As we come to the deadline for the so-called sequester budget cuts, it may feel as if a year has gone by in the 73 days since President Obama last met with congressional lawmakers. They last sat down on Dec. 17, 2012.
In a little over 10 weeks, meteors crashed into the earth; North Korea announced a nuclear missile test; a new Congress was sworn in; and four national holidays were celebrated. Take a look at the full list here:
Holidays In the past 73 days, you could have taken a full week of paid leave from many staff jobs in America for holidays. The world celebrated Christmas, Kwanzaa and welcomed the New Year. The United States celebrated love (or hate) on Valentine's Day and there were four federal holidays.
The list of celebrations over the past 73 days included:
- Christmas
- Kwanzaa
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Chinese New Year
- Valentine's Day
- President's Day
Award Ceremonies Hollywood's awards season kicked off in January with the Golden Globes and concluded in February with the Academy Awards. In the time it took the president to reconvene with leaders of Congress, "Argo" was named the year's best movie four times and Adele got well on her way to a EGOT fame. Celebrities showed off their best styles at these ceremonies, which included appearances by Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama:
- Golden Globe Awards
- Screen Actors Guild Awards
- Grammy Awards
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards
- Academy Awards
Political Appointments/Confirmations In the past three months there's been turnover in Washington. The 113th Congress was sworn in and Barack Obama was inaugurated for a second term. The president went on to reorganize his cabinet to include a new Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury and Director of the CIA, all of whom endured Congressional hearings and confirmations in the past ten weeks.
- 113th Congress Sworn in
- Obama nominates John Kerry as Secretary of State
- Chuck Hagel nominated as Secretary of Defense
- John Brennan nominated as Director of CIA
- Hillary Clinton's Benghazi hearing
- John Kerry confirmation hearing for Secretary of State
- Official and Ceremonial Inaugurations of Barack Obama
- John Kerry confirmed as Secretary of State
- Hillary Clinton left State Department
- John Kerry sworn in as Secretary of State
- Republicans oppose Hagel confirmation
- Chuck Hagel confirmed as Secretary of Defense
Entertainment How many breakups did Taylor Swift have in the past 73 days? Just one, but that doesn't mean the world of pop culture has been quiet. In the past three months Beyonce was caught lip synching at the presidential Inauguration, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez broke up, and Lindsay Lohan said she'd decided to turn her life around. Take a look at some notable events below:
- Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez broke up
- Taylor Swift and Harry Styles broke up
- Beyonce lip synched at the Presidential Inauguration
- Manti Te'o found out his girlfriend never existed
- Justin Timberlake made a music comeback after a six-year hiatus
- Destiny's Child reunited at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show
- Olympian Oscar Pistorius accused of murdering his girlfriend; released on bail
- Lindsay Lohan decided to turn her life around through community service
- Dennis Rodman visited North Korea
Sports An entire football playoff season has taken place since the last time the president met with congressional leaders. The Baltimore Ravens faced off with the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl XLVII. A partial power blackout put the game on hold for nearly half an hour in the third quarter, but the game ended with the Ravens as champions.
- NFC Football Playoffs Wild Card Round
- AFC Football Playoffs Wild Card Round
- NFC Football Playoffs Divisional Round
- AFC Football Playoffs Divisional Round
- NFC/AFC Football Playoffs Championship Round
- Football Pro Bowl
- Super Bowl XLVII blackout
- Super Bowl XLVII won by Baltimore Ravens
World Events Two meteor showers, one fiscal cliff deadline, one nuclear missile test and one papacy later, the President meets with Congress. Here are some of the world events that took place in the last 10 weeks:
- Ursid meteor shower
- Fiscal Cliff Deadline
- Quadrantid meteor shower
- North Korea announces third nuclear missile test
- Pope Benedict XVI resigns
- Meteor enters Earth's atmosphere, injures 1,200 Russians
- Pope Benedict leaves the papacy
