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2023

The year 2023 saw the decline in severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the WHO (World Health Organization) ending its global health emergency status in May. Catastrophic natural disasters included the fifth-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead, Cyclone Freddy – the longest-lasting recorded tropical cyclone in history – leading to over 1,400 deaths in Malawi and Mozambique, Storm Daniel, which became the deadliest cyclone worldwide since Cyclone Nargis after killing at least 11,000 people in Libya, a major 6.8 magnitude earthquake striking western Morocco, killing 2,960 people, and a 6.3 magnitude quadruple earthquake striking western Afghanistan, killing over 1,400 people.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and Myanmar civil war continued in 2023, and a series of coups, several armed conflicts, and political crises broke out in numerous African nations, most notably a war in Sudan. A major escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict occurred in October when Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, led an attack on Israel, leading the latter to declare war on Hamas. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ended after over 100,000 Armenians fled the region after an Azeri military invasion.

A banking crisis resulted in the collapse of numerous American regional banks as well as the buyout of Credit Suisse by UBS in Switzerland. The two largest American banks to collapse were Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank, two of the three largest banking collapses in US history. The most notable of numerous acquisitions in various industries included October's energy acquisitions with ExxonMobil and Chevron buying Pioneer Natural Resources and Hess respectively, the luxury fashion holding company Tapestry (Coach New York and Kate Spade New York) announcing its purchase of Capri Holdings (Michael Kors and Versace), and the closure of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

In the realm of technology, 2023 saw the continued rise of generative AI models, with increasing applications across various industries. These models, leveraging advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, had become capable of creating realistic and coherent text, images, and music. An AI arms race between private companies has continued since the late 2010s, with Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google owner Alphabet today most dominant among firms.

January

 * January 1 – Croatia adopts the euro and joins the Schengen Area, becoming the 20th member state of the Eurozone and the 27th member of the Schengen Area. This is the first enlargement of the Eurozone since Lithuania's entry in 2015, and the first enlargement of the Schengen Area since Liechtenstein's entry in 2011.
 * January 5 – The funeral of Pope Benedict XVI is held at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City. The funeral was attended by an estimated 50,000 people.
 * January 8
 * The 2023 Beninese parliamentary election is held, with the Progressive Union for Renewal party winning a plurality of seats.
 * Following the 2022 Brazilian general election and the inauguration of Lula da Silva as president of Brazil, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro storm the Brazilian National Congress, the Supreme Federal Court and the Presidential Palace of Planalto.
 * January 9 – Juliaca massacre: At least 18 people are killed and over 100 others are injured when the Peruvian National Police fire upon demonstrations in Juliaca.
 * January 10–17 – A cold snap in Afghanistan kills 166 people and nearly 80,000 livestock.
 * January 15 – Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes during final approach into Pokhara, Nepal, killing all 72 people on board.
 * January 16 – Tigray War: Amharan Special Forces withdraw from the Tigray Region in line with an African Union-backed peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
 * January 17 – Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigns as President of Vietnam amid several recent scandals in the government.
 * January 18 – A helicopter crash in Brovary near Kyiv, Ukraine kills 14 people including Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky.
 * January 20 – The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago elects former senate president, minister and lawyer Christine Kangaloo as president in a 48–22 vote.
 * January 21
 * Burkina Faso requests French forces to withdraw from its territory after suspending a military accord that allowed the presence of French troops in the country.
 * Tigray War: Eritrean forces withdraw from Shire and other major towns in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.
 * January 25 – Chris Hipkins succeeds Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister of New Zealand, six days after she announced her resignation.
 * January 27 – Widespread unrest erupts in Israel following an Israeli military raid in Jenin the previous day which killed nine Palestinians. Incendiary air balloons are launched into Israeli-populated areas following it. Israel responds with targeted airstrikes. Later the same day, seven Jewish civilians are killed in a synagogue in Neve Yaakov in a terrorist attack.
 * January 27–28 – The second round of the 2023 Czech presidential election is held, with Petr Pavel declared winner.
 * January 30
 * A Jamaat-ul-Ahrar suicide bombing inside a mosque in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, kills 84 people and injures over 220 others.
 * Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka confirms that Kiribati will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum after leaving the organization the previous year.

February

 * February 1 – Lebanese liquidity crisis: The central bank of Lebanon devalues the Lebanese pound by 90% amid an ongoing financial crisis.
 * February 2
 * Israel and Sudan announce the finalization of an agreement to normalize relations between the two countries.
 * The European Central Bank and Bank of England raise their interest rates by 0.5 percentage points to combat inflation, one day after the US Federal Reserve raises its federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage points.
 * February 3
 * The US announces it is tracking alleged Chinese spy balloons over the Americas, later announcing that the balloons did not collect any information. One balloon drifts from Yukon to South Carolina before being shot down the next day, and a second hovers over Colombia and Brazil. This event is followed by subsequent detections and shootdowns of high-altitude objects elsewhere.
 * A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derails in East Palestine, Ohio. Multiple train cars burn for more than two days, followed by emergency crews conducting a controlled burn of several additional cars, releasing hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the atmosphere.
 * February 5
 * The 2023 Cypriot presidential election is held, with Nikos Christodoulides elected president.
 * Cyclone Freddy forms in the Indian Ocean. It would become the longest lasting tropical cyclone in history and cause over 1,400 deaths and countless injuries and property damage across southeastern Africa.
 * February 6 – A 7.8 earthquake strikes southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria followed by a 7.7  aftershock on the same day, causing widespread damage and at more than 59,000 fatalities and 121,000 injured.
 * February 13 – The 2023 Bangladeshi presidential election scheduled for 19 February is held, with Shahabuddin Chuppu of the Awami League, the only nominated candidate, elected unopposed.
 * February 14 – The European Parliament approves a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035, citing the need to combat climate change in Europe and promote electric vehicles.
 * February 16 – Lawmakers in the Russian State Duma vote to withdraw Russia from 21 conventions of the Council of Europe.
 * February 17 – The South African Navy hosts a ten-day joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean with Russia and China.
 * February 19 – Libyan Crisis: The African Union announces the organization of a peace conference to address the instability in Libya.
 * February 21 – Vladimir Putin announces that Russia is suspending its participation in New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US.
 * February 23 – Oman opens its airspace to Israeli airlines for the first time, in an upgrade of bilateral relations.
 * February 25 – 2023 Nigerian general election: Bola Tinubu is elected as Nigeria's president, defeating former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
 * February 27 – The United Kingdom and the European Union reach an agreement surrounding modifications to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
 * February 28 – A train crash in Thessaly, Greece, kills 57 people and injures dozens. The crash leads to nationwide protests and strikes against the condition of Greek railways and their mismanagement.

March

 * March 2 – The National Assembly of Vietnam declares Võ Văn Thưởng as the country's new president after receiving 98.38% votes from the Vietnamese parliament.
 * March 4
 * UN member states agree on a legal framework for the High Seas Treaty, which aims to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
 * Kivu conflict: Burundi deploys 100 troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help fight insurgencies by militias, including M23.
 * March 5 – The 2023 Estonian parliamentary election is held, with two centre-right liberal parties gaining an absolute majority for the first time.
 * March 8–21 – The 2023 World Baseball Classic is held in, and won by, Japan.
 * March 8 – Allied Democratic Forces jihadist insurgents use machetes to kill about 35 people in the village of Mukondi, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
 * March 10
 * The 2023 Chinese presidential election is held with the National People's Congress unanimously re-electing Xi Jinping as the President of the People's Republic of China to an unprecedented third term.
 * Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to resume diplomatic relations which were severed in 2016, at talks mediated by China.
 * Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest bank in the United States, fails, creating then the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis, affecting companies around the world.
 * Kivu conflict: Angola announces the deployment of troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following the failure of a ceasefire between government forces and M23 rebels in North Kivu.
 * March 14 – OpenAI launches GPT-4, a large language model for ChatGPT, which can respond to images and can process up to 25,000 words.
 * March 17 – The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights, marking the first arrest warrant against a leader of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
 * March 19 – In a deal brokered by the Swiss government, investment bank UBS agrees to buy Credit Suisse for CHF 3 billion (US$3.2 billion) in an all-stock deal.
 * March 20 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases the synthesis report of its Sixth Assessment Report on climate change.
 * March 23 – World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics, bans trans women who have gone through male puberty from competing in female events.
 * March 24–27 – A tornado outbreak kills at least 26 people in Mississippi and Alabama. This includes a violent tornado which devastated the city of Rolling Fork and the town of Silver City in Mississippi, killing 16 people and injuring 165 others.
 * March 26
 * Honduras switches its formal diplomatic recognition of "China" from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China.
 * 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests: Large-scale spontaneous protests erupt across Israel in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing his defense minister who criticized the government's judicial overhaul plan.
 * March 29
 * Brazil and China sign an agreement to trade in their own currencies, ceasing the usage of the United States dollar as an intermediary.
 * Burkina Faso formally resumes diplomatic relations with North Korea after suspending them in 2017.
 * March 30 – The International Court of Justice rules that the United States violated its Treaty of Amity with Iran when it allowed its domestic courts to freeze assets held by Iranian companies.
 * March 31 – April 1 – A historic and widespread tornado outbreak occurs in the United States, killing 33 people, injuring more than 218 others, and caused over $5.4 billion in damage. This tornado outbreak produced 147 tornadoes, making it the third largest tornado outbreak in history.

