April 16th 2007: Virginia Tech shooting

On this day in 2007 Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 (27 students and 5 members of staff) and injured 25 before committing suicide in a shooting on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The massacre is the deadliest by a single gunman in American history. Cho had a severe anxiety disorder, and on the morning of April 17th opened fire on campus, trying to force his way into multiple classrooms. The attacks sparked intense debate over gun control in the United States as Cho had purchased guns despite his record as mentally unsound.

“Today our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today.”
- President Bush

April 16th 2007: Virginia Tech shooting

On this day in 2007, 5 years ago, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 (27 students and 5 members of staff) and injured 25 before committing suicide in a shooting on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The massacre is the deadliest by a single gunman in American history. Cho had a severe anxiety disorder, and on the morning of April 17th opened fire on campus, trying to force his way into multiple classrooms. The attacks sparked intense debate over gun control in the United States as Cho had purchased guns despite his record as mentally unsound.

“Today our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today.”
- President Bush

11 years ago today - September 11th 2001

On this day in 2001, two hijacked planes were crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City and another into the Pentagon building in Virginia. The Twin Towers collapsed and part of the Pentagon was damaged. A fourth plane was intended for the US Capitol Building but its passengers took control and crashed the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks. The attacks were planned and carried out by members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, and masterminded by Osama bin Laden. The attacks prompted greater focus on national security both in the US and abroad and led to the War on Terror which included the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. In May 2011 bin Laden was finally found and killed by US forces.

“America is under attack”
- White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card telling President Bush about the attacks

December 30th 2006: Saddam Hussein executed

On this day in 2006, the ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was executed for war crimes. Hussein was a leading member of the Ba’ath Party, which advocated Arab nationalism and Arab socialism. He played a key role in the coup in 1968 which bought his party to power. He became President of Iraq in 1979 and served until 2003.

Saddam suppressed several movements, particularly Shi’a and Kurdish movements seeking to overthrow the government or gain independence. In 1990 he invaded and looted Kuwait. Hussein was widely condemned for the brutality of his dictatorship.

In March 2003, a coalition of countries led by the US and UK invaded Iraq to depose Saddam, after US President George W Bush accused him of possessing weapons of mass destruction and having ties to al-Qaeda. It was partly a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City, and was part of Bush’s ‘War on Terror’. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair led the invasion.

Saddam’s Ba’ath party was disbanded and the nation made a transition to a democratic system. He was captured on 13th December 2003 by American forces. On 5th November 2006, he was convicted of charges related to the 1982 killing of 148 Iraqi Shi’ites and was sentenced to death by hanging. The execution of Saddam Hussein was carried out on 30th December 2006.