Alexander losing their seats. UKIP came third in terms of votes with 12.6%, but won only one seat, with party leader Nigel Farage failing to win the seat of South Thanet. The Green Party won its highest-ever share of the vote with 3.8%, and retained its only seat. Labour's Miliband (as national leader) and Murphy (as Scottish leader) both resigned, as did Clegg. In Northern Ireland, the Ulster Unionist Party returned to the Commons with two MPs after a five-year absence, while the Alliance Party lost its only seat despite an increase in total vote share.


The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference , COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris , France , from 30 November to 12 December 2015 . It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties ( COP ) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) and the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties ( CMP ) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol .   The conference negotiated the Paris Agreement , a global agreement on the reduction of climate change , the text of which represented a consensus of the representatives of the 196 parties attending it . The agreement will enter into force when joined by at least 55 countries which together represent at least 55 percent of global greenhouse emissions . On 22 April 2016 ( Earth Day ) , 174 countries signed the agreement in New York ,  and began adopting it within their own legal systems ( through ratification , acceptance , approval , or accession ) .   According to the organizing committee at the outset of the talks , the expected key result was an agreement to set a goal of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius ( ° C ) compared to pre-industrial levels . The agreement calls for zero net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century . In the adopted version of the Paris Agreement , the parties will also `` pursue efforts to '' limit the temperature increase to 1.5 ° C . The 1.5 ° C goal will require zero emissions sometime between 2030 and 2050 , according to some scientists .   Prior to the conference , 146 national climate panels publicly presented draft national climate contributions ( called `` Intended Nationally Determined Contributions '' , INDCs ) . These suggested commitments were estimated to limit global warming to 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100 . For example , the EU suggested INDC is a commitment to a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 . The agreement establishes a `` global stocktake '' which revisits the national goals to `` update and enhance '' them every five years beginning 2023 . However , no detailed timetable or country-specific goals for emissions were incorporated into the Paris Agreement -- as opposed to the previous Kyoto Protocol .   A number of meetings took place in preparation for COP21 , including the Bonn Climate Change Conference , 19 to 23 October 2015 , which produced a draft agreement .


2015 in science

A number of significant scientific events occurred in 2015 . Gene editing based on CRISPR got improved significantly . A new human-like species , Homo naledi , was first described . Gravitational waves were observed for the first time ( announced publicly in 2016 ) , and dwarf planets Pluto and Ceres were visited by spacecrafts for the first time . The United Nations declared 2015 the International Year of Soils and Light-based Technologies .


2017 United Kingdom general election

The 2017 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 8 June 2017, two years after the previous general election in 2015. The governing Conservative Party remained the largest single party in the House of Commons but lost its small overall majority, resulting in the formation of a Conservative-led minority government with a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland.The Conservative Party, which had governed as a senior coalition partner from 2010 and as a single-party majority government from 2015, was defending a working majority of 17 seats against the Labour Party, the official opposition led by Jeremy Corbyn. Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 an election had not been due until May 2020, but a call by Prime Minister Theresa May for a snap election was ratified by the necessary two-thirds vote in the House of Commons on 19 April 2017. May said that she hoped to secure a larger majority to "strengthen [her] hand" in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations.Opinion polls had consistently shown strong leads for the Conservatives over Labour. From a 21-point lead, the Conservatives' lead began to diminish in the final weeks of the campaign. In a surprising result, the Conservative Party made a net loss of 13 seats despite winning 42.4% of the vote (its highest share of the vote since 1983), whereas Labour made a net gain of 30 seats with 40.0% (its highest vote share since 2001 and the first time the party had gained seats since 1997). This was the closest result between the two major parties since February 1974 and their highest combined vote share since 1970. The Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Liberal Democrats, the third- and fourth-largest parties, both lost vote share; media coverage characterised the result as a return to two-party politics. The SNP, which had won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats at the previous general election in 2015, lost 21. The Liberal Democrats made a net gain of four seats. UKIP, the third-largest party in 2015 by number of votes, saw its share of the vote reduced from 12.6% to 1.8% and lost its only seat. In Wales, Plaid Cymru gained one seat, giving it a total of four seats. The Green Party retained its sole seat, but saw its share of the vote reduced. In Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) won 10 seats, Sinn Féin won seven, and Independent Unionist Sylvia Hermon retained her seat. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) lost all their seats. Negotiation positions following the UK's invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union in March 2017 to leave the EU were expected to feature significantly in the campaign, but did not. The campaign was interrupted by two major terrorist attacks: Manchester and London Bridge; thus national security became a prominent issue in its final weeks.


2018 British Isles heat wave

The 2018 Britain and Ireland heat wave was a period of unusually hot weather that took place in June, July and August. It caused widespread drought, hosepipe bans, crop failures, and a number of wildfires. These wildfires worst affected northern moorland areas around the Greater Manchester region, the largest was at Saddleworth Moor and another was at Winter Hill, together these burned over 14 square miles (36 km2) of land over a period of nearly a month.A heat wave was officially declared on 22 June, with Scotland and Northern Ireland recording temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) for the first time since the July 2013 heat wave. The British Isles were in the middle of a strong warm anticyclone inside a strong northward meander of the jet stream, this was part of the wider 2018 European heat wave. The Met Office declared summer 2018 the joint hottest on record together with 1976, 2003 and 2006.


