Kirsten's musings...

20 in 20 - Marriages by comparison

Now that I've gotten through 20 years of history for the 20 years we've been married, I thought I'd just take a quick look at other couples who have gotten married during that time.  Just one couple per year, and as far as I know all are still together:

1991 - Clint Black & Lisa Hartman
1992 - Barack & Michelle Obama
1993 - David E. Kelley & Michelle Pfeiffer
1994 - Anthony Edwards & Jeanine Lobell
1995 - Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen
1996 - Phil Mickelson & Amy McBride
1997 - Will Smith & Jada Pinkett
1998 - Jason Goldberg & Soleil Moon Frye
1999 - Jerry Seinfeld & Jessica Sklar
2000 - Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones
2001 - Dario Franchitti & Ashley Judd
2002 - Richard Gere & Carey Lowell
2003 - Danny Elfman & Bridget Fonda
2004 - Penn Jillette & Emily Zolten
2005 - Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood
2006 - Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes
2007 - Scott Baio & Renee Sloan
2008 - Woody Harrelson & Laura Louie
2009 - Geoffrey Arend & Christina Hendricks
2010 - Russell Brand & Katy Perry

20 in 20 - 2010

2010 - "International Year of Biodiversity"
"International Year of Youth"

A 7.0 magnitude earthquakes devastates Haiti
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Chile
North Korea is suspected of sinking a South Korean Navy ship
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocks China
The Deepwater Horizon oil platform explodes in the Gulf of Mexico
33 Chilean miners trapped for 69 days.  All are rescued safely
Wikileaks leaks over 90,000 internal reports about the War in Afghanistan
Greece and Ireland both on the verge of bankruptcy

The Seattle Storm swept the Atlanta Dream to win their second league champioship.

Deaths
Teddy Pendergrass
J.D. Salinger
Alexander Haig
Peter Graves
John Forsythe
Malcom McLaren
Lynn Redgrave
Lena Horne
Gary Coleman
Dennis Hopper
Manute Bol
Tony Curtis
Stephen J. Cannell
Tom Bosley
Leslie Nielson
Blake Edwards

20 in 20 - 2009

2009 - "International Year of Astronomy", "International Year of Natural Fibres"

Israel and Hamas declare ceasefires in the Gaza War
Spread of Swine Flu
North Korea conducts nuclear tests
Greenland declares independence from Denmark
The G-20 assumes leverage over world economy, replacing the G-8

The University of Washington wins its first National Championship in another sport, claiming the title in Women's Softball.  Danielle Lawrie is named Player of the Year.

Deaths
Ricardo Montalban
Ron Silver
Natasha Richardson
Bea Arthur
Jack Kemp
Chuck Daly
David Carradine
Michael Jackson
Farrah Fawcett
Walter Cronkite
John Hughes
Ted Kennedy
Patrick Swayze
Roy Disney

Eli (Make It So’s Disney Magic) 1994-2009

20 in 20 - 2008

2008 - "International Year of Planet Earth", "International Year of Languages"

Petroleum hits $100/barrel for the first time
Fidel Castro resigns as President of Cuba
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake rocks China, killing nearly 70,000 people
Bill Gates steps down as Chairman of Microsoft
Michael Phelps wins eight Gold Medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Lehman Brothers files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Delta and Northwest Airlines merge
Barack Obama is elected as the 44th President of the United States, the first African-American elected to that office

Deaths
Edmund Hillary
Heath Ledger
Roy Scheider
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Arthur C. Clarke
Charlton Heston
Ollie Johnston
Bo Diddley
Tim Russert
George Carlin
Isaac Hayes
Paul Newman

20 in 20 - 2007

2007 - "International Heliophysical Year", "International Polar Year"

Kofi Annan replaced by South Korea's Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary General
Final book in the Harry Potter series is released
The IPCC publishes its fourth assessment report, stating that global climate change is very likely to be caused by humans
North Korea agrees to shut down nuclear facilities in Yongbyon
Marion Jones surrenders her five Olympic medals after admitting to doping
Writers Guild of America goes on strike
Vladimir Putin named Time magazine's Person of the Year

Deaths
Dennis "DJ" Johnson
Ernest Gallo
Richard Jeni
Kurt Vonnegut
Boris Yeltsin
Wally Schirra
Jerry Falwell
Charles Nelson Reilly
Merv Griffin
Phil Rizzuto
Marcel Marceau
Norman Mailer
Evel Knievel
Dan Fogelberg

