2014 Event Ukraine exchanges 222 rebel prisoners for 150 Ukrainian soldiers held by separatist forces; for security reasons, the nation also blockades Crimea, the region annexed by Russia, by stopping bus and train service to and from the area 2014 Event In a potential attempt to claim sovereignty, China is building an island in the South China Sea in an area claimed by several nations; sources speculate that the island may be used to support an airstrip and military activities 2014 Event The U.N. will remove peacekeepers from the Syrian side of Golan Heights after the recent capture and release of 45 U.N. troops from Fiji by Syrian rebel forces; the U.N. has worked in the area for 40 years to keep peace between Syria and Israel 2014 Event A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near the California Bay Area city of Napa; 87 have been injured, but no fatalities have been reported 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama proposes vast expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine Reserve, increasing the protected ocean area to over 780,000 square miles within nautical boundaries of U.S. Pacific territories 2014 Event A second dwarf planet is discovered between the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt, an area previously considered a no-man's land; the planet, 2012 VP-113, measures about 280 miles across; the first, Sedna, about 600 miles across, was discovered in 2003 2013 Event Pakistan's Balochistan province experiences a 6.8-magnitude earthquake four days after the area was struck by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that resulted in over 515 deaths 2013 Event An area located off the coast of the Aleutian Islands records a magnitude 7.0 earthquake 2013 Event Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, two planets resembling planet Earth are discovered revolving around the star Kepler-62 in the habitable zone, an area around the stars whose atmospheric pressure can suport liquid water at the surface 2012 Event Typhoon Bopha, striking New Bataan and parts of the southern Philippines, leads to the deaths of 283 people with 339 injured, over 300 missing, and over 87,000 evacuated from the area 2012 Event A new wing dedicated to Islamic art is opened at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France; the area contains 3,000 from the seventh to the 19th century 2012 Event Winds in southwestern Western Australia of up to 140km/h batter the area and leave more than 170,000 homes without power 2012 Event Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims occurs in western Burma, causing the area to declare a state of emergency 2012 Event Pensacola, Florida and adjacent areas experience widespread flooding after over 12 inches of rain falls on the area 2012 Event Part of the April 3, 2012 tornado outbreak, tornadoes impact the Dallas, Texas area 2012 Event Evidence of citrus greening, a disease that has killed millions of citrus trees in Brazil and Florida, is found in a residential area of Los Angeles County, California 2011 Event Four states and 1.5 million people in the Eastern U.S. still have no power after a 2011 Halloween nor-easter hit the area with unusually early snowfall 2011 Event New Zealand's City Council in Christchurch announce plans to rebuild their central business district after an earthquake devastated the area 2011 Event NATO increases its surveillance flights over Libya, patrolling the area on a 24/7 basis 2010 Event An area in Alaska, twice the size of the United Kingdom, is protected by the U.S. Government; the area is considered a critical habitat for polar bears 2010 Event Over 150 members of the Justice and Equality Movement are killed by Sudanese forces in their effort to gain control of a rebel held area in Darfur 2010 Event A car bomb explodes in a courthouse located in Newry, Northern Ireland. The area's last incidence of a car bombing was in the year 2000 1996 Event New toll-free 888 area code introduced 1995 Event Northwestern South Carolina begins using new area code 864 1995 Event Bermuda begins using new area code 441 1995 Event Eastern Tennessee begins using new area code 423 1995 Event Southern California begins using new area code 562 1995 Event Northern Virginia begins using new area code 540 1995 Event Southwestern Florida outside of Tampa begins using new area code 941 1995 Event North and Western Colorado begins using new area code 970 1995 Event New Jersey officially dedicates the Howard Stern Rest Area along Route 295 1995 Event Arizona outside of Phoenix begins using new area code 520 1995 Event Part of Houston begins using new area code 261 1995 Event Southern Alabama begins using new area code 334 1995 Event Western Washington begins using new area code 360 1992 Event Last building in Gateway area in Cleveland is demolished 1990 Event New York Telephone company announces that it wants Bronx area code 917 1989 Event Iljushin-62 crashes down on residential area of Havana, 170 die 1989 Event AT&T announces New Jersey's 201 area code will split into 908 and 201 1981 Event Race riot in London area of Brixton 1981 Event Race riots in London's Brixton area 1980 Event Hurricane Allen ravages Caribisch area, about 70 killed 1980 Event River of No Return Wilderness Area designated by Jimmy Carter 1980 Event 710 families in Love Canal area (Niagara Falls New York) are evacuated 1979 Event Panama assumes sovereignty over Canal Area (ie Canal Zone) 1978 Event 6 masked men bound 10 employees at Lufthansa cargo area at New York Kennedy Airport and made off with $5.8 M in cash and jewelry 1974 Event 148 tornadoes are reported over an area covering a dozen states 1972 Event Golden Gate National Recreation Area created 1962 Event John F. Kennedy authorizes Area Redevelopment Act 1962 Event San Mateo County withdraws from BART district, San Francisco Bay area 1959 Event 2-time champ Monterrey Mexico barred from 1959 Little League competition for using players outside predetermined geographical area 1957 Event Bkln Sports Authority gets an engineering report on 50,000-seat stadium in downtown area for estimated $207 million 1950 Event South African parliament accept "Groups Area Act" 1949 Event Fire in riverfront area kills 1,700 (Chungking China) 1945 Event Koreas divided on 38th parallel with U.S. occupying the southern area 1943 Event Dim-out ban lifted in San Francisco Bay area 1926 Event 1st radio broadcast in the Sprinfield area (WCBS) 1924 Event Gila Wilderness Area established by Forest Service 1897 Event Possibly most severe quake in history strikes Assam India, shock waves felt over an area size of Europe (negligible death toll) 1864 Event Robert E. Lee's home area, Arlington, Virginia, becomes a military cemetery 1863 Event 1st cargo of lumber leaves Burrard Inlet (Vancouver, BC area) 1853 Event Gadsden Purchase 45,000 mi (120,000 km) by Gila River from Mexico for $10 million, area is now southern Arizona and New Mexico 1850 Event California Legislature creates 9 Bay Area counties 1842 Event Indians land in Ohio, a 12 mile area in Upper Sandusky 1788 Event Maryland votes to cede a 10 mile area for District of Columbia 1787 Event Orange troops occupy Area at Duurstede 1784 Event Eastern Tennessee settlers declare their area an independent state and name it Franklin; a year later the Continental Congress rejects it 1755 Event Worst quake in Mass Bay area strikes Boston; no deaths report 1715 Event Barrier Treaty, Austria cedes area to Netherlands 1682 Event William Penn accepts area around Delaware River from Duke of York 1632 Event Britain grants 2nd Lord Baltimore rights to Chesapeake Bay area 1524 Event Giovanni de Varrazano of France sights land around area of Carolinas 1516 Event 1st ghetto, Jews are compelled to live in specific area of Venice