2019 United Kingdom general election

The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 12 December 2019. The Conservative Party, having failed to obtain a majority in the 2017 general election, had faced prolonged parliamentary deadlock over Brexit while it governed in minority with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a situation which had forced the resignation of the previous Prime Minister, Theresa May. In July 2019, after May's resignation, Boris Johnson was elected as Conservative leader and appointed as Prime Minister. Johnson could not induce Parliament to approve a revised withdrawal agreement by the end of October, and chose to call for a snap election. The House of Commons supported the Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019 by 438–20, setting the election date for 12 December. Opinion polls up to polling day showed a firm lead for the Conservatives against Labour throughout the campaign.The election resulted in the Conservative Party receiving a landslide majority of 80 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 48 seats and won 43.6% of the popular vote – the highest percentage by any party since 1979. Many Conservative gains were made in long-held Labour Leave-voting seats dubbed the 'red wall'.  The Labour Party won 202 seats, its lowest number and proportion of seats since 1935. The Scottish National Party (SNP) made a net gain of 13 seats and won 3.9% of the UK vote (translating to 45% of the popular vote in Scotland), resulting in 48 out of 59 seats won in Scotland. The Liberal Democrats improved their vote share to 11.6% but won only 11 seats, a net loss of one since the last election. The DUP won a plurality of seats in Northern Ireland. There, the SDLP and Alliance regained parliamentary representation as the DUP lost seats. The election result allowed Johnson a mandate to ensure the UK's departure from the European Union on 31 January 2020. Labour's defeat led to Jeremy Corbyn announcing his intention to resign, triggering a leadership election. For Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, the loss of her constituency's seat compelled her to resign as well, also triggering a leadership election. For the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, her party's relative success led to renewed calls for a second independence referendum. In Northern Ireland, nationalist MPs outnumbered unionist ones for the first time in history, although the Unionist popular vote remained higher (43.1 per cent).


2019 heat wave in India and Pakistan

From mid-May to mid-June 2019, India and Pakistan had a severe heat wave. It was one of the hottest and longest heat waves since the two countries began recording weather reports. The highest temperatures occurred in Churu, Rajasthan, reaching up to 50.8 °C (123.4 °F), a near record high in India, missing the record of 51.0 °C (123.8 °F) set in 2016 by a fraction of a degree. As of 12 June 2019, 32 days are classified as parts of the heatwave, making it the second longest ever recorded.As a result of hot temperatures and inadequate preparation, more than 184 people died in the state of Bihar, with many more deaths reported in other parts of the country. In Pakistan, five infants died after extreme heat exposure.The heat wave coincided with extreme droughts and water shortages across India and Pakistan. In mid-June, reservoirs that previously supplied Chennai ran dry, depriving millions. The water crisis was exacerbated by high temperatures and lack of preparation, causing protests and fights that sometimes led to killing and stabbing.


2019 in science

A number of significant scientific events occurred in 2019.


2019–20 Australian bushfire season

The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, colloquially known as Black Summer, was a period of unusually intense bushfires in many parts of Australia. In June 2019, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting director warned of the potential for an early start to the bushfire season which normally starts in August. The warning was based on the Northern Australia bushfire seasonal outlook noting exceptional dry conditions and a lack of soil moisture, combined with early fires in central Queensland. Throughout the summer, hundreds of fires burnt, mainly in the southeast of the country. The major fires peaked during December–January. As of 9 March 2020, the fires burnt an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres; 72,000 square miles), destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and killed at least 34 people. Nearly three billion terrestrial vertebrates alone – the vast majority being reptiles – were affected and some endangered species were believed to be driven to extinction. At its peak, air quality dropped to hazardous levels in all southern and eastern states. The cost of dealing with the bushfires is expected to exceed the A$4.4 billion of the 2009 Black Saturday fires, and tourism sector revenues fell by more than A$1 billion. However, economists estimated that the Australian bushfires may cost over A$103 billion in property damage and economic losses, making the bushfires Australia's costliest natural disaster to date. Nearly 80 percent of Australians were affected either directly or indirectly by the bushfires.  By 7 January 2020, the smoke had moved approximately 11,000 kilometres (6,800 mi) across the South Pacific Ocean to Chile and Argentina. As of 2 January 2020, NASA estimated that 306 million tonnes (337 million short tons) of CO2 had been emitted.From September 2019 to March 2020, fires heavily impacted various regions of the state of New South Wales. In eastern and north-eastern Victoria large areas of forest burnt out of control for four weeks before the fires emerged from the forests in late December. Multiple states of emergency were declared across New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. Reinforcements from all over Australia were called in to assist fighting the fires and relieve exhausted local crews in New South Wales. The Australian Defence Force was mobilised to provide air support to the firefighting effort and to provide manpower and logistical support. Firefighters, supplies and equipment from Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States, among others, helped fight the fires, especially in New South Wales.During the ensuing crisis, an air tanker and two helicopters crashed during firefighting operations, the air tanker crash resulting in the deaths of the three crew. Two fire trucks were caught in fatal incidents caused directly by fire conditions, killing three fire fighters.By 4 March 2020, all fires in New South Wales had been extinguished completely (to the point where there were no fires in the state for the first time since July 2019), and the Victoria fires had all been contained. The last fire of the season occurred in Lake Clifton, Western Australia, in early May.There has been considerable debate regarding the underlying cause of the intensity and scale of the fires, including the role of fire management practices and climate change, which during the peak of the crisis attracted significant international attention. Politicians visiting fire impacted areas received mixed responses, in particular Prime Minister Scott Morrison. An estimated A$500 million was donated by the public at large, international organisations, public figures and celebrities for victim relief and wildlife recovery. Convoys of donated food, clothing and livestock feed were sent to affected areas.


