World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

20th century

  1. April 7, 1994 – July 15, 1994★★★★★

    Rwandan genocide

    Over about 100 days, Hutu extremist forces killed hundreds of thousands of Tutsi, as well as moderate Hutu and Twa, until the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of the country.

    War· Rwanda
  2. April 27, 1994★★★★★

    South Africa's first multiracial election

    South Africa held its first election with universal suffrage across all races; the ANC won and Nelson Mandela became president, marking the end of apartheid.

    Politics· South Africa
  3. July 11, 1995★★★★★

    Srebrenica massacre

    After capturing Srebrenica, Bosnian Serb forces kill more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys; international courts have ruled it a genocide.

    WarDeath· Bosnia and Herzegovina
  5. July 28, 1995★★★★★

    Vietnam joins ASEAN

    Vietnam becomes the seventh member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

    PoliticsTreaty· Vietnam
  6. December 14, 1995★★★★★

    Dayton Agreement

    A peace agreement negotiated in Dayton, United States, is formally signed in Paris, ending the Bosnian War.

    Treaty· Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, United States
  8. July 5, 1996★★★★★

    Birth of Dolly the sheep

    Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, is born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

    Science· United Kingdom
  9. July 1, 1997★★★★★

    Handover of Hong Kong

    Britain transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to China under the 'one country, two systems' principle.

    PoliticsTreaty· Hong Kong, China, United Kingdom
  10. April 10, 1998★★★★★

    Good Friday Agreement

    The British and Irish governments and Northern Ireland's parties sign a peace agreement, ending most of the violence of the Troubles.

    Treaty· United Kingdom, Ireland
  11. May 11, 1998★★★★★

    India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests

    India conducts a series of nuclear weapons tests at Pokhran; Pakistan responds with its own tests later that month.

    TechnologyPolitics· India, Pakistan
  12. May 21, 1998★★★★★

    Fall of Suharto

    Amid the Asian financial crisis and mass protests, President Suharto resigns after 31 years in power, opening Indonesia's Reformasi era.

    PoliticsRevolution· Indonesia
  13. August 2, 1998 – July 18, 2003★★★★★

    Second Congo War

    War in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drew in the armies of numerous African states; the fighting and associated famine and disease caused millions of deaths.

    War· DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia
  14. September 4, 1998★★★★★

    Google is founded

    Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporate Google, which becomes the world's most widely used search engine.

    TechnologyEconomy· United States
  17. December 20, 1999★★★★★

    Handover of Macau

    Portugal transfers sovereignty over Macau to China, ending more than four centuries of Portuguese presence.

    Politics· Macau, China, Portugal
  18. June 13, 2000 – June 15, 2000★★★★★

    First inter-Korean summit

    South Korean President Kim Dae-jung meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.

    Politics· South Korea, North Korea

21st century

  1. January 15, 2001★★★★★

    Wikipedia is launched

    Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launch Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers.

    TechnologyCulture· United States
  2. June 1, 2001★★★★★

    Nepalese royal massacre

    Crown Prince Dipendra shoots King Birendra and several other members of the royal family at Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu.

    DeathPolitics· Nepal
  3. September 11, 2001★★★★★

    September 11 attacks

    Al-Qaeda hijackers attack New York and Washington with four airliners, killing nearly 3,000 people.

    DisasterPolitics· United States
  4. January 1, 2002★★★★★

    Euro banknotes and coins enter circulation

    Euro cash enters circulation in twelve European Union countries, replacing national currencies such as the franc, the Deutsche Mark and the lira.

    Economy· Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain
  5. May 20, 2002★★★★★

    Independence of Timor-Leste

    Following the 1999 referendum and a period of UN administration, East Timor becomes an independent state.

    Politics· Timor-Leste, Indonesia
  6. July 9, 2002★★★★★

    African Union launched

    The African Union was formally launched in Durban, replacing the Organisation of African Unity.

    Politics· South Africa
  7. March 20, 2003 – December 2011★★★★★

    Iraq War

    A US-led coalition invades Iraq and topples Saddam Hussein, beginning a long period of occupation and conflict.

