Ever since the new millennium, lots of important history, good and bad, has taken place, but much of it seems to have been forgotten by many.

The worst attack on American soil, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, could be a history book by itself; from the aftermath of the victims’ families and friends to the reasons why the U.S.’ war in Iraq is now in its 10th year.

Let’s fast-forward to 2005 when our friends in New Orleans experienced one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the U.S.

More than 1,800 people died from Hurricane Katrina and total property damages are estimated at $75 billion. People from New Orleans still suffer to this day, trying to find their place in this world — whether it’s in Louisiana or another state.

Last but not least, U.S. history was made when the first black president was elected to take office.

President Barack Obama won over the country with his leadership qualities and his will to make a change.

He had slogans such as “Yes we can” that had many people believing they could achieve anything, especially with a black man as a leader of a country where at one time such a thing was considered impossible.

There have been many historic tsunamis and earthquakes that have hit other parts of the world.

Haiti’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed 316,000 people, which led to many famous singers bringing back “We are the World” — a song that reached out to the victims of Haiti.

One year later, Japan was hit with an 8.9 magnitude earthquake — the worst in more than 100 years.

This earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that rolled across Japan, damaging or destroying anything in its path, most notably the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility.

Some Japanese experts say this is the worst turn of events in the country’s history. It’s hard not to agree given that more than 9,000 people are dead and at least another 14,000 are missing.

Lastly, let’s shift to the Middle East. If someone had told me most of the countries in the Middle East were looking to start a revolution, I would have told him or her it would take a desperate act of self-immolation by a young unemployed man after officials in his town prevented him from selling vegetables on the streets of Sidi Bouzid without permission.

Last year, on Dec. 17, Mohamed Bouazizi did exactly that. His desperate act started a movement in Tunisia, and the dominoes kept falling from there.

Now many other countries in the Middle East have had, or are on the verge of having, historic revolutions to overthrow or otherwise change their respective governments.

Hundreds of millions of people have been affected by what Bouazizi thought would prove a point to his government.

I would compare this historic moment to the actions of someone we all know by the name of Rosa Parks.

Her movement might not have been as extreme, but we all remembered it as the start of something new.

So it’s time to wake up and notice the world around us. History is being made right in front of our eyes, and it’s time to be a part of it.

Make a difference!

Omar Thabet is a State News guest columnist and a journalism freshman. Reach him at thabetom@msu.edu