April

 * April 2
 * The 2023 Bulgarian parliamentary election results in a GERB—SDS–PP–DB coalition government headed by Nikolai Denkov as prime minister, and ends two years of political deadlock.
 * The 2023 Montenegrin presidential election is held, with Jakov Milatović of the Europe Now! movement winning in the second round, becoming the first president not from the DPS party since the introduction of a multi-party system in 1990.
 * The 2023 Finnish parliamentary election is held, with the centre-right National Coalition led by Petteri Orpo receiving the most votes.
 * The 2023 Andorran parliamentary election is held, with the ruling Democrats for Andorra led by Prime Minister Xavier Espot winning the majority of the seats.
 * April 4 – Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO, doubling the alliance's border with Russia.
 * April 5 – Clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police happen at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
 * April 10 – Two document leaks from the Pentagon detailing foreign military aid relating to the Russian invasion of Ukraine are leaked onto the Internet.
 * April 11 – Myanmar civil war: In the village of Pazigyi, at least 165 people are killed by the Myanmar Air Force during the opening celebrations of a People's Defence Force administration office.
 * April 14 – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) to search for life in the Jovian system, with an expected arrival date of 2031.
 * April 15
 * Nuclear power in Germany ends after 50 years, with the closure of the final power plants.
 * Fighting breaks out across Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The RSF captures Khartoum International Airport, and the presidential palace in Khartoum.
 * April 19 – At least 90 people are killed and another 322 injured in a crowd crush during a Ramadan charity event in Sanaa, Yemen.
 * April 20 – SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time in a test flight from Texas. It explodes four minutes after launch.
 * April 21 – The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, representing a majority of the global Anglican population, reject the leadership of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as the head of global Anglicanism over his support for same-sex marriage.
 * April 25 – A mass cult suicide is uncovered in Shakahola forest in Kenya. 429 followers of the Good News International Ministries are found in shallow graves throughout the forest, with over 613 people missing.
 * April 29 – The 2023 Niuean general election is held and incumbent Dalton Tagelagi is re-elected as Premier of Niue.
 * April 30
 * The 2023 Paraguayan general election is held, with the Colorado Party candidate Santiago Peña being the president-elect of Paraguay, winning in a plurality.
 * The second round of the 2023 French Polynesian legislative election is held; the Tāvini Huiraʻatira party wins a majority of seats. Moetai Brotherson, Tāvini Huiraʻatira's deputy leader, is elected President of French Polynesia.

May

 * May 1 – 2023 banking crisis: San Francisco-based First Republic Bank fails and is auctioned off by the US FDIC to JPMorgan Chase for $10.7 billion. The collapse surpasses March's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to become the second largest in US history.
 * May 3 – A school shooting occurs in Belgrade, Serbia. A second mass murder occurs the next day near Mladenovac and Smederevo. These events leave 19 people dead, causing the government to increase regulations on gun ownership and mass anti-government protests to begin.
 * May 4 – A series of floods and landslides strikes villages in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in over 400 deaths.
 * May 5 – The World Health Organization ends its declaration of COVID-19 being a global health emergency, but continues to refer to it as a pandemic.
 * May 6 – The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is held in Westminster Abbey, London.
 * May 7 – Syria is readmitted into the Arab League after being suspended since 2011.
 * May 9 – Cyclone Mocha forms in the Indian Ocean, killing over 400 people and injuring over 700 as it strikes Myanmar and Bangladesh.
 * May 9–13 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is held in Liverpool, UK. Swedish contestant Loreen wins with the song "Tattoo".
 * May 11 – The World Health Organization ends its declaration of mpox being a global health emergency.
 * May 14
 * The 2023 Thai general election is held, with pro-democratic parties such as the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties gaining a majority of seats in the House of Representatives while pro-military parties such as Palang Pracharat lost seats.
 * The 49th G7 summit takes place in Hiroshima, Japan. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Japan on the second day of the summit.
 * May 21
 * The May 2023 Greek legislative election is held; the ruling New Democracy wins a plurality of seats in the Hellenic Parliament. Just days later, incumbent prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for another snap election to be held in June.
 * The 2023 East Timorese parliamentary election is held, with the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction and Fretilin parties receiving the most votes. Xanana Gusmão is elected Prime Minister of East Timor.
 * May 24 – Canada and Saudi Arabia agree to restore full diplomatic relations after a breakdown in relations in 2018 over the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
 * May 25 – Russia and Belarus sign an agreement in Minsk allowing the stationing of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.
 * May 27 – The second round of the 2023 Mauritanian parliamentary election is held, with the ruling El Insaf Party receiving the most votes.
 * May 28 – The second round of the 2023 Turkish presidential election is held; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defeats Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu with 52.18% of the vote to win a third term as president.
 * May 31 – The 2023 Latvian presidential election is held; Edgars Rinkēvičs is elected the President of Latvia.

June

 * June 2 – A train collision in Odisha, India results in at least 296 deaths and more than 1,200 others injured.
 * June 6
 * The 2023 Guinea-Bissau legislative election is held; the coalition Inclusive Alliance Platform – Terra Ranka led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, wins a majority of seats.
 * The 2023 Kuwaiti general election is held; following the annulment of the results of the 2022 snap elections by the Constitutional Court. 38 members retained their seats from the annulled 2022 session, while two returned from the dissolved 2020 session. Ten new MPs were elected for the first time.
 * Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled region of Kherson is destroyed, threatening the region with devastating floodwaters.
 * Due to smoke from wildfires in Canada, New York City in the United States is declared to have the worst air quality out of any city in the world.
 * June 11 – Honduras opens its first embassy in Beijing, China, after breaking off relations with Taiwan in March.
 * June 12 – Eritrea rejoins the Intergovernmental Authority on Development trade bloc after suspending its membership in 2007.
 * June 13 – At least 106 people are killed when a wedding boat capsizes on the Niger River in Kwara State, Nigeria.
 * June 14
 * Scientists report the creation of the first synthetic human embryo from stem cells, without the need for sperm or egg cells.
 * At least 82 people die and 500 are reported missing after a boat carrying migrants capsizes off the coast of the Peloponnese.
 * June 18 – Titan submersible implosion: All five crew members of Titan, a deep-sea submersible exploring the wreck of the Titanic, are killed following a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.
 * June 19
 * The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopts the High Seas Treaty, the first treaty aimed towards marine conservation in international waters.
 * Qatar and the United Arab Emirates announce that they will restore diplomatic relations after relations were suspended during the Qatar diplomatic crisis.
 * June 20 – At least 46 people are killed after a riot between MS-13 and Barrio 18 gang members at a women's prison near Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
 * June 23 – Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Wagner Group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, begins an armed conflict with the Russian military, seizing the city of Rostov-on-Don and portions of the Voronezh Oblast before withdrawing the next day, after a peace agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
 * June 25 – The June 2023 Greek legislative election is held; Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes prime minister after his centre-right party, New Democracy, wins a majority of seats in the Greek parliament.
 * June 28 – The 2023 Sierra Leonean general election is held; Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party is re-elected president.
 * June 30 – The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to end MINUSMA, its peacekeeping mission in Mali.

July

 * July 3
 * Indian oil refiners start payments for Russian oil imports in Chinese yuan as an alternative to the US dollar due to increasing sanctions against Russia.
 * In the largest incursion by Israel into the West Bank since the Second Intifada, the Israeli military deploys ground forces and armed drones into the Jenin camp, killing 13 and injuring more than 100. An attack claimed by Hamas as retaliation for the incursion, occurs in Tel Aviv the following day, injuring nine.
 * July 4 – Iran joins the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, becoming the organization's ninth member.
 * July 8 – In the Netherlands, the governing coalition collapses and Prime Minister Mark Rutte announces his upcoming resignation.
 * July 9
 * The 2023 Uzbek presidential election is held; Shavkat Mirziyoyev is re-elected president of Uzbekistan.
 * New Zealand signs a free trade agreement with the European Union, increasing bilateral trade.
 * July 10
 * China and the Solomon Islands sign a cooperation agreement between the People's Police and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in an upgrade of bilateral relations.
 * The European Commission and the U.S. government sign a new data communication agreement aimed at resolving legal uncertainties that European and American companies face when transferring personal data.
 * July 13 – Pita Limjaroenrat fails to become Prime Minister of Thailand in a National Assembly vote after forming a coalition with pro-democracy parties following the 2023 Thai general election.
 * July 14 – SAG-AFTRA announces it will begin a strike against the major film and TV studios in protest of low compensation, ownership of work, and generative AI.
 * July 19 – Typhoon Doksuri forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean, going on to kill 137 people in Southeast Asia.
 * July 20–August 20 – The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand. In the final, Spain wins 1–0 against England.
 * July 20 – Bolivia and Iran sign a memorandum of understanding, in an upgrade of bilateral relations, expanding cooperation in the security and defense sectors.
 * July 21 – The films Barbie and Oppenheimer open, while being paired as a major internet and cultural event, Barbenheimer.
 * July 23
 * 2023 Greece wildfires: Tens of thousands of tourists flee Rhodes, Greece, amid wildfires and a major heatwave, in what officials say is the largest evacuation in the country's history.
 * Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard wins the Tour de France for the second consecutive time.
 * The 2023 Cambodian general election is held, with the dominant Cambodian People's Party retaining control of every seat in the National Assembly.
 * The 2023 Spanish general election is held, with the People's Party becoming the largest party in the Congress of Deputies.
 * July 26 – President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger is toppled in a coup d'état after members of his presidential guard and the armed forces seize control of the country and install General Abdourahamane Tchiani as leader of a military junta.
 * July 30 – 63 people are killed and over 200 are injured after a suicide bombing occurs in Khar, Pakistan; the Islamic State – Khorasan Province claims responsibility for the attack.

