Major events grabbed our attention on a regular basis in 2006. The war in Iraq raged while battles brewed between other Middle East countries.
At home, American schools struggled with violence while beloved heroes died. Scientists made important discoveries and big changes came on the political scene.
Kids met big challenges too. All in all, it was a busy 12-month period filled with news of importance to kids. Here’s a look at some of the year’s biggest stories.
Jan. 2: Farris Hassan, 16, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., arrives home after cutting school and sneaking off to Iraq. The high school junior was inspired by an English class about immersion journalism and wanted to report from Iraq. He contacted the Associated Press in Baghdad, but the news agency notified the U.S. Embassy. American soldiers were sent to pick up Hassan and send him home.
Jan. 31: Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, dies at the age of 78.
Feb. 10: The Winter Olympics begin in Turin, Italy. Favorite U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan pulls out of the competition and is replaced by Emily Hughes, 17.
April 8: Faust is introduced at the John G. Shedd Aquarium. Faust is an 8-foot, 120-pound Komodo Dragon on loan from a Texas zoo. Faust is the first Komodo dragon to ever be on exhibit in Chicago.
May 1: Many kids in Chicago skip class and join about 300,000 demonstrators in a march downtown. The march was part of a nationwide protest against HR 4437, a law that could send illegal immigrants to jail. At schools such as Farragut Career Academy, as many as 90 percent of students were absent. Other Chicago Public Schools had between 50 and 70 percent of students absent that day, says Ana Vargas, spokeswoman for the Chicago Public Schools.
May 3: Coke isn’t it for students. Major soft-drink manufacturers Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Cadbury-Schweppes agree to sell only low-calorie beverages to American schools. Under the contract, the beverage industry has until autumn 2009 to make the changes.
June 1: The Scripps National Spelling Bee airs on network television. It’s the first time a spelling bee is aired on a major network during prime time. Katharine Close, 13, of Asbury Park, N.J., wins the bee by correctly spelling “ursprache.”
June 23: Harriet, a 175-year-old tortoise, dies at the Australia Zoo. Harriet first was discovered in the Galapagos Islands in 1835 by Charles Darwin. She lived briefly in England, then was transported to Australia. In 1987, late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin and his family began overseeing Harriet’s care at the Australia Zoo.
July 9: The World Cup Finals turn ugly when French soccer player Zinedine Zidane head-butts Marco Materazzi, an opponent on the Italian team. Zidane was booted off the field and Italy won the game. Zidane retired but agreed to perform three days of community service working with children. Materazzi received a two-match suspension for provoking Zidane.
July 12: The deadly conflict begins between Israel and Hezbollah, a political group in Lebanon. More than 1,100 Lebanese civilians are killed and 200,000 civilians are displaced. Forty-three Israeli citizens are killed.
Aug. 24: Poor planet Pluto. Astronomers redefine “planet” and Pluto doesn’t make the cut. It gets demoted to “dwarf planet.”
Sept. 4: “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin dies when a sting ray spine pierces his chest. Irwin was filming a program about sting rays for Animal Planet.
Sept. 12: The real identity of lonelygirl15 is revealed. Since June, YouTube.com viewers watched ongoing video clips of “Bree,” a sad teenager with strict parents and their “occult” religion. Viewers think it’s real, but Bree really is actress Jessica Rose. All the videos were staged.
Sept. 27: In less than a week, six students and one principal are killed in three separate school shootings. It begins in Colorado after a gunman walks into a high school and takes female students hostage. Police storm the school, and the gunman shoots a student and himself. Two days later, a Wisconsin teen shoots and kills his high school principal. The student later tells police he was upset for getting in trouble at school. Then, on Oct. 2, a gunman shoots and kills female students at an Amish school in Pennsylvania.
Oct. 16: So long, sugary snacks. The Walt Disney Co. announces new guidelines for using its characters on food packages marketed toward kids. The company no longer will let food companies use its characters to market unhealthy foods to kids.
Oct. 18: News outlets begin reporting a ban on the game of tag at Willet Elementary School in Attleboro, Mass. According to reports, students are banned from playing tag or any unsupervised game that involves chasing during recess. School employees say the story is “blown up” and refuse to speak to KidNews about the ban.
Nov. 8: Americans head to the polls and vote in the midterm election. Many races are tight, but Democrats take control of the House and the Senate for the first time in 12 years.
Nov 12: Saul Arellano, 7, travels from Chicago to Mexico to persuade Mexican officials to support his mother, Elvira Arellano. While Saul is a U.S. citizen, his mother is in Chicago illegally. In August, she defied a deportation order by taking refuge in a Humboldt Park church.
