World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

21st century

  1. July 4, 2012★★★★★

    Discovery of the Higgs boson announced

    CERN announces that the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider have observed a particle consistent with the Higgs boson.

    Science· Switzerland, France
  2. 2013 – 2016★★★★★

    West African Ebola epidemic

    The largest Ebola outbreak in history, centred on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, killed more than 11,000 people.

    Disease· Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone
  3. October 4, 2013★★★★★

    Death of Võ Nguyên Giáp

    General Võ Nguyên Giáp, commander at Điện Biên Phủ, dies in Hanoi aged 102.

    Death· Vietnam
  4. December 5, 2013★★★★★

    Death of Nelson Mandela

    Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first Black president and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died in Johannesburg at the age of 95.

    Death· South Africa
  5. March 18, 2014★★★★★

    Russia annexes Crimea

    After seizing the peninsula and holding an internationally unrecognised referendum, Russia annexes Ukraine's Crimea.

    PoliticsWar· Ukraine, Russia
  6. June 29, 2014★★★★★

    ISIS proclaims a caliphate

    The Islamic State group proclaims a 'caliphate' over territory seized in Iraq and Syria; it loses nearly all of it by 2017–2019.

    WarPolitics· Iraq, Syria
  7. April 25, 2015★★★★★

    2015 Nepal earthquake

    A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes central Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley.

    Disaster· Nepal, India, China
  8. September 14, 2015★★★★★

    First detection of gravitational waves

    The LIGO detectors record gravitational waves from two merging black holes, confirming a prediction of general relativity; the result is announced in February 2016.

    Science· United States
  9. June 23, 2016★★★★★

    Brexit referendum

    Voters in the United Kingdom choose, by about 52 per cent, to leave the European Union.

    Politics· United Kingdom
  10. November 25, 2016★★★★★

    Death of Fidel Castro

    Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution who ruled Cuba for nearly half a century, dies in Havana.

    Death· Cuba
  11. 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
  14. September 15, 2020★★★★★

    Abraham Accords

    Israel signs US-brokered agreements normalising relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

    Treaty· Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, United States
  15. 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
  16. February 1, 2021★★★★★

    2021 Myanmar coup d'état

    Myanmar's military overthrows the civilian government and detains Aung San Suu Kyi, leading to mass protests and civil war.

    Politics· Myanmar
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. September 8, 2022★★★★★

    Death of Queen Elizabeth II

    Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history at over 70 years, dies at Balmoral Castle and is succeeded by Charles III.

    DeathDynasty· United Kingdom
  21. 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
  23. October 7, 2023★★★★★

    7 October attack and the Gaza war

    A Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 begins a war in the Gaza Strip, causing very heavy casualties and a severe humanitarian crisis.

    War· Israel, Palestine
  24. July 19, 2024★★★★★

    Death of Nguyễn Phú Trọng

    Nguyễn Phú Trọng, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, dies in office.

    DeathPolitics· Vietnam
  25. September 7, 2024★★★★★

    Typhoon Yagi strikes northern Vietnam

    Typhoon Yagi makes landfall near Quảng Ninh and Haiphong, causing floods and landslides that kill hundreds in northern Vietnam.

    Disaster· Vietnam
  26. December 8, 2024★★★★★

    Fall of the Assad regime

    Opposition forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham enter Damascus; Bashar al-Assad leaves Syria, ending over 50 years of Assad family rule.

    WarPolitics· Syria
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