lead: The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., creating NATO as a Western defense alliance; Apartheid is formally instituted in South Africa, enforcing racial segregation; Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China, ending the Chinese Civil War and establishing communist rule; the Soviet Union detonates RDS-1, ending the United States’ nuclear monopoly; the 1949 Armistice Agreements end the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, setting new borders; the debut of South Pacific becomes a landmark in American theater and cultural history; the EDSAC runs its first program in Cambridge, advancing digital computing; the Superga air disaster kills the Torino F.C. team, shocking Italy; and Howard Unruh commits a mass shooting in Camden, New Jersey, killing 13.

title: 1949


lead: King Vologases V and other eastern princes support the claims of Pescennius Niger. The Roman province of Mesopotamia rises in revolt with Parthian support. Severus marches to Mesopotamia to battle the Parthians. In China, the Xiongnu federation crosses the Great Wall and establishes itself in Shanxi Province. The denarius is devalued by Severus. The coin now contains only 50% precious metal.

sections:
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Deaths

title: AD 195

license: CC BY-SA 4.0


lead: The Korean War begins as North Korea invades the South in the Battle of Inchon; the Annexation of Tibet by China brings Tibet under Chinese control; the 1950 FIFA World Cup ends with Uruguay’s Maracanazo upset over Brazil; McCarthyism drives anti-communist hysteria in the U.S.; the 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake causes massive destruction; the Treaty of Zgorzelec confirms the Oder–Neisse border; the Jayuya Uprising challenges U.S. rule in Puerto Rico; Typhoon Jane devastates Japan; and King Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned.

sections:
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Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
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Deaths

title: 1950


lead: The Julius and Ethel Rosenberg espionage trial unfolds in the United States; the Treaty of San Francisco ends World War II and restores Japan’s sovereignty; the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry under Mohammad Mosaddegh challenges Western influence; the 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute becomes a major labor conflict; the 1951 eruption of Mount Lamington kills thousands; The King and I premieres to major acclaim; UNIVAC I becomes the first U.S. commercial computer; the 1951 Nepalese revolution ends Rana rule; and the Sakuragichō train fire kills over 100 passengers in Yokohama.

sections:
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Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
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Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
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title: 1951


lead: The death of George VI occurs and Elizabeth II becomes queen of the United Kingdom; the Ivy Mike nuclear test succeeds at Enewetak Atoll; the 1952 Summer Olympics are held in Helsinki, Finland; the 1952 Egyptian Revolution establishes a republic; the Reparations Agreement between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany is signed; the Great Smog of London causes widespread illness; the Catalina affair heightens Cold War tensions; the Bolivian National Revolution brings major reforms; and the 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake kills thousands in Sakhalin.

title: 1952


lead: The Coronation of Elizabeth II is held in the United Kingdom; Joseph Stalin dies, ending an era of Soviet rule; the Korean Armistice Agreement ends the Korean War; the Attack on the Moncada Barracks launches the Cuban Revolution; the 1953 Iranian coup d'état topples Mohammad Mosaddegh; the East German uprising of 1953 is suppressed; the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition achieves the first ascent; the North Sea flood of 1953 devastates Western Europe; and the Tangiwai disaster kills 151 in New Zealand.

title: 1953


lead: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a decisive Vietnamese victory; Jonas Salk announces the polio vaccine; the 1954 FIFA World Cup sees West Germany win its first title; the Geneva Conference ends the First Indochina War, dissolves French Indochina, and divides Vietnam at the 17th parallel; the Algerian War begins with the Toussaint Rouge attacks; the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état ousts President Jacobo Árbenz; Hurricane Hazel devastates the Caribbean, the U.S., and Canada; the 1954 Blons avalanches kill dozens in Austria; and Castle Romeo is detonated in the Pacific.

title: 1954


lead: The Montgomery bus boycott begins after Rosa Parks’ arrest; the Warsaw Pact forms the Eastern Bloc; the Bandung Conference unites Asian and African nations; Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California; the 1955 Le Mans disaster kills over 80 spectators; the Lynching of Emmett Till shocks the U.S.; the 1955 State of Vietnam referendum makes Ngô Đình Diệm president; the Bombing of Plaza de Mayo reveals Argentina’s unrest; and Hurricane Diane causes major U.S. flooding.

title: 1955


lead: British diver Lionel (Buster) Crabb (working for MI6) dives into Portsmouth Harbour, to investigate a visiting Soviet cruiser, and vanishes. Suez Crisis: Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula and pushes Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal. Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.

title: 1956


lead: The Sputnik launch begins the Space Race; Sputnik 2 sends Laika into orbit; the Treaty of Rome creates the European Economic Community; the 1957–1958 influenza pandemic kills over a million worldwide; the Little Rock Nine integrate Little Rock Central High School; The Bridge on the River Kwai premieres to major acclaim; the Syrian Crisis of 1957 heightens Middle East tensions; the Lewisham rail crash kills 90 in London; and Hurricane Audrey devastates the U.S. Gulf Coast.

title: 1957


lead: The May 1958 crisis in France ends the Fourth Republic and returns Charles de Gaulle to power; the United Arab Republic briefly unites Egypt and Syria; China launches the Great Leap Forward; the 1958 FIFA World Cup sees Brazil win its first title with a breakout performance by Pelé; the 14 July Revolution topples Iraq's monarchy; the 1958 Lebanon crisis prompts U.S. intervention; the Prestonsburg, Kentucky, bus disaster kills 27 children; the Our Lady of the Angels School fire kills 95 in Chicago; and Tennis for Two, created by William Higinbotham, becomes an early video game.

sections:
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Deaths

title: 1958


lead: The Cuban Revolution brings Fidel Castro to power after toppling Fulgencio Batista; construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail begins, later crucial in the Vietnam War; The Day the Music Died plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson; Miss Baker becomes one of the first animals to survive spaceflight; the Kitchen Debate reflect Cold War tensions between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev; the 1959 Tibetan uprising forces the 14th Dalai Lama into exile; the Léopoldville riots ignite unrest in the Congo; the Malpasset Dam collapse kills hundreds in France; and Typhoon Vera devastates Japan.

title: 1959


lead: In order to assure the support of the Roman legion in Germany on his march to Rome, Clodius Albinus is declared Augustus by his army while crossing Gaul. The Xian Emperor returns to war-ravaged Luoyang and seeks the protection of warlord Cao Cao. He is advised to move the capital to Xuchang; the emperor becomes a pawn in the hands of the Chinese warlords. First year of the Jian'an Era, during the reign of the Xian Emperor of the Han.

sections:
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Deaths

title: AD 196


lead: The 1960 U-2 incident escalates Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union; the Sharpeville massacre shocks South Africa and draws global condemnation of apartheid; the Congo Crisis follows the independence of the Republic of the Congo from Belgium; the 1960 Summer Olympics are held in Rome; the Year of Africa sees 17 nations gain independence; the April Revolution in South Korea forces Syngman Rhee to resign; the 1960 United States presidential election results in the victory of John F. Kennedy over Richard Nixon; the Greensboro sit-ins begin in Greensboro, North Carolina; and the 1960 Valdivia earthquake devastates southern Chile with a 9.4-9.6 magnitude, becoming the strongest earthquake in history.

title: 1960


lead: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space aboard Vostok 1; the Tsar Bomba is detonated by the Soviet Union; the Bay of Pigs invasion is launched against Cuba; the Berlin Crisis of 1961 heightens Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union; the Sino-Soviet split deepens divisions between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union; the Assassination of Patrice Lumumba intensifies the Congo Crisis; the Portuguese Colonial War begins in Angola against Portugal; the Sabena Flight 548 crash occurs in Belgium; and the Freedom Rides challenge segregation in the American South.

title: 1961


lead: The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink of nuclear war; astronaut John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Friendship 7; actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in Los Angeles; the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile sees Brazil defeat Czechoslovakia; the Sino-Indian War erupts along the Himalayan border; the Ole Miss riot of 1962 breaks out over James Meredith's enrollment; Telstar enables the first live transatlantic TV broadcast; the Évian Accords end the Algerian War, granting Algeria independence; and Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in a single NBA game.

sections:
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Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
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Deaths

title: 1962


lead: U.S. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas; Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama kills four girls; the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam sparks protests and self-immolations; the Ramadan Revolution overthrows Qasim's regime in Iraq; the Soviet Vostok 6 sends Valentina Tereshkova as the first woman in space; Pope Paul VI succeeds John XXIII and continues the Second Vatican Council; the 1963 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion kills 81 in Indianapolis; and Hurricane Flora devastates the Caribbean, killing thousands.

title: 1963


lead: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ends legal segregation in the United States; the Gulf of Tonkin incident escalates U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War; Beatlemania starts in the U.S. after The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show; the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo mark Japan’s postwar return; the 1964 Alaska earthquake strikes near Anchorage, causing tsunamis and damage; Project 596 makes China the world’s fifth nuclear power; Hurricane Dora hits Florida; the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état overthrows João Goulart; and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer premieres on NBC.