20th century

The 20th century was a century that began on   January 1 , 1901 and ended on December 31 , 2000 . It was the tenth and final century of the 2nd millennium . It is distinct from the century known as the 1900s which began on January 1 , 1900 , and ended on December 31 , 1999 .   The 20th century was dominated by a chain of events that heralded significant changes in world history as to redefine the era : World War I and World War II , nuclear power and space exploration , nationalism and decolonization , the Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts ; intergovernmental organizations and cultural homogenization through developments in emerging transportation and communications technology ; poverty reduction and world population growth , awareness of environmental degradation , ecological extinction ; and the birth of the Digital Revolution . It saw great advances in communication and medical technology that by the late 1980s allowed for near-instantaneous worldwide computer communication and genetic modification of life . The term `` short twentieth century '' was coined to represent the events from 1914 to 1991 .   Global total fertility rates , sea level rise and ecological collapses increased ; the resulting competition for land and dwindling resources accelerated deforestation , water depletion . and the mass extinction of half the world 's estimated nine million unique species and wildlife population ; consequences which are now being dealt with . It took all of human history up to 1804 for the world 's population to reach 1 billion ; world population reached an estimated 2 billion in 1927 ; by late 1999 , the global population reached 6 billion . Global literacy averaged 80 % ; global lifespan-averages exceeded 40 + years for the first time in history , with over half achieving 70 + years ( three decades longer than it was a century ago ) .


21st century

The 21st century is the current century of the Anno Domini era , in accordance with the Gregorian calendar . It began on January 1 , 2001 and will end on December 31 , 2100 . It is the first century of the 3rd millennium . It is distinct from the time span known as the 2000s , which began on January 1 , 2000 and will end on December 31 , 2099 .


A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism

A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism (or "Dissent from Darwinism") was a statement issued in 2001 by the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank based in Seattle, Washington, U.S., best known for its promotion of the pseudoscientific principle of intelligent design. As part of the Discovery Institute"s Teach the Controversy campaign, the statement expresses skepticism about the ability of random mutations and natural selection to account for the complexity of life, and encourages careful examination of the evidence for "Darwinism", a term intelligent design proponents use to refer to evolution.The statement was published in advertisements under an introduction which stated that its signatories dispute the assertion that Darwin's theory of evolution fully explains the complexity of living things, and dispute that "all known scientific evidence supports [Darwinian] evolution". The Discovery Institute states that the list was first started to refute claims made by promoters of the PBS television series "Evolution" that "virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true". Further names of signatories have been added at intervals. The list continues to be used in Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns in an attempt to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by claiming that evolution lacks broad scientific support.The statement is misleading and ambiguous, using terms with multiple meanings such as "Darwinism", which can refer specifically to natural selection or informally to evolution in general, and presenting a straw man fallacy with its claim that random mutations and natural selection are insufficient to account for the complexity of life, when standard evolution theory involves other factors such as gene flow, genetic recombination, genetic drift and endosymbiosis. Scientists and educators have noted that its signatories, who include historians and philosophers of science as well as scientists, were a minuscule fraction of the numbers of scientists and engineers qualified to sign it. Intelligent design has failed to produce scientific research, and been rejected by the scientific community, including many leading scientific organizations. The statement in the document has also been criticized as being phrased to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public. The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized.