August

 * August 1 – Global warming: The world's oceans reach a new record high temperature of 20.96 C, exceeding the previous record in 2016. July is also the hottest month on record for globally averaged surface air temperatures by a considerable margin (0.3 C).
 * August 8 – 2023 Hawaii wildfires: 17,000 acres of land are burned and at least 101 people are killed, with two others missing, when a series of wildfires break out on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
 * August 10 – Tapestry, the holding company of Coach New York and Kate Spade, announces it will acquire Michael Kors' Capri Holdings, which also owns Versace and Jimmy Choo.
 * August 16–21 – Hurricane Hilary, a Category 4 Pacific Hurricane, strikes the Baja California peninsula and later causes record flooding in Southern California.
 * August 18 – American–Japanese–Korean trilateral pact: The United States, Japan, and South Korea agree to sign a trilateral pact.
 * August 20 – 2023 Guatemalan presidential election: After two rounds of voting, Bernardo Arévalo of Semilla is elected with 58% of the vote.
 * August 21
 * 2023 Canadian wildfires: 68% of the Northwest Territories are forced to evacuate to other parts of the country due to wildfires.
 * Saudi Arabia is accused of mass killing hundreds of African migrants attempting to cross its border with Yemen.
 * August 23
 * India's Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon, carrying a lunar lander named Vikram and a lunar rover named Pragyan.
 * Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder Dmitry Utkin and eight others are killed when their plane crashes in Russia.
 * August 30 – Following the announcement of incumbent president Ali Bongo Ondimba's reelection as President of Gabon after the 2023 presidential election, the military launches a successful coup d'état and creates the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions to govern the country, ending the rule of the Bongo family after 56 years in power.
 * August 31 – 2023 Johannesburg building fire: 77 people are killed and more than 85 are injured in a fire in a building that had been taken over by gangs who rented it out to squatters.

September

 * September 1 – 2023 Singaporean presidential election: Economist and former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is elected president with a vote share of over 70%.
 * September 2 – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches Aditya-L1, India's first solar observation mission.
 * September 6 – Bassist Richard Davis dies at the age of 93.
 * September 8 – October 28 – The 2023 Rugby World Cup is held in France. South Africa beat New Zealand 12–11 in the final at the Stade de France, claiming their 4th Rugby World Cup title.
 * September 8 – 2023 Marrakesh–Safi earthquake: A 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Marrakesh–Safi province in western Morocco, killing at least 2,960 people and damaging historic buildings.
 * September 9 – At the 18th G20 summit in New Delhi, the African Union is announced as the 21st permanent member of the G20.
 * September 10 – Storm Daniel, a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone, kills at least 5,000 people, with a further 10,000 to 100,000 reported missing. In the city of Derna in Libya, two dams collapse, resulting in a quarter of the city being destroyed.
 * September 14 – The European Central Bank (ECB) raises eurozone interest rates to an all-time high of 4%, amid ongoing inflationary pressures across the continent.
 * September 19 – Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Azerbaijan launches a military offensive against the Armenia-backed Republic of Artsakh, which ends with a swift Azerbaijani victory. Protests erupt in Armenia, Artsakh announces the dissolution of government institutions, and over 100,000 ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh.
 * September 20 – Archaeologists in Zambia find the world's oldest wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years, consisting of two interlocking wooden logs connected by a notch securing one perpendicular to the other.
 * September 21 – Rupert Murdoch announces his retirement and passes his businesses on to his son Lachlan. Murdoch led News Corp and Fox, and formerly Sky Group.
 * September 24 – 2023 Nigerien crisis: French President Emmanuel Macron announces that France will end its military presence in Niger and will recall its ambassador from the country.
 * September 25 – An estimated 170 people are killed and over 300 are injured during a explosion at a gas station in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.
 * September 30 – 2023 Slovak parliamentary election: Smer, under the leadership of former prime minister Robert Fico, wins a plurality of seats in the National Council.

October

 * October 3
 * Elected on January 8, Kevin McCarthy is removed as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, with Mike Johnson being elected new Speaker on October 25.
 * Sam Bankman-Fried, an American entrepreneur and founder of cryptocurrency exchange company FTX, is put on trial and later convicted on seven charges of fraud and conspiracy. His sentencing is scheduled for March 28, 2024.
 * October 5 – November 19 – The 2023 Cricket World Cup is held in India, with Australia defeating India in the final.
 * October 7
 * Israel–Hamas war: Hamas launches an incursion into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and taking about 240 hostages, prompting a military response from the Israel Defense Forces. Israel launches numerous air strikes on Lebanon after rockets are fired by Hezbollah and further attempts are made to penetrate Israel.
 * A series of earthquakes occur in Herat Province in Afghanistan, killing over 1,000 people and injuring nearly 2,000, with tremors felt in Iran and Turkmenistan. The earthquakes are the deadliest in the country since 1998.
 * October 8 – Israel's Security Cabinet formally declares war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
 * October 11 – ExxonMobil announces it will acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for $65 billion USD, the first of two major energy industry acquisitions of the month. The second occurs less than two weeks later on 23 October, where Hess announces it will be acquired by Chevron for $50 billion.
 * October 13 – After British regulators' approval, Microsoft closes its $68.7 billion USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
 * October 14
 * 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum: A majority of Australians vote against establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the constitution.
 * 2023 New Zealand general election: The National Party wins a plurality of seats under leader Christopher Luxon, while the Labour Party suffers the worst result for an incumbent ruling party in modern New Zealand history.
 * October 15
 * In the second round of the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, Daniel Noboa of the National Democratic Action is elected as the youngest-ever President of Ecuador.
 * 2023 Polish parliamentary election: The Law and Justice party wins the most seats, but loses its majority, with its incumbent president Mateusz Morawiecki being succeeded by the Civic Platform party's Donald Tusk on 13 December.
 * October 17 – An explosion occurs at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, where displaced Palestinians are taking refuge. Many fatalities are reported, but estimates vary significantly, from 100 to as many as 471, depending on the source.
 * October 22 – 2023 Swiss federal election: The Swiss People's Party retains its majority in the National Council.
 * October 25 – Hurricane Otis, an eastern Pacific tropical cyclone, makes landfall in Mexico near Acapulco, leaving at least 80 dead. It is the most powerful Eastern Pacific hurricane to make landfall in Mexico, with the highest winds reaching 165 mph, surpassing Hurricane Patricia's landfall in 2015.
 * October 31 – Israel intercepted a Yemeni Houthi ballistic missile with its Arrow 2 missile defense system. The interception occurred above Earth's atmosphere above the Negev Desert, making it the first instance of space combat in history.

November

 * November 1 – The first AI Safety Summit takes place in the United Kingdom, with 28 countries signing a "world first agreement" on how to manage the riskiest forms of artificial intelligence.
 * November 2 – The Beatles release "Now and Then", the band's last ever song, featuring restored vocals by John Lennon (1940–1980), as well as guitar tracks by George Harrison (1943–2001).
 * November 6 – Israel–Hamas war: The death toll in Gaza is reported to have passed 10,000. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres calls for a humanitarian ceasefire to increase the flow of aid to civilians.
 * November 7 – The Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa announces his pending resignation. The President of Portugal decides to dissolve the parliament and call for early elections to be held on 10 March 2024.
 * November 9 – U.S. surgeons at NYU Langone Health announce the world's first whole eye transplant.
 * November 10 – In the Falepili Union treaty, Australia grants "special" freedom of movement and defence rights to Tuvaluans for residence and employment for climate reasons.
 * November 14–17 – President Biden hosts the APEC summit in San Francisco, which Chinese president Xi Jinping attends. Both countries, at the conclusion of the summit, agree to re-open suspended channels of military communications and to cooperate in their fight against climate change.
 * November 17 – The global average temperature temporarily exceeds 2 °C above the pre-industrial average for the first time in recorded history.
 * November 19 – 2023 Argentine presidential election: Following the first round on 22 October 2023, Javier Milei wins in the second round of the election, assuming office on 10 December with Victoria Villarruel as his vice president.
 * November 20 –  A Boeing P-8A Poseidon operated by the United States Navy overshot the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Kaneohe, Hawaii. No one died.
 * November 22
 * Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day ceasefire, the first pause in fighting since 7 October, during which many Israeli hostages will be released, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
 * 2023 Dutch general election: Far-right Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) wins the most seats.
 * November 24 – Somalia is admitted as the eighth member of the East African Community, having applied for membership in 2012.
 * November 30 – Brazil announces it will join OPEC+ at a meeting of the organization to discuss oil output strategy in 2024. Brazil is the largest oil producer in South America, producing 4.6 million barrels per day of oil and gas.

December

 * December 3 – 2023 Guyana–Venezuela crisis: Venezuela votes in a symbolic referendum on whether voters agreed with creating a subdivision in the disputed territory of Guayana Esequiba currently under the control of neighboring Guyana. Analysts say the referendum's practical implications are likely to be minimal.
 * December 6 – Google DeepMind releases the Gemini Language Model. Gemini will act as a foundational model integrated into Google's existing tools, including Search and Bard.
 * December 10–12 – 2023 Egyptian presidential election: Incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wins a third term with 89.6 percent of the vote in the election.
 * December 12 – At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, a consensus is reached for countries to "transition away" from fossil fuels, the first such agreement in the conference's 30-year history. The transition is specifically for energy systems, excluding plastics, transport or agriculture.
 * December 16 – Emir of Kuwait Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dies at the age of 86 and is succeeded by his half-brother Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
 * December 17 – The 2023 Serbian parliamentary election is held, with the SNS coalition, led by Miloš Vučević, winning 128 of 250 seats in the Serbian National Assembly.
 * December 18 – A number of shipping companies announce a temporary suspension of their operations in the Red Sea due to continued attacks on vessels by Houthi rebels.
 * December 20 – 2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election: Incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi wins re-election, defeating two major challengers.
 * December 21
 * The European Court of Justice rules that threats by FIFA and UEFA to sanction football clubs that wish to join the European Super League are unlawful.
 * The deadliest mass shooting in the Czech Republic's history occurs at a Prague university, with 15 killed and 25 others wounded.
 * December 22 – Israel–Hamas war: The death toll in Gaza is reported to have passed 20,000, almost 1 percent of its population and surpassing the casualties in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
 * December 29 – Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russia launches the largest wave of drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities since the start of the war in a overnight assault, killing at least 39 people and injuring at least 160 others. Ukraine launches a drone assault the following day, killing at least 21 people, including three children, and injuring 110 others, including 17 children.
 * December 31 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announces her abdication effective January 14, 2024, after 52 years on the throne.