title: 1964


lead: The Vietnam War escalates as the United States begins Operation Rolling Thunder and sends ground troops; the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 breaks out over Kashmir before a UN ceasefire; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed, banning racial discrimination in voting; Malcolm X is assassinated in New York City; the Dominican Civil War prompts U.S. intervention; former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dies at the age of ninety; cosmonaut Alexei Leonov makes the first spacewalk; the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 follow a failed coup, killing hundreds of thousands; and the Selma to Montgomery marches culminate in advancing federal voting protections.

title: 1965


lead: The Cultural Revolution begins in Communist China as Mao Zedong mobilizes the Red Guards; the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England sees the host nation defeat West Germany; the Beach Boys release Pet Sounds, produced by Brian Wilson, an album considered a masterpiece; the Aberfan disaster kills 144 people in Wales when a colliery spoil tip collapses; the University of Texas tower shooting kills sixteen; Gemini 8 performs the first orbital docking with the Agena target vehicle; the 1966 flood of the Arno devastates Florence, Italy; Star Trek premieres on NBC; and the Buddhist Uprising in South Vietnam intensifies amid the Vietnam War.

title: 1966


lead: The Apollo 1 fire kills astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee; the Six-Day War reshapes the Middle East; the Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a landmark of 1960s counterculture; the Nigerian Civil War begins as Biafra declares independence; the 1967 March on the Pentagon draws tens of thousands in protest of the Vietnam War; Che Guevara is captured and executed in Bolivia; the 1967 Detroit riot becomes one of the deadliest U.S. uprisings; the 1967 Hong Kong riots bring months of unrest; the Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the inaugural Super Bowl.

title: 1967


lead: Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, sparking national unrest; Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated in Los Angeles after winning the California Democratic primary; the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City occur under the shadow of the Tlatelolco massacre; protests erupt at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; the Prague Spring sees reformist Alexander Dubček crushed by a Warsaw Pact invasion; the May protests mobilize millions of students and workers; Apollo 8 orbits the Moon and captures the iconic Earthrise photo; the Tet Offensive shifts U.S. public opinion on the Vietnam War; and the My Lai massacre results in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, highlighting the war’s moral failures.

title: 1968


lead: Apollo 11 lands the first humans on the Moon as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on its surface; Woodstock draws over 400,000 people and becomes a counterculture landmark; the Stonewall riots ignite the modern LGBT rights movement; the Sino-Soviet border conflict heightens tensions between China and the Soviet Union; the 1969 Libyan revolution led by Muammar Gaddafi overthrows King Idris I; the Chappaquiddick incident involving Senator Edward Kennedy results in Mary Jo Kopechne's death; the 1969 Curaçao uprising erupts over labor and racial issues; Hurricane Camille devastates the U.S. Gulf Coast; and Sesame Street premieres, reshaping children’s television.

title: 1969


lead: Battle of Lugdunum: Emperor Septimius Severus defeats the self-proclaimed emperor Clodius Albinus at Lugdunum (modern Lyon). Albinus commits suicide; legionaries sack the town. Septimius Severus forms new naval units, manning all the triremes in Italy with heavily armed troops for war in the East. His soldiers embark on an artificial canal between the Tigris and Euphrates. Septimius Severus, who had spared the Senate at the beginning of his reign, now excludes it from controlling the Roman Empire by declaring a military dictatorship.

sections:
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Technology & Infrastructure
Crime & Justice
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: AD 197


lead: Apollo 13 suffers a near-fatal malfunction but returns safely; the Kent State shootings kill four students and trigger nationwide outrage; the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico crowns Brazil champions for the third time; the break-up of the Beatles becomes official with Paul McCartney’s departure; the 1970 Ancash earthquake and 1970 Huascarán debris avalanche kill tens of thousands in Peru; the Dawson's Field hijackings shock the world as multiple planes are seized; Ohsumi marks Japan’s first satellite launch; the 1970 Polish protests erupt over economic hardship; and the 1970 Bhola cyclone devastates East Pakistan, becoming the deadliest cyclone ever recorded.

title: 1970


lead: The Bangladesh Liberation War leads to the independence of Bangladesh amid the deadly Bangladesh genocide; the Pentagon Papers reveal secret U.S. Vietnam War policies; the Attica Prison riot ends in a violent crackdown; Apollo 14 lands on the Moon; the 1971 JVP insurrection erupts in Sri Lanka; the 1971 Moroccan coup attempt fails to depose King Hassan II; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake causes major damage in Southern California; the Daeyeonggak Hotel fire kills over 160 in Seoul; and Walt Disney World opens in Florida, becoming a major tourist destination.

title: 1971


lead: The Watergate scandal begins with the DNC break-in, triggering a major U.S. political crisis; President Richard Nixon makes a historic visit to China; the 1972 Summer Olympics are marred by the Munich massacre; Apollo 17 becomes the final Apollo Moon landing; Bloody Sunday intensifies the Troubles in Northern Ireland; the 1972 Iran blizzard kills thousands; the 1972 Black Hills flood kills 238 in Rapid City, South Dakota; Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes, leading to a dramatic survival ordeal; and the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake devastates Managua.

title: 1972


lead: The 1973 oil crisis begins after an OPEC embargo; the Yom Kippur War erupts as Egypt and Syria attack Israel; the 1973 Chilean coup d'état ousts Salvador Allende and installs Augusto Pinochet; the Saturday Night Massacre deepens the Watergate scandal under Richard Nixon; the Paris Peace Accords end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War; Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion nationwide; the 1973 Israeli raid in Lebanon escalates regional conflict; the Athens Polytechnic uprising is violently suppressed; and Skylab launches as the first U.S. space station.

title: 1973


lead: The Watergate scandal forces Richard Nixon to resign; the Turkish invasion of Cyprus divides the island after a Greek-backed coup; the Ethiopian Revolution ends Haile Selassie's monarchy; the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany sees the host nation win their second title; the Ma'alot massacre leaves dozens dead in a school hostage crisis; Portugal's Carnation Revolution peacefully ends the Estado Novo dictatorship; the Bangladesh famine of 1974 kills hundreds of thousands; the Guillaume affair triggers political turmoil in West Germany; and the Joelma Building fire in São Paulo kills 179 people.

sections:
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Science & Discovery
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Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
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Deaths

title: 1974


lead: It was also declared the International Women's Year by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.

title: 1975


lead: Mao Zedong dies, ending a political era in China; the 1976 Tangshan earthquake kills over 240,000 people; the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal face boycotts and controversy; the 1976 Argentine coup d'état topples Isabel Perón; the MV George Prince ferry disaster kills 78 people in Louisiana; the Soweto uprising erupts against apartheid in South Africa; the 1976 Cavalese cable car crash in Italy kills 43; the debut of VHS transforms home video; and the U.S. celebrates its Bicentennial.

title: 1976


lead: Star Wars is released; the Atari Video Computer System is released; Elvis Presley dies at Graceland; the Ogaden War erupts as Somalia invades Ethiopia’s Ogaden region; the Torrijos–Carter Treaties set the framework for Panama Canal transfer; the Tenerife airport disaster kills 583 when two Boeing 747s collide; the Apple II is released; the 1977 Vrancea earthquake in Romania kills thousands and causes widespread destruction; and the Johnstown flood of 1977 kills 84 in Pennsylvania.

sections:
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Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
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Births

title: 1977


lead: The Iranian Revolution begins, culminating in toppling the Shah and bringing in the Islamic Republic under Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979; the Camp David Accords create a peace framework between Egypt and Israel; the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina sees the host nation win its first title; the Bee Gees release the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack; the Jonestown massacre in Guyana kills over 900; the Cambodian–Vietnamese War begins as Vietnam invades Cambodia; Pope John Paul II becomes the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years; the Saur Revolution installs a communist government in Afghanistan; and the Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 paralyzes the region with record snow.

title: 1978


lead: The Soviet–Afghan War begins as the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan; the Iran hostage crisis erupts when militants seize the U.S. embassy in Tehran; American Airlines Flight 191 crashes in Chicago, killing 271; Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park turns into a riot; the Three Mile Island accident causes a partial nuclear meltdown; the Sony Walkman debuts; SALT II is signed to limit nuclear arms; the 1979 oil crisis sends fuel prices soaring; and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty is signed, marking the first peace deal between Israel and an Arab nation.

title: 1979


lead: Publius Septimius Geta, son of Septimius Severus, receives the title of Caesar. Caracalla, son of Septimius Severus, is given the title of Augustus. Winter – Battle of Xiapi: The allied armies led by Cao Cao and Liu Bei defeat Lü Bu; afterward Cao Cao has him executed.