Abadan, Iran

Abadan ( آبادان Ābādān ) is a city in and the capital of Abadan County , Khuzestan Province which is located in central west of Iran . It lies on Abadan Island ( 68 km long , 3 -- 19 km or 2 -- 12 miles wide ) , the island is bounded in the west by the Arvand waterway and to the east by the Bahmanshir outlet of the Karun River ( the Shatt al-Arab ) , 53 km from the Persian Gulf , near the Iraqi-Iran border . '' '


Abbott Government

The Abbott Government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott . The Government was made up of members of the Liberal -- National Coalition . The Leader of the Nationals , Warren Truss , served as Deputy Prime Minister . Following the 2013 Australian federal election on 7 September , the Coalition defeated the second Rudd Government , ending six years of Labor Government . The Abbott Government was sworn into office on 18 September 2013 . Less than two years later on 14 September 2015 , Malcolm Turnbull defeated Abbott in a leadership ballot , 54 votes to 44 .   In economic policy , the Abbott Government aimed to rein in a budget deficit that reached A$ 48.5 billion by June 2014 . It concluded free trade agreements with China , Japan and South Korea . It removed the Rudd-Gillard era Resource Super Profits Tax and carbon pricing . It established the National Commission of Audit to advise on restoring the Budget to surplus ; instituted the Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption ; founded the Medical Research Future Fund ; and produced White Papers on Developing Northern Australia and the Agricultural Competitiveness . Treasurer Joe Hockey delivered two Budgets , the first focused on expenditure reduction measures , but faced a hostile reception in the Senate and media . Partial deregulation of universities , and a $ 7 contribution to doctor visits were proposed , but blocked by the Senate . The second Budget emphasised stimulus for the small business sector .   Abbott campaigned in Opposition and in Office to halt the people smuggling trade , and unauthorised maritime arrivals ceased during his term of office under Operation Sovereign Borders . In foreign policy , Australia continued its military engagement in the Mid-East , amid the worsening Syrian conflict . In 2015 , The Abbott Government agreed to resettle an additional 12,000 refugees from the region . Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop challenged Russia at the United Nations over the shooting down of Malaysian Flight MH17 in Ukraine . The Government launched the New Colombo Plan to encourage educational exchange with the Indo-Pacific region .   Domestically , Abbott campaigned for recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Australian Constitution , flagging a referendum for 2017 , and promised a plebiscite on the issue of same-sex marriage . Air and road infrastructure was prioritised . Abbott had to negotiate a hostile Senate . The Palmer United Party had emerged at the 2013 Election , but fractured soon after . The Liberal Party faced Cabinet leaks and early leadership instability , after a poorly received first Budget and amid media criticism . Abbott became the shortest-serving Australian Prime Minister since William McMahon , when his government was succeeded by the Turnbull Government .


Abrupt climate change

An abrupt climate change occurs when the climate system is forced to transition to a new climate state at a rate that is determined by the climate system energy-balance , and which is more rapid than the rate of change of the external forcing . Past events include the end of the Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse , Younger Dryas , Dansgaard-Oeschger events , Heinrich events and possibly also the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum . The term is also used within the context of global warming to describe sudden climate change that is detectable over the time-scale of a human lifetime . One proposed reason for the observed abrupt climate change is that feedback loops within the climate system both enhance small perturbations and cause a variety of stable states .   Timescales of events described as ` abrupt ' may vary dramatically . Changes recorded in the climate of Greenland at the end of the Younger Dryas , as measured by ice-cores , imply a sudden warming of + 10 C-change within a timescale of a few years . Other abrupt changes are the + 4 C-change on Greenland 11,270 years ago or the abrupt + 6 C-change warming 22,000 years ago on Antarctica . By contrast , the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum may have initiated anywhere between a few decades and several thousand years . Finally , Earth Systems models project that under ongoing greenhouse gas emissions as early as 2047 , the Earth 's near surface temperature could depart from the range of variability in the last 150 years , affecting over 3 billion people and most places of great species diversity on Earth .


Academic journal

An academic or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published . Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation , scrutiny and discussion of research . They are usually peer-reviewed or refereed . Content typically takes the form of articles presenting original research , review articles , and book reviews . The purpose of an academic journal , according to the first editor of the world 's oldest academic journal Henry Oldenburg , is to give researchers a venue to `` impart their knowledge to one another , and contribute what they can to the Grand design of improving natural knowledge , and perfecting all Philosophical Arts , and Sciences . ''   The term academic journal applies to scholarly publications in all fields ; this article discusses the aspects common to all academic field journals . Scientific journals and journals of the quantitative social sciences vary in form and function from journals of the humanities and qualitative social sciences ; their specific aspects are separately discussed .


