Throughout the Decade

By: Andy Froehlich

Throughout the past decade, there have been many events that have greatly changed things. The effects of these events were felt throughout the United States, and sometimes even throughout the world. Even if a particular event didn’t affect someone personally, chances are they knew someone personally that it did effect. In early 2005, something happened that shook the Catholic world. On the second of April, 2005, Pope John Paul II passed away, ending his 27 year papacy but making him one of the longest serving popes throughout the last few centuries. Throughout his 27 year papacy, John Paul II traveled to 129 different countries and logged over 725,000 miles in travels.

Throughout October of 2002, residents of Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and all the surrounding areas lived in fear every time they left their homes. Throughout a three week period during October, ten people were killed in shootings and three more people critically injured, all of the shootings being linked together. During this time, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo traveled along the Capital Beltway and Interstate 95 shooting random victims along the Interstate and throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area. During this three week event, many people feared being outdoors in any public place, especially gas stations and parking lots. Finally, on the 24th of October, the killing spree came to an end as both Muhammad and Malvo were arrested at a rest stop in Maryland.