For the 10th time in program history, and the first time since March 9, 2009, the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team was named the No. 1 team in college basketball by the Associated Press. With nearly 15 whole years having passed since the Huskies were the top dogs in the nation, it’s fair to say that quite a lot has happened between now and then. Let’s take a look at what was happening in the life of UConn fans back in early 2009…
The Great Recession reaches a new low
In January, the Great Recession saw its worst month as the unemployment rate rose to 7.8%, the highest it had been since June 1992. The current unemployment rate in the U.S. is less than half of that figure at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, if you’ve recently visited a food establishment and were asked to leave a tip for the employee spreading cream cheese on your bagel, you’d think that we were still in the Recession!
Obama sworn in as President
On January 20th, Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States. He broke unprecedented barriers by becoming the first African American candidate to be elected for the position. Alongside Obama, Joe Biden was sworn in as the Vice President of the U.S. Obama would go on to serve the maximum of two terms before being succeeded by Donald Trump and, eventually, his old running mate Biden.
Steelers become first NFL team with 6 Super Bowl wins
On February 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers made history with their Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals by becoming the first team in the National Football League to win six championships. It was the last time that Pittsburgh emerged from an NFL season by winning the season’s last game and they have since been tied by the New England Patriots who won their league-high sixth Super Bowl in 2019.
Heath Ledger posthumously wins Best Supporting Actor
Hugh Jackman hosted the 81st Academy Awards in February, where Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” won eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” leads the nominations with 13. Actor Heath Ledger became the second performer to win a posthumous acting Oscar, winning Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” after he passed away the year prior. His role as the Joker has become one of the most iconic and recognizable acting performances in recent memory.
DisneyXD is born
Apparently I’m too young to remember life before DisneyXD was born because as far back as I can remember, it has been a staple in children’s broadcasting channels. Apparently in February 2009, Toon Disney and Jetix combined and relaunched to become the now-beloved DisneyXD. As of 2016, XD was available in over 77 million households in the U.S.