Acid

An acid is a molecule or ion capable of donating a hydron ( proton or hydrogen ion H + ) , or , alternatively , capable of forming a covalent bond with an electron pair ( a Lewis acid ) .   The first category of acids is the proton donors or Brønsted acids . In the special case of aqueous solutions , proton donors form the hydronium ion H3O + and are known as Arrhenius acids . Brønsted and Lowry generalized the Arrhenius theory to include non-aqueous solvents . A Brønsted or Arrhenius acid usually contains a hydrogen atom bonded to a chemical structure that is still energetically favorable after loss of H + .   Aqueous Arrhenius acids have characteristic properties which provide a practical description of an acid . Acids form aqueous solutions with a sour taste , can turn blue litmus red , and react with bases and certain metals ( like calcium ) to form salts . The word acid is derived from the Latin acidus/ac ēre meaning sour . An aqueous solution of an acid has a pH less than 7 and is colloquially also referred to as ` acid ' ( as in ` dissolved in acid ' ) , while the strict definition refers only to the solute . A lower pH means a higher acidity , and thus a higher concentration of positive hydrogen ions in the solution . Chemicals or substances having the property of an acid are said to be acidic .   Common aqueous acids include hydrochloric acid ( a solution of hydrogen chloride which is found in gastric acid in the stomach and activates digestive enzymes ) , acetic acid ( vinegar is a dilute aqueous solution of this liquid ) , sulfuric acid ( used in car batteries ) , and citric acid ( found in citrus fruits ) . As these examples show , acids ( in the colloquial sense ) can be solutions or pure substances , and can be derived from acids ( in the strict sense ) that are solids , liquids , or gases . Strong acids and some concentrated weak acids are corrosive , but there are exceptions such as carboranes and boric acid .   The second category of acids are Lewis acids , which form a covalent bond with an electron pair . An example is boron trifluoride ( BF3 ) , whose boron atom has a vacant orbital which can form a covalent bond by sharing a lone pair of electrons on an atom in a base , for example the nitrogen atom in ammonia ( NH3 ) . Lewis considered this as a generalization of the Brønsted definition , so that an acid is a chemical species that accepts electron pairs either directly or by releasing protons ( H + ) into the solution , which then accept electron pairs . However , hydrogen chloride , acetic acid , and most other Brønsted-Lowry acids can not form a covalent bond with an electron pair and are therefore not Lewis acids . Conversely , many Lewis acids are not Arrhenius or Brønsted-Lowry acids . In modern terminology , an acid is implicitly a Brønsted acid and not a Lewis acid , since chemists almost always refer to a Lewis acid explicitly as a Lewis acid .


Adam Scaife

Adam Arthur Scaife B.A. M.A. MSc PhD FRMetS ( born 18 March 1970 ) is a British physicist , and head of long range prediction at the Met Office . He is an honorary visiting Professor at Exeter University . Scaife carries out research into long range weather forecasting and computer modelling of the climate . Scaife has published over 100 peer reviewed studies on atmospheric dynamics , computer modelling and climate predictability and change and recently published popular science and academic books on meteorology .


Adelaide

Adelaide ( -LSB- ˈædəleɪdaudio = En-au-Adelaide . oga -RSB- ) is the capital city of the state of South Australia , and the fifth-most populous city of Australia . In June 2016 , Adelaide had an estimated resident population of 1,326,354 . South Australia , with a total of 1.7 million inhabitants , has the most centralised population of any state in Australia , with more than 75 percent of its people living in greater Adelaide , while the other population centres in the state are relatively small .   Adelaide is north of the Fleurieu Peninsula , on the Adelaide Plains between the Gulf St Vincent and the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges which surround the city . Adelaide stretches 20 km from the coast to the foothills , and 94 to 104 km from Gawler at its northern extent to Sellicks Beach in the south .   Named in honour of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen , queen consort to King William IV , the city was founded in 1836 as the planned capital for a freely-settled British province in Australia . Colonel William Light , one of Adelaide 's founding fathers , designed the city and chose its location close to the River Torrens , in the area originally inhabited by the Kaurna people . Light 's design set out Adelaide in a grid layout , interspaced by wide boulevards and large public squares , and entirely surrounded by parklands . Early Adelaide was shaped by prosperity and wealth -- until the Second World War , it was Australia 's third-largest city and one of the few Australian cities to not have convict history . It has been noted for early examples of religious freedom , a commitment to political progressivism and civil liberties . It has been known as the `` City of Churches '' since the mid-19th century . The demonym `` Adelaidean '' is used in reference to the city and its residents .   As South Australia 's seat of government and commercial centre , Adelaide is the site of many governmental and financial institutions . Most of these are concentrated in the city centre along the cultural boulevard of North Terrace , King William Street and in various districts of the metropolitan area . Today , Adelaide is noted for its many festivals and sporting events , its food and wine , its long beachfronts , and its large defence and manufacturing sectors . It ranks highly in terms of liveability , being listed in the Top 10 of The Economist Intelligence Units World 's Most Liveable Cities index in 2010 , 2011 , 2012 and 2015 . It was also ranked the most liveable city in Australia by the Property Council of Australia in 2011 , 2012 and 2013 .


