Current Events (9/9 – 9/13)
Go through the slideshow and answer the related questions on the Quizizz at the bottom!
James Earl Jones dies at 93
James Earl Jones, the iconic actor who gave the voice of many famous characters, has passed away at 93. Born in 1931, Jones acted and voiced acted in many roles, including as Darth Vader in Star Wars, Mufasa in The Lion King, and Terence Mann in Field of Dreams. He passed away at his home on Sep. 9 surrounded by his family, according to his agent, Barry McPherson.
First private spacewalk happens
On the morning of Sep. 12, the first private spacewalk took place outside of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The spacewalk, taken by tech billionaire Jared Issacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, started at 6:12 a.m EST and lasted less than two hours. The spacewalk was part of a larger spaceflight plan called Polaris Dawn, operated by SpaceX, with the goal of testing certain technologies for other future missions related to space and space travel.
IPhone 16 revealed at Apple Event
The successor to the IPhone 15 has been revealed during a tech showcase at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. As the 18th generation of Apple IPhones, the 16 will incorporate new AI technologies to improve the user experience, as well as new customization features with IOS 18. Reactions to the reveal have been mixed, with people comparing the model to previous similar models.
Wildfires break out in southern California
A large series of wildfires have broken out in southern California, burning thousands of acres and dozens of houses in their paths. The major wildfires in this event, the Bridge fire, the Line fire, and the Airport fire, have scorched a combined total of over 100,000 acres across the state. Evacuations are currently ongoing and expected to continue into the weekend.
NYC Chief of Police steps down
In the midst of an investigation into New York City mayor Eric Adams and people with connections to him, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned from his position. This comes only a week after his phone was taken from him by the FBI as part of a separate investigation. A former FBI commissioner, appointed by Adams, is the interim commissioner for the department until a new one can be hired.
