Timeline

21st century

1. April 10, 2019★★★★★

   First image of a black hole released

   The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration releases the first direct image of a black hole, at the centre of the galaxy M87.

   Science
2. March 11, 2020★★★★★

   WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic

   The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic.

   Disease
3. December 8, 2020★★★★★

   First approved COVID-19 vaccination

   The United Kingdom gives the first doses of the fully authorised Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, beginning a global vaccination campaign.

   ScienceDisease· United Kingdom
4. December 25, 2021★★★★★

   Launch of the James Webb Space Telescope

   The James Webb Space Telescope, a NASA–ESA–CSA collaboration, is launched from French Guiana to observe the early universe in infrared.

   ScienceTechnology· United States, France
5. February 24, 2022★★★★★

   Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine

   Russia launches a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, starting the largest war in Europe since the Second World War and displacing millions of people.

   War· Ukraine, Russia
6. November 30, 2022★★★★★

   OpenAI releases ChatGPT

   OpenAI releases the chatbot ChatGPT, which quickly reaches hundreds of millions of users and drives a wave of generative artificial intelligence.

   Technology· United States