Adventure Time

Adventure Time is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network . It follows the adventures of a boy named Finn ( voiced by Jeremy Shada ) and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake ( John DiMaggio ) a dog with the magical power to change shape and size at will . Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo , where they interact with Princess Bubblegum ( Hynden Walch ) , the Ice King ( Tom Kenny ) , Marceline the Vampire Queen ( Olivia Olson ) , BMO ( Niki Yang ) , and others . The series is based on a 2007 short produced for Nicktoons and Frederator Studios ' animation incubator series Random ! Cartoons . After the short became a viral hit on the Internet , Cartoon Network commissioned a full-length series , which previewed on March 11 , 2010 , and officially premiered on April 5 , 2010 .   The series draws inspiration from a variety of sources , including the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and video games . It is produced using hand-drawn animation ; action and dialogue for episodes are decided by storyboarding artists . Because each episode takes roughly eight to nine months to complete , multiple episodes are worked on concurrently . The cast members record their lines in group recordings , and the series regularly employs guest actors for minor and recurring characters . Each episode runs for about eleven minutes ; pairs of episodes are often telecast to fill half-hour program slots . Eight seasons of the program have aired , and a ninth and final season premiered on April 21 , 2017 . , a feature-length film is in development .   Since its debut , Adventure Time has been a ratings success for Cartoon Network , with the highest-rated episodes having attracted over 3 million viewers . The show has received positive reviews from critics anddespite being aimed primarily at childrenhas developed a following among teenagers and adults . Adventure Time has won awards including : six Primetime Emmy Awards , a Peabody Award , three Annie Awards , two British Academy Children 's Awards , a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award , a Pixel Award , and a Kerrang ! Award . The series has also been nominated for three Critics ' Choice Television Awards , two Annecy Festival Awards , a TCA Award , and a Sundance Film Festival Award , among others . Of the many comic book spin-offs based on the series , one received an Eisner Award and two Harvey Awards . The series has also inspired various clothing items and related merchandise , video games , and DVD compilations .


Aeolis quadrangle

The Aeolis quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey ( USGS ) Astrogeology Research Program . The Aeolis quadrangle is also referred to as MC-23 ( Mars Chart-23 ) .  The Aeolis quadrangle covers 180 ° to 225 ° W and 0 ° to 30 ° south on Mars , and contains parts of the regions Elysium Planitia and Terra Cimmeria . A small part of the Medusae Fossae Formation lies in this quadrangle .   The name refers to the name of a floating western island of Aiolos , the ruler of the winds . In Homer 's account , Odysseus received the west wind Zephyr here and kept it in bags , but the wind got out .   It is famous as the site of two spacecraft landings : the Spirit rover landing site in Gusev crater ( January 4 , 2004 ) , and the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater ( August 6 , 2012 ) .   A large , ancient river valley , called Ma'adim Vallis , enters at the south rim of Gusev Crater , so Gusev Crater was believed to be an ancient lake bed . However , it seems that a volcanic flow covered up the lakebed sediments . Apollinaris Patera , a large volcano , lies directly north of Gusev Crater .   Gale Crater , in the northwestern part of the Aeolis quadrangle , is of special interest to geologists because it contains a 2 -- 4 km ( 1.2 -- 2.5 mile ) high mound of layered sedimentary rocks , named `` Mount Sharp '' by NASA in honor of Robert P. Sharp ( 1911 -- 2004 ) , a planetary scientist of early Mars missions . More recently , on 16 May 2012 , `` Mount Sharp '' was officially named Aeolis Mons by the USGS and IAU .   Some regions in the Aeolis quadrangle show inverted relief . In these locations , a stream bed may be a raised feature , instead of a valley . The inverted former stream channels may be caused by the deposition of large rocks or due to cementation . In either case erosion would erode the surrounding land but leave the old channel as a raised ridge because the ridge will be more resistant to erosion   Yardangs are another feature found in this quadrangle They are generally visible as a series of parallel linear ridges , caused by the direction of the prevailing wind .


African humid period

The African humid period (AHP) is a climate period in Africa during the late Pleistocene and Holocene geologic epochs, when northern Africa was wetter than today. The covering of much of the Sahara desert by grasses, trees and lakes was caused by changes in Earth's orbit around the Sun; changes in vegetation and dust in the Sahara which strengthened the African monsoon; and increased greenhouse gases, which may imply that anthropogenic global warming could result in a shrinkage of the Sahara desert. During the preceding last glacial maximum, the Sahara contained extensive dune fields and was mostly uninhabited. It was much larger than today, but its lakes and rivers such as Lake Victoria and the White Nile were either dry or at low levels. The humid period began about 14,600–14,500 years ago at the end of Heinrich event 1, simultaneously to the Bølling-Allerød warming. Rivers and lakes such as Lake Chad formed or expanded, glaciers grew on Mount Kilimanjaro and the Sahara retreated. Two major dry fluctuations occurred; during the Younger Dryas and the short 8.2 kiloyear event. The African humid period ended 6,000–5,000 years ago during the Piora Oscillation cold period. While some evidence points to an end 5,500 years ago, in the Sahel, Arabia and East Africa the period appears to have taken place in several steps such as the 4.2 kiloyear event. The AHP led to a widespread settlement of the Sahara and the Arabian Deserts, and had a profound effect on African cultures, such as the birth of the Pharaonic civilization. They lived as hunter-gatherers until the agricultural revolution and domesticated cattle, goats and sheep. They left archeological sites and artifacts such as one of the oldest ships in the world, and rock paintings such as those in the Cave of Swimmers and in the Acacus Mountains. Earlier humid periods in Africa were postulated after the discovery of these rock paintings in now-inhospitable parts of the Sahara. When the period ended, humans gradually abandoned the desert in favour of regions with more secure water supplies, such as the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia, where they gave rise to early complex societies.


