Witness to History: 2012

This week in 2012 the 30th Summer Olympic Games came to a close in London, England. It was at these games that Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time.

That same year, Farrish Johnson Law Office received the Mankato Free Press Media Reader’s Choice Award for Best Lawyer.

30th Summer Olympic Games

Formally the Games of the XXX Olympiad and more commonly known as London 2012, the 2012 Summer Olympics was held from July 27th to August 12th, 2012 in London, England. The opening ceremony received acclaim through the world. During the Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, wining his 22nd medal. The final medal tally was lead by the United States, followed by China and Great Britain. Several world and Olympic records were set at the games.

Competitive swimmer Michael Phelps at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

Michael Phelps retired following the 2012 Olympics but made a comeback in 2014. He went on to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Phelps currently holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in individual events (13), and Olympic medals in individual events (16).

Farrish Johnson Law Office is the Mankato Free Press Media Reader’s Choice Award for Best Lawyer

Winners of the Mankato Free Press Media Reader’s Choice Award are selected through a write-in ballot distributed by the Mankato Magazine. Readers are asked to choose the best businesses, services, and professionals in 68 different categories. In 2012, Farrish Johnson Law Office was awarded this distinction.

In 2012, approximately 68 businesses, organizations, people and places were voted on by the readers of Mankato Magazine. About 500 votes were cast. Most of the businesses are locally owned, usually from Mankato or the region and have committed to their businesses, their employees and community.

Farrish Johnson Law Office’s distinguished history includes several members of the firm being selected to serve as District and State court judges. The attorneys and staff are proud of the firm’s past tradition of service to clients and the State and remain committed to maintaining that tradition now and into the future. Recognition by the community with such an award as the Reader’s Choice is particularly meaningful as the attorneys and staff of Farrish Johnson Law Office are dedicated to providing quality legal services with professional reliability and high ethical standards.

Also in January 2012, Krystal Hernandez purchased the Mexican restaurant in Madelia and renamed it La Plaza F!esta. It is located near the Madelia office of Farrish Johnson and is a favorite lunch spot for our attorneys and staff. People from all over the state come to enjoy the amazing food and atmosphere of La Plaza. In February 2016, La Plaza along with seven other businesses on Madelia’s historic Main Street were engulfed in flames and destroyed. With the help of donations, community outreach and involvement, La Plaza F!esta’s team were able to temporarily relocate while Main Street was rebuilt and eventually were able to get back to business on Main Street. To learn more about this event, see our previous Witness to History story here.

At a Glance: 2012

January 25, 2012: Robert J. Sheran, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, dies. He practiced with Farrish Johnson Law Office from 1942-1963 before being named to the Supreme Court. For more information about Justice Sheran, see our previous Witness to History story here.

Chief Justice Robert Sheran

February 6, 2012: Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of becoming British monarch, becoming only the second to do so.

February 11, 2012: Legendary singer Whitney Houston is found dead at the age of 48 in her suite at the Los Angeles Beverly Hilton Hotel.

March 13, 2012: Based in Chicago, Illinois, Encyclopædia Britannica, the oldest encyclopedia still in print in the English language, announces that it will no longer be producing printed versions but continuing online editions.

May 14, 2012: Minnesota’s Governor Mark Dayton approves a $975 million stadium for the Minneapolis-based Vikings football team. Minneapolis and the state will pay $498 million and the team $477 million.

Sketch proposal for the future Vikings stadium

June 28, 2012: US Supreme Court upholds the Affordable Care Act, saying its requirement that most Americans obtain insurance or pay a penalty was authorized by Congress’s power to levy taxes.

July 23, 2012: Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, dies at the age of 61.

Mission Specialist Sally Ride on the flight deck in 1983

August 25, 2012: Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut and the first person to walk upon the Moon, dies at age 82.

October 12, 2012: The retired US Space Shuttle Endeavour arrives at its final destination in a museum in Los Angeles after its journey was delayed due to trees, street lights, power lines and other such objects being in the way of its path.

Endeavor on its 12-mile journey from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center

October 29, 2012: Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge slams into the Eastern seaboard and causes destruction especially in the states of New Jersey and New York. In addition to record flooding damage along the Jersey Shore in Atlantic City and Seaside Heights, the superstorm causes almost 50 deaths in the states and leaves more than 8 million customers (all of Lower Manhattan, 65% of New Jersey, and many more) without electricity.

November 6, 2012: Barack Obama is reelected President of the United States, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

December 14, 2012: Twenty-seven people, including twenty children, are killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. It is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

December 21, 2012: The end of the Mayan calendar, or the end of the world as some believed, is observed with little to no consequence. Many people believed that the Mayan Calendar marked the end of the world when the calendar stopped. The world did not end however, and there were no catastrophic incidents to report.

Popular films released in 2012 include The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hobbit, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, and Lincoln.