Eric Clayton Stout (1962-2007)

20 in 20 - 2006

2006 - "International Year of Deserts and Desertification"
"Internation Asperger's Year"

NASA's Stardust mission ends successfully, returning dust from a comet
Final contact attempt with Pioneer 10 receives no response
First case of Avian Flu
Iran successfully produces low-grade enriched uranium
Human Genome Project publishes the last chromosome sequence
Pluto is demoted to a 'dwarf planet'
Saddam Hussein executed

The Seattle Seahawks qualify for the Super Bowl, the first in their history, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Also, the Get Your Guts In Gear launches its first Pacific Northwest ride.

Deaths
Lou Rawls
Coretta Scott King
Don Knotts
Kirby Puckett
Caspar Weinberger
Lloyd Bentsen
Billy Preston
June Allyson
Mike Douglas
Steve Irwin
Red Auerbach
Jack Palance
Bo Schembechler
Lamar Hunt
Gerald Ford

20 in 20 - 2005

2005 - "Year of the Volunteer" (UK Government)
"World Year of Physics" (International Union of Pure and Applied Physics)

Mahmoud Abbas succeeds Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority President
Pope Benedicts XVI succeeds Pope John Paul II
Kuwaiti women are given the right to vote
Hurricane Katrina
A Leap Second is added to the end of the year

On July 15, 2005, Disneyland celebrated its 50th anniversary.  Jim and I made the trip down to be a part of the festivities, and were treated (among other things) to a wonderful speech by Art Linkletter.  In December of 2005 the University of Washington's Women's Volleyball team wins its first National Championship.

Deaths
Shirley Chisholm
Johnny Carson
Arthur Miller
Hunter S Thompson
Pope John Paul II
Thurl Ravenscroft
Anne Bancroft
Luther Vnadross
Peter Jennings
William Rehnquiest
Rosa Parks
Richard Pryor

20 in 20 - 2004

2004 - "International Year of Rice" (UN)
"International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition" (UNESCO)

Facebook was founded in Cambridge, MA
San Francisco, CA, begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia join NATO
The last Oldsmobile rolls off the assembly line
Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage
Prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib
Brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons
Lenovo announces plans to purchase IBM's global PC business

The Everett Silver tips enjoy a very successful inaugural season, making it all the way to the league championship before falling to the Medicine Hat Tigers.  The Seattle Storm finish their amazing season by winning their first WNBA championship, defeating the Connecticut Sun.  Coach Anne Donovan becomes the first female head coach in WNBA history to win a league championship.

Births
Tess Irene McCain

Deaths
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw
Jack Paar
Marge Schott
Alistair Cooke
Pat Tillman
Tony Randall
Ronald Reagan
Ray Charles
Julia Child
Rodney Dangerfield
Christopher Reeve
Yasser Arafat
Reggie White

20 in 20 - 2003

2003 - "International Year of Freshwater" (UN)
"European Disability Year"

The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during re-entry over Texas
First instance of the SARS virus
"Mission Accomplished"
Martha Stewart indicted for insider trading
The last Volkswagen Type 1 produced in Mexico
The Concorde makes its last commercial flight
The "Green River Killer" confesses

Deaths
Maurice Gibb
Nell Carter
Fred Rogers
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
June Carter Cash
David Brinkley
Strom Thurmond
Katharine Hepburn
Bob Hope
Gregory Hines
Idi Amin
John Ritter
Johnny Cash

20 in 20 - 2002

2002 - "International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains" (UN)
"Year of the Outback" (Australia)

The No child Left Behand Act is signed into law
Murder of Wall Street Journal Daniel Pearl
Andrea Yates murders her five children
Jimmy Carter meets with Fidel Castro in Cuba
Switzerland joins the UN
The Dot-com bubble bottoms out, with the Dow Jones closing below 7,200
Creation of the Department of Homeland Security
The Houston Texans become the NFL's 32nd franchise

Jim's hard work as a curling official pays off, as he is selected to be one of the officials at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Births
Roy Fordham McCain

Deaths
Cyrus Vance
Waylon Jennings
Chuck Jones
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
Dudley Moore
Milton Berle
Thor Heyerdahl
Sam Snead
Rod Steiger