The Great Park Expands
2019 COVID-19 Becomes a Global Pandemic
JUNE 2007 iPhone Launches
In 2007, Apple released an innovative electronic device called the iPhone. This development followed the company’s other advancements in personal entertainment such as the iPod (a music player) and iMac (a personal computer). It built on decades of development in communication technology, making pagers and mobile phones more accessible and commonplace. Though
2018 California Wildfires
2017 Great Park Expands Sports Facilities
NOVEMBER 2016 Paris Climate Accords Become Effective
Figure 84. Great Park Balloon and Walkable Historical Timeline, 2024. Image courtesy of City of Irvine, Flickr.
not the first device to combine telephone and computer technology (a distinction IBM earned in 1992 with the debut of the IBM Simon), the iPhone quickly became synonymous with the idea of smartphones. Annual releases of new models drove consumer demand for smartphones into a frenzy and encouraged other companies like Google and Samsung to develop their own devices. Smartphones combined features from many different entertainment technologies, almost making the other individual devices obsolete. Phones became cameras, calculators, music players, and web browsers. They also became increasingly central to daily life as developers created applications (apps) for social media, banking, travel, business, and everything in between. JULY 2007 Great Park Balloon Opens The Great Park Balloon launched on its inaugural flight on July 14, 2007. Work on the balloon began in January 2006, with designer Ken Smith’s concept of a large helium balloon ride based on ones he had seen in Europe. The balloon’s bright orange color honors the citrus growing heritage of Orange County and the rich agricultural history of Irvine. The 74-foot-diameter balloon has the capacity for thirty riders, offering them a view of the changing landscape across the Orange County Great Park and beyond. The ride is one of the largest tethered helium balloons in the world and one of the first of its kind in the United States. During flights, it reaches an altitude of 400 feet and offers visitors 360-degree panoramic views. On a clear day, passengers can see up to forty miles away. The balloon was the first major attraction at the Orange County Great Park. A carousel and other installations followed shortly thereafter. SEE FIGURE 84
Figure 85. Barack Obama, with his wife Michelle by his side, was sworn in as the forty-fourth president of the United States, 2009. Image courtesy of Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force.
NOVEMBER 2016 California Voters Elect Kamala Harris to U.S. Senate
JUNE 2015 Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States
DECEMBER 2010 Arab Awakening Begins in Tunisia
NOVEMBER 2008 U.S. Voters Elect Barack Obama, First Black President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, became the first Black president of the United States when voters elected him 2008. His administration navigated the economic turbulation of the Great Recession, implementing banking reform and steering recovery efforts. He appointed two women to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Obama championed the Affordable Care Act, a national health insurance policy that greatly expanded health care access across the country. He was a key participant at the Paris Climate Accords in 2016. He designated monuments that commemorate the adversity and triumphs of American Civil Rights movements, including the Reconstruction Era National Monument and Freedom Riders National Monument. Obama was commander-in-chief for the continued conflicts in the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan. After serving two terms, he returned to Chicago and championed youth
APRIL 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
NOVEMBER 2008 U.S. Voters Elect Barack Obama, First Black President
JULY 2007 Great Park Balloon Opens
JUNE 2007 iPhone Launches
THE GREAT PARK EXPANDS
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