From health care to race relations to gun control, 2013 was an eventful year in the news. Here are some of the top cultural and political stories of the year, as told by the always current and event-savvy Kardashian family.
1. Paula Deen lawsuit
After a former employee filed a racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against her, celebrity chef Paula Deen was dropped by Food Network.
2. Aaron Hernandez’s arrest
In June, the New England Patriots’ tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with the first-degree murder of his friend Odin Lloyd.
3. Papal transition
In a surprise move, Pope Benedict XVI opted to resign (he was the first pope to do so since 1415), leading to the election of Pope Francis as the new head of the Catholic church. Pope Francis has earned acclaim for his progressive thoughts on contraceptive rights and gay marriage.
4. North Korea missile threats
Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea defied sanctions to launch nuclear tests, missiles and threats of war.
5. Syria’s civil war
Syrian protests evolved into brutal civil war with more than 2 million refugees and more than 100,000 others killed.
6. George Zimmerman trial
On July 13, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was acquitted of all charges, bringing about acquisitions of racial discrimination.
7. Royal baby birth
With the whole world eagerly awaiting, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton finally gave birth on July 22 to a healthy baby boy, his Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
8. Boston Marathon bombing
On April 15, as more than 23,000 runners ran through Boston, two brothers allegedly set off a homemade bomb near the finish line, killing three people and injuring 264 more. Boston fought back, however, as police tracked down the Tsarnaev brothers within days in a massive manhunt, rallying behind its motto, “Boston Strong.”
9. Government shutdown
In the first government shutdown since the mid-1990s, much of the federal bureaucracy came to a grinding halt for more than two weeks in October.
10. Obamacare
Though the Affordable Care Act survived a Supreme Court challenge, the website to sign up for healthcare ended up buckling due to technical glitches.
11. Jodi Arias trial
In a live-streamed, five-month media circus that cost Arizona taxpayers nearly $1.7 million, millions followed the case against Jodi Arias, who was convicted in May of the first-degree murder of her boyfriend Travis Alexander back in 2008. Though she gave several different testimonies, Arias claimed she had been a victim of domestic abuse.
12. The Defense of Marriage Act is ruled unconstitutional
On June 26, the Supreme Court struck down the federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman, clearing the way for gay marriage throughout the U.S.