Top News Stories of 2014 for Boomers and Beyond

Here, a roundup of this year’s top stories for boomers

January
– Folk singer Peter Seeger dies, age 94
– Obamacare goes into effect in U.S; many Americans still wish they could move to Canada for universal health care
– The affair of French president Francois Hollande, 60, and actress Julie Gayet, 41, is revealed; First Girlfriend Valerie Trierweiler, 49, moves out of Elysee Palace and into hospital.

February
– Child star and former ambassador Shirley Temple dies, age 85
– Canada wins 25 medals at the Sochi Olympics, including 10 golds. The oldest — and most improbable Olympian — at Sochi is 55-year old – Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe who represents Mexico in Alpine skiing.
– Janet Yellen, 68, takes over as chairman of the U.S. Federal Bank, joining World Bank chief Christine LaGarde, 58, and German chancellor – Angela Merkel, 60, as the most powerful women in the world.

March
– Belgium becomes the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.
– Philip Seymour Hoffman dies, age 46
– Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe celebrates his 90th birthday and 34 years in power
– Russian president Putin, 62, signs treaty to annex Crimea

April
– Popes John Paul II and John XXIII are canonized
– Former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty dies, age 64
– Mickey Rooney dies, age 93

May
– Maya Angelou dies, age 86
– Lauren Bacall dies, age 89

June
– King Juan Carlos, 76, ends his reign in Spain, abdicating in favor of his son, 46, who ascends the Spanish throne as King Felipe VI.

July
– Nadine Gordimer dies, age 90
– James Garner dies, age 86
– Ruby Dee dies, age 91
– Germany wins the FIFA World Cup in Brazil for an unprecedented fourth time, recalling the taunt German fans supposedly directed at English fans last time they won, “Three World Cups! Three World Cups!” and the response of English fans: “Two World Wars! Two World Wars!”

August
– Robin Williams dies, age 63; his death is ruled a suicide, a response to a diagnosis of Lewy Body dementia
– Observation of 100th anniversary of Canada’s entering World War I
– Charlotte Rampling, 68, announced as new face of Nars Cosmetics
– Brad Pitt, 50, and Angelina Jolie, 39, marry after 9 years together and 6 children

September
– Joan Rivers dies, age 81, from cardiac arrest during a throat biopsy in a New York clinic
– Rob Ford, 45, diagnosed with malignant abdominal tumour, undergoes chemotherapy and withdraws from mayoral race
– Hillary Clinton, 67, becomes a grandmother with birth of Chelsea’s baby, Charlotte
– George Clooney, 53, marries ace London lawyer Amal Alamuddin in Venice and she takes his name

October
– Accusations of sexual attack and abuse including choking swirl around CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, 47, as at least eight women reveal their experiences with him while he maintains they were consensual, even as he is removed from his position (and the wall in the CBC headquarters)
– Ron MacLean, 54 steps down as George Stroumboulopoulos, 42, debuts as anchor of Sportsnet’s new interpretation of Hockey Night in Canada
– Terrorism on Parliament Hill: Cpl. Nathan Cirillo shot at point-blank range as he stood guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa
– Apple CEO Tim Cook, 54, announces that he’s proud to be gay.
– Oscar de la Renta dies, age 82
– Renee Zellweger, 45, shows up at the Women in Hollywood Awards and faces questions about her face

November
– Bill Cosby, age 77, refuses to comment on accusations by many women that he drugged them before sexually assaulting them
– Jian Ghomeshi hires prominent criminal lawyer Marie Henein to represent him and is charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of “overcome resistance” by choking; he’s released on $100,000 bail after a court appearance that becomes a media spectacle
– Pat Quinn dies, age 71
– The CBC appoints Toronto employment lawyer to lead an independent investigation into sexual harassment at the CBC
– U.S. election gives Republicans control of the Senate which will likely pass the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, bringing Canadian bitumen to oil refineries on U.S. Gulf Coast when Senate convenes in January

December
– John Tory, 60, takes over as Mayor of Toronto
– Hockey legend Jean Beliveau dies, age 83
– Monica Belluci, 50, announced as latest and oldest ever Bond Girl in new Bond movie
– Loonie drops to lowest level in five years just in time for snowbird season