sections:
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Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Births
Deaths

title: AD 198


lead: The Iran–Iraq War begins; Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 people; John Lennon is shot and killed in New York City, shocking the world; the 1980 Summer Olympics are held in Moscow amid a widespread boycott led by the United States; the Bologna massacre kills 85 people in Bologna; Operation Eagle Claw fails in Iran during the Iran hostage crisis; the Iranian Embassy siege unfolds in London; the 1980 Irpinia earthquake devastates southern Italy; and the 1980 United States presidential election sees Ronald Reagan defeat Jimmy Carter, ushering in the Reagan era.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 1980


lead: Ronald Reagan is shot after leaving a hotel; Pope John Paul II is wounded in an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square; Anwar Sadat is assassinated in Cairo; the 1981 Iranian Prime Minister's office bombing kills 8 Iranian officials; the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in Kansas City kills 114; MTV launches; STS-1 sends the Space Shuttle Columbia on its first flight; Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer get married; and the IBM Personal Computer debut.

title: 1981


lead: The Falklands War breaks out between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands; the 1982 Lebanon War begins as Israel invades Lebanon; the 1982 FIFA World Cup is held in Spain and is won by Italy; E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial becomes the highest grossing movie at the time; Hama is besieged; Air Florida Flight 90 crashes into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., killing 80; the Chicago Tylenol murders lead to tamper-evident packaging; the Twilight Zone accident kills actor Vic Morrow and two child actors; and the CD is commercially introduced.

title: 1982


lead: Michael Jackson rises to global popularity following the success of Thriller, the best selling album of all time; the United States invasion of Grenada begins; the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings kill 307 people in Beirut; the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by the Soviet Union near Sakhalin Island, killing all on board; the video game crash of 1983 hits the gaming industry; Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space aboard STS-7; the Black July anti-Tamil pogrom erupts in Sri Lanka; the Diretas Já movement demands direct elections in Brazil; and the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia devastates Ethiopia.

sections:
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Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society

title: 1983


lead: Indira Gandhi is assassinated in India, sparking the 1984 anti-Sikh riots; the Bhopal disaster kills thousands after a toxic gas leak in Bhopal; the 1984 Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles; the San Ysidro McDonald's massacre takes place in San Ysidro; the 1984–1985 United Kingdom miners' strike begins; the Brighton hotel bombing targets Margaret Thatcher during the Conservative Party conference; the Anti-Duvalier protest movement grows in Haiti against Jean-Claude Duvalier; the 1984 US embassy bombing in Beirut kills over 60 people; and the Macintosh 128K is released.

sections:
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Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
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Deaths

title: 1984


lead: The 1985 Mexico City earthquake devastates Mexico City, killing an estimated 45,000 people; the Armero tragedy kills over 23,000 people after the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia; the Live Aid concerts raise millions for famine relief in Ethiopia; the Palace of Justice siege leaves over 100 people dead in Bogotá, Colombia; the Iran–Contra affair reveals secret U.S. arms sales to Iran and the Contras; Japan Air Lines Flight 123 crashes, killing 520 people; the 1985 MOVE bombing kills 11 people in Philadelphia; the inaugural WrestleMania I launches the 1980s professional wrestling boom; and the Nintendo Entertainment System is released in North America, revitalizing the video game industry.

title: 1985


lead: The Chernobyl disaster becomes the world's worst nuclear power plant accident; the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster kills all seven crew members shortly after launch; Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth; the 1986 FIFA World Cup is held in Mexico and won by Argentina; the People Power Revolution forces Ferdinand Marcos from power in the Philippines; Olof Palme is assassinated in Stockholm, Sweden; the Lake Nyos disaster kills 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock in Cameroon; the 1986 United States bombing of Libya targets Libya; and Mir is launched as the first modular space station.

title: 1986


lead: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by the United States and Soviet Union; the First Intifada begins; the Singing Revolution grows across the Baltic states; the June Democratic Struggle brings democratic reforms to South Korea; the USS Stark incident kills 37 U.S. sailors; Ronald Reagan delivers the Tear down this wall! speech; Black Monday triggers a major stock market crash; the King's Cross fire kills 31 people; and the Great Storm of 1987 devastates southern England.

title: 1987


lead: 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United States (National Science Foundation Network) and Europe (NORDUnet) as well as the first Internet-based chat protocol, the Internet Relay Chat. The concept of the World Wide Web was first discussed at CERN in 1988.

title: 1988


lead: An earthquake strikes the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 63 people; the proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; the Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing a large oil spill; the fall of the Berlin Wall begins the downfall of Communism in Eastern Europe, and heralds German reunification; the United States invades Panama to depose Manuel Noriega; the Baltic Way led to the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from the Soviet Union; the stands of Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, Yorkshire, where the Hillsborough disaster occurred; students demonstrate in Tiananmen Square, Beijing; many are killed by forces of the Chinese Communist Party.; the state funeral procession of Hirohito

title: 1989


lead: Battle of Yijing: Chinese warlord Yuan Shao defeats Gongsun Zan. Emperor Septimius Severus lays siege to the city-state Hatra in Central-Mesopotamia, but fails to capture the city despite breaching the walls. Geodeung succeeds Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, as king of the Korean kingdom of Gaya (traditional date).

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Deaths

title: AD 199


lead: German reunification takes place, formally ending the division of East Germany and West Germany; the Gulf War begins following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait; the 1990 FIFA World Cup is held in Italy and won by West Germany; the Hubble Space Telescope is launched into orbit; Yemeni unification occurs, merging North Yemen and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen; Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years in prison in South Africa; Black January sees a violent crackdown by Soviet troops in Baku, Azerbaijan, killing hundreds; the Poll Tax Riots erupt across the United Kingdom in opposition to the community charge; and the 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake kills tens of thousands in Iran.

title: 1990


lead: The Gulf War air campaign begins, as coalition forces launch an assault leading to victory over Iraq; the 1991 Soviet coup attempt and Dissolution of the Soviet Union bring an end to the Soviet Union and the Cold War; the Yugoslav Wars begin, including the Ten-Day War in Slovenia and the Croatian War of Independence; the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo becomes one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century; the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone kills over 100,000; START I is signed to reduce strategic nuclear weapons; the Santa Cruz massacre sees Indonesian forces kill protesters in East Timor; Operation Solomon evacuates thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel; and Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS.

title: 1991


lead: The 1992 Los Angeles riots erupt after the Rodney King verdict, killing 63 people and causing widespread unrest; Hurricane Andrew devastates Florida and the Bahamas; the 1992 Summer Olympics are held in Barcelona; the Bosnian War begins as Yugoslavia breaks apart; the 1992 famine in Somalia causes mass starvation during the Somali Civil War; the Algerian Civil War begins after disputed elections; the 1992 United States presidential election brings Bill Clinton to power; the Tajikistani Civil War erupts following the collapse of the Soviet Union; and the Khojaly massacre occurs during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

title: 1992


lead: The Oslo Accords are signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization; the 1993 World Trade Center bombing kills six people and injures more than 1,000 in New York City; the Battle of Mogadishu takes place during the Somali Civil War; the Waco siege ends in a deadly fire after a 51-day standoff; Pablo Escobar is killed by Colombian security forces; the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis culminates in the shelling of the Russian parliament; Michael Jackson is accused of sexual abuse; the Burundian Civil War begins following the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye; and the 1993 Storm of the Century brings widespread destruction across eastern North America.

title: 1993


lead: Nelson Mandela is elected President of South Africa in the nation's first multiracial democratic elections; the 1994 FIFA World Cup is held in the United States and was won by Brazil; the 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; the Rwandan genocide unfolds over 100 days, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu; the First Chechen War begins as Russian forces invade Chechnya; the 1994 Northridge earthquake devastates Southern California, causing widespread destruction and killing dozens; Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks up and violently collides with Jupiter; the Zapatista uprising erupts in Chiapas, Mexico; and the Sony PlayStation is released in Japan.

title: 1994


lead: The Oklahoma City bombing kills 168 people, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history; Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv; O. J. Simpson is found not guilty of murder; Windows 95 is released by Microsoft; the Sampoong Department Store collapse in Seoul kills over 500 people; the Srebrenica massacre takes place during the Bosnian War; the Great Hanshin earthquake strikes Kobe, Japan, killing over 6,000 people; American Airlines Flight 965 crashes into a mountain near Cali, Colombia, killing 151 people; and Tejano singer Selena is murdered by the president of her fan club.

title: 1995


lead: Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, is born at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland, UK. A rocket ignited during a fireworks display in Arequipa, Peru knocks down a high-tension power cable into a dense crowd, electrocuting 35 people. Bob Dole is nominated for President of the United States, and Jack Kemp for vice president, at the Republican National Convention in San Diego, California.