Agriculture

Agriculture or farming is the cultivation and breeding of animals , plants and fungi for food , fiber , biofuel , medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life . Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization , whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization . The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science . The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years , and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates , cultures , and technologies . Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture farming has become the dominant agricultural methodology .   Modern agronomy , plant breeding , agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers , and technological developments have in many cases sharply increased yields from cultivation , but at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects . Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat , but have raised concerns about animal welfare and the health effects of the antibiotics , growth hormones , and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production . Genetically modified organisms are an increasing component of agriculture , although they are banned in several countries . Agricultural food production and water management are increasingly becoming global issues that are fostering debate on a number of fronts . Significant degradation of land and water resources , including the depletion of aquifers , has been observed in recent decades , and the effects of global warming on agriculture and of agriculture on global warming are still not fully understood .   The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods , fibers , fuels , and raw materials . Specific foods include cereals ( grains ) , vegetables , fruits , oils , meats and spices . Fibers include cotton , wool , hemp , silk and flax . Raw materials include lumber and bamboo . Other useful materials are also produced by plants , such as resins , dyes , drugs , perfumes , biofuels and ornamental products such as cut flowers and nursery plants . Over one third of the world 's workers are employed in agriculture , second only to the service sector , although the percentages of agricultural workers in developed countries has decreased significantly over the past several centuries .


Air National Guard

The Air National Guard ( ANG ) , also known as the Air Guard , is a federal military reserve force as well as the militia air force of each U.S. state , the District of Columbia , the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , and the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands . It , along with each state 's , district 's , commonwealth 's or territory 's Army National Guard component , makes up the National Guard of each state and the districts , commonwealths and territories as applicable .   When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role . However , if federalized by order of the President of the United States , ANG units become an active part of the United States Air Force . They are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau , a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States .   Air National Guard units are organized and federally recognized federal military reserve forces in each of the fifty U.S. states , the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands , and the District of Columbia of the United States . Each state , the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has a minimum of one ANG flying unit with either assigned aircraft or aircraft shared with a unit of the active duty Air Force or the Air Force Reserve under an `` Associate '' arrangement . The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned and perform ground support functions . Air National Guard activities may be located on active duty air force bases , air reserve bases , naval air stations/joint reserve bases , or air national guard bases and stations which are either independent military facilities or collocated as tenants on civilian-controlled joint civil-military airports .   ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC . However , when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally gained by an active duty USAF major command ( MAJCOM ) . ANG units of the Combat Air Forces ( CAF ) based in the Continental United States ( CONUS ) , plus a single air control squadron of the Puerto Rico ANG , are gained by the Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces ( MAF ) , plus the Puerto Rico ANG 's airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANG 's civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) .   The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC . However , there remain a few exceptions , such as the Alaska ANG , Hawaii ANG and Guam ANG , whose CAF and MAF units are operationally gained by Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) , while a smaller number of ANG units in CONUS are operationally gained by Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) , Air Force Global Strike Command ( AFGSC ) , Air Force Special Operations Command ( AFSOC ) , Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ) , and United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa ( USAFE-AFAFRICA ) .


Air pollution

Air pollution occurs when harmful substances including particulates and biological molecules are introduced into Earth 's atmosphere . It may cause diseases , allergies or death in humans ; it may also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and food crops , and may damage the natural or built environment . Human activity and natural processes can both generate air pollution .   Indoor air pollution and poor urban air quality are listed as two of the world 's worst toxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World 's Worst Polluted Places report . According to the 2014 WHO report , air pollution in 2012 caused the deaths of around 7 million people worldwide , an estimate roughly matched by the International Energy Agency .


Aircraft lease

Aircraft leases are leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators . Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons : to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them , and to provide temporary increase in capacity . The industry has two main leasing types : wet-leasing , which is normally used for short-term leasing , and dry-leasing which is more normal for longer-term leases . The industry also uses combinations of wet and dry . For example , when the aircraft is wet-leased to establish new services , then as the airline 's flight or cabin crews become trained , they can be switched to a dry lease .   50 % of global lessor set are based in Ireland and in 2015 over $ 120b of new commercial aircraft was delivered worldwide . Operating leases of jet airliner accounted for less than 2 % of the fleet in 1976 , then 15 % in the early 1990s , 25 % in 2000 and 40 % in 2017 , with lessors involved in 62 % of second hand mid-life aircraft transactions since 2000 : 42 % in Europe and 29 % in North America .


Airline

An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight . Airlines utilize aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements . Generally , airline companies are recognized with an air operating certificate or license issued by a governmental aviation body .   Airlines vary in size , from small domestic airlines to full-service international airlines . Airline services can be categorized as being intercontinental , domestic , regional , or international , and may be operated as scheduled services or charters . The largest airline currently is American Airlines Group .