Demographics
The world population on January 1, 2023 was estimated at 7.943 billion people, and was expected to increase to 8.119 billion on January 1, 2024. An estimated 134.3 million births and 60.8 million deaths were expected to take place in 2023. The average global life expectancy was 73.16 years, an increase of 0.18 years from 2022. The rate of child mortality was by the end of the year, expected to have decreased from 2022. Less than 23% of people were living in extreme poverty (on or below the international poverty line), a decrease from 2022. In April, India surpassed China as the most populated country in the world.

Best-selling media

 * The best-selling video game in 2023 was Hogwarts Legacy.
 * The highest-grossing movie in 2023 was Barbie.
 * The best-selling book in 2023 was It Ends with Us, which was published in 2016. Of the books to be published in 2023, Spare was the best-selling.

Nobel Prizes

 * Chemistry – Moungi Bawendi, Louis E. Brus & Alexey Ekimov, for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.
 * Economics – Claudia Goldin, for her empirical research into female income and employment.
 * Literature – Jon Fosse, for his innovative plays, prose and style, which has come to be known as Fosse minimalism.
 * Peace – Narges Mohammadi, for her works on the promotion of feminism.
 * Physics – Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz & Anne L'Huillier, for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.
 * Physiology or Medicine – Katalin Karikó & Drew Weissman, for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

title: 2023


text:
42 BC

Year 42 BC was either a common year starting on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further information) and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Plancus (or, less frequently, year 712 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 42 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * January – Publius Vatinius, governor of Illyricum, seizes Dyrrachium and is forced to surrender his army (three legions) to Marcus Junius Brutus.
 * Marcus Brutus begins to plunder the cities of Asia Minor, in order to obtain money and soldiers. The inhabitants of Lycia refuse to submit to Rome, and Brutus besieges Xanthus. After destroying their suburbs, the Xanthians withdraw into the heavily fortified city. The Roman legionaries (2,000 men) force the gate and fight their way into the forum. The citizens make a last stand by the temple of Sarpedon and, as night falls, the Roman army conquers the city.
 * The confederation of Lycia sends ambassadors to Brutus, promising to form a military league and contribute money for building ships. Gaius Cassius Longinus occupies Rhodes, and orders all the other cities of Asia to pay a tribute for 10 years.
 * July – Mark Antony lands with an army (28 legions) in Illyria, leaving Octavian ill at Dyrrachium, and marches to Amphipolis. Admiral Ahenobarbus, with the Republican fleet (130 warships), blockades the Adriatic Sea.
 * August – Lucius Decidius Saxa and Gaius Norbanus Flaccus are appointed by Mark Antony, to lead an advanced force of eight legions to Macedonia along the Via Egnatia into Thrace.
 * September – Brutus and Cassius cross the Hellespont. They march to Doriscus but further progress is blocked by Saxa's occupation of the Corpili Pass.
 * Saxa retreats to link up with Norbanus at the Sapaei Pass. The Republicans outflank the enemy, forging an alternate route through the mountains in the north.
 * Brutus and Cassius advance to Philippi and build fortifications. Antony links up with Norbanus and Saxa at Amphipolis, Octavian arrives on a litter 10 days later.
 * In Sicily, Sextus Pompeius leads the naval operations in the Mediterranean Sea against the triumvirs. He blockades the grain routes from Spain and Africa.
 * October 3 – First Battle of Philippi: The Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's assassins Marcus Brutus and Cassius. The Roman forces including 2,000 Spartans, who have just arrived, are routed. Octavian takes refuge in the marsh. Cassius' camp is captured by Antony's men and, wrongly fearing that Brutus is dead, Cassius commits suicide. He orders his freedman Pindarus to kill him. Brutus, fearing the impact on morale, secretly buries his beheaded body on Thasos. The Republican navy, in the Adriatic, intercept and destroy the supply ships with two legions of the Triumvirs.
 * October 23 – Second Battle of Philippi: Brutus' army is defeated by Antony and Octavian. The Triumvirs smash through the weakened Republican centre and take Brutus's right wing in their flank. After the battle, 14,000 legionaries lay down their arms. Brutus flees to the heights of Philippi, where he commits suicide the following day. After the victory, Brutus' body is brought to Antonius' camp, where he casts his purple paludamentum over his dead body and orders an honourable funeral for his erstwhile comrade. The Republican cause is crushed, and Rome rests in the hands of the Second Triumvirate.
 * Octavian returns to Rome and arranges for ± 40,000 veterans' settlements in Campania, Etruria, Picenum, Samnium, Umbria, and in northern Italy.

Births

 * November 16 – Tiberius, Roman emperor (d. 37 AD)
 * Marcus Claudius Marcellus, nephew of Augustus (d. 23 BC)

Deaths

 * October 3 – Gaius Cassius Longinus, Roman nobleman (assassin of Julius Caesar) (suicide)
 * Marcus Junius Brutus, Roman politician (assassin of Julius Caesar) (b. 85 BC)
 * Gaius Antonius, Roman general and brother of Mark Antony (murdered)
 * Lucius Tillius Cimber, Roman nobleman (assassin of Julius Caesar)
 * Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus, Roman nobleman and supporter of Brutus (suicide)
 * Marcus Porcius Cato, Roman nobleman and son of Cato the Younger (killed in battle)
 * Porcia, wife of Brutus (suicide) (approximate date) (b. c. 70 BC)
 * Publius Servilius Casca Longus, Roman nobleman (assassin of Julius Caesar)
 * Pacuvius Labeo, Roman jurist (assassin of Julius Caesar) (suicide)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: 42 BC


text:
50 BC

Year 50 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paullus and Marcellus (or, less frequently, year 704 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 50 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Claudius Marcellus.
 * The Senate recalls Julius Caesar and rescinds his authority. Caesar breaks alliance with Pompey.
 * The Roman artillery piece called Scorpio is invented.
 * Initiation Rites of the Cult of Bacchus, detail of a wall painting in the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, is made (approximate date).
 * The Roman Republic takes control of Judea (approximate date).

Births

 * Antonia, daughter of Mark Antony
 * Gaius Antistius Vetus, Roman consul (d. 1 AD)
 * Shammai, Jewish scholar and rabbi (d. 30 AD)

Deaths

 * Aristobulus II, king of Judea
 * Quintus Hortensius, Roman orator and advocate (b. 114 BC)

In fiction

 * The Asterix comic books are all set around this year.

title: 50 BC


text:
2024

So far, this year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war, and the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel. The ongoing Israel–Hamas war has also led to spillover into numerous countries, among the most prominent being a rise in activity by the Houthi movement which has contributed to a crisis in the Red Sea that has impacted global shipping, in addition to the acceleration of protests against the war mostly concentrated at college campuses in the United States.

Approximately 79 countries, representing around four billion people, are expected to conduct national elections throughout the course of the year,   including eight out of ten of the world's most populous countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, India, Mexico, Indonesia, the United States) as well as France and the United Kingdom. The European Parliament also held elections.

January

 * January 1
 * Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates become BRICS members.
 * The Republic of Artsakh is formally dissolved as Nagorno-Karabakh unifies with Azerbaijan.
 * A 7.5 M ww earthquake strikes the western coast of Japan, killing at least 244 people and injuring 1,297 others.  A further five are killed the next day when a Coast Guard aircraft carrying humanitarian aid collides with a Japan Airlines passenger jet, destroying both aircraft. All 379 people aboard the passenger jet are evacuated safely.
 * Ethiopia announces an agreement with Somaliland to use the port of Berbera. Ethiopia also says that it will eventually recognize Somaliland's independence, becoming the first country to do so.
 * January 2 – 2023 Marshallese general election: The Legislature of the Marshall Islands elects Hilda Heine as President for a second non-consecutive term during its first session following the general election.
 * January 3 – 2024 Kerman bombings: An Islamic State double bombing kills 94 people during a memorial event commemorating the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, Iran. The bombing was carried out using two briefcase bombs placed at the entrance that were detonated remotely.
 * January 7 – 2024 Bangladeshi general election: The Awami League, led by incumbent Sheikh Hasina, wins a fourth consecutive term amid protests by opposition parties and a large drop in voter turnout.
 * January 8 – 2024 conflict in Ecuador: Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declares a state of emergency following the escape of Los Choneros drug cartel leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar from prison. The military was deployed onto the streets and into prisons, while setting a national nighttime curfew.
 * January 11 – Riots break out throughout Papua New Guinea after an alleged rounding error causes pay cuts in police officers and soldiers.
 * January 12 – Operation Prosperity Guardian: A U.S.-led coalition launches air strikes at Houthi militant locations in Yemen, marking a retaliation to the Houthis' attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
 * January 13 – 2024 Taiwanese presidential election: Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party wins with 40% of the vote.
 * January 14
 * Margrethe II formally abdicates as Queen of Denmark on the 52nd anniversary of her accession, with her eldest son Frederik succeeding her as King Frederik X.
 * 2024 Comorian presidential election: Amid an opposition boycott, incumbent president Azali Assoumani wins re-election with 62.9% of the vote and only 16.3% voter turnout.
 * January 15 – Following a brief political crisis in the aftermath of the 2023 elections, Bernardo Arévalo is inaugurated as the 52nd President of Guatemala.
 * January 16 – Iran carries out a series of missile and drone strikes within Pakistan's Balochistan province, claiming that it had targeted the Iranian Baloch militant group Jaish ul-Adl.
 * January 18 – Pakistan conducts retaliatory airstrikes on Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province.
 * January 19 – Japan becomes the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, with its SLIM mission.
 * January 24 – 2024 Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash: A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane carrying (according to Russia) 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three guards crashes in Russia's Korochansky District, near the Ukrainian border, killing everyone on board.
 * January 26
 * Israel–Hamas war: The UN's International Court of Justice rules that Israel must take all measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, but stops short of ordering an immediate halt to operations.
 * 2024 Tuvaluan general election: Kausea Natano, the incumbent Prime Minister of Tuvalu, loses reelection to Parliament. A month later, Feleti Teo was elected prime minister.
 * January 31 – Sultan of Johor Ibrahim Iskandar ascends the throne as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

February

 * February 2 – The US launches airstrikes on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria in response to a deadly drone attack on a US military base.
 * February 4
 * President of Namibia Hage Geingob dies at the age of 82, and is succeeded by his vice-president Nangolo Mbumba.
 * 2024 Salvadoran general election: Incumbent President Nayib Bukele wins the election with over 80% of the vote, becoming the first president to be reelected in El Salvador since 1944.
 * February 6 – Former President of Chile Sebastián Piñera dies in a helicopter crash at the age of 74.
 * February 7 – 2024 Azerbaijani presidential election: Amid an opposition boycott, President Ilham Aliyev is reelected to a fifth term.
 * February 8 – 2024 Pakistani general election: Independent politicians, most of whom are members of the banned political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, win a plurality of seats in the National Assembly.
 * February 11 – 2024 Finnish presidential election: In the closest presidential election in Finnish history, Alexander Stubb is elected president in the second round.
 * February 14 – 2024 Indonesian general election: Prabowo Subianto wins the presidential election, and the Democratic Party of Struggle wins the most votes in the legislative election.
 * February 22 – American company Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander becomes the first commercial vehicle to land on the Moon.
 * February 28 – 2024 Haitian jailbreak: A state of emergency is declared by the Haitian government after gangs storm two prisons and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
 * February 29 – Israel–Hamas war: Soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces open fire on a crowd of civilians in Gaza City, killing more than a hundred people, as the Palestinian casualties of the war exceed 30,000.

March

 * March 7 – As the final Nordic country to join the alliance, Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming its 32nd member after Finland a year earlier.
 * March 10 – 2024 Portuguese legislative election: The Democratic Alliance wins a plurality of seats and forms a minority government amid losses by the incumbent Socialist Party and major gains by the right-wing Chega party.
 * March 11 – Haitian acting Prime Minister and President Ariel Henry announces his pending resignation from both offices amid an ongoing crisis marked by gang warfare in the country.
 * March 13 – The Artificial Intelligence Act, the world's first comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, is passed by the European Union.
 * March 15–17 – 2024 Russian presidential election: Incumbent Vladimir Putin is re-elected for a fifth term.
 * March 22 – Islamic State-affiliated gunmen attack concertgoers at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Russia, killing at least 145 people and injuring 551.
 * March 24 – 2024 Senegalese presidential election: Bassirou Diomaye Faye is elected president after his party and its former candidate Ousmane Sonko were disqualified.
 * March 25 – The UN Security Council passes a resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
 * March 26 – A container ship collides with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, causing a total collapse of the bridge and the deaths of six people.
 * March 31 – Bulgaria and Romania become members of the Schengen Area through sea and air routes.

April

 * April 1 – Israel attacks the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing 16 people.
 * April 3 – A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 strikes off the eastern coast of Taiwan, with small tsunamis reaching heights of 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) hitting Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
 * April 4 – The 2024 Kuwaiti general election is held.
 * April 5 – Ecuadorian police raid the Mexican embassy in Quito in order to arrest former vice-president Jorge Glas, who had been granted political asylum by Mexico. This action violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and Mexico and Nicaragua break off diplomatic relations with Ecuador.
 * April 6 – Peter Pellegrini is elected President of Slovakia in the second round of the 2024 Slovak presidential election.
 * April 8 – A total solar eclipse is visible across North America.
 * April 9 – After Leo Varadkar handed in his resignation, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris becomes Ireland's youngest Taoiseach after a Dáil vote of 88–69 and being appointed by President Michael D. Higgins.
 * April 10 – 2024 South Korean legislative election: The Democratic Party and Democratic Alliance wins 176 seats, while the People Power and People Future, to which President Yoon Suk Yeol belongs, wins only 108 seats.
 * April 13 – Iran launches retaliatory strikes against Israel after an Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus earlier in the month.
 * April 16 – 2024 Persian Gulf floods: At least 32 people are killed when heavy rainfall strikes the Middle East, causing flash flooding. This caused many disruptions for Emirates airline at Dubai International Airport.
 * April 17
 * 2024 Solomon Islands general election: Incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's OUR Party wins a plurality of seats.
 * 2024 Croatian parliamentary election: Incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's Croatian Democratic Union coalition wins a plurality of seats.
 * April 19 – Israel conducts airstrikes against Iran, in response to Iran's missile and drone attack on Israel earlier on April 13.
 * April 25 – Following the resignation of Haiti's acting President and Prime Minister Ariel Henry, a Transitional Presidential Council takes power as the new head of state of Haiti.
 * April 29
 * Floods in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul cause dozens of deaths and leave thousands homeless.
 * 50 people are killed, and 84 reported missing, when a railway embankment fails near Mai Mahiu, Kenya, adding to the devastation caused by wider floods in Kenya and Tanzania which have caused the deaths of 488 people and the displacement of 503,000.
 * April 30 – The G7 countries agree to phase out unabated coal power by 2030–2035.

May

 * May 5 – José Raúl Mulino is elected president in the 2024 Panamanian general election.
 * May 6 – 2024 Chadian presidential election: Mahamat Déby wins election to a full term as president, succeeding his father Idriss Déby.
 * May 7–11 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is held in Malmö, Sweden. Swiss contestant Nemo wins with the song "The Code".
 * May 8 – In North Macedonian elections, the Eurosceptic party VMRO-DPMNE wins in a landslide in the parliamentary elections, while its presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is elected as the first female president of the country in the second round of the presidential election.
 * May 10
 * The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution to grant the State of Palestine the right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order. This will go into effect at the next session of the UN General Assembly on 10 September 2024.
 * A series of solar storms and intense solar flares impact the Earth, creating aurorae at more southerly and northerly latitudes than usual.
 * May 15
 * Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004, is succeeded by former Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as prime minister, ahead of the next general election to be held by 2025.
 * Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and hospitalized while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová.
 * May 19
 * The 2024 Dominican Republic general election is held, with Luis Abinader winning re-election as president.
 * Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian are killed, along with seven other passengers and crew, in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan–Iran border.
 * A coup d'état attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reportedly led by Christian Malanga leads to unrest in Kinshasa. Government soldiers quickly intervene, arresting the coup leaders and reportedly restoring calm.
 * May 20 – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes.
 * May 24
 * The UN's highest court, the ICJ, rules that Israel must halt its military offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.
 * A major landslide in Papua New Guinea kills 160–2,000+ people, with many more buried.
 * May 26 – 2024 Lithuanian presidential election: Incumbent president Gitanas Nausėda wins a landslide victory for a second term in office.
 * May 29
 * 2024 South African general election: The ANC party fails to win a majority of the vote for the first time in South Africa's democratic history.
 * The 2024 Malagasy parliamentary election is held.
 * May 30 – Former United States President Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 counts in his hush money trial, the first time any American president has been found guilty of a crime.

June

 * June 1
 * The 2024 Indian general election, which began on April 19, concludes. In the Lok Sabha, the BJP party loses its outright majority, but its electoral alliance, the National Democratic Alliance, retains its majority.
 * The 2024 Icelandic presidential election is held, with Halla Tómasdóttir elected president of Iceland.
 * June 1–29 – The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States, and is won by India.
 * June 2 – The 2024 Mexican general election is held, with Claudia Sheinbaum elected as the first female president of Mexico.
 * June 5 – Starliner Crewed Flight Test launches atop an Atlas V rocket to the ISS.
 * June 6–9 – The 2024 European Parliament election is held. The EPP, of incumbent Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, retains its status as the largest group in parliament amid gains by the ECR group.
 * June 9
 * 2024 San Marino general election: The Democracy and Freedom alliance, headed by the PDCS, wins a plurality in the Grand and General Council.
 * 2024 Belgian federal election: The New Flemish Alliance remains the largest party in the Chamber of Representatives while Open Vld, the party of outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, loses seats.
 * June 10 – A plane crash near Chikangawa, Malawi, kills nine people, including Vice President of Malawi Saulos Chilima.
 * June 12 – The United Nations' first inquiry into the October 7 attacks and resulting conflict finds that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes.
 * June 14 – July 14 – UEFA Euro 2024 is held in Germany, and is won by Spain.
 * June 20 – July 14 – The 2024 Copa América is held in the United States, and is won by Argentina.
 * June 23
 * On the Grand Duke's Official Birthday, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg announces that his son and heir Guillaume will assume royal duties beginning in October, in preparation for Henri's eventual abdication.
 * 2024 Hajj disaster: More than 1,300 people are reported to have died due to extreme heat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
 * 2024 Dagestan attacks: Two coordinated attacks occur in the cities of Makhachkala and Derbent in the Republic of Dagestan in southern Russia, killing 28 people.
 * June 24 – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves the United Kingdom after being freed from prison in a plea deal with the United States. He returns to his native Australia two days later.
 * June 26 – A failed coup d'état attempt in La Paz, Bolivia is led by the former General Commander Juan José Zúñiga.
 * June 28 – 2024 Mongolian parliamentary election: The Mongolian People's Party wins a reduced majority of seats in the State Great Khural amid gains by the Democratic Party.
 * June 29
 * 2024 Mauritanian presidential election: Incumbent president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani wins reelection to a second term.
 * 2024 Borno State bombings: 30 people are killed and 100 are injured when three separate bomb blasts occur in the town of Gwoza in Borno State, Nigeria.

July

 * July 4 – 2024 United Kingdom general election: Sir Keir Starmer leads Labour to a landslide victory, returning the party to government for the first time in 14 years. Incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak resigns the next day, with Starmer taking office afterward.
 * July 5 – 2024 Iranian presidential election: Masoud Pezeshkian is elected president of Iran.
 * July 7 – 2024 French legislative election: The left-wing New Popular Front wins the most seats in the National Assembly, upsetting a first-round victory by the right-wing National Rally, but fails to achieve a majority.
 * July 9 – The 75th NATO summit is held in Washington, D.C.
 * July 13 – While campaigning for the 2024 United States presidential election, former President Donald Trump is injured in an assassination attempt at a rally he held near Butler, Pennsylvania.
 * July 15 – 2024 Rwandan general election: Incumbent Paul Kagame is re-elected for a fourth term.
 * July 19 – Global IT outages impact a variety of businesses and organisations across the world.

Predicted and scheduled events

 * July 26 – August 11 – 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
 * July 28 – 2024 Venezuelan presidential election.
 * August 17 – Nusantara will become the new capital of Indonesia, replacing Jakarta.
 * August 28 – September 8 – 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France.
 * September 7 – 2024 Algerian presidential election.
 * September 15 – 2024 Romanian presidential election.
 * September 29 – 2024 Austrian legislative election.
 * October 3–20 – The 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Bangladesh.
 * October 9 – 2024 Mozambican general election.
 * October 13 – 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election.
 * October 20
 * 2024 Moldovan presidential election.
 * 2024 Moldovan European Union membership referendum
 * October 26 – 2024 Georgian parliamentary election.
 * October 27 – 2024 Uruguayan general election.
 * November 5 – 2024 United States presidential election.
 * November 12 – 2024 Palauan general election.
 * November 13 – 2024 Somaliland presidential election.
 * November 27 – 2024 Namibian general election.
 * December 7 – 2024 Ghanaian general election.
 * December 8 – 2024 Romanian parliamentary election.
 * December 24 – The 2025 Jubilee will begin on this date.

Date unknown

 * Autumn – 2024 Kazakh nuclear power referendum.
 * September or October – 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election.
 * October – 2024 Botswana general election.
 * December – 2024 Croatian presidential election.

title: 2024


text:
2025

Predicted and scheduled events

 * January 7 – The winner of the 2024 Ghanaian presidential election is scheduled to be inaugurated.
 * January 8 – February 2 – The 2025 World Men's Handball Championship will be held in Croatia, Denmark and Norway.
 * January 13 – The 2025 Winter World University Games will be held in Turin, Italy.
 * February 9 – The 2025 Ecuadorian general election is scheduled to be held.
 * March 8–17 – 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
 * March 31 – The Caribbean guilder is planned to be introduced, replacing the Netherlands Antillean guilder as the currency for Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
 * April 13 – October 13 – Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka, Japan.
 * May 18 – The 2025 Polish presidential election is scheduled to be held; incumbent president Andrzej Duda is ineligible for re-election.
 * May 24 – Next Australian federal election: latest possible date for a simultaneous house and half-senate election (if the elections are held separately, the house election could be as late as September 27; but it’s unlikely there would be separate elections for the house and half-senate).
 * September 13 – 21 – The 2025 World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo.
 * October 20 – If not triggered earlier, the 45th Canadian federal election will be held no later than this date.
 * October 26 – If not triggered earlier, the next German federal election will be held no later than this date.
 * November 23 – The 2025 Chilean general election is scheduled to be held.

Date unknown

 * The next Japanese general election is scheduled to be held.
 * If not triggered earlier, the next Singaporean general election will be held no later than November 23, with the current Parliament to be dissolved no later than August 24.
 * An ecumenical meeting of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches at Nicaea is scheduled to be held to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
 * Norway aims to ban the sale of all new diesel and petrol cars by this year.
 * The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 – the 69th edition of the European competition – which is planned to be held around May 2025 in Switzerland, following the win by Nemo in 2024.
 * Bulgaria is expected to adopt the euro and become the 21st member state of the eurozone.

title: 2025


text:
52 BC

Year 52 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pompeius and Scipio (or, less frequently, year 702 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 52 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.
 * Gnaeus Pompeius marries Cornelia Metella.
 * Milo is tried for the murder of Clodius. Despite Cicero's legal defence (Pro Milone) he is found guilty and exiled in Massilia (modern Marseille).
 * Last year of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars:
 * March – Siege and capture of Avaricum (Bourges).
 * April–May – Siege and repulse from Gergovia.
 * July – Battle of the Vingeanne: Julius Caesar rebuffs, with his German auxiliaries, a Gallic cavalry attack of Vercingetorix.
 * Summer – Siege of Alesia: Julius Caesar spreads out his legions around the Oppidum and builds a string of fortifications surrounding the stronghold of Alesia.
 * September – Battle of Alesia: Julius Caesar defeats the Gallic allies coming to aid Vercingetorix, led by his cousin Vercassivellanus. Vercingetorix surrenders on October 3, signalling the Roman conquest of Gaul. The final pacification of Gaul is completed the following year.
 * Winter – Julius Caesar crosses Mons Cevenna (central Gaul) and sends his army through the passes covered with snowdrifts to take the rebellious Arverni by surprise.

Births

 * Fenestella, Roman historian (approximate date)
 * Juba II, king of Numidia (d. AD 23)

Deaths

 * January 18 – Publius Clodius Pulcher, murdered on the Appian Way by Titus Annius Milo (b. 93 BC)
 * Cyrus, Roman architect (builder for Cicero)
 * Sedullos, Gaulish chieftain (b.87 BC)
 * Surena, Parthian general (b. 84 BC)

title: 52 BC


text:
280s BC

This article concerns the period 289 BC – 280 BC.

title: 280s BC


text:
270s BC

This article concerns the period 279 BC – 270 BC.

title: 270s BC


text:
260s BC

This article concerns the period 269 BC – 260 BC.

title: 260s BC


text:
250s BC

This article concerns the period 259 BC – 250 BC.

title: 250s BC


text:
240s BC

This article concerns the period 249 BC – 240 BC.

title: 240s BC


text:
230s BC

This article concerns the period 239 BC – 230 BC.

title: 230s BC


text:
210s BC

This article concerns the period 219 BC – 210 BC.

title: 210s BC


text:
160s BC

This article concerns the period 169 BC – 160 BC.

title: 160s BC


text:
170s BC

This article concerns the period 179 BC – 170 BC.

title: 170s BC


text:
180s BC

This article concerns the period 189 BC – 180 BC.

title: 180s BC


text:
190s BC

This article concerns the period 199 BC – 190 BC.

title: 190s BC


text:
Xanthine

Xanthine ( or, from Ancient Greek ξανθός xanthós yellow due to its yellowish-white appearance; archaically xanthic acid; systematic name 3,7-dihydropurine-2,6-dione) is a purine base found in most human body tissues and fluids, as well as in other organisms. Several stimulants are derived from xanthine, including caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine.

Xanthine is a product on the pathway of purine degradation.
 * It is created from guanine by guanine deaminase.
 * It is created from hypoxanthine by xanthine oxidoreductase.
 * It is also created from xanthosine by purine nucleoside phosphorylase.

Xanthine is subsequently converted to uric acid by the action of the xanthine oxidase enzyme.

Use and manufacturing
Xanthine is used as a drug precursor for human and animal medications, and is manufactured as a pesticide ingredient.

Clinical significance
Derivatives of xanthine (known collectively as xanthines) are a group of alkaloids commonly used for their effects as mild stimulants and as bronchodilators, notably in the treatment of asthma or influenza symptoms. In contrast to other, more potent stimulants like sympathomimetic amines, xanthines mainly act to oppose the actions of adenosine, and increase alertness in the central nervous system.

Toxicity
Methylxanthines (methylated xanthines), which include caffeine, aminophylline, IBMX, paraxanthine, pentoxifylline, theobromine, theophylline, and 7-methylxanthine (heteroxanthine), among others, affect the airways, increase heart rate and force of contraction, and at high concentrations can cause cardiac arrhythmias. In high doses, they can lead to convulsions that are resistant to anticonvulsants. Methylxanthines induce gastric acid and pepsin secretions in the gastrointestinal tract. Methylxanthines are metabolized by cytochrome P450 in the liver.

If swallowed, inhaled, or exposed to the eyes in high amounts, xanthines can be harmful, and may cause an allergic reaction if applied topically.

Pharmacology
In in vitro pharmacological studies, xanthines act as both:
 * 1) competitive nonselective phosphodiesterase inhibitors which raise intracellular cAMP, activate PKA, inhibit TNF-α and leukotriene synthesis, and reduce inflammation and innate immunity and
 * 2) nonselective adenosine receptor antagonists which inhibit sleepiness-inducing adenosine.

However, different analogues show varying potency at the numerous subtypes, and a wide range of synthetic xanthines (some nonmethylated) have been developed searching for compounds with greater selectivity for phosphodiesterase enzyme or adenosine receptor subtypes.

Pathology
People with rare genetic disorders, specifically xanthinuria and Lesch–Nyhan syndrome, lack sufficient xanthine oxidase and cannot convert xanthine to uric acid.

Possible formation in absence of life
Studies reported in 2008, based on 12C/13C isotopic ratios of organic compounds found in the Murchison meteorite, suggested that xanthine and related chemicals, including the RNA component uracil, have been formed extraterrestrially. In August 2011, a report, based on NASA studies with meteorites found on Earth, was published suggesting xanthine and related organic molecules, including the DNA and RNA components adenine and guanine, were found in outer space.

title: Xanthine


text:
2026

Predicted and scheduled events

 * February 5 – The New START Treaty is scheduled to expire.
 * February 6–22 – The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
 * February–March – The 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
 * March 6–15 – The 2026 Winter Paralympics are scheduled to be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
 * June 11 – July 19 – The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
 * August 12 – A total solar eclipse is predicted to occur at the Moon's descending node of the orbit in North America and Europe. The total eclipse will pass over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean and northern Spain.
 * September – Artemis III, the first crewed landing on the lunar surface since 1972 and third mission of the Artemis Program, is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2026.
 * September 4–13 – The 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup is scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany.
 * September 19 – October 4 – The 2026 Asian Games will be held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

title: 2026


text:
2027

Predicted and scheduled events

 * May – The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled; the location is typically determined by the previous year's winner.
 * May 15–August 15 – Expo 2027 is scheduled to be held in Belgrade, Serbia.
 * June – Istanbul, Turkey, will host the 2027 European Games.
 * June–July – The 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to be held in Brazil.
 * August 10 – The 2027 Kenyan general election will be held. Incumbent president William Ruto will be eligible for reelection.
 * August 27–September 12 – The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar.
 * October 1–November 13 – The 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place in Australia.
 * November 7 – If not triggered earlier, the next Polish parliamentary election will occur no later than this date.
 * December 22 – If not triggered earlier, the next Italian general election will occur no later than this date.

Date unknown

 * The autonomous region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea will gain independence per an agreement made in 2021.
 * The upcoming World Youth Day, announced by Pope Francis at the concluding mass held in Lisbon during the WYD 2023 in Portugal, will be held in South Korea.
 * The 2027 Cricket World Cup will take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

title: 2027


text:
Tait's conjecture

In mathematics, Tait's conjecture states that "Every 3-connected planar cubic graph has a Hamiltonian cycle (along the edges) through all its vertices". It was proposed by and disproved by, who constructed a counterexample with 25 faces, 69 edges and 46 vertices. Several smaller counterexamples, with 21 faces, 57 edges and 38 vertices, were later proved minimal by. The condition that the graph be 3-regular is necessary due to polyhedra such as the rhombic dodecahedron, which forms a bipartite graph with six degree-four vertices on one side and eight degree-three vertices on the other side; because any Hamiltonian cycle would have to alternate between the two sides of the bipartition, but they have unequal numbers of vertices, the rhombic dodecahedron is not Hamiltonian.

The conjecture was significant, because if true, it would have implied the four color theorem: as Tait described, the four-color problem is equivalent to the problem of finding 3-edge-colorings of bridgeless cubic planar graphs. In a Hamiltonian cubic planar graph, such an edge coloring is easy to find: use two colors alternately on the cycle, and a third color for all remaining edges. Alternatively, a 4-coloring of the faces of a Hamiltonian cubic planar graph may be constructed directly, using two colors for the faces inside the cycle and two more colors for the faces outside.

Tutte's fragment
The key to this counter-example is what is now known as Tutte's fragment, shown on the right.

If this fragment is part of a larger graph, then any Hamiltonian cycle through the graph must go in or out of the top vertex (and either one of the lower ones). It cannot go in one lower vertex and out the other.

The counterexample

The fragment can then be used to construct the non-Hamiltonian Tutte graph, by putting together three such fragments as shown on the picture. The "compulsory" edges of the fragments, that must be part of any Hamiltonian path through the fragment, are connected at the central vertex; because any cycle can use only two of these three edges, there can be no Hamiltonian cycle.

The resulting Tutte graph is 3-connected and planar, so by Steinitz' theorem it is the graph of a polyhedron. In total it has 25 faces, 69 edges and 46 vertices. It can be realized geometrically from a tetrahedron (the faces of which correspond to the four large faces in the drawing, three of which are between pairs of fragments and the fourth of which forms the exterior) by multiply truncating three of its vertices.

Smaller counterexamples
As show, there are exactly six 38-vertex non-Hamiltonian polyhedra that have nontrivial three-edge cuts. They are formed by replacing two of the vertices of a pentagonal prism by the same fragment used in Tutte's example.

title: Tait's conjecture


text:
51 BC

Year 51 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Sulpicius (or, less frequently, year 703 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 51 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Marcus Claudius Marcellus and Servius Sulpicius Rufus.
 * Pompey demands that Julius Caesar lay down his command before he can stand for consul.

Egypt

 * Spring – King Ptolemy XII (Auletes) dies and is succeeded by his eldest surviving daughter Cleopatra VII and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII as co-rulers of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Asia

 * The Xiongnu split into two hordes. The Eastern horde is subject to China.

Births

 * Cheng, Chinese emperor of the Han dynasty (d. 7 BC)
 * Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, Roman aristocrat (d. 21 AD)

Deaths

 * Ariobarzanes II (Philopator), king of Cappadocia
 * Julia Minor, sister of Julius Caesar (b. 100 BC)
 * Marcus Atius Balbus, Roman praetor and governor (b. 105 BC)
 * Posidonius, Greek philosopher, astronomer and geographer
 * Ptolemy XII (Auletes), king (pharaoh) of the Ptolemaic Kingdom

title: 51 BC


text:
99 BC

Year 99 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antonius and Albinus (or, less frequently, year 655 Ab urbe condita) and the Second Year of Tianhan. The denomination 99 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Aulus Postumius Albinus and Marcus Antonius.

Asia

 * Han-Xiongnu War
 * The Han general Li Guangli marches west from Jiuquan with 30,000 cavalrymen to attack the Tuqi King of the Right in the Tian Shan Mountains. After an initial victory, the Han are surrounded, and they lose more than 20,000 men while breaking out of the encirclement.
 * The Han generals Lu Bode and Gongsun Ao march into the Zhuoxie Mountains, but they encounter no Xiongnu forces and turn back.
 * Autumn – The Han general Li Ling leads 5000 crack infantry and a cavalry force from Juyan Lake into the eastern Altay Mountains but is pursued by Qiedihou Chanyu. After a desperate fighting retreat across more than 500km of Xiongnu territory, the Han expedition runs out of arrows. Li Ling surrenders and his force disintegrates in the Tihan Mountains, about 50km from the Great Wall of China.
 * Emperor Wu of Han has the 'Grand Historian' Sima Qian castrated after the latter argues in defense of Li Ling's surrender.

Births

 * Lucretius, Latin prominent philosopher and poet (d. c. 55 BC)

title: 99 BC


text:
53 BC

Year 53 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messalla and Calvinus (or, less frequently, year 701 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 53 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Marcus Valerius Messalla and Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus.
 * Parthian War:
 * Crassus sacks the Temple of Hierapolis and the Temple in Jerusalem on his way to engage the Parthians.
 * May 6 – Battle of Carrhae: Romans defeated, and Crassus killed, by Parthians led by General Surena.
 * Gallic War:
 * Julius Caesar suppresses a revolt led by Ambiorix near Sabis (Northern Gaul).
 * At Cenabum (modern Orléans) Roman merchants are massacred by the Carnutes.
 * Vercingetorix, an Arverni chieftain, leads a revolt against Caesar in Central Gaul.
 * Winter – Caesar enrolls non-citizen soldiers in Gallia Transalpina, genesis of Legio V Alaudae. He increases his army to ten legions.

Armenia

 * Artavasdes II becomes king of Armenia.

Births

 * Aristobulus III, high priest of Jerusalem (d. 36 BC)
 * Yang Xiong, Chinese politician and philosopher (d. AD 18)

Deaths

 * May 6 (executed after the Battle of Carrhae)
 * Marcus Licinius Crassus, Roman politician and general
 * Publius Licinius Crassus, son of Marcus Licinius Crassus
 * Abgar II, Arab king of Edessa (modern Turkey)
 * Gaius Scribonius Curio, Roman statesman and orator

title: 53 BC


text:
433

Year 433 (CDXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Maximus (or, less frequently, year 1186 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 433 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Flavius Aetius returns to Italy with the support of the Huns. He gains control over the young emperor Valentinian III, and becomes his "protector".
 * Petronius Maximus is appointed consul of the Western Roman Empire.

Religion

 * Pope Sixtus III helps to settle a Christological dispute between the patriarchs Cyril of Alexandria and John of Antioch, that has continued since the First Council of Ephesus, two years ago. They sign the "Formula of Reunion", thus ending their conflict over Nestorianism.

Births

 * Liu Bing, high official of the Liu Song Dynasty (d. 477)

Deaths

 * Juqu Mengxun, prince of the Xiongnu state Northern Liang (b. 368)
 * Xie Lingyun, Chinese poet of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (b. 385)
 * Huiguo, Chinese Buddhist Abbess (b. 364)

title: 433


text:
435

Year 435 (CDXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Valentinianus (or, less frequently, year 1188 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 435 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Roman general (magister militum) Flavius Aetius begins a campaign in Gaul against the Burgundians, following their raids into neighbouring Gallia Belgica by King Gunther.
 * November 14 – Emperor Theodosius II orders a new edict for the death penalty of all heretics and pagans in the Empire. Judaism is considered a legal non-Christian religion.

Africa

 * King Genseric concludes a peace treaty with the Romans, under which the Vandals retain Mauretania and a part of Numidia as foederati (allies under a special treaty) of Rome.
 * The Vandals use Hippo Regius (modern Annaba) as a port for their expeditions. Genseric establishes a merchant fleet to transport goods between Africa and the Italian mainland.
 * Huneric, eldest son of Genseric, is sent as a child hostage to the court at Ravenna to secure the alliance with the Western Roman Empire.

Central America

 * August 10 – A figure known to Mayanist scholars as "Casper" begins a 52-year reign in the Mayan city-state of Palenque what is now the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico, and reigns until his death in 487.
 * December 8 – On the Mayan calendar, the era of the 9th Baktun begins. There is a change in political alliances just preceding the event when royal personages from the Mexican highland city of Teotihuacan consolidate power individually as Mayan kings.

Religion

 * August 3 – Theodosius II exiles Nestorius, archbishop of Constantinople, to a monastery in the Libyan desert at the behest of his sister Pulcheria.
 * Ibas is elected bishop of Edessa. He becomes associated with the growth of Nestorianism and openly preaching heretical doctrines in public.

Deaths

 * John Cassian, Desert Father and theologian
 * Pelagius, British monk (approximate date)
 * Philip of Side, Christian church historian (approximate date)
 * Rabbula, bishop of Edessa

title: 435


text:
447

Year 447 (CDXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Calepius and Ardabur (or, less frequently, year 1200 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 447 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Byzantium

 * November 6 – The Walls of Constantinople are severely damaged by an earthquake, which destroys large parts of the structure, including 57 towers. The population is threatened by a plague. Emperor Theodosius II orders Constantine, praetorian prefect of the East, to supervise the repairs. He employs the city's demoi ("Circus factions") in the work, and rebuilds the walls within 60 days.
 * The Huns, led by Attila, cross the Danube, and invade the Balkans as far as Thermopylae (Greece). During the invasion, Serdica (modern Sofia) is destroyed. For disobeying the terms of the treaty made in 442, Attila triples his demand for tribute to 2,100 pounds (ca. 700 kg) of gold per year; and the ransom for each Roman prisoner to 12 solidi.
 * Theodosius II sends an embassy to Attila; Priscus of Panium, envoy for the Eastern Roman Empire. Priscus records one of the few eyewitness accounts of the Hun kingdom.
 * Battle of the Utus: Attila defeats the Roman army near the river Utus (Vit, Bulgaria). The Huns are forced to abandon the siege of Constantinople. They march north and plunder the defenseless Balkan provinces (including Thrace, Scythia, Moesia, Dacia and Illyricum).
 * Winter – Theodosius II chooses a policy to protect Constantinople against the Huns. He removes Aspar and Areobindus (magister militum) from their military commands.

Europe

 * Vortigern, king of the Britons, receives the Saxon leaders Hengist and Horsa "as friends" and grants the brothers the Isle of Thanet, most easterly point of Kent (England).

Arts and Sciences

 * The first entry in the Annales Cambriæ refers to this year.

Religion

 * Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, makes his second visit to Britain. He spiritually combats the revived Pelagian threat and expels the Irish from Powys (Wales).
 * The Synod of Toledo (Spain) tries to add the filioque clause to the Nicene Creed. The Eastern Orthodox Church refuses to go along with this idea.

Deaths

 * Areobindus, Roman general (magister militum)
 * Juqu Mujian, prince of the Chinese state Northern Liang
 * Secundinus (or Seachnaill), patron saint

title: 447


text:
449

Year 449 (CDXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Astyrius and Romanus (or, less frequently, year 1202 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 449 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Europe

 * Emperor Valentinian III sends an embassy to Attila the Hun. The purpose of the meeting is a long-running dispute over spoils of war during the Danube offensive (441–442). Attila claims his lost property, but Valentinian and Flavius Aetius (magister militum) refuse this request.
 * Flavius Orestes, Roman aristocrat, is sent to Attila's court and becomes a high-ranking secretary (notarius). He is the father of the future emperor Romulus Augustulus.
 * Traditional date – Vortigern, supposed king of the Britons, invites Hengist and Horsa, by tradition chieftains of the Jutes, to form a military alliance against the Picts and Scoti, so contributing to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain (according to Bede).

Religion

 * August 3 – The Second Council of Ephesus opens, chaired by Dioscorus, patriarch of Alexandria. Flavian, patriarch of Constantinople, and Domnus II, patriarch of Antioch, are deposed on August 8.
 * October – A Roman synod repudiates all the decisions of the Second Council of Ephesus.
 * Anatolius becomes patriarch of Constantinople.
 * Maximus II becomes patriarch of Antioch.

Births

 * February 25 – Liu Ziye, emperor of the Liu Song dynasty (d. 466)
 * Eugendus, abbot of Condat Abbey (approximate date)
 * Kavadh I, king of the Persian Empire (d. 531)

Deaths

 * August 11 – Flavian, patriarch of Constantinople
 * Eucherius, bishop of Lyon (approximate date)
 * Hilary, bishop of Arles (b. 403)

title: 449


text:
460

Year 460 (CDLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magnus and Apollonius (or, less frequently, year 1213 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 460 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Emperor Majorian gathers an expeditionary force (Alans and other barbarians) in Liguria, and enters Aquitaine after a long march, where he visits King Theodoric II at Toulouse.
 * Majorian invades Hispania; his generals Nepotianus and Sunieric lead a Visigoth army into Gallaecia. The Suebi are defeated and Lusitania (modern Portugal) is conquered.
 * King Genseric, fearing a Roman invasion, tries to negotiate peace with Majorian, who refuses. The Vandals devastate Mauretania and Moorish warriors poison the wells.
 * Majorian assembles a large fleet in Nova Carthago (Cartagena) in preparation for an invasion of the Vandal Kingdom in Africa. However, King Genseric organizes an attack on the fleet, using individuals sympathetic to the Vandals to conduct the raid. The fleet is destroyed and the expedition is abandoned.
 * Emperor Leo I founds the Excubitors (imperial guard) at Constantinople; this elite tagmatic unit (300 men) is recruited from among the warlike Isaurians (approximate date).

Europe

 * March 27 (night) – Swabians invade the Gallic city of Lugo. The governor is killed.

Asia

 * The Hepthalites (White Huns) conquer the remnants of the Kushan Empire and enter India.
 * A famine that will last for several years begins in the Persian Empire (approximate date).

Art

 * The remodeling of the dome of Baptistry of Neon at Ravenna (Italy) is finished.
 * The Ajanta Caves (India) are completed (cut into the volcanic rock and elaborately painted).
 * The seated Buddha in the Yungang Grottoes, Datong (Shanxi), is made (approximate date).

Religion

 * The Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt) splits from the Chalcedonian Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
 * Gennadius I, patriarch of Constantinople, banishes Timothy II, patriarch of Alexandria.

Births

 * Budic II, king of Brittany (approximate date)
 * Hilderic, king of the Vandals and Alans (approximate date)
 * Romulus Augustulus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire (approximate date)

Deaths

 * October 20 – Aelia Eudocia, Roman empress and wife of Theodosius II
 * Ardaric, king of the Gepids (approximate date)
 * Juqu Anzhou, prince of the Chinese Xiongnu states Northern Liang

title: 460


text:
469

Year 469 (CDLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcianus and Zeno (or, less frequently, year 1222 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 469 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Empire

 * Ostrogoth prince Theodoric, age 15, returns to Pannonia, after living as a child hostage at the court of Emperor Leo I in Constantinople (see 459).

Europe

 * The Vandals invade Epirus (modern Greece). They are expelled from the Peloponnese (Greece) and in retaliation, the Vandals take 500 hostages at Zakynthos. On the way back to Carthage theyare slaughtered.
 * King Euric declares himself independent from the Western Roman Empire. He extends the Visigothic power in Hispania; conquering the cities of Pamplona, Zaragoza and Mérida.

Religion

 * The Vatican makes a pact with the Salian Frankish king Childeric I, agreeing to call him "the new Constantine" on condition that he accept conversion to Christianity.

Births

 * Zhou She, high official of the Liang dynasty (d. 524)

Deaths

 * Dengizich, king of the Huns (approximate date)
 * Hydatius, bishop of Aquae Flaviae (approximate date)

title: 469


text:
882

Year 882 (DCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Europe

 * January 20 – King Louis the Younger dies in Frankfurt. He leaves his territory to his younger brother, Emperor Charles the Fat, who becomes sole ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom.
 * April 11 – Battle of Remich: A Frankish army under Bishop Wala of Metz is defeated by Vikings, who are on a raid, near Remich (modern Luxembourg). During the fighting Wala is killed.
 * Siege of Asselt: Charles the Fat besieges a Viking camp, who have plundered along the Meuse, the Rhine and the Moselle. He defeats their leader Godfrid, and grants him West Frisia.
 * August 5 – King Carloman II becomes sole ruler of the West Frankish Kingdom, after the accidental death of his brother, Louis III. His power is limited by rebellious nobles in Burgundy.
 * Oleg of Novgorod takes Kiev, and makes it his capital, forming the Kievan Rus'

Britain

 * King Alfred the Great increases the size of his new navy, and sails out to attack four Viking ships. Two of the ships are captured (before they surrender), and the other crews are killed.

Arabian Empire

 * December – Ishaq ibn Kundaj, a Turkic military leader, arrests the Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tamid, when the latter (and his followers) try to flee into Tulunid territory.

Religion

 * December 16 – Pope John VIII is assassinated at Rome after a 10-year reign, probably the victim of a political conspiracy. He is succeeded by Marinus I, as the 108th pope of the Catholic Church.

Births

 * February 8 – Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, founder of the Ikhshidid Dynasty (d. 946)
 * Abu 'l-Asakir Jaysh ibn Khumarawayh, Muslim emir (approximate date)
 * Cao Zhongda, official and chancellor of Wuyue (d. 943)
 * Feng Dao, Chinese prince and chancellor (d. 954)
 * Han Yanhui, Chinese Khitan chancellor (d. 959)
 * Saadia Gaon, Jewish philosopher and exegete (or 892)
 * Xia Luqi, general of the Later Tang Dynasty (d. 930)

Deaths

 * January 20 – Louis the Younger, king of the East Frankish Kingdom
 * August 5 – Louis III, king of the West Frankish Kingdom
 * December 16 – John VIII, pope of the Catholic Church
 * December 21 – Hincmar, archbishop of Reims (b. 806)
 * Ainbíth mac Áedo, Dál Fiatach king of Ulaid (Ireland)
 * Al-Hasan ibn Makhlad al-Jarrah, Muslim vizier
 * Ansgarde of Burgundy, Frankish queen (or 880)
 * Chen Tao, Chinese poet (b. 824)
 * Eric Anundsson, Swedish king (approximate date)
 * Eudokia Ingerina, Byzantine empress (approximate date)
 * Duan Yanmo, Chinese warlord (approximate date)
 * García Íñiguez I, king of Pamplona (approximate date)
 * Guaram Mampali, Georgian Bagratid prince
 * Lambert III, Frankish nobleman (b. 830)

title: 882