title: 1996


lead: Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. NATO invites the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to join the alliance in 1999. The International Olympic Committee picks Athens, Greece, to be the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

sections:
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Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 1997


lead: Bill Clinton is impeached after the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal; the Kosovo War begins as tensions escalate between Yugoslav forces and ethnic Albanian separatists; the 1998 FIFA World Cup is held in France, with the host nation emerging as champions; the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam and Nariobi kill over 200 people and injure 4,000, in retaliation, the United States launched strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan; the Second Congo War in Africa begins, becoming the deadliest conflict since World War II; the Good Friday Agreement is signed, bringing a major step toward peace in Northern Ireland; Google is founded, ushering in a transformative era for internet search; Hurricane Mitch devastates Central America, killing over 11,000 people; and Frank Sinatra dies, marking the loss of one of the 20th century's most iconic entertainers.

title: 1998


lead: The Columbine High School massacre makes international headlines for being one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history; the Second Chechen War begins; concern grows over the Year 2000 problem; the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia escalates the Kosovo War; the Vargas tragedy devastates Venezuela; the 1999 Russian apartment bombings trigger a security crisis; the Kargil War erupts between India and Pakistan; the 1999 Martha's Vineyard plane crash kills John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and Pokémania sparks a global craze for Pokemon.

title: 1999


label: 2 CE

lead: AD 2 – Juba II of Mauretania joins Gaius Caesar in Armenia as a military advisor. It is during this period that he meets Glaphyra, a Cappadocian princess and the former wife of Alexandros of Judea, a brother of Herod Archelaus, ethnarch of Judea, and becomes enamoured with her. AD 2 – Maison Carrée, Nîmes, France, is built. AD 2 – Following the death of Lucius Caesar, Augustus allows his stepson Tiberius back into Rome as a private citizen, after six years of enforced retirement on Rhodes.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 0s


label: 20 CE

lead: Emperor Tiberius is forced to order an investigation and a public trial in the Roman Senate, for the murder of Germanicus. Fearing he will be found guilty, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso commits suicide. Galba, the future emperor, is a Roman praetor.

sections:
Crime & Justice
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: November - Battle of Guandu: Chinese warlord Cao Cao defeats his rival Yuan Shao. Rudrasena I, Saka ruler of the Western Satrap dynasty, becomes king of Malwa in Classical India. The Severan Tondo, depicting Septimius Severus, Julia Domna and their children Geta and Caracalla, from Fayum, Egypt, is made. It is now kept at Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Antikensammlung.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: AD 200


lead: A tunnel fire in Kaprun, Austria, kills 155; the Kursk submarine disaster, a Russian naval accident in the Barents Sea, where its Oscar II-class nuclear submarine, K-141, sank during exercises, killing all 118 crew members; the 2000 Summer Olympics are held in Sydney, Australia; Air France Flight 4590, a scheduled Concorde supersonic jet flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris, France following a fire on the back of the aircraft, killing all 109 people aboard and four on the ground; the 2000 Mozambique flood, the worst in the country's recorded history, caused by prolonged heavy rainfall and the devastating impact of Cyclone Eline; the PlayStation 2, the best-selling video game console, is released; the millennium celebrations refer to the worldwide festivities at the end of 1999 and the start of 2000.; the Second Chechen War. Russian counter-insurgency and military conflict with the invasion of Dagestan by Chechen fighters, leading to Russian military incursions into Chechnya after apartment bombings in Russian cities; the Second Intifada civilian uprising in Jerusalem and Palestine proper. Israeli security responded with extreme violence, killing over 100 Palestinian protesters within the first few weeks.

title: 2000


lead: The September 11 attacks kill nearly 3,000 and trigger the war on terror; the War in Afghanistan begins as U.S. led forces strike al-Qaeda and the Taliban; Wikipedia launches, reshaping access to knowledge; the Enron scandal exposes corporate fraud; the 2001 Gujarat earthquake kills tens of thousands in India; Apple unveils the first iPod, revolutionizing digital music; the December 2001 riots in Argentina erupt amid economic collapse; the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak devastates agriculture; Albanian insurgents initiate a conflict in Macedonia, the last of the Yugoslav Wars.

title: 2001


lead: The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operations, and human rights concerns arose surrounding the treatment of suspected terrorists. Elsewhere, the Colombian conflict and the Nepalese Civil War represented some of the most severe militant conflicts, while the conflict between India and Pakistan was the only one between two sovereign nations. Religious tensions permeated the year, including violence between Hindus and Muslims in India during violent riots and other attacks and attacks on Jews in response to the Second Intifada. The Catholic Church grappled with scrutiny amid sexual abuse cases.

title: 2002


lead: The year 2003 was marked by the United States invasion of Iraq and the subsequent period of occupation and insurgency. The Kashmir conflict also saw a period of escalation, and the Second Intifada continued in Israel and Palestine. The global economy recovered from the early 2000s recession, especially in China, Japan, and the United States, and Argentina recovered from its years-long economic crisis. A conference of World Trade Organization members caused diplomatic conflict between developing and developed nations, with the former creating their own trade bloc, the G20 developing nations. The Catholic Church celebrated the 25th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II, while disputes about gay rights emerged within several Christian denominations in 2003. The Islamic world faced crisis as the war on terror and Islamic terrorism prompted religious leaders to define Islam's identity. Elsewhere in the world, ten nations were approved for membership to the European Union, North Korea restarted its nuclear weapons program, and several political leaders were convicted in the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia. The International Criminal Court also began operation in 2003.

title: 2003


lead: A tsunami, caused by a massive 9.1-9.3 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, kills over 227,000 people, making it one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history.; Facebook, originally called TheFacebook, is launched by Mark Zuckerberg.; NASA lands the Opportunity and Spirit rovers on Mars.; The 2004 Summer Olympics are held in Athens.; Multiple trains were bombed by Al-Qaeda in Madrid, killing 193 people.; The European Union adds 10 new member-states.; The Nintendo DS, the second best-selling handheld game console, is released.; 334 people are killed in the Beslan school siege, carried out by Chechen insurgents.; The 2004 transit of Venus, the first such occurrence since 1882.

title: 2004


lead: YouTube was launched, with "Me at the zoo" being the first video on the platform; Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, killed 1,392, and displaced millions; it is tied as the costliest hurricane of all time as of today; Eris, the largest known dwarf planet at the time, was discovered; Pope John Paul II dies; An earthquake in Kashmir kills between 75,000 and 90,000; A truck bombing assassinates Rafic Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon; The Amagasaki derailment occurred when a seven-car commuter train came off the tracks on West Japan Railway Company's (JR West) Fukuchiyama Line just before Amagasaki. 107 people were killed in the derailment; Tickets to a Live 8 concert at Hyde Park in London; 4 Islamic suicide bombings on the London Underground kill 56 and become one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in London.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 2005


lead: The 2006 Lebanon War takes place; Social media platform Twitter was launched; The 2006 Winter Olympics are held in Turin, Italy; The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in Germany and was won by Italy against France; Multiple trains blew up as a result of bombings in India, killing 209; Montenegro declares its independence; An earthquake in Yogyakarta kills 5,700; Pluto is declared a dwarf planet; Comair Flight 5191 crashes following takeoff from the wrong runway, killing all but the pilot.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 2006


lead: Images of the 2007 South Asian floods; Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan was assassinated; The 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis was a violent political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Kenya; Hurricane Noel killed 223 and carved a path of destruction across the Atlantic Ocean.; The original iPhone is launched by Apple, marking a new era in cellphones and changing how people use them today; The bronze night surrounding the relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn, a Soviet-era war memorial; A car of Google Street View, launched that year; Seung-Hui Cho shoots and kills 32 at Virginia Tech before killing himself; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 crashed at Congonhas-São Paulo Airport after overrunning the runway, killing almost 200.

title: 2007


lead: Terrorist attacks in Mumbai kill 166 people and injure more than 300 people; The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers occurs during the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession; it is also known as the climax of the crisis; The Russo-Georgian War took place between Russia and Georgia; An earthquake in Sichuan, China kills 88,000; The 2008 Summer Olympics took place in Beijing, China; Cyclone Nargis kills 138,000 people in Myanmar; The one million voices against FARC civic mobilizations in different parts of the world under the slogan Colombia soy yo; The Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill, a major environmental disaster that occurred in Roane County, Tennessee; The 2008 Tibetan unrest, a series of protests and demonstrations against Chinese rule in Tibet.

title: 2008


lead: 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Johannes Kepler. It was also declared as the International Year of Natural Fibres by the United Nations General Assembly, as well as the International Year of Reconciliation and the Year of the Gorilla (UNEP and UNESCO).

