Rodney King
The story behind the incident in 1991 is, that four Los Angeles police officers caught Rodney King after a speed chase. Once they have caught him the officers then surrounded him and beat him with clubs, while also tasering him several times. The attack was recorded by a ordinary person who at that time was watching the assault from their apartment window. The footage was then posted online which then became a prime-time news episode as, it had become an international sensation. the officers who had assaulted Rodney King were then charged with assault and use of excessive force. however in 1992 they were then removed from these charges. This then sparked a huge upset in Los Angeles, which led to a 6 day riot by the public, where 53 people were killed and 400 injured. The cost of this riot added up to a billion dollars. This story is significant in relation to citizen journalism as, this was the first citizen shot incident as, in 1991 camera phones were becoming more popular. This is then the video which started citizen journalism, this video also caused a 6 day riot in LA.
7/7 Bombing
On the morning of Thursday, 7 July 2005, four terrorists who go by the names of, Hasib Hussain, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Germaine Lindsay and Shehzad Tanweer planted three bombs in the London underground trains across London. Later that day they then planted a fourth bomb on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. With the fouyr bombers present on that bus. furthermore 52 civilians were killed and over 700 more were injured. This was the UK's first suicide attack. The explosions were caused by home made organic peroxide–based devices packed into rucksacks. The bombings were followed two weeks later by a series of attempted attacks which failed to cause injury or damage. This is significant in relation to citizen journalism as, this was the UK's first suicide attack and a member of a public was able to record the incident before a professional was able to arrive at the scene.
Mumbai Terrorist attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were twelve coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city. The attack was conducted by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Ajmal Kasab was the only attacker who was captured alive, who later confessed to the allegations claiming it being through the support of Pakistan's ISI. The attacks began on Wednesday, 26 November and lasted until Saturday, 29 November 2008, killing 164 people and wounding at least 308.
Asian Tsunami
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was an earthquake which took place under water. The earthquake took place at 00:58:53 on Sunday, 26 December 2004 hitting Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Maldives. The result of the earthquake killed 230,210 - 280,000, and the livelihoods of millions were destroyed in over 10 countries. The tsunami produced waves up to 30 meters (98 ft) high, being one of the most deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.Furthermore the worldwide community donated more than $14 billion in aid of this disaster.
Hudson River Plan Crash
The US Airways Airbus A320 made a crash-landing minutes out of LaGuardia due to the engine being disabled from a flock of birds. The passengers were rescued from the wings or helped from the icy water by divers. There were 150 passengers present on the plane with all 150 surviving with only 5 injuries 2 being major and 3 minor. The captain flying the plane Chesley Sullenberger was praised by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as, his landing was seen as a "masterful" display.
