2020
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- Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing all on board;
- The Malian Armed Forces overthrow the Government of Mali during the Malian coup d'état;
- A missile attack causes destruction in Ganja during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War;
- A man on a burned-out car observes damage from protests following the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin;
- The aftermath of an airstrike on Mekelle during the Tigray War in Ethiopia;
- Destruction in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, following an accidental explosion of ammonium nitrate that killed 218 people;
- Mourners gather for the funeral of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani after he was assassinated by a drone strike;
- A colorized transmission electron micrograph of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, which infected billions and killed millions of people worldwide.
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2020 (MMXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2020th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 20th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 1st year of the 2020s decade.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global social, societal and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns, and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s.[1] Geospatial World also called 2020 "the worst year in terms of climate change" in part due to major climate disasters worldwide, including major bushfires in Australia and the western United States, as well as extreme tropical cyclone activity affecting large parts of North America.[2] A United Nations progress report published in December 2020 indicated that none of the international Sustainable Development Goals for 2020 were achieved.[3]
The year also saw the rise of social protests and activism amidst the ongoing pandemic. The murder of George Floyd was widely condemned and lead to worldwide protests and unrest that lasted until 2023. In addition, elections commenced in numerous nations in 2020. Most notably, the 2020 U.S. presidential election where Democrat and eventual 46th president Joe Biden won against incumbent Republican Donald Trump. Trump refused to concede the presidency, leading directly into an attack on the US Capitol early the following year.
Time magazine used its sixth ever X cover to declare 2020 "the worst year ever," although the cover article itself did not go as far, instead saying, "There have been worse years in U.S. history, and certainly worse years in world history, but most of us alive today have seen nothing like this one."[4]
Health
[edit]The outbreak of COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It spread to other areas of Asia, and then worldwide in early 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January, and assessed the outbreak had become a pandemic on 11 March.[5]
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- January 1
- Croatia begins its term in the presidency of the European Union.[6]
- Flash floods struck Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 66 people in the worst flooding in over a decade.[7]
- January 2 – The Royal Australian Air Force and Navy are deployed to New South Wales and Victoria to assist mass evacuation efforts amidst the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.[8][9]
- January 3 – A United States drone strike at Baghdad International Airport kills ten people, including the intended target, an Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.[10]
- January 5
- Second Libyan Civil War: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the deployment of Turkish troops to Libya on behalf of the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord.[11]
- 2019–20 Croatian presidential election: The second round of voting is held, and Zoran Milanović of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia defeats incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.[12]
- January 8
- Iran launches ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. soldiers, injuring over 100 personnel.[13]
- Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iranian forces shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board.[14]
- January 9
- A rare, circumbinary planet called TOI 1338-b is discovered.[15]
- Islamic State militants in the Greater Sahara assaulted a Nigerien military base in the battle of Chinagodrar, killing at least 89 Nigerien soldiers.[16]
- January 10 – Haitham bin Tariq succeeds Qaboos bin Said as the Sultan of Oman.[17][18]
- January 11 – Presidential and legislative elections are held in Taiwan. Incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen is reelected, and the Democratic Progressive Party wins a majority of 67 out of 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan.[19][20][21]
- January 12 – The Taal Volcano in the Philippines has had its first major eruption since 1977.[22]
- January 16 – The first impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, begins in the U.S. Senate. He was acquitted on February 5.[23]
- January 18 – Yemeni Civil War: 111 Yemeni soldiers and five civilians are killed in a drone and missile attack on a military camp near Maʼrib.[24]
- January 20 – COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese authorities publicly confirm human-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.[25]
- January 22 – The Hellenic Parliament elects Katerina Sakellaropoulou as president of Greece.[26][27]
- January 23 – COVID-19 pandemic: The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, is quarantined, with all scheduled public transport services and intercity flights halted.[28][29]
- January 26
- The 2020 Peruvian parliamentary election is held to elect all 130 members of the Congress of the Republic of Peru.[30]