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Economy & Finance
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 2009


lead: A flood in Edessa destroys a Christian church, killing over 2,000 people. Lucius Annius Fabianus and Marcus Nonius Arrius Mucianus become Roman Consuls. Battle of Cangting: Warlord Cao Cao defeats his rival, Yuan Shao.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Climate & Environment
Births
Deaths

title: 201


lead: The 2010 FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa and was won by Spain; The social media giant Instagram was launched; an image shows a phone with many social media apps, as social media became more popular over the decade; An 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile killed 525 and was an 8.8 on the scale, becoming one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded; The 2010 Pakistan floods are one of the deadliest floods in Pakistan, with 2,000 fatalities; An earthquake in Yushu killed 2,700; An airplane carrying 96 politicians crashes near Smolensk, Russia. The plane was en route to a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, which killed 22,000 in 1940. All 96 individuals, including the president of Poland Lech Kaczyński were killed in the crash; A 7.0 magnitude earthquake near Port-au-Prince killed as many as 316,000, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in history; it also led to the collapse of the National Palace of Haiti; The Thai political protests were a series of political protests that were organised by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship in Bangkok, Thailand; The 2010 Kyrgyz revolution, also known as the Second Kyrgyz Revolution or the People's April Revolution, resulted in the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

title: 2010


lead: A protester at Occupy Wall Street, which begins the Occupy movement; Protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, killed in October; Celebrating the independence of South Sudan, the world's newest country; Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami devastates Eastern Japan and kills nearly 20,000 people while initiating a major nuclear accident, becoming the most expensive natural disaster on record; Attacks in Norway kill 77 and mark the rise of white supremacist terrorism across the west; U.S. national security team gathered in the White House Situation Room to monitor progress of Operation Neptune Spear, resulting in the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden; A drought in East Africa kills 50,000–260,000 people; A block from Minecraft, released this year, which later becomes the world's best-selling video game; Anti-government protests known as the "Arab Spring" spread across the Middle East and North Africa, sparking revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria.

title: 2011


lead: 2012 was designated as; International Year of Cooperatives; International Year of Sustainable Energy for All

title: 2012


lead: Pope Francis is elected to the Papacy in the papal conclave; Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; The streak from the Chelyabinsk meteor that rocketed across the Russian morning sky; The Boston Marathon bombing kills three and injures hundreds; Euromaidan erupts in Ukraine; Protests lead to the coup d'état that overthrew President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh kills over 1,000 people; Smoke rises as a result of the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, carried out by Al-Shabaab militants.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 2013


lead: Healthcare workers helping a colleague put on personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, where 276 children were abducted by Boko Haram; The Islamic State declares itself a caliphate and begins perpetrating global terror attacks; Crimea is annexed by Russia, starting the Russo-Ukrainian war; Thai soldiers at the Chang Phueak Gate during the Thai coup d'état; The 2014 FIFA World Cup is held in Brazil and is won by Germany; The Houthis takeover the Yemeni capital Sanaa, starting the Yemeni civil war; Pro-independence campaigners in the Scottish independence referendum; The 2014 Winter Olympics are held in Sochi, Russia.

title: 2014


lead: 2015 was designated by the United Nations as; International Year of Light; International Year of Soil

title: 2015


lead: The 2016 Summer Olympics are held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil whilst the Zika virus was spreading; Donald Trump is elected U.S. president; The UK votes to leave the EU; Damaged houses during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which killed over 2,000 people; Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the Turkish coup d'état attempt; The impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Queues outside a bank to exchange demonetized banknotes during the Indian banknote demonetisation; The Girardet Bridge in Düsseldorf, Germany with its four Pokéstops.

title: 2016


lead: The shooting site of the Las Vegas shooting. Stephen Paddock shot and killed 60 and injured more than 400 attending a music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, making it the deadliest mass shooting in American history; Images of the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed the Great American Eclipse; Two truck bombings kill at least 587 in Mogadishu, Somalia; The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, including Harvey (pictured), Irma, and Maria, becomes the costliest recorded in history; A military coup deposes Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who had led the country for 37 years; After 13 years of orbiting Saturn, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft ends its mission; The Parliament of Catalonia declares the independence from Spain following Catalonia's referendum on independence, which was not recognized by any country and produced no legal effect; The Iraqi armed forces recaptures Mosul during the war in the country against the Islamic State; The Glade of Light, the memorial to the bombing following a Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England; the attack killed 23 and injured over a thousand.

title: 2017


lead: An earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi kills 4,340; The 2018 FIFA World Cup was held in Russia and was won by France; Operation Olive Branch was a Turkish military incursion into the Afrin region of Syria; The Tham Luang cave rescue was a rescue of an association football team who got stuck in the cave situated in Thailand; 2 of the rescuers died as a result of flooding there; Protests occur following the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; The US-China trade war is an ongoing period of economic conflict initiated by the United States, primarily through the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods; Elon Musk launched his personal Tesla Roadster into space as a dummy payload for the Falcon Heavy test flight.; Yellow vests protests occur in France due to the increasing price of crude oil; The 2018 Winter Olympics were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

title: 2018


lead: 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.

title: 2019


lead: Some 400,000 slaves perform the menial work of Rome, with middle-class citizens often owning eight; the rich from 500 to 1,000; an emperor as many as 20,000. Free urban workers enjoy 17 to 18 hours of leisure each day, with free admission to baths, sport events and gladiatorial games. Battle of Bowang: Warlord Liu Bei defeats Cao Cao's forces under Xiahou Dun. Rome is a city of about 1.5 million citizens, its people housed mostly in 46,600 insulae or apartment blocks, each three to eight stories high, flimsily made of wood, brick or rubble.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Crime & Justice
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 202


lead: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global social, societal and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns, and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Geospatial World also called 2020 "the worst year in terms of climate change" in part due to major climate disasters worldwide, including major bushfires in Australia and the western United States, as well as extreme tropical cyclone activity affecting large parts of North America. A United Nations progress report published in December 2020 indicated that none of the international Sustainable Development Goals for 2020 were achieved.

title: 2020


lead: Like the year 2020, 2021 saw the year by the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, due to the emergence of multiple COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued in 2021. Most major events scheduled for 2020 that were postponed due to the pandemic were hosted in 2021, including the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (held in Glasgow, Scotland), Expo 2020 (held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates), and sporting events such as UEFA Euro 2020 (held across 11 European countries), the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics (both held in Tokyo, Japan), as well as the 2021 Copa América (held in Brazil).

title: 2021


lead: Protests in Aktobe during a period of unrest in Kazakhstan; The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 21st century occurs when Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts; Protestors on Keshavarz Boulevard against the Iranian government associated with the death of Mahsa Amini; The state funeral of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe following his assassination; The 2022 Winter Olympics are held in Beijing, China; The 2022 FIFA World Cup is held in Qatar and is won by Argentina; Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting a new phase of the Russo-Ukrainian war, which has been going on since 2014; The state funeral procession of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom.

title: 2022


lead: ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, comes into widespread use; Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro storm the National Congress following his defeat in the 2022 general election; A makeshift memorial to leaders of the Wagner Group, who died in a plane crash two months after rebelling against the Russian government; An alleged high-altitude observation balloon originating from China is detected in U.S. airspace, increasing tensions between the countries; Remains of Titan, a submersible that imploded during an expedition to view the wreck of the Titanic; Azerbaijani soldiers locked in combat in Nagorno-Karabakh amidst an Azerbaijani offensive; Israel invades the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7 attacks by militant group Hamas and spills over into major parts of the Middle East; 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes strike Syria and Turkey, leaving up to 62,000 dead and 121,000 injured.

title: 2023


lead: The 2024 Summer Olympics are held in Paris, France; Flooded bridge in Kłodzko, Poland, as part of the European floods, which left at least 337 people dead; Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik signing the resolution to impeach South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol following the latter's declaration of martial law; Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei leading the funeral prayer for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was assassinated in Tehran by an Israeli attack; Donald Trump, winner of the U.S. presidential election, pays respect to Corey Comperatore, who was killed in an assassination attempt on Trump; People cheering after the resignation of Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, ending the first ever successful Gen Z revolution; Krasnogorsk's Crocus City Hall music venue after a terrorist attack that killed 151 people and injured 609, the deadliest in Russia since the Beslan school siege in 2004; Syrians celebrate the fall of the President Bashar al-Assad's regime at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

title: 2024


lead: View from Madrid's Preciados Street towards Callao Square during the Iberian Peninsula blackout, with Preciados still dark while Callao has partial power restored; Robert Prevost is elected as Pope Leo XIV following the death of Pope Francis; Prime minister Narendra Modi visits the wreckage of Air India Flight 171's tail section wedged into the B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad; Anti-government protests erupt across Nepal, resulting in the resignation of prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli and several government buildings set on fire; A LCBO store recommending non-American products (Chilean wines pictured) in response to the Donald Trump tariffs; Airstrike on the IRIB studio in Tehran during the Twelve-Day War; A magnitude-7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, causing more than 5,400 fatalities and extensive damage in Southeast Asia; Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after the announcement of the impending release of Israeli hostages in an attempt to end the Gaza war.

