2013 is most infamously known for the Boston Marathon Bombing which occured on April 13. Two homemade pressure cooker bombs would account for three lives and 264 injuries. 

This event launched terriorism into the spotlight as it was hard to believe that such a positive event could take a violent turn. 

At the time, President Barack Obama was adamant on finding who was responsible. 

“We will find out who did this. We’ll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice,” said Obama. 

On April 18, 2013, the FBI released pictures of suspects Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. After doing this, the brothers attempted to escape by carjacking a driver in Cambridge, MA. The police chased them down as they threw explosives. Tamerlan is became wounded and died. Dzhokhar escaped, but would later be sentenced to death. 

Because of these accounts, there is now higher security at the Boston Marathon. For example, any bags or coolers are no longer allowed at the event so that explosives or any kind of weapon cannot be hidden. Any water bottle that can hold more than a liter of water is also banned. There are now around 5,000 officers stationed to keep an eye on the proceedings. Even a pair of drones are used as an extra set of eyes at the event annually. 

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) are still working towards new ways to prevent future attacks during city-wide events. 

“The changes we’ve made in our approach to planning for events are not all attributable to the Boston Marathon bombing,” Kurt Schwartz, MEMA director, said. “They are also 

attributable to our analysis of and familiarity with terrorist and other types of attacks around the world since April 2013. It’s an ongoing process. We are continually reviewing world events, looking at threats and hazards, and changing and adapting our plans.”

Today the Boston Marathon Bombings are a reminder of the importance of public safety and how terriorism can happen anywhere at anytime. 

Many survivors have shared their experiences online in hopes to bring light to the physical and mental toll of the event. 

Survivor Rebekah Gregory said, “Normalcy goes out the window. You have to figure out how to piece your life back together. This has made me look at life from a whole different perspective. I wake up just grateful to be alive and to have one more moment with my husband and our beautiful children. You count your blessings or you count your problems.”

Top 5 Movies

1. Wolf of Wall Street
2. Gravity
3. Captain Phillips 
4. Frozen
5. 12 Years a Slave 

Top 5 Songs

1. “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz 
2. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I and Pharrell Williams 
3. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons 
4. “Harlem Shake” by Baauer 
5. “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton 

Top 5 Notable Events

1. Alberta Floods 
2. Death of Nelson Mandela 
3. Birth of Prince George
4. Cleveland Kidnapping Trail, Ariel Castro admits 937 acounts including the kidnapping of three women and murder. 
5. Election of Pope Francis ( Jorge Mario Bergoglio) as the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.