The document provides a summary of major events that occurred in 2014, including:
- The popularity and subsequent removal of the mobile game Flappy Bird in February.
- The beginning of the severe Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, infecting over 14,000 people.
- Belgium becoming the first country to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.
- The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March, which has still not been found.
2. Flappy bird game became
so successful that creator
Dong Nguyen was
inundated with questions
from press, fans and
haters on a daily basis, to
the point that he took it
down on Feb. 9. It
had around 50 million
downloads.
3. The Ebola virus epidemic
in West Africa begins in
February, infecting over
14,000 people and killing
at least 5,000 people, the
most severe both in
terms of numbers of
infections and casualties.
4. Belgium becomes the
first country in the
world to
legalise euthanasia for
terminally ill patients
of any age.
5. March 8 – Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370,
a Boeing 777 airliner en
route
to Beijing from Kuala
Lumpur, disappears over
the Gulf of Thailand with
239 people on board. The
aircraft is still not found.
6. April 14 – An estimated
276 girls and women
are abducted and held
hostage from a school
in Nigeria.
7. June 12 – July 13
The 2014 FIFA World
Cup is held in Brazil, and
is won by Germany.
8. May 28
Maya Angelou, American
poet and author dies at
the age of 86
9. Malaysia Airlines Flight
17 (Boeing 777) crashes
in Ukraine, after being
shot down by a missile.
298 people die, including
15 crew members.
10. August 11
Robin Williams, American
actor and comedian dies,
aged 63.
12. November 2
The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) releases the
warning that the world
faces "severe, pervasive
and irreversible" damage
from global emissions of
CO2
13. November 12 –
The Rosetta
spacecraft's Philae probe
successfully lands
on Comet 67P, the first
time in history that a
spacecraft has landed on
such an object.
14. Discuss in pairs what is, in your opinion, the
most pressing global issue (5 min)
15. Write down your wish for 2015 on a card, sign
and display it on the Christmas tree