title: 2025


lead: Battle of Xiakou: Warlord Sun Quan battles his rival Huang Zu along the Yangtze River near Wuhan. An arch dedicated to Septimius Severus is erected near the Forum. Gaius Fulvius Plautianus and Publius Septimius Geta become Roman Consuls.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 203


lead: A trade recession in the Leptis Magna region (Africa) is alleviated by Emperor Septimius Severus, who buys up the country's olive oil for free distribution in Rome. Lucius Fabius Cilo and Marcus Annius Flavius Libo become Roman Consuls. Battle of Ye: Warlord Cao Cao lays siege to and captures the military headquarter of Yuan Shao in Ye.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Economy & Finance
Climate & Environment
Births
Deaths

title: 204


lead: Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, a praetorian prefect and father-in-law of Caracalla, is assassinated. Battle of Nanpi: Warlord Cao Cao defeats and kills Yuan Tan, the eldest son of his rival Yuan Shao. Aemilius Papinianus becomes praetorian prefect, after the death of Gaius Fulvius Plautianus.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Births
Deaths

title: 205


lead: Emperor Septimius Severus goes to Britain, with his sons Caracalla and Geta. Hadrian's Wall is retaken for the first time, since the Pictish uprising of 180.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Births
Deaths

title: 206


lead: Battle of White Wolf Mountain: Warlord Cao Cao defeats the Wuhuan tribes, sending the Wuhuan into decline.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Births
Deaths

title: 207


lead: Ardashir I, ruler of Istakhr (Persia), revolts against his brother and founds the Sassanid Dynasty. Britain is divided: in the north, Lower Britain (Britannia Inferior) is administered from the fortress at Eburacum (modern York), and in the south, Upper Britain (Britannia Superior) is controlled by the legions at Deva Victrix (Chester) and Isca Augusta (Caerleon) with its capital at Londinium (London). Winter – Zhou Yu and Liu Bei defeat Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs; along with the Battle of Yamen and Battle of Lake Poyang. This is one of the largest naval battles in China's history.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Births
Deaths

title: 208


lead: Septimius Severus makes plans to subdue the land to the north of Scotland, ravaging it severely. Road-building and forest-clearing, the Roman army reaches Aber; Scottish tribes begin guerrilla warfare. Chandra Shri Satakarni begins his reign, as ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty in Andhra Pradesh (approximate date). Publius Septimius Geta receives the titles of Imperator and Augustus from his father, Emperor Septimius Severus.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 209


label: 21 CE

lead: Barracks are constructed for the Praetorian Guard, on the Quirinal (located on the Seven Hills of Rome). The manufacture of pens and metal writing tools begins in Rome (approximate date). The Romans create a buffer state in the territory of the Quadi, in southern Slovakia.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Technology & Infrastructure
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: Having suffered heavy losses since invading Scotland in 208, Emperor Septimius Severus sends his son - Caracalla - to systematically wipe out and torture the Scots into submission.

title: 210


lead: Emperor Septimius Severus, having fallen ill, dies in Eboracum (modern-day York) while on campaign in Britain after an 18-year reign. He is later deified by the Senate. His sons Caracalla and Geta succeed him as joint Roman emperors. September: Battle of Tong Pass: Cao Cao defeats Ma Chao. Geta is lured to come without his bodyguards to meet Caracalla, to discuss a possible reconciliation. When he arrives the Praetorian Guard murders him, and he dies in the arms of his mother Julia Domna.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Births
Deaths

title: 211


lead: The edict of Emperor Caracalla (Constitutio Antoniniana) extends Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the Roman Empire, with the exception of a limited group that may include Egyptians. The Jewish people are among those who receive citizenship. All free women in the Empire are given the same rights as Roman women. Roman jurist Papinian, one of the famous jurists who flourished during the reign of the late emperor Septimius Severus, refuses to write a legal defence for the murder of Caracalla's brother, Emperor Geta. He is beheaded in Rome, in Caracalla's presence. Caracalla quiets the objections of the Roman army to Geta's murder, by huge donations.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Technology & Infrastructure
Crime & Justice
Deaths

title: 212


lead: Cao Cao, the prime minister of the Han dynasty, is titled Wei Gong (Duke of Wei) and given a fief of ten cities under his domain. This later becomes the Kingdom of Wei. Battle of Ruxu: Cao Cao clashes against Sun Quan. Emperor Caracalla leaves Rome and expels some Germanic marauders from Gaul, while his mother, Julia Domna, rules the Empire. He defends the northern Rhine frontier against the Alamanni and the Chatti. Caracalla wins over the Germanic tribes on the banks of the River Main, and gives himself the title "Germanicus". It is probably while campaigning in Germania that he takes a liking to the caracalla, a Celtic or Germanic tunic from which he acquires the name by which he is known.

title: 213


lead: Battle of Xiaoyao Ford: General Zhang Liao under the command of Cao Cao beats back Sun Quan at Hefei. Pang Tong dies in the hands of the enemy in an ambush at the Valley of the Fallen Phoenix. Liu Bei takes Yi Province from his clansman Liu Zhang, forming the later basis for Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 214


lead: A coin, the Antoninianus, is introduced. The weight of this coin is a mere 1 / 50 of a pound. Copper disappears gradually, and by the middle of the third century, with Rome's economy in crisis, the Antonianus will be the only official currency. Caracalla's troops massacre the population of Alexandria, Egypt, beginning with the leading citizens after the Alexandrian Revolts. The emperor was angry about a satire, produced in Alexandria, mocking his claim that he killed Geta in self-defense. Zhang Liao holds off Sun Quan's invasion force at the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford in Hefei, China.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Economy & Finance
Births
Deaths

title: 215


lead: Caracalla provokes a war with Artabanus V (of Parthia) to imitate his idol Alexander the Great. He crosses the Tigris, destroys towns and spoils the tombs of Arbela. The Roman army annexes Armenia. The Baths of Caracalla in Rome are completed with public baths (Thermae), reading rooms, auditoriums, running tracks, and public gardens that cover 20 acres. Mithraism, which had begun in Persia, is on course to be adopted by many Roman soldiers serving in Asia.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 216


lead: Caracalla is assassinated by his soldiers near Edessa. Marcus Opellius Macrinus, head of the Praetorian Guard, declares himself Roman emperor. The papacy of Zephyrinus ends. Callixtus I is elected as the sixteenth pope, but is opposed by the theologian Hippolytus who accuses him of laxity and of being a Modalist, one who denies any distinction between the three persons of the Trinity. According to a tradition noted by 19th-century historian Stephen Glover, the earliest recorded game of association football (soccer) took place in Derby, England as a celebration on Shrove Tuesday, the day before commencement of the Lent season on Ash Wednesday, and 47 days before Easter Sunday.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Health & Medicine
Disasters & Accidents
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 217


lead: Julia Maesa, an aunt of the assassinated Emperor Caracalla, is banished to her home in Syria by the self-proclaimed emperor Macrinus, and declares her grandson Elagabalus, age 14, emperor of Rome. Battle of Antioch: Elagabalus defeats, with the support of the Syrian legions, the forces of Macrinus. Macrinus flees, but is captured near Chalcedon and later executed in Cappadocia. Diadumenianus, son of Macrinus, escapes to the Parthian court, but is captured at Zeugma and also put to death.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Economy & Finance
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 218


lead: Julia Maesa arranges, for her grandson Elagabalus, a marriage with Julia Paula. The wedding is a lavish ceremony and Paula is given the honorific title of Augusta. Guan Yu floods the fortress at Fan (present-day Fancheng District, Xiangyang, Hubei) in the Battle of Fancheng, while Lü Meng captures his base in Jing Province. Guan Yu retreats to Maicheng, falls into an ambush, and gets captured by Sun Quan's forces. Emperor Elagabalus, age 15, is initiated into the worship of the Phrygian gods Cybele and Attis.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Health & Medicine
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 219


label: 22 CE

lead: Drusus Julius Caesar receives the tribunicia potestas (tribunician power).

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Births
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: Cao Cao, Imperial Chancellor and ruler of the Kingdom of Wei, dies. Cao Pi receives the abdication of Emperor Xian of Han and proclaims himself emperor of Cao Wei. This ends the Han dynasty, the former emperor being created Duke of Shanyang. Elagabalus divorces Julia Paula and marries Aquilia Severa, a Vestal Virgin. The wedding causes an enormous controversy – traditionally, the punishment for breaking celibacy is death by being buried alive.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Climate & Environment
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 220


lead: Liu Bei, Chinese warlord and descendant of the imperial clan of the Han dynasty, proclaims himself emperor in Chengdu, Sichuan, and establishes the state of Shu Han. Emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir, and receives the title of Caesar. Elagabalus is forced to divorce Aquilia Severa, and marries his third wife Annia Faustina. After five months he returns to Severa, and claims that the original divorce is invalid. The marriage is symbolic, because Elagabalus appears to be homosexual or bisexual. According to the historian Cassius Dio, he has a stable relationship with his chariot driver, the slave Hierocles.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 221


lead: Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies are dragged through the streets of Rome before being thrown into the Tiber. Pope Callixtus I is killed by a mob in Rome's Trastevere after a 5-year reign in which he has stabilized the Saturday fast three times per year, with no food, oil, or wine to be consumed on those days. Callixtus is succeeded by Cardinal Urban I. Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling: The Chinese state of Shu Han is defeated by Eastern Wu.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Births
Deaths

title: 222


lead: Battle of Dongkou: The Chinese state of Cao Wei is defeated by Eastern Wu.

title: 223


lead: Gaius Bellicius Torquatus and Appius Claudius Julianus II begin their one year terms as the new Roman consuls. Battle of Hormozdgan: King Ardashir I defeats Artabanus V, destroying the Parthian Empire, and establishing the Sassanid Dynasty. Artabanus V's brother Vologases VI will continue to rule, with Armenian and Kushan support, over outlying parts of Parthia. In the Eastern Wu Kingdom, the Emperor Sun Quan orders the demotion of General Zhang Wen and his removal from command, commenting in the decree, "Oh, Zhang Wen, you are so fortunate to be spared from death." Two other officers, General Ji Yan and General Xu Biao are arrested and permitted to commit suicide rather than to be executed.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Crime & Justice
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 224


lead: The first Christian paintings appear in Rome, decorating the Catacombs. Emperor Alexander Severus marries Sallustia Orbiana, and possibly raises her father Seius Sallustius to the rank of Caesar.

sections:
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 225


lead: A merchant from the Roman Empire, called "Qin Lun" by the Chinese, arrives in Jiaozhi (modern Hanoi), and is taken to see King Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, who requests him to make a report on his native country and people. He is given an escort for the return trip, including a present of ten male and ten female "blackish-colored dwarfs." However, the officer in charge of the Chinese escort dies, and Qin Lun has to continue his journey home alone. Ctesiphon, until now capital of the Parthian Empire, falls into the hands of the Sasanian Empire, who also make it their capital, after putting an end to the Parthian Dynasty in Iran.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Births
Deaths

title: 226


lead: Seius Sallustius is executed for the attempted murder of his son-in-law, Emperor Alexander Severus. Sallustius' daughter, as well as Alexander's wife, Sallustia Orbiana, is exiled to Libya. King Ardashir I annexes his new empire from the east to the northwest. He conquers, with his army, the provinces of Chorasmia, Sistan and the island Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The kings of the Kushan Empire and Turan recognize Ardashir as their overlord. Dongcheon becomes ruler over the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 227


lead: October – Battle of Shiting: The Eastern Wu Kingdom defeats the Cao Wei Kingdom. C. February – May – Battle of Jieting: The Cao Wei Kingdom decisively defeats the Shu Han Kingdom. Domitius Ulpianus, a Roman jurist and prefect, is assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, in the presence of Emperor Severus Alexander. His curtailment of the privileges of the palace guard becomes Ulpianus' downfall, who in the course of a riot at Rome is murdered, between the soldiers and the mob.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 228


lead: May – Battle of Jianwei: The state of Shu Han is victorious over the state of Cao Wei. Eastern Wu merchants reach Vietnam; ocean transport is improved to such an extent that sea journeys are made to the Liaodong Peninsula and the island of Yizhou. Emperor Alexander Severus and Dio Cassius are joint Consuls.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Science & Discovery
Deaths

title: 229


label: 23 CE

lead: After being under siege for two months, about 19,000 insurgents under Liu Xiu defeat 450,000 of Wang Mang's troops in the Battle of Kunyang, ushering in the fall of Wang Mang's Xin dynasty and restoration of the Han dynasty. Greek geographer Strabo publishes Geographica, a work covering the world known to the Romans and Greeks at the time of Emperor Augustus – it is the only such book to survive from the ancient world. Liu Xuan, a descendant of the Han dynasty royal family and leader of insurgents against the Xin dynasty, proclaims himself emperor against Wang Mang.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Science & Discovery
Births
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: Pope Pontian succeeds Pope Urban I, as the 18th pope of Rome. Seventy bishops hold the council of the Christian Church of Africa. King Ardashir I of the Persian Empire invades the Roman province of Mesopotamia, and unsuccessfully besieges the fortress town of Nisibis (Turkey). His army threatens the border outposts of Syria and Cappadocia.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Births
Deaths

title: 230


lead: August – Battle of Mount Qi: The Chinese state of Shu Han gains a tactical victory, and the state of Cao Wei a strategic victory. Emperor Alexander Severus accompanies his mother Julia Mamaea to Syria, and campaigns against the Persians. Military command rests in the hands of his generals, but his presence gives additional weight to the empire's policy. Origen, disciple of Ammonius Saccas, founder of Neoplatonism, is exiled in Caesarea.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Births
Deaths

title: 231


lead: Origen founds a school of Christian theology in Palestine. Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Alexander Severus launches a three-pronged counterattack against the Persian forces of King Ardashir I, who have invaded Mesopotamia. However, the Roman army advancing through Armenia is halted. Alexander gives the order to march to the capital at Ctesiphon, but the Romans are defeated, and withdraw to Syria. The result is an acceptance of the status quo, and after heavy losses on both sides, a truce is signed. Relics of St. Thomas are brought to Edessa from India.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Births
Deaths

title: 232


lead: Emperor Alexander Severus celebrates a triumph in Rome to observe his "victory" the previous year over the Persians (in reality, Severus Alexander advanced towards Ctesiphon in 233, but as corroborated by Herodian, his armies suffered a humiliating defeat against Ardashir I). He is soon summoned to the Rhine frontier, where the Alamanni invade what is now modern-day Swabia. German tribes destroy Roman forts, and plunder the countryside at the Limes Germanicus.

title: 233


lead: Battle of Wuzhang Plains between the Chinese states of Shu Han and Cao Wei: The army of Shu Han retreats, following an inconclusive result. Emperor Alexander Severus and his mother Julia Mamaea move to Moguntiacum (modern Mainz), the capital of Germania Superior. His generals have planned a military offensive and built a bridge across the Rhine. Alexander prefers to negotiate for peace by buying off the Alemanni. This policy outrages the Roman legions and he loses the trust of the troops. Saban becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje. He is succeeded by Goi of Baekje later in the same year.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Technology & Infrastructure
Births
Deaths

title: 234


lead: Emperor Severus Alexander and his mother Iulia Mamaea are murdered by their own soldiers. The soldiers proclaim Maximinus Thrax as emperor. The Severan dynasty ends, marking the beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century. Pope Pontian resigns, the first to abdicate, because he and Hippolytus, church leader of Rome, are exiled to the mines of Sardinia. Emperor Maximinus persecutes the Christians. Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope of Rome.

sections:
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 235


lead: Pope Fabian succeeds Pope Anterus as the twentieth pope. Fabian sends seven missionaries to Gaul to evangelize in the large cities. Emperor Maximinus Thrax and Marcus Pupienus Africanus Maximus become Roman consuls.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 236


lead: Emperor Maximinus Thrax campaigns on the rivers Danube and Rhine in Germania, defeating the Alemanni, and never visits Rome. He is accepted by the Roman Senate, but taxes the rich aristocracy heavily, and engenders such hostility among them, that they plot against him. He had a road rebuilt in what is now the Golan Heights, between 236 and 237. King Ardashir I of Persia renews his attacks on the Roman province of Mesopotamia. Patriarch Eugenius I succeeds Patriarch Castinus as Patriarch of Constantinople.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Births
Deaths

title: 237


lead: Emperor Maximinus Thrax campaigns against the Carpians on the Danube in Moesia (Balkans). In spite of the payment of a tribute, the Romans fail to persuade the Goths and the Germanic tribes. Sima Yi, a Chinese general of the Cao Wei state, destroys the outlying northeastern warlord Gongsun Yuan in the Liaodong campaign. C. May – The Senate outlaws Maximinus for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Ancient Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Crime & Justice
Climate & Environment
Births
Deaths

title: 238


lead: Queen of Yamataikoku (Japan), Himiko was given Golden signature stamp by Cao Wei (China). Origen publishes the Old Testament in five languages (approximate date). Cao Fang succeeds his adoptive father Cao Rui as emperor of the Cao Wei state, in the Three Kingdoms period of China.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Science & Discovery
Deaths

title: 239


label: 24 CE

lead: Midway through the Roman year 777 A.U.C., Gaius Calpurnius Aviola and Publius Lentulus Scipio begin the new consular year as the new suffect consuls. In the Kingdom of Silla, which compromises most of the eastern Korean peninsula, Yuri of the House of Park becomes the new monarch (the chachaung). King Yuri takes the throne at the capital, Seorabeo (now Gyeongju in South Korea) upon the death of his father, King Namhae. The Roman war against Numidia and Mauretania ends with the annexation of the two African kingdoms.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Disasters & Accidents
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: Prince Shapur I becomes co-ruler of the Sasanian Empire with his father King Ardashir I. Maharaja Sri-Gupta becomes ruler of the Gupta Empire (approximate date). Mani, a young mystic of Ctesiphon, proclaims himself a prophet at the court of Ardashir I. He preaches his doctrine, Manichaeism, throughout the Sassanid Empire.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 240


lead: The Battle of Samhain is fought in Ireland (approximate date). The Dura-Europos church is converted from a house in Syria (approximate date). Prince Shapur I succeeds his father Ardashir I as ruler of the Sassanid Empire. He begins his expansion in India.

title: 241


lead: Emperor Gordian III begins a campaign against King Shapur I, and leads victories at Antioch, Carrhae, Nisibis, and Resaina. Gordian III evacuates the Cimmerian cities in the Bosphorus (Crimea), as the territory is now controlled by the Goths. Shapur I makes a pre-emptive attack on Antioch to drive out the Romans. Gordian's father-in-law, Timesitheus, leads a Roman army to defeat the Sassanids at Carrhae and Nisibis.

title: 242


lead: Fan Chan of Funan sends a tribute mission to China (approximate date). Battle of Resaena: A Roman army under Timesitheus defeats the Sassanids at Resaena (modern Syria); King Shapur I is forced to flee to the Euphrates. Cohors I Ubiorum, the garrison at Capidava in Scythia Minor, is replaced by Cohors I Germanorum Civium Romanorum, until the end of the 3rd century AD.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Births
Deaths

title: 243


lead: Emperor Gordian III is murdered by mutinous soldiers in Zaitha (Mesopotamia). A mound is raised at Carchemish in his memory. Philip the Arab (Marcus Julius Philippus) declares himself co-emperor, and makes a controversial peace with the Sassanian Empire, withdrawing from their territory and giving Shapur 500,000 gold pieces. The Sassanians occupy Armenia. Plotinus, Greek philosopher, escapes the bloodshed that accompanies the murder of Gordianus III and makes his way to Antioch. Back in Rome he founds his Neoplatonist school and attracts disciples like Porphyry, Castricius Firmus and Eustochius of Alexandria.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Crime & Justice
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 244


lead: Lady Triệu, a Vietnamese warrior, begins her 3-year resistance against the invading Chinese. In Britain, many thousands of acres of modern-day Lincolnshire are inundated by a great flood. Emperor Philip the Arab entrusts Trajan Decius with an important command on the Danube.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Climate & Environment
Births
Deaths

title: 245


lead: The first of two Councils of Arabia in the Roman Christian Church is held in Bostra, Arabia Petraea. Baekje Kingdom under King Goi of Baekje attacks the Chinese commandery of Daifang. Emperor Philip the Arab fights the Germans along the Danube River.

title: 246


lead: Himiko of Yamataikoku, in Japan, begins a war against King Himikoku of Kunukoku. Emperor Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome by holding the Ludi Saeculares. Rome becomes 1,000 years old. The 1,000th anniversary is commemorated with the Ludi Saeculares festivals, celebrated throughout the Roman Empire.

title: 247


lead: Jungcheon becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo (until 270). The Roman Empire continues the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Rome, with the ludi saeculares, organized by Philip the Arab. Origen writes an eight-volume work, criticizing the pagan writer Celsus.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Religion & Belief
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 248


lead: Incident at Gaoping Tombs: In the Chinese state of Cao Wei, regent Sima Yi, in a coup d'état, forces his co-regent Cao Shuang to relinquish his power, after taking control of the capital city of Luoyang. Sima Yi issues a memorial, which lists the various crimes he and his associates has committed. Decian persecution: Decius begins persecuting Christians, and others refusing to sacrifice publicly to the Roman gods for the well-being of the emperor. Trajan Decius puts down a revolt in Moesia and Pannonia. Loyal legionaries proclaim him emperor, and he leads them into Italy.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 249


label: 25 CE

lead: The Han dynasty is restored in China as Liu Xiu proclaims himself Emperor Guangwu of Han, starting the Jianwu era (until AD 56). Luoyang becomes the capital of the Houhan or Eastern Han dynasty. Emperor Tiberius settles a dispute between Messenia and Sparta over the Ager Dentheliales on Mount Taygetus, awarding the land to Messenia.

title: 20s


lead: Decian persecution of Christians is initiated when Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to perform a sacrifice to the gods of religion in ancient Rome. On January 20, Pope Fabian becomes one of the first martyrs of this persecution. The Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus, depicting battle between the Romans and the Barbarians, is made for use in Rome (it is later moved to the collection of the National Roman Museum). Teotihuacán is rebuilt as a four-quartered cosmogram by Zapotec architects brought from Monte Albán in Oaxaca.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Health & Medicine
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 250


lead: The first Synod of Carthage, a pre-ecumenical council, is held under the presidency of Saint Cyprian. Battle of Abritus: The Goths defeat Emperor Decius and his son Herennius Etruscus, on swampy ground in the Dobruja (Moesia). Sassanid King Shapur I orders an invasion of Syria, with the intent of finally capturing the city of Antioch during the campaign of 251–254.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Health & Medicine
Births
Deaths

title: 251


lead: Shapur I invades Armenia, and appoints Artavazd VI as the new Armenian king. Pope Cornelius is exiled to Centumcellae, by Emperor Trebonianus Gallus. Battle of Barbalissos: King Shapur I defeats the Roman army (some 70,000 men) at Barbalissos in Syria (approximate date).

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Births
Deaths

title: 252


lead: Pope Lucius I succeeds Pope Cornelius as the 22nd pope. Valerian reforms Legio III Augusta to fight the "five peoples", a dangerous coalition of Berber tribes in Africa. Aemilianus is proclaimed "enemy of the State" by the Roman Senate. Trebonianus Gallus is defeated at Interamna Nahars (Umbria); he flees with Volusianus to the north, but at Foligno they are killed by their own troops.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Deaths

title: 253


lead: Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I.

sections:
Religion & Belief
Deaths

title: 254


lead: Sima Zhao, Sima Shi's younger brother, inherits his brother's authority. Sima Shi quells Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's rebellion. Ma Jun, Chinese mechanical engineer from Cao Wei, invents the south-pointing chariot, a path-finding directional compass vehicle that uses a differential gear, not magnetics.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Health & Medicine
Births
Deaths

title: 255


lead: Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3035, a warrant for the arrest of a Christian, is written. King Shapur I of the Sasanian Empire invades Mesopotamia and Syria. He conquers and plunders Antioch, destroys Dura-Europos, and sacks the Anatolian city of Zeugma on the Euphrates. A devastating fire and an earthquake soon follow, causing Zeugma to be abandoned. Pope Stephen I threatens to excommunicate Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, and other bishops in Africa and Asia Minor, unless they stop rebaptizing heretics. Cyprian attacks the Pope in a treatise that gains support from the Council of Carthage. He sends envoys to Rome, raising the specter of a schism between the Roman and Carthaginian Churches.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Health & Medicine
Births
Deaths

title: 256


lead: Pope Sixtus II succeeds Pope Stephen I as the 24th pope. Valerian, under guardianship of Ingenuus, is established at Sirmium (Pannonia) to represent the Roman government in the troubled Illyrian provinces. In Bavaria the Limes Germanicus (Upper Raetian Limes) along the river Iller is abandoned by the Romans.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Climate & Environment
Births
Deaths

title: 257


lead: The amount of silver in the Roman currency of the denarius falls below 10%. The crisis ruins craftsmen, tradesmen, and small farmers, who are forced into bartering; landowners grow richer by buying up cheap land. Sima Zhao quells Zhuge Dan's rebellion, thereby also ending what are known as the Three Rebellions in Shouchun. A second Imperial edict prohibits Christianity in the Roman Empire. This edict divides Christians into four categories: priests, who are to be put to death; senators and equestrians, who are to be stripped of their positions and their property confiscated; nuns, who are to be exiled; and imperial civil servants, who are condemned to forced labour.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Births
Deaths

title: 258


lead: Mesopotamia: Odaenathus, the ruler of the kingdom of Palmyra, sacks the city of Nehardea, destroying its great yeshiva. Postumus revolts against Gallienus in Gaul. The western provinces of Britain and Spain join his independent realm—which is called in modern times the Gallic Empire. Battle of Mediolanum: A Germanic confederation, the Alamanni (300,000 warriors), who crossed the Alps, are defeated by Roman legions under Gallienus, near Mediolanum (modern Milan).

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Health & Medicine
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 259


label: 26 CE

lead: Emperor Tiberius retires to Capri, leaving the Praetorian Guard under Lucius Aelius Sejanus in charge of the Roman Empire and the city of Rome. Pontius Pilate is appointed as prefect of the Roman imperial province of Judea. Xinlun is presented by author Huan Tan to Emperor Guangwu of Han with its final chapter (on zither music) still unfinished.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Culture & Society
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: King Shapur I sends Valerian to Bishapur and uses the captured Roman