- 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash: Nine people are killed in an accident in Calabasas, California, including retired basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna; cause later attributed to heavy fog.[31]
- January 29 – U.S. President Donald Trump signs the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, a North American trade agreement set to replace NAFTA.[32]
- January 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern, the sixth time that this measure has been invoked since 2009.[33]
- January 31 – The United Kingdom and Gibraltar formally withdraw from the European Union, beginning an 11-month transition period.[34]
February
[edit]- February 6 – Livraga derailment: A Frecciarossa high-speed train traveling from Milan to Salerno derailed in Livraga, Lombardy, Italy. Two people were killed, and 31 were injured.[35]
- February 8 – The 2020 Irish general election is held to elect 160 members of the 33rd Dáil, the lower house of the Oireachtas.[36][37]
- February 11 – The COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization (WHO) names the disease COVID-19.[38]
- February 13 – NASA publishes a detailed study of Arrokoth, the most distant body ever explored by a spacecraft.[39]
- February 19 – Hanau shootings: Eleven people are killed and five injured in a terrorist shooting spree by a far-right extremist targeting shisha bars in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Germany.[40]
- February 24 – The Pakatan Harapan coalition government of Malaysia collapses and is replaced by the Perikatan Nasional coalition. Muhyiddin Yassin becomes the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia on March 1.[41]
- February 27 – 2020 stock market crash: Triggered by fears of the spreading of COVID-19, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges by 1,190.95 points, or 4.4%, to close at 25,766.64, its largest one-day point decline at the time. This follows several days of large falls, marking the worst week for the index since the 2008 financial crisis.[42]
- February 28 – Syrian Civil War: NATO expresses solidarity with Turkey after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by pro-Syrian government forces.[43]
- February 29
- A conditional peace agreement is signed between the United States and the Taliban. The U.S. begins gradually withdrawing combat troops from Afghanistan on March 10.[44][45]
- Barquisimeto shooting: During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.[46][47]
March
[edit]- March 2 – The Yahoo! Time capsule, dating from 2006, is opened.[48][49]
- March 5 – The International Criminal Court authorizes the Afghanistan War Crimes inquiry to proceed, reportedly allowing for the first time for U.S. citizens to be investigated.[50]
- March 9
- COVID-19 pandemic: Italy becomes the first country to implement a nationwide quarantine in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.[51][52]
- International share prices fall sharply in response to a Russo-Saudi oil price war and the impact of COVID-19. The DJIA plunges more than 2,000 points, the largest fall in its history up to that point.[53] Oil prices also plunged by as much as 30% in early trading, the biggest fall since 1991.[54][55]
- March 11
- COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.[56]
- March 12 – Global stock markets crashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the United States travel ban on the Schengen Area. The DJIA goes into free fall, closing at over −2,300 points, the worst loss for the index since 1987.[57]
- March 13
- COVID-19 pandemic
- Formula 1, the FIA and the local race organisers announced the postponements of the season opening 2020 Australian Grand Prix due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[58] The race would be subsequently cancelled and the season wouldn't start until July.
- The government of Nepal announces that Mount Everest will be closed to climbers and the public for the rest of the season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.[59]
- COVID-19 pandemic
- March 16 – The DJIA falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%.[60]
- March 17
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- The European Union's external and Schengen borders are closed for at least 30 days in an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.[61]
- The Euro 2020 and 2020 Copa América association football tournaments are postponed until the summer of 2021 by UEFA and CONMEBOL, respectively.[62][63]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- March 18
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 is cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe, the first cancellation in the contest's 64-year history.[64]
- The Solidarity Trial, a WHO-sponsored clinical trial dedicated to finding a cure against COVID-19, is announced.[65]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- March 20
- COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 10,000 as the total number of cases reaches a quarter of a million.[66]
- The Bhadla Solar Park is commissioned and becomes the world's largest solar park.[67]
- March 24
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- India and the United Kingdom go into lockdown to contain COVID-19. The total number of people in the world facing some form of pandemic-related movement restriction now exceeds 2.6 billion, a third of the global population.[68]
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reports that the domestically transmitted epidemic is now under control.[69] Two days later, China temporarily suspends entry for foreign nationals with visas or residence permits, effective midnight on March 28.[70]
