On Oct. 15, the U.S. sat transfixed as a silver Mylar balloon, believed to contain 6-year-old Falcon Heene, soared out of control through the skies above Fort Collins, Colo. Falcon's father Richard Heene, an amateur storm chaser and aspiring reality-TV star, told authorities that his son had accidentally climbed inside the balloon, which the family had been constructing in the backyard, and set it aloft. After the balloon touched down empty near Colorado Springs and Falcon was discovered hiding in the attic of the family's home, skeptics were quick to suggest that the Heenes had purposely unleashed the balloon and concocted the tale to kindle publicity for a reality-TV series they were gearing up to pitch. The plot was undone by Falcon's candor in a surreal appearance on CNN's Larry King Live. When fill-in anchor Wolf Blitzer asked the boy why he'd hid, Falcon turned to his parents and mumbled, "You guys said we did it for the show." The scam soon unraveled, much to the chagrin of the Heenes and of peeved Colorado authorities, who spent more than $60,000 chasing the craft. On Nov. 13, Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public official, while his wife copped to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false report.
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