Query: […] Constant 24-7  media coverage of every significant storm worldwide just makes it seem  that way.”

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2003 invasion of Iraq <=SEP=> The 2003 invasion of Iraq lasted from 20 March to 1 May 2003 and signalled the start of the Iraq War , which was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States ( prior to 19 March , the mission in Iraq was called Operation Enduring Freedom , a carryover from the War in Afghanistan ) . The invasion consisted of 21 days of major combat operations , in which a combined force of troops from the United States , the United Kingdom , Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and deposed the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein . The invasion phase consisted primarily of a conventionally fought war which included the capture of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad by American forces with the implicit assistance of the United Kingdom alongside Australia and Poland .   160,000 troops were sent by the Coalition into Iraq , during the initial invasion phase , which lasted from 19 March to 9 April 2003 . About 130,000 were sent from the USA alone , with about 28,000 British soldiers , Australia ( 2,000 ) , and Poland ( 194 ) . 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath . In preparation for the invasion , 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February . The coalition forces also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan .   According to U.S. President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair , the coalition mission was `` to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction , to end Saddam Hussein 's support for terrorism , and to free the Iraqi people . '' Others place a much greater emphasis on the impact of the September 11 attacks , and the role this played in changing U.S. strategic calculations , and the rise of the freedom agenda . According to Blair , the trigger was Iraq 's failure to take a `` final opportunity '' to disarm itself of alleged nuclear , chemical , and biological weapons that U.S. and British officials called an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace .   In a January 2003 CBS poll , 64 % of Americans had approved of military action against Iraq ; however , 63 % wanted Bush to find a diplomatic solution rather than go to war , and 62 % believed the threat of terrorism directed against the U.S. would increase due to war . The invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some long-standing U.S. allies , including the governments of France , Germany , and New Zealand . Their leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that invading the country was not justified in the context of UNMOVIC 's 12 February 2003 report . On 15 February 2003 , a month before the invasion , there were worldwide protests against the Iraq War , including a rally of three million people in Rome , which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever anti-war rally . According to the French academic Dominique Reynié , between 3 January and 12 April 2003 , 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war .   The invasion was preceded by an airstrike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 20 March 2003 . The following day , coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border . While the special forces launched an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf to secure Basra and the surrounding petroleum fields , the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq , occupying the region and engaging in the Battle of Nasiriyah on 23 March . Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi command and control threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance . On 26 March , the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near the northern city of Kirkuk , where they joined forces with Kurdish rebels and fought several actions against the Iraqi Army to secure the northern part of the country .   The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance . Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and Baghdad was occupied on 9 April . Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi army , including the capture and occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April , and the attack and capture of Tikrit on 15 April . Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country . On 1 May , an end of major combat operations was declared , ending the invasion period and beginning the military occupation period .

Daniel Bryan <=SEP=> Bryan Lloyd Danielson ( born May 22 , 1981 ) is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under the ring name Daniel Bryan , where he is the on-screen general manager of SmackDown .   In WWE , Bryan held the WWE ChampionshipDanielson 's first two reigns were as WWE Champion . His final reign was as WWE World Heavyweight Champion . three times and WWE 's World Heavyweight Championship once , in addition to being a one-time United States Champion , a one-time Intercontinental Champion , and a one time WWE Tag Team Champion as part of Team Hell No ( with Kane ) . He was also the 2011 SmackDown Money in the Bank winner and the 2013 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner . He is the 26th Triple Crown Champion and the 6th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history and headlined several major pay-per-view events , including SummerSlam in 2013 and WrestleMania XXX .   Danielson was previously signed to the WWE , then known as the WWF , for an 18-month period from 2000 -- 2001 . Prior to joining WWE for his second stint in 2009 , Danielson wrestled for various companies internationally using both his real name and the ring name ( and later nickname ) `` American Dragon '' . He wrestled for Ring of Honor ( ROH ) from 2002 to 2009 , being recognized as a `` Founding Father '' of the promotion , where he was a one-time ROH World Champion , as well the final Pure Wrestling Champion ( unifying the Pure title with the World title ) . He was the first winner of ROH 's annual Survival of the Fittest tournament in 2004 . Danielson also wrestled extensively in Japan , winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling Noah and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship ( with Curry Man ) in New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ) . Between WWE , ROH , and Japanese promotions , he held eleven total championships . Danielson also won numerous titles on the independent circuit , including two PWG World Championships , the FIP Heavyweight Championship , and the wXw World Heavyweight Championship .   In 2016 , at age 34 , Danielson retired from professional wrestling due to medical issues ( including seizures ) arising from multiple concussions and a brain lesion . Later that year in July , he was named the General Manager of SmackDown following the return of the WWE brand extension .

Gulf War <=SEP=> The Gulf War ( 2 August 1990 -- 28 February 1991 ) , codenamed Operation Desert Shield ( 2 August 1990 -- 17 January 1991 ) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm ( 17 January 1991 -- 28 February 1991 ) in its combat phase , was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq 's invasion and annexation of Kuwait .   The war is also known under other names , such as the Persian Gulf War , First Gulf War , Gulf War I , Kuwait War , First Iraq War , or Iraq War before the term `` Iraq War '' became identified instead with the 2003 Iraq War ( also referred to in the US as `` Operation Iraqi Freedom '' ) .  The Iraqi Army 's occupation of Kuwait that began 2 August 1990 was met with international condemnation , and brought immediate economic sanctions against Iraq by members of the UN Security Council . US President George H. W. Bush deployed US forces into Saudi Arabia , and urged other countries to send their own forces to the scene . An array of nations joined the coalition , the largest military alliance since World War II . The great majority of the coalition 's military forces were from the US , with Saudi Arabia , the United Kingdom , and Egypt as leading contributors , in that order . Kuwait and Saudi Arabia paid around US$ 32 billion of the US$ 60 billion cost .   The war was marked by the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle , principally by the US network CNN . The war has also earned the nickname Video Game War after the daily broadcast of images from cameras on board US bombers during Operation Desert Storm .   The initial conflict to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait began with an aerial and naval bombardment on 17 January 1991 , continuing for five weeks . This was followed by a ground assault on 24 February . This was a decisive victory for the coalition forces , who liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory . The coalition ceased its advance , and declared a ceasefire 100 hours after the ground campaign started . Aerial and ground combat was confined to Iraq , Kuwait , and areas on Saudi Arabia 's border . Iraq launched Scud missiles against coalition military targets in Saudi Arabia and against Israel .

Hurricane Sandy <=SEP=> Hurricane Sandy ( unofficially referred to as `` Superstorm Sandy '' ) was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season , and the second-costliest hurricane in United States history . Classified as the eighteenth named storm , tenth hurricane and second major hurricane of the year , Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba . While it was a Category 2 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States , the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record ( as measured by diameter , with winds spanning 1100 mi ) . Estimates as of 2015 assessed damage to have been about $ 75 billion ( 2012 USD ) , a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina . At least 233 people were killed along the path of the storm in eight countries .   Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22 , quickly strengthened , and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later . Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified . On October 24 , Sandy became a hurricane , made landfall near Kingston , Jamaica , re-emerged a few hours later into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane . On October 25 , Sandy hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane , then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane . Early on October 26 , Sandy moved through the Bahamas . On October 27 , Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane . Early on October 29 , Sandy curved west-northwest ( the `` left turn '' or `` left hook '' ) and then moved ashore near Brigantine , New Jersey , just to the northeast of Atlantic City , as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds .   In Jamaica , winds left 70 % of residents without electricity , blew roofs off buildings , killed one , and caused about $ 100 million ( 2012 USD ) in damage . Sandy 's outer bands brought flooding to Haiti , killing at least 54 , causing food shortages , and leaving about 200,000 homeless ; the hurricane also caused two deaths in the Dominican Republic . In Puerto Rico , one man was swept away by a swollen river . In Cuba , there was extensive coastal flooding and wind damage inland , destroying some 15,000 homes , killing 11 , and causing $ 2 billion ( 2012 USD ) in damage . Sandy caused two deaths and damage estimated at $ 700 million ( 2012 USD ) in The Bahamas .   In the United States , Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states , including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin , with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York . Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29 , flooding streets , tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city . Damage in the United States amounted to $ 71.4 billion ( 2013 USD ) . In Canada , two were killed in Ontario and an estimated $ 100 million ( 2012 CAD ) in damage was caused throughout Ontario and Quebec .