- The International Olympic Committee and Japan postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021. On March 30, the Summer Olympics will be rescheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021.[71][72]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- March 26
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed.[73] The U.S. surpasses China and Italy in the total number of known COVID-19 cases, with at least 81,321 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.[74]
- Militants in the Philippines, Syria, Yemen, and Libya agree to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' call for a ceasefire; some accept medical aid for themselves and civilians in their communities. Colombia and Venezuela discuss a common response to the global pandemic, and the UAE airlifts aid to Iran.[75]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- March 27 – North Macedonia becomes the 30th country to join NATO.[76]
- March 28 – The region of Uusimaa (with the capital city Helsinki) is temporarily isolated from the rest of Finland due to increased COVID-19 infections.[77]
- March 30 – 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war: The price of Brent Crude falls 9% to $23 per barrel, the lowest level since November 2002.[78]
April
[edit]- April 1
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- China reports 130 asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, its first reported asymptomatic cases.[79]
- Yemen's internationally recognised government releases more than 470 of its prisoners amid concerns of the spread of the virus in Yemen's overcrowded jails. The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for the release of all political prisoners.[80]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- April 2 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 1 million worldwide.[81]
- April 5 – COVID-19 pandemic: The first case of COVID-19 in a zoo animal is reported: a four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.[82]
- April 6 – The United States designates the Russian Imperial Movement as a terrorist organization and imposes sanctions on its leaders; it is the first white supremacist group the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization.[83]
- April 7 – COVID-19 pandemic: Japan declares a state of emergency in response to COVID-19 and finalises a stimulus package worth 108 trillion yen (US$990 billion), equal to 20% of the country's GDP.[84]
- April 8 – COVID-19 pandemic: The Saudi–led coalition declares a unilateral ceasefire in its operations against Houthi forces in Yemen in accordance with United Nations-led efforts.[85]
- April 10
- Kivu Ebola epidemic: The Democratic Republic of the Congo reports the first case of Ebola since February 2020. The outbreak has killed more than 2,200 people since August 2018.[86]
- The ESA/JAXA space probe BepiColombo makes its final gravity assist around Earth and begins to depart for Venus, where it will make several gravity assist maneuvers before finally arriving at Mercury in 2025.[87]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- The death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 100,000 globally, a ten-fold increase from March 20.[88]
- EU finance ministers agree on a €540 billion loan package to alleviate the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.[89]
- April 12
- COVID-19 pandemic: Pope Francis livestreams the Urbi et Orbi blessing for Easter; it is the second blessing in a month, with the first taking place on March 27 during a special prayer service for the end of the pandemic.[90]
- OPEC and allies strike a deal to cut oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day, the largest such cut agreed upon, starting May 1.[91]
- April 14
- COVID-19 pandemic
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it expects the world economy to shrink 3%, the worst contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s.[92]
- U.S. president Donald Trump announces that the U.S. will suspend funding towards the World Health Organization (WHO) pending an investigation of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship with China.[93]
- COVID-19 pandemic
- April 15
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 2 million worldwide.[94]
- The 2020 Tour de France is delayed until August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[95]
- The 2020 South Korean legislative election is held to elect all 300 members of the National Assembly of South Korea and the Democratic Party of Korea-Platform Party alliance wins 180 out of 300 seats.[96]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- April 17
- The China Securities Regulatory Commission approves a transaction in which Switzerland's Credit Suisse will take a majority interest in a China securities firm, making Credit Suisse the first foreign bank to own a majority of such a company since the easing of foreign ownership rules in 2018.[97]
- COVID-19 pandemic:
- China revises the COVID-19 death toll in Wuhan upward, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country's reported COVID-19 deaths to 4,632.[98]
- Europe surpasses 100,000 COVID-19-related deaths.[99]
- The U.N. Human Rights Office accuses Myanmar of carrying out daily airstrikes in the Rakhine and Chin states and that at least 32 civilians have been killed since March 23. The separatist Arakan Army unilaterally declared a month-long ceasefire to fight the pandemic, but the military rejected the ceasefire claiming a previous ceasefire had been reneged by the insurgents.[100]
- April 18 – 44 suspected Boko Haram members are found dead, apparently due to poisoning, inside a prison in N'Djamena, Chad.[101]
- April 19 – COVID-19 pandemic: Unrest breaks out in Paris, Berlin and Vladikavkaz as opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns continues.[102]
- April 20
- Oil prices reach a record low, with West Texas Intermediate falling into negative values.[103]
- The Industrial Bank of Korea agrees to pay