    War· Iraq, United States, United Kingdom
  8. April 14, 2003★★★★★

    Human Genome Project completed

    The Human Genome Project announces it has sequenced the vast majority of the human genome.

    Science· United States, United Kingdom
  9. February 4, 2004★★★★★

    Facebook is launched

    Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students launch the social network Facebook at Harvard; it later reaches billions of users.

    TechnologyCulture· United States
  10. May 1, 2004★★★★★

    European Union admits ten new members

    In its largest enlargement, the EU admits ten countries, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states.

    Politics· Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
  11. December 26, 2004★★★★★

    Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

    A magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggers tsunamis that kill around 230,000 people across many countries.

    Disaster· Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand
  12. August 29, 2005★★★★★

    Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans

    Hurricane Katrina strikes the US Gulf Coast, breaching New Orleans' levees and killing more than 1,300 people.

    Disaster· United States
  13. October 9, 2006★★★★★

    North Korea's first nuclear test

    North Korea conducts its first underground nuclear test, drawing UN Security Council condemnation and sanctions.

    TechnologyWar· North Korea
  14. January 9, 2007★★★★★

    Apple unveils the iPhone

    Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone, accelerating the era of touchscreen smartphones.

    Technology· United States
  16. December 27, 2007★★★★★

    Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

    Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority country, is killed in an attack in Rawalpindi.

    DeathPolitics· Pakistan
  17. April 2008★★★★★

    Launch of VINASAT-1

    Vietnam's first communications satellite is launched into orbit.

    Technology· Vietnam
  18. May 28, 2008★★★★★

    Nepal abolishes the monarchy

    Nepal's Constituent Assembly votes to abolish the Shah monarchy and declares a federal democratic republic.

    Politics· Nepal
  19. August 2008★★★★★

    Expansion of Hanoi

    Hà Tây province and several neighbouring districts are merged into Hanoi, roughly tripling the capital's area.

    Politics· Vietnam
  20. August 2008★★★★★

    Russo-Georgian War

    A brief war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia; Russia afterwards recognises both regions as independent states.

    War· Georgia, Russia
  21. August 8, 2008 – August 24, 2008★★★★★

    2008 Beijing Olympics

    Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games for the first time, opening on 8 August 2008.

    Culture· China
  22. October 31, 2008★★★★★

    Bitcoin white paper published

    A person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto publishes the white paper describing Bitcoin, the first decentralised cryptocurrency.

    TechnologyEconomy
  23. November 4, 2008★★★★★

    Barack Obama elected US President

    Barack Obama wins the presidential election, becoming the first African American elected to the office.

    Politics· United States
  24. January 12, 2010★★★★★

    2010 Haiti earthquake

    A magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastates Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region, killing hundreds of thousands of people.

    Disaster· Haiti
  25. December 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011★★★★★

    Tunisian Revolution begins the Arab Spring

    The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi sparks protests that force President Ben Ali to flee, spreading into the Arab Spring.

    Revolution· Tunisia
  26. January 25, 2011 – February 11, 2011★★★★★

    Egyptian Revolution of 2011

    Mass protests centred on Tahrir Square force President Hosni Mubarak to resign after nearly 30 years in power.

    Revolution· Egypt
  27. February 2011 – October 2011★★★★★

    Libyan Civil War (2011)

    An uprising, backed by NATO military intervention, overthrows Muammar Gaddafi, who is killed in October 2011.

    WarRevolution· Libya
  28. March 11, 2011★★★★★

    Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

    A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan kill nearly 20,000 people and trigger the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

    Disaster· Japan
  29. March 15, 2011★★★★★

    Syrian civil war

    Protests against Bashar al-Assad's government are suppressed and escalate into a multi-sided civil war, causing a major refugee crisis.

    War· Syria
  30. July 9, 2011★★★★★

    South Sudan becomes independent

    Following a 2011 referendum, South Sudan seceded from Sudan and became the newest UN-recognised country.

    Politics· South Sudan, Sudan
  31. 2012★★★★★

    CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing described

    Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier show how CRISPR-Cas9 can cut DNA at chosen sites, launching a revolution in gene editing.

    Science· United States
Timeline · World History Timeline