Airliner

An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo . Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines . Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country , an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service .   The largest airliners are wide-body jets . These aircraft are frequently called twin-aisle aircraft because they generally have two separate aisles running from the front to the back of the passenger cabin . These aircraft are usually used for long-haul flights between airline hubs and major cities with many passengers .   A smaller , more common class of airliners is the narrow-body or single aisle aircraft . These smaller airliners are generally used for short to medium-distance flights with fewer passengers than their wide-body counterparts .   Regional airliners typically seat fewer than 100 passengers and may be powered by turbofans or turboprops . These airliners are the non-mainline counterparts to the larger aircraft operated by the major carriers , legacy carriers , and flag carriers and are used to feed traffic into the large airline hubs . These regional routes then form the spokes of a hub-and-spoke air transport model .   The lightest ( light aircraft , list of light transport aircraft ) of short haul regional feeder airliner type aircraft that carry 19 or fewer passenger seats are called commuter aircraft , commuterliners , feederliners , and air taxis , depending on their size , engines , how they are marketed , region of the world , and seating configurations . The Beechcraft 1900 , for example , has only 19 seats .


Airplane

An airplane or aeroplane ( informally plane ) is a powered , fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine or propeller . Airplanes come in a variety of sizes , shapes , and wing configurations . The broad spectrum of uses for airplanes includes recreation , transportation of goods and people , military , and research . Commercial aviation is a massive industry involving the flying of tens of thousands of passengers daily on airliners . Most airplanes are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft , but some are designed to be remotely or computer-controlled .   The Wright brothers invented and flew the first airplane in 1903 , recognized as `` the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight '' . They built on the works of George Cayley dating from 1799 , when he set forth the concept of the modern airplane ( and later built and flew models and successful passenger-carrying gliders ) . Between 1867 and 1896 , the German pioneer of human aviation Otto Lilienthal also studied heavier-than-air flight . Following its limited use in World War I , aircraft technology continued to develop . Airplanes had a presence in all the major battles of World War II . The first jet aircraft was the German Heinkel He 178 in 1939 . The first jet airliner , the de Havilland Comet , was introduced in 1952 . The Boeing 707 , the first widely successful commercial jet , was in commercial service for more than 50 years , from 1958 to at least 2013 .


Al Gore

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. ( born March 31 , 1948 ) is an American politician and environmentalist who served as the 45th Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton . He was Clinton 's running mate in their successful campaign in 1992 , and was re-elected in 1996 . At the end of Clinton 's second term , Gore was picked as the Democratic nominee for the 2000 presidential election . After leaving office , Gore remained prominent as an author and environmental activist , whose work in climate change activism earned him ( jointly with the IPCC ) the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 .   Gore was an elected official for 24 years . He was a Congressman from Tennessee ( 1977 -- 85 ) and from 1985 to 1993 served as one of the state 's Senators . He served as Vice President during the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2001 . In the 2000 presidential election , in what was one of the closest presidential races in history , Gore won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College to Republican George W. Bush . A controversial election dispute over a vote recount in Florida was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court , which ruled 5 -- 4 in favor of Bush .   Gore is the founder and current chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection , the co-founder and chair of Generation Investment Management and the now-defunct Current TV network , a member of the Board of Directors of Apple Inc. , and a senior adviser to Google . Gore is also a partner in the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers , heading its climate change solutions group . He has served as a visiting professor at Middle Tennessee State University , Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism , Fisk University , and the University of California , Los Angeles . He served on the Board of Directors of World Resources Institute .   Gore has received a number of awards including the Nobel Peace Prize ( joint award with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , 2007 ) , a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album ( 2009 ) for his book An Inconvenient Truth , a Primetime Emmy Award for Current TV ( 2007 ) , and a Webby Award ( 2005 ) . Gore was also the subject of the Academy Award-winning ( 2007 ) documentary An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 . In 2007 , he was named a runner-up for Time 2007 Person of the Year .


Alaska

Alaska ( -LSB- əˈlæskə -RSB- ) is a U.S. state located in the northwest extremity of North America . The Canadian administrative divisions of British Columbia and Yukon border the state to the east ; its most extreme western part is Attu Island ; it has a maritime border with Russia to the west across the Bering Strait . To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas -- the southern parts of the Arctic Ocean . The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest . It is the largest state in the United States by area . In addition , it is the 3rd least populous and the most sparsely populated of the 50 United States ; nevertheless , it is by far the most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel in North America , its population ( the total estimated at 738,432 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015 ) more than quadrupling the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland . Approximately half of Alaska 's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area . Alaska 's economy is dominated by the fishing , natural gas , and oil industries , resources which it has in abundance . Military bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy .   The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30 , 1867 , for 7.2 million U.S. dollars at approximately two cents per acre ( $ 4.74 / km2 ) . The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11 , 1912 . It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3 , 1959 .


Alaska North Slope

The Alaska North Slope is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean , the Chukchi Sea being on the western side of Point Barrow , and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern .