President Obama makes history… again, as he gets sworn in as 44th President of the United States. In his inauguration speech, Obama proclaimed that "while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth." The inauguration was attended by approximately 250,000, and watched by millions more around the world.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI announces his retirement, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415. He will retire on February 28. He cites advancing age and a growing physical weakness as his reasons for retirement.

After 14 years at the helm of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez succumbs to cancer. 

Multiple bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston Marthon. Two bombs go off around 2:50 in the afternoon as runners finish the race. At least three people are killed. One is an eight year old boy. More than 170 people are injured. Later, two suspects are named  Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26 and Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev. The 26 year old dies leaving may questions for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

An enormous category 4 tornado hits Oklahoma City, Moore, and Newcastle. Moore is hardest hit. The city's Plaza Towers Elementary School is flattened. At least 24 people are killed in the storm. The tornado, stretching about a mile wide, is on the ground for 40 minutes.

Guardian receives information that reveals that the National Security Agency (NSA) is using PRISM to spy on the web activities, including email, of U.S. citizens. In its report, The Guardian does not state who they received the information from.Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg and Google's Larry Page both deny any knowledge of PRISM.President confirms PRISM's existence and its use to spy on the online activity of U.S. citizens. Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee, comes forward and admits that he is the source of the recent NSA leaks.

In Cairo, riot police raid protest camps. They open fire and use physical force. More than 500 people are killed, and the government declares a state of emergency. Mohamed ElBaradei resigns as vice president in protest of the military's action

Shabab militants attack an upscale mall in Nairobi, killing nearly 70 people and wounding about 175. The attack is meticulously planned, and the militants prove to be challenging for the government to dislodge from the Westgate mall. Shabab, based in Somalia, says the attack is in retaliation for the Kenyan military's role in helping Somalia battle the militant group.

A powerful earthquake hits the Philippines and kills at least 144 people. Nearly 300 more are injured. The quake also destroys one of the country's oldest churches and causes widespread damage. According to Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the center of the earthquake hits near Carmen, a small town on Bohol Island. Solidum also explains the intensity of the earthquake in a statement, "A magnitude 7 earthquake has an energy equivalent to around 32 Hiroshima atomic bombs. This one had a magnitude of 7.2." Tremors from the earthquake reach all of the islands in the central Philippines, destroying several buildings, roads and bridges.

Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms to ever make landfall, hits several islands in the central Philippines. Tacloban, a coastal city with a population of 220,000, is destroyed. According to the Social Welfare and Development Department, Typhoon Haiyan, called Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, affects 4.28 million people in at least 270 towns. The Philippines is cut of from the rest of the world. Yet, countries from all over the world includinng the U.S. come to the rescue.

After a lung infection and several months of ill health, Nelson Mandela dies at age 95. The former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient is mourned all over the world.