It was a swashbuckling tale of skulduggery and heroism on the high seas made all the more gripping by the fact that it happened as the world watched. After Somali pirates took control of Captain Richard Phillips' cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, he and his crew fought back, taking one of the brigands captive. As the U.S. Navy destroyer Bainbridge steamed to the rescue, Phillips, an American who had lectured on anti-piracy tactics at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, offered himself up as a bargaining chip in exchange for the freedom of his 19 crew members. The Somalis took the deal, absconding with the 53-year-old in a lifeboat. Bad move. The kidnapping launched a five-day standoff between the tiny lifeboat and the Bainbridge that ended with a tactic right out of a Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster: Navy SEAL snipers positioned on the destroyer's fantail killed Phillips' three captors with three shots, at dusk and in choppy waters. Phillips was rescued and within hours was on his way back to his family. "The real heroes are the Navy, the SEALs," he was quoted as saying. "Those who have brought me home."
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists