2019 CE

This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as the "best year in human history" by some newspapers and media outlets in the United States, including The New York Times and WNYC.

In the 2010s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 10 – Venezuela enters a presidential crisis as Juan Guaidó and the National Assembly declare incumbent President Nicolás Maduro "illegitimate".source
February 1 – U.S. President Donald Trump confirms that the U.S. will leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987, citing Russian non-compliance. The next day, Russia follows suit with suspension of its obligations to the treaty.source
February 3 – 2019 Salvadoran presidential election: Nayib Bukele is elected president.source
7 February: President Félix Tshisekedi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and president Denis Sassou Nguesso (Republic of the Congo) meetRepublic of the Congo source
February 12 – The Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia, officially ending a decades-old dispute with Greece and paving the way for the former's integration into NATO and the EU.source
February 23 – 2019 Nigerian general election: Incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari is reelected and the All Progressives Congress party wins 63 out of 109 seats in the Senate of Nigeria and 202 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives.source
February 23 – Venezuelan presidential crisis: President Maduro severs diplomatic ties with Colombia amid attempts to send humanitarian aid to the country across the border.source
February 27–28 – The 2019 North Korea–United States summit is held in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.source
March 26 – The European Parliament votes by 348 to 278 in favour of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which expands legal liability for websites and includes the controversial Article 13.source
April 2 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns as President of Algeria amid widespread protests, after nearly two decades in office.source
April 3 – General elections were held in the Solomon Islands. They were the first general elections since the RAMSI mission concluded in 2017. On 24 April 2019, Manasseh Sogavare was elected by the 11th National Parliament as Prime Minister of Solomon Islands.Solomon Islands source
5 April – The Botswana Democratic Party announces that President Masisi is its next presidential candidate following the withdrawal of Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.Botswana source
28 April – 2019 Beninese parliamentary electionBenin source
5 May – scheduled date for the 2019 Panamanian general electionPanama source
12 May – President Stevo Pendarovski is inaugurated.North Macedonia source
May 18 – 2019 Australian federal election: Scott Morrison's Liberal/National Coalition government is narrowly re-elected, defeating the Labor Party led by Bill Shorten.source
May 24 – British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as Conservative leader, effective June 7, 2019.source
May 27 – U.S. President Donald Trump, during an official state visit to Japan, becomes the first foreign leader to meet with Japanese emperor Naruhito.source
May 27 – Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party wins the election with 39% of the vote, followed by Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party with 36% and Saulos Chilima of the United Democratic Movement with 20%.Malawi source
June 3–5 – U.S. President Donald Trump makes a state visit to the U.K., meeting with Queen Elizabeth II and outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. It is the first official state visit to the U.K. by a sitting U.S. president since 2011. Trump also attends D-Day commemorative ceremonies.source
June 7 – British Prime Minister Theresa May resigns as leader of the Conservative Party.source
8 June – The People's Party for Democracy and Development was founded.Barbados source
June 20–21 – Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a state visit to North Korea. It is his first visit to the country as president and the first visit to North Korea by a Chinese leader since Hu Jintao's visit 14 years prior.source
June 30 – During a trilateral gathering at the Panmunjom Truce Village between South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Trump becomes the first sitting U.S. president to cross the Korean Demilitarized Zone and enter North Korea. Trump and Kim also agree to restart stalled denuclearization negotiations.source
July 16 – The European Parliament elects Ursula von der Leyen as the new President of the European Commission. Succeeding Jean-Claude Juncker, she will be sworn in on December 1, 2019. She is the first female to be elected to this office in EU history.source
July 24 – Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after defeating Jeremy Hunt in a leadership contest, succeeding Theresa May.source
August 21 – Giuseppe Conte offers his resignation as Prime Minister of Italy in order to avoid a no-confidence motion.source
September 24 – U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announces the start of a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.source
November 12 – 2019 Bolivian protests: Jeanine Áñez took power as interim President of Bolivia amidst political crisis.source
November 13 – Public impeachment hearings against U.S. President Donald Trump begin in the House of Representatives.source
December 18 – The U.S. House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Trump, making him the third president to be impeached in the nation's history.source
December 19 – Libya's Government of National Accord activates a cooperation accord with Turkey, allowing for a potential Turkish military intervention in the Second Libyan Civil War.source

Conflict & Security

January 23 – Venezuelan presidential crisis: Thousands of people protest in favor of disputed interim President Juan Guaidó. Several people are killed, and President Maduro severs U.S. diplomatic ties.source
February 7 – 2019 Haitian protests: Anti-government protests demanding the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse begin in several cities across the country.source
February 14: 2019 Haitian protests: The death toll rises to 9 as protesters ask for Jovenel Moïse to step down as president of Haiti.Haiti source
February 26–27 – The Indian Air Force launches airstrikes on purported militant camps in Balakot, Pakistan. It precedes a series of events that lead to the 2019 India–Pakistan standoff.source
26 February–4 July – 2019 Benin protestsBenin source
March 23 – The final territory of the Islamic State, located in Al-Baghuz Fawqani, Syria, is liberated.source
March 31 – Taiwan scrambles its fighter aircraft after two Chinese jets crossed the maritime border between the two nations. Just the day before, Japan had similarly scrambled its jets after Chinese jets flew between Miyako and Okinawa.source
April 4 – Second Libyan Civil War: The Libyan National Army (LNA) launches a surprise offensive in western Libya, moving units towards the Government of National Accord-held capital Tripoli and capturing Gharyan.source
April 11 – Amid mass protests, Omar al-Bashir is deposed as President of Sudan in a coup d'état, after nearly 30 years in office.source
April 30 – Venezuelan presidential crisis: Venezuelan opposition leader and disputed interim President Juan Guaidó leads an attempted uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.source
May 3–6 – May 2019 Gaza–Israel clashes: The Gaza–Israel conflict escalates after the Israeli military launches airstrikes into Gaza killing more than 20 Palestinians including a pregnant woman and a toddler following the injury of two soldiers from Gazan sniper fire.source
May 6 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Army launches a major ground offensive against one of the last rebel strongholds in the country.source
May 12 – May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident: Four commercial ships, including two Saudi Aramco oil tankers, are damaged near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman. The UAE claims it as a "sabotage attack", while an early U.S. assessment blames Iran. The incident occurs after increased U.S.-Iran tensions provoked by the deployment of U.S. military to the Persian Gulf in response to an alleged plot by Iran to attack U.S. forces.source
June 1 – Liverpool F.C win their 6th UEFA Champions League title against fellow English club Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 2–0 at the Metropolitano Stadium, with goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi.source
June 6 – Sudanese revolution: The African Union suspends Sudan's membership "with immediate effect" after the Khartoum massacre.source
20 June — Hundreds are injured as Georgian riot police fires rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters trying to overcome a police cordon at the Parliament building in Tbilisi. The incident is sparked by a Russian parliamentarian speaking from the speaker's chair during an international Orthodox assembly. As the opposition and civil society protests continue, the senior ruling Georgian Dream party MP Zakaria Kutsnashvili and chairman of the parliament Irakli Kobakhidze resign, while the Georgian Dream chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili promises to hold the 2020 legislative election as a fully proportional vote with zero threshold, as demanded by the protesters. Russia responds to the Georgian opposition protests by banning flights to Tbilisi and ordering Russian tourists to leave Georgia.Georgia source
July 3 – 2019 Tajoura migrant center airstrike: An airstrike by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army hits the Tajoura Detention Center outside Tripoli, Libya, while hundreds of people are inside the facility, killing at least 53 of them and injuring 130 others.source
July 19 – The Iranian Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps captures British tanker Stena Impero and temporarily seizes British-operated and Liberian-flagged tanker Mesdar in the Persian Gulf. The British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, warns there will be "serious consequences" if Iran does not release the tanker.source
July 21 – A mob of over 100 suspected triad members dressed in white and armed with batons attack commuters indiscriminately at MTR Yuen Long station in Hong Kong, injuring 45, including a pro-democracy legislator and a pregnant woman. Hong Kong police have been accused of allowing the violence to happen due to their delayed response and decision to limit emergency services in the area. (The Guardian) (SCMP)source
27 July – 40 killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Camp Ashraf in Iraq, targeting IRGC and PMF stockpiles of ballistic missile launchers.source
August 12 – 2019–20 Hong Kong protests: Hong Kong International Airport is closed due to protests.source
August 13 – Samoan police confirmed they had foiled an assassination plot against Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.Solomon Islands source
August 19 – 2019 Papua protests erupt, mainly across Indonesian Papua, in response to an incident in Surabaya where a group of Papuan students were arrested for alleged disrespect of the Indonesian flag. In Jayapura, Sorong, Fakfak, Timika and Manokwari, protests turned violent, with various private buildings and public facilities being damaged or burned. The protests and unrest were described by Reuters as "the most serious civil unrest in years over perceived racial and ethnic discrimination."source
18 September – Prosecutiors in the case of the latest attempt to kill Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announce that Eletise Leafa Vitale, convicted of the assassination of one of Malielegoai's cabinet members in another failed attempt at killing him in 1999, will testify in the trial against the conspirators of this year's plot.Samoa source
September 21 – U.S. President Donald Trump approves deployment of several hundred troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates following the September 14 attack on Saudi oil refineries. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran vow to defend themselves.source
October 1 – 2019–20 Hong Kong protests: A protester is shot in the chest with a live round of ammunition and critically injured.source
October 8 – About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House (parliament) in the Republic of Ireland.source
October 9 – 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey announces a military invasion of north-eastern Syria, targeting the SDF and other Kurdish militias.source
18 October – Barbados at the 2019 Military World GamesBarbados source
October 19 – An estimated one million people march through London in a protest organised by People's Vote, to demand a second referendum on Brexit.source
Attempts to overturn the 2019 Botswana general electionBotswana source
2018–19 Djibouti Premier LeagueDjibouti source

Exploration & Expansion

13 March – A site holding between 450 and 600 million barrels of oil is discovered off the Angolan coast by Italian company Eni.Angola source
April 28 – Victor Vescovo achieves the deepest dive of any human in history, as he reaches Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench, at a depth of 10,928 m (35,853 ft).source
July 1 – Japan announces tightening high-tech exports to South Korea, thus beginning the trade dispute between the two countries.source
26 July to 11 August – Jamaica competed in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, PeruJamaica source
August 18 – "Miloš the Great" Highway, a section of Corridor XI (or A2 motorway; part of the E761 and E763 European routes) from Obrenovac to Preljina, is opened.Serbia source
September 13 – Sudan and South Sudan agreed to reopen border crossings closed since South Sudanese independenceSouth Sudan source
December 20 – Production of crude oil starts from the Liza oil field in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.Guyana source
10–14 April – The 2019 IHF Inter-Continental Trophy was held in Pristina.Kosovo source
12 to 16 October – The 2019 World Beach Games were held in Doha.Qatar source
ʻAkilisi Pōhiva (until 12 September)Solomon Islands source

Religion & Belief

January 1 – Romania takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Austrian presidency.source
January 5 – Bartholomew I of Constantinople issues a formal decree granting independence to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from the Russian Orthodox Church.source
6 January – Thousands of Orthodox Christians dived into icy rivers and lakes throughout the country to retrieve crucifixes placed by priests in the water to celebrate Epiphany.Bulgaria source
22 January – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in its resolution welcomes Georgia's so-called Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, a "sanctions list of perpetrators and persons responsible for the cover-up of grave human rights violations" in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Georgia source
February 3 – Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula.source
April 15 – During Holy Week, a major fire engulfs Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, resulting in the roof and main spire collapsing.source
Makkah Document (2019) was declared in Makkah.Saudi Arabia source
July 1 – Finland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Romanian presidency.source
July 1 – 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests: During the annual July 1 protests that mark the anniversary of the British handover of the city to China, a group of a few hundred protesters stormed the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, defacing various portraits and destroying furniture before being dispersed by police using tear gas.source
September 24 – The Supreme Court of Spain unanimously rules in favour of the exhumation of the remains of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco from the Valle de los Caídos. He is finally exhumed on October 24, being re-inhumed in a private crypt with his wife.source
October 26 – The Amazon Catholic bishops synod proposes that married men be ordained as priests, which would reverse the Church's centuries-old discipline of celibacy.source
November 9 – The Supreme Court of India awards a holy site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh to Hindus, rejecting a Muslim claim. The move is likely to spur sectarian disputes.source
November 10 – Pope Francis says he wishes to visit South Sudan in 2020. A National Security Services officer kills two policemen in Gok State while trying to release his brother from detention.South Sudan source
December 16 – Pope Francis abolishes pontifical secrecy in sex abuse cases; the move follows the Vatican's Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church months prior. The Pope also raises the definition of "child pornography" from 14 to 18 years old.source
24 December 2019 to 30 August 2020 – 2019–2020 Clerical protests in MontenegroMontenegro source
December 24 – Midnight mass is celebrated as the first event leading to the reopening of the Cathedral of Saint Louis, the first Christian Church in West Africa, in the city of Saint-Louis, Senegal.Senegal source
The Abdülhamid II Mosque, the largest mosque in the country is completed.Djibouti source
Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council: Shawn Christian (until 31 December)Solomon Islands source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – Qatar withdraws from OPEC.source
9 January – The Prosecutor's Office announces TBC Bank, the leading Georgian banking company, is facing a criminal investigation over alleged money-laundering, involving a US$17 million transaction back in 2008. The bank denies the charges. On 13 February, the National Bank of Georgia requests that the TBC Bank remove he Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Mamuka Khazaradze and his deputy Badri Japaridze. After days of standoff, on 21 February, the two men resign from their position following the decision of the supervisory board to withdraw the lawsuit against the National Bank.Georgia source
March 20 – Europe's antitrust regulators fine Google €1.49 billion (US$1.7 billion) for freezing out rivals in the online advertising business, bringing the total cost of EU fines against Google at nearly €8.76 billion.source
8 May – President João Lourenço dismisses Carlos Saturnino from his role as Chief Executive of the state oil company Sonangol after fuel shortages cause power cuts and long lines at petrol stations in the capital Luanda.Angola source
May 10 – Amid ongoing negotiations, the U.S.'s 25% tariff hike on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports takes effect, escalating tensions between the two nations in the ongoing China–United States trade war.source
May 19 – China–United States trade war: Google pulls Android update support for Huawei phones, as well as the Google Play Store and Gmail apps, after the company's blacklisting by the U.S. government.source
June 15 – 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests: Hong Kong announces it will indefinitely suspend the controversial extradition bill, but protests continue, this time calling for the total withdrawal of the bill and the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.source
August 2 – 2019–2020 Japan–South Korea trade dispute: Japan announces the removal of South Korea from its list of most trusted trading partners, effective on August 28.source
6 August – Ivory Coast and Ghana set a base price of US $2,600 per ton for 2020-21 cocoa prices.Ivory Coast source
August 12 – The Trump administration announces it will delay its proposal for 10 percent tariffs slated to take effect from September 1 on certain consumer goods from China while exempting other products — less than two weeks after Trump announced the new proposed tariffs.source
August 12 – 2019–2020 Japan–South Korea trade dispute: South Korea announces the removal of Japan from its list of most trusted trading partners, effective on September 18.source
August 13 – The main yield curve for U.S. Treasury bonds inverts, as the yield rate for 2-year bonds rises higher than the yield rate for 10-year bonds.source
August 14 – The Dow Jones plunges more than 500 points, due to concerns over the yield curve inversion.source
August 15 – The European Central Bank shuts down PNB Banka after ruling it had become insolvent; this bank, previously called Norvik Banka, has been Latvia's sixth-largest lender, and a critic of the Baltic country's financial authorities.source
September 4 – In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission threatens to fine YouTube and Google up to $170 million for violation of collecting personal information from children under 13. Google tracked children's YouTube history to regulate targeted advertising and the FTC took notice and took action.source
September 4 – 2019–20 Hong Kong protests: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces the official withdrawal of the controversial Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, and setting up of an independent study to probe social and economic inequality within the territory.source
September 17 – Interest rates on repurchase agreements (or "repos") in the United States experience a sudden and unexpected spike.source
September 23 – One of the largest and oldest travel firms, Thomas Cook, goes bankrupt as last-minute rescue negotiations fail, stranding 600,000 tourists worldwide.source
September 27 – The United Nations University Centre for Policy Research's Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking releases its final report, Unlocking Potential: A Blueprint for Mobilizing Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.source
October 3 – European Commission spokesperson Daniel Rosario threatens retaliatory measures if the United States imposes a US$7.5-billion (approximately €6.8-billion) tariff on products such as olives, whiskey, wine, cheese, yogurt, and airplanes. The tariffs are scheduled to take place on October 18.source
October 11 – The United States sanctions the businessmen Ashraf Seed Ahmed Al-Cardinal and Kur Ajing Ater Ajing for corruption in South Sudan.South Sudan source
3 November - Saudi Aramco announced a plan to list its initial public offering (IPO) in the domestic stock exchange (Tadawul) which expected to be the world’s biggest listing.Saudi Arabia source
December 2–13 – The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Madrid, Spain, after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announced in October that his country could not host the conference due to political unrest in the country.source
December 11 – The World Trade Organization is left unable to intervene in trade disputes after the U.S. blocks the appointment of new panel members.source
December 27 – Corporate defaults on corporate bonds in China reach a new record.source
December – Choppies announces the sale of its South African operations for one rand.Botswana source
The Rwandan government added menstrual pads to the list of VAT-exempted goods in an effort to make pads more affordable.Rwanda source
Prime Minister of New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern (since 2017)Solomon Islands source

Technology & Infrastructure

12 January – The 2019 Marrakesh ePrix, a Formula E electric car race, was held at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan in the Agdal district of Marrakesh.Morocco source
January 25 – A mine tailings dam breaks in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. At least 248 people are killed, with 22 missing.source
24 February - the 2019 Tour du Rwanda begins.Rwanda source
March 24 – The first phase of Jakarta's MRT system opened with its first line.source
12 April – President Mirziyoyev names his daughter Saida, as the deputy director of the Agency for Information and Mass Communication.Uzbekistan source
21 April – At least 55 people are injured as a protest in the Pankisi gorge over construction of a hydro-electric power plant grows into clashes with the riot police. As a result, the construction is suspended, while the riot police units are withdrawn from the area.Georgia source
July 1 – Japan resumes commercial whaling after a 30-year moratorium, following its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission.source
October 1 – The Nanfang'ao Bridge, the only steel single-arch bridge in Taiwan, collapses, killing six people and injuring more than twenty others.source
18 October – The commissioning of Mandalgovi–Ulaanbaatar Transmission Line.Mongolia source
October 24 – Construction starts on a power line that will provide power from Uganda to the towns of Nimule, Kaya, and Kajo Keji.South Sudan source
October 27 – U.S. President Donald Trump announces that the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been killed in a U.S. special forces operation. It is reported that al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest after being chased into a tunnel.source
November 25 – IPv4 address exhaustion: The RIPE NCC, which is the official regional Internet registry (RIR) for Europe, officially announces that it has run out of IPv4 addresses.source
6 December – The inauguration of Port Moresby Power Station.Papua New Guinea source
December 17 – Shandong, China's first fully domestically built aircraft carrier, enters naval service.source
David Hurley (starting 1 July)Solomon Islands source

Science & Discovery

January 1 – New Horizons makes a close approach to the Kuiper belt object (KBO) 486958 Arrokoth at 05:33 UTC.source
January 3 – Chinese probe Chang'e 4 becomes the first artificial object to land on the far side of the Moon.source
5 February 2019 - The Saudi satellite SGS-1 was launched.Saudi Arabia source
February 21 – SpaceIL launches the Beresheet probe, the world's first privately financed mission to the Moon.source
March 3 – An uncrewed demonstration flight of the new crew capable version of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, intended to carry American astronauts into space, achieves successful autonomous docking with the International Space Station.source
14 March – 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games begins in Abu Dhabi.United Arab Emirates source
4 April − Janaka Kanchana sets a new Guinness World Record by breaking 50 concrete slabs on his chest within 5 minutes and 40 seconds.Sri Lanka source
April 10 – Fossil fragments found in the Callao Cave in the Philippines reveal the existence of a new species of human, the Homo luzonensis. The species is named after Luzon, where the fossils were discovered.source
April 10 – Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, located in the centre of the M87 galaxy.source
April 18 – NepaliSat-1 is launched. It is Nepal's first ever research satellite to be sent into space.source
April 18 - NepaliSat-1, the first ever research satellite to be sent to space by Nepal launches.Nepal source
April 25 – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Russia to hold a series of summits with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.source
April – The Okavango Blue, a 20-carat blue diamond, is unveiled.Botswana source
June 20 – 2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone: Iran shoots down a U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz after claiming it violated their airspace. The U.S. claims it has been shot down in international airspace in an "unprovoked attack".source
July 1 – The International Atomic Energy Agency confirms that Iran has breached the limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium.source
July 2 – A total solar eclipse occurs over South America. It is the 58th solar eclipse from Saros cycle 127.source
September 6 – Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar probe, is successfully placed in lunar orbit, but the lander Vikram crashes into the surface of the Moon.source
September 7 – Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and 66 others are released in a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.source
September 11 – Astronomers announce the detection of water in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b, the first such discovery for an exoplanet in the habitable zone around a star.source
September 30 – The Republic of Ireland promises to plant 440 million trees in twenty years to combat climate change.source
October 18 – NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch conduct the first all-female spacewalk outside of the International Space Station.source
October 23 – Google announces that its 53-qubit "Sycamore" processor has achieved quantum supremacy. IBM disputes the claim.source
November 5 – 11,000 scientists from around the world publish a study in the journal BioScience, warning "clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency".source
November 25 – The World Meteorological Organization reports that levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high of 407.8 parts per million, with "no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline."source
December 18 – The CHEOPS space telescope, whose mission is to study the formation of extrasolar planets and determine their precise radius, likely density and internal structure, is launched.source
December 20 – The United States founds the United States Space Force, a branch of the United States Armed Forces dedicated to space warfare.source
20 December – Ethiopia launches the first experimental satellite into space with the help of China from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.Ethiopia source
December 26 – An annular solar eclipse is visible from South Asia. This is a part of Saros 132.source
December 30 - Carlos Ghosn escapes from Japan and arrives in Beirut.Lebanon source
Commune of the Juan Fernández IslandsSolomon Islands source

Health & Medicine

1 January – The law on a defined contribution plan—mandatory for legally employed people under 40—comes into effect. Critics say the saved money is not properly secured against risks.Georgia source
1 January – a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags comes into effect.Slovenia source
January 2 – Adventist Health System rebranded its facilities to the trade name AdventHealth.source
May 3 – The number of deaths from the Kivu Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000. It is the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, only surpassed by the Western African Ebola virus epidemic of 2013–2016.source
May 8 – A British teenager, Isabelle Holdaway, 17, is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.source
June 9 – 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests: Over 1 million people in Hong Kong protest against proposed legislation regarding extradition to mainland China. It is the largest protest in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover.source
June 16 – A large-scale power outage hits Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Paraguay, affecting nearly 50 million people.source
July 17 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the Kivu Ebola epidemic to be a public health emergency of international concern.source
July 30 – India bans triple talaq.source
September 16 – A gas explosion in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia sets off a fire in a bioweapons plant that houses viruses including smallpox, ebola and anthrax.source
October 4 – 2019–20 Hong Kong protests: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the Chief Executive in Council invokes the Emergency Regulations Ordinance and banning the face mask in public gatherings with immediate effect.source
8 October – An altercation between Chinese and Taiwanese diplomats during a reception at the Grand Pacific hotel in Suva leaves one Taiwanese official in hospital. The incident is seen as a spilling over of diplomatic tensions between the two governments over their respective influences across the Pacific.Fiji source
October 14 – A New York Times investigation reveals that Russian planes had bombed at least 50 hospitals and clinics in opposition-held Idlib, Syria.source
October 25 – Tourists visit the summit of Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) for the last time, as a ban on climbing the famous rock in Australia's Northern Territory comes into effect.source
11 November – The government of Botswana orders the church of Shepherd Bushiri to stop congregating in the country.Botswana source
November 19 – Google enters the video game market with the launch of Stadia.source
28 November – The United Nations blames anti-vaccination messages for the current outbreak of measles in the country, where the death toll has risen to 39 and is expected to rise as 200 are reported hospitalised, according to the World Health Organization. Total cases now soar to near 3,000.Samoa source
December 1 – COVID-19 pandemic: First known human case of Coronavirus disease 2019, in Wuhan, Hubei, China.source
5 December – The deadly measles epidemic in Samoa has led to the United Nations' World Health Organization to deploy 128 medical teams to assist in vaccination efforts. The UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated $2.7 million to support the response.Solomon Islands source
10 December – Ostrava hospital attack: In Ostrava, a man opens fire in a hospital's waiting room, killing six people before fleeing and subsequently shooting himself dead.Czech Republic source
December 19 – A locust plague devastates 173,000 acres (70,000 hectares) of crop and grazing land in Ethiopia and Somalia.source
December 31 – COVID-19 pandemic: First official reports of "viral pneumonia" from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.source
Scheduled – The 2019 Guyanese general election was postponed and held on 2 March 2020.Guyana source

Crime & Justice

January 28 – The U.S. Justice Department charges Chinese tech firm Huawei with multiple counts of fraud, raising U.S.–China tensions.source
4 February – 25-year-old Australian footballer and refugee from Bahrain, Hakeem al-Araibi, is ordered to defend an extradition order back to Bahrain in a Bangkok court, after being detained upon arrival in Thailand for his honeymoon with his wife in November 2018. International community is treating it as a human rights issue; a campaign to free al-Araibi and return him to Australia is growing.Bahrain source
March 5 – A second case of sustained remission from HIV is reported, ten years after the Berlin Patient.source
April 11 – WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is arrested after seven years in Ecuador's embassy in London.source
April 29 – Elusive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears in undated footage released by the group, his first appearance on video since 2014.source
May 13 – Prosecutors in Sweden reopen the rape allegation investigation against Julian Assange. Swedish prosecutors mention their intent to seek extradition of Assange from the U.K. after he has served his 50-week prison sentence for skipping bail.source
9 June – Shooting of David Ortiz in Santo Domingo EsteDominican Republic source
July 17 – United States v. Guzmán: Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, former head of the Sinaloa Cartel, which became the biggest supplier of drugs to the U.S., is sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.source
22 July – FIFA fines and bans former Botswana Football Association secretary general Mooketsi Kgotlele on charges of match fixing and accepting bribes.Botswana source
July 29 — Journalist Adama Gaye (Kapital Afrik, Jeune Afrique, France 24, TV5Monde, and Al Jazeera) is arrested and charged with acting to compromise public security and offending the president.Senegal source
19 August: Republic of the Congo at the 2019 African Games.Republic of the Congo source
August – Lesotho at the 2019 African GamesLesotho source
September 2 – Iranian woman Sahar Khodayari sets herself on fire after being arrested for attending a soccer game in Iran. She dies a week later.source
October 14 – Trial of Catalonia independence leaders: The Supreme Court of Spain sentences nine Catalan independence movement leaders to 9 to 13 years of prison for sedition and misuse of public funds. Three others are disqualified for 1 year and 8 months for disobedience. Violent protests erupt across Catalonia.source
October 14: The Ernesto Ramos Antonini public housing residence, located near the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, was the site of a mass killing with more than 1000 shots fired and six people dead.Puerto Rico source
October 16 – Venezuelan councilman and opposition politician Edmundo Rada is reported missing. He is found dead the following day on the side of the road out of Petare, Caracas, burned and with two coup de grâce shots in the back of his neck.source
October 17 – Shootouts erupt in Culiacán, Mexico, after the arrest of El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzmán López, on an arrest warrant for drug dealing in the United States. Eight people are killed and 56 convicts escape from prison; 7 are recaptured by October 18. Guzmán López is released in an effort to restore peace and to prevent more bloodshed.source
October 23 – The bodies of 39 people are found in a truck container in Essex, England. A 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland is arrested on suspicion of murder.source
November 4 – Amnesty International alleges that Bangladesh killed 466 people in 2018 under the guise of an anti-drugs campaign in what appears to be a wave of extrajudicial executions.source
November 7 – Former Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda is sentenced to 30 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the longest sentence ever handed down by the International Criminal Court.source
November 21 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.source
December 19 – A court in the Philippines convicts Andal Ampatuan Jr., his brother Zaldy Ampatuan and 31 others including three members of the Ampatuan clan, of 57 counts of murder and sentences them to life imprisonment without parole for their role in the Maguindanao massacre.source
December 23 – Five men are sentenced to death and another three face 24 years in prison for their roles in the murder of dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.source
December 30 – Chinese authorities announce that He Jiankui, who claimed to have created the world's first genetically edited human babies, has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined 3 million yuan (US$430,000) for his genetic research efforts.source
Intendant of Valparaíso Region: Jorge Martínez DuránSolomon Islands source

Disasters & Accidents

31 January – Seven men are found dead in an apartment block in Tbilisi, apparently as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, leading to further concerns regarding the shortcomings in policy and management of the city's gas infrastructure.Georgia source
March 10 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound for Nairobi, crashes shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. All Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are subsequently grounded worldwide.source
14 March – USS Devastator is damaged by fire while at a Bahrain dock.Bahrain source
28 March – At least 18 killed when a truck crashes into a crowd along the Pan-American Highway in Nahualá, SololaGuatemala source
April 21 – A series of Islamist bomb attacks occur at eight locations in Sri Lanka, including three churches, four hotels and one housing complex in Colombo, on Easter Sunday, leaving 259 people dead and over 500 injured. It is the deadliest terrorist attack in the country since the Sri Lankan Civil War ended in 2009.source
May 5 – Aeroflot Flight 1492 crash-lands and bursts into flames at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, killing 41 of the 78 people on board.source
June 17 – A triple suicide blast kills 30 and injures over 40 in Borno, Nigeria, at a hall where people were watching a football match.source
June 19 – Four men are charged with murdering the 298 passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, an airliner shot down while flying over Eastern Ukraine in July 2014.source
26 June – A stampede in Antananarivo resulted in the death of 16 people.Madagascar source
July 1 – A fire on the Russian deep-diving submarine Losharik kills 14 crew members. Submarine commander Denis Dolonsky is among those killed.source
August 8 – Nyonoksa radiation accident: Reports indicate that there may have been a nuclear explosion at the Nyonoksa weapons-testing site in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. At least five people were killed and three others injured in the blast, with radiation levels in Severodvinsk, 47 km from the site, being 20 times above normal levels temporarily.source
August 10–25 – 2019 Canary Islands wildfires: A number of forest fires break out in the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote. The fires on the island of Gran Canaria were the most severe, resulting in the loss of large areas of the island's forests and leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents from a number of towns and villages.source
August 10 – Morogoro tanker explosion: A fuel tanker truck explodes in Morogoro, Tanzania, killing at least 89 people and injuring dozens more.source
10 August - Morogoro tanker explosionTanzania source
August 25 – 2019 Beirut drone crash: According to Lebanese officials, two Israeli drones attack Beirut, Lebanon. One crashed into the roof of the Hezbollah Media Center, about 45 minutes before the second exploded in the air and damaged the building. It is the first such incident between Israel and Lebanon since the 2006 Lebanon War.source
August 25 - 2019 Beirut drone crash: two drones, alleged to be from Israel by Lebanese authorities, crashed in the Dahieh district of Beirut. The first drone crashed into Hezbollah's Media Center, and the second drone exploded mid-air 45 minutes later. This was the first such incident between Lebanon and Israel since the 2006 war between them.Lebanon source
August 31 – 2019 Alta helicopter crash: A sightseeing helicopter crashes in the mountains of Skoddevarre in Alta Municipality, Norway, killing all 6 occupants.source
3 September - A roadside explosion near Dallah kills 14 bus passengers.Mali source
October 31 – A fire destroys much of the 500-year-old Japanese Shuri Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.source
October 31 – A train catches fire near Rahim Yar Khan in Pakistan. The blaze, sparked by gas used by passengers cooking on board, kills at least 74 people.source
November 24 – 2019 Busy Bee crash: A plane crashes shortly after takeoff in a densely populated area of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all 19 people on board and at least 10 more on the ground.source
December 8 – A fire at a factory in Delhi, India, kills 43 people and injures at least 50 others.source
December 9 – 2019 Chilean Air Force C-130 crash: A Chilean military transport aircraft crashes while en route to Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva in Antarctica, killing all 38 people on board. The crash site is located on December 12.source
December 24 – Thousands of Muslims protest the December 20 burning of four mosques in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia.source
White-backed vulture poisonings in AfricaBotswana source

Climate & Environment

March 9 – Flooding from the predecessor of Cyclone Idai caused 23 deaths and 11 missing in the south of the country.Malawi source
March 15 – Cyclone Idai makes landfall on Mozambique, causing at least 1,073 fatalities, as well as mass flooding and power outages in southern Africa.source
April 16 – The Howse Peak avalanche kills three noted mountaineers: Austrians Hansjörg Auer and David Lama, and Canadian Jess Roskelley.source
April 21 – 2019 Ukrainian presidential election: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is elected the President of Ukraine in a landslide victory in the second round of voting. He took office on May 20, 2019.source
May 6 – In its first report since 2005, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warns that biodiversity loss is "accelerating", with over a million species now threatened with extinction; the decline of the natural living world is "unprecedented" and largely a result of human actions, according to the report.source
22 May – Botswana lifts its ban on elephant hunting.Botswana source
May 23 – 2019 Indian general election: Narendra Modi secures a landslide victory, with his party BJP alone gaining 303 of the 543 seats in parliament, and his political alliance NDA winning 353 seats of the 543.source
June 9 – A large explosive eruption of Mount Sinabung in Indonesia sends a 7,000-meter ash column into the air, generating a pyroclastic flow 3–3.5 kilometers long towards the south and southeast of the mountain.source
July 13 – Hurricane Barry strikes the Gulf Coast, killing one and causing over $500 million (2019 USD) in damages.source
July – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports, on August 15, that July 2019 has been the hottest month on record globally, at 0.95 °C (1.71 °F) above the 20th-century average.source
August 1 – Danish polar research institution Polar Portal reports a large spike in Greenland ice loss, with 11 billion tons melted in one day and 197 gigatonnes during the month of July.source
August 18 – 100 activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after once covering 15.5 km².source
August 21 – 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires: Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reports fires burning in the Amazon rainforest at a record rate, with more than 36,000 in the year to date, while smoke reaches São Paulo more than 1,700 mi away.source
September 1 – Hurricane Dorian makes landfall on The Bahamas as the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin outside the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph. 43 deaths are reported.source
September 22 – Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Dorian makes landfall on The Bahamas, the official death toll stands at 52 and 1,300 are reported missing. Rescuers report the widespread stench of rotting bodies in the rubble.source
September – Brunei was affected by the 2019 Southeast Asian haze.Brunei source
October 12 – Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall in Japan, the biggest storm to hit the region in decades, with over seven million people urged to evacuate.source
October 30 – An earthquake of 6.5. M w rocks the Philippine island of Mindanao two days after an earthquake killed at least five and left around 12,000 people homeless.source
October 31 – Heavy rain and flooding leave 3 dead and 200,000 people are homeless in Beledweyne, Somalia. Meanwhile, 29 are dead and 29,000 homeless due to flooding in nearby Kenya.source
October: 2019–2020 Congo River floods: Torrential rains causes floods along the Congo and Ubangi rivers causing the displacement of thousands of people.Republic of the Congo source
Metis Shoal, a volcanic island at the top of a submarine volcano between Kao and Late disappears during an eruption which is first reported on the morning of 14 October. A new and bigger island appears nearby.Tonga source
November 9 – Cyclone Bulbul kills seven in West Bengal, India and seven in Bangladesh. 2,000,000 people are evacuated.source
November 14 – Italy declares a state of emergency in Venice following record flooding.source
December 2 – Typhoon Kammuri hits the Philippines, causing the evacuation of 200,000 people, but without reports of injuries or serious damage.source
December 5 – The 2019 Burundi landslide is reported to have caused at least 26 deaths.source
December 5 – 41 people die, and 40 others are injured during a series of landslides in Cibitoke, Bujumbura, Bubanza, and CankuzoBurundi source
December 9 – A volcano erupts on White Island in New Zealand, killing 22 people and injuring 25 others.source
December 11 – Music legend Baaba Maal, who was born in Podor promises to fight to stop the desertification in the Sahel by planting trees.Senegal source
December 12 – Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party win a landslide victory in the 2019 United Kingdom general election achieving a majority in the House of Commons of 80 seats.source
4 to 9 March – Cyclone Idai hit northwestern Madagascar.Madagascar source

Culture & Society

19 February 2019 – The Tajikistan Football Federation announces that the season will consist of Istiklol, Khujand, Kuktosh, Regar-TadAZ, Khatlon, CSKA Pamir, Panjshir and Istaravshan.Tajikistan source
May 1 – King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand marries his personal bodyguard Suthida Tidjai – a commoner – in a surprise ceremony, making her queen consort of Thailand.source
May 14–18 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is won by Dutch entrant Duncan Laurence with the song "Arcade".source
May 20 – The revision of the SI system of measurement adopted by the majority of countries in the world takes effect.source
May 30–July 14 – The 2019 Cricket World Cup is held in England (one match in Wales) with England defeating New Zealand in the final.source
June 2 – 2019 San Marino referendum: Sammarinese voters vote to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and initiate a popular legislative initiative for the reform of the electoral system.source
June 7–July 7 – The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup is held in France and is won by the United States.source
June 11 – Botswana decriminalizes homosexuality.source
June 12 – 12 June 2019 Hong Kong protest: The Hong Kong government and police controversially declare that the protest has "turned into a riot".source
June 12 – The Supreme Court of Ecuador rules in favor of same-sex marriage, making it legal throughout the country.source
13 June - The Supreme Court of Ecuador votes to legalize same-sex marriageEcuador source
July 10 – The last Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the line in Puebla, Mexico. The last of 5,961 "Special Edition" cars will be exhibited in a museum.source
July 26–August 11 – The 2019 Pan American Games are held in Lima, Peru.source
August 5 – 2019–20 Hong Kong protests: Amid ongoing protests, Hong Kong is hit by the first general strikes of their kind since 1967.source
23 August to 3 September – Scheduled date for the 2019 African Games, to be hosted in Casablanca and Rabat.Morocco source
September 20–November 2 – The 2019 Rugby World Cup is held in Japan and is won by South Africa who defeated England in the final.source
September 20 – An international strike and protest led by young people and adults is held three days before the latest UN Climate Summit, to demand action be taken to address the climate crisis. Gathering 6 million people in 4,500 locations across 150 countries, the event is one of the largest climate mobilizations in history.source
September 27 – 500,000 people march in a climate change protest led by activist Greta Thunberg and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal, Canada. 4,000,000 go on strike around the world.source
27 September to 6 October – The 2019 World Athletics Championships were held in Doha.Qatar source
21 November to 1 December (scheduled) – Paraguay will host the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, to be held in the city of AsunciónParaguay source
December 9 – The World Anti-Doping Agency votes unanimously to ban Russia from international sport for four years for doping offences, meaning it will be excluded from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.source
The 2018–19 Macedonian Football Cup continues from 2018.North Macedonia source
22 to 27 January – The World Youth Day 2019 was celebrated in Panama CityPanama source
Monarchy of New Zealand: Elizabeth IISolomon Islands source

Births

21 May – Tengku Ismail Leon Petra, son of Muhammad V of Kelantan and Oksana Voevodina.Russia source
15 November – Legarto, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source
December 24 – An unnamed black rhino is born at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan.United States source
December 26 – An unnamed female giraffe was born in Chapultupec Zoo, Mexico City. Jirafifíta was born there in March 2019.Mexico source

Deaths

21 January – Ervin Knowles, former cabinet minister (born 1934).Bahamas source
March 15 – 51 people are killed and 50 others injured in terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is the deadliest mass shooting and terrorist attack in New Zealand's history.source
6 May: Seymour Nurse, 85, cricketer (West Indies cricket team)Barbados source
June 3 – Khartoum massacre: More than 100 people are killed when Sudanese troops and Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a protest camp outside of a military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan.source
July 18 – 36 people are killed and more than 30 others injured after an arson attack at an animation company in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of the deadliest massacres in the country's history since the end of World War II and the deadliest building fire in the country in 18 years, since the Myojo 56 building fire in 2001.source
August 3 - 23 people are killed during the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting.source
August 10 – Jeffrey Epstein, 66, American financier (Bear Stearns), philanthropist (Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation) and convicted sex offender, suicide by hanging.source
August 10 – 32 are killed and 1,000,000 evacuated as Typhoon Lekima makes landfall in Zhejiang, China. Earlier it had caused flooding in the Philippines.source
September 2 – Sinking of MV Conception: 34 people are killed following a fire and subsequent sinking of a dive boat near Santa Cruz Island, California, United States. It is the worst maritime disaster in California in more than 150 years.source
September 6 – Robert Mugabe, 95, Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician, President (1987–2017) and Prime Minister (1980–1987), cancer.source
September 19 – 30 Afghan nut farmers are killed and 40 injured in a U.S. drone attack in Nangarhar Province.source
September 26 – Jacques Chirac, 86, French politician, President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra (1995–2007), Prime Minister (1974–1976, 1986–1988) and Mayor of Paris (1977–1995).source
October 5 – 2019 Iraqi protests: 91 people are killed by police during a week of demonstrations in Iraq.source
November 4 – LeBarón and Langford families massacre: Nine Americans are killed when Mexican gang members open fire on their vehicles while driving to a wedding about 70 mi south of the Mexico–United States border.source
6 November – Albert Tévoédjrè, writer and politician (born 1929).Benin source
11 November – Winston Lackin, politician (born 1954).Suriname source
November 26 – 2019 Albania earthquake: 51 people are killed and around 2,000 others injured in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in northwestern Albania. The earthquake is the strongest to hit Albania in more than 40 years, and the world's deadliest earthquake in 2019.source
December 29 – A report by the Multi-Sector Epidemic Response Committee (CMRE) indicates that 2,231 people have died so far in the 2018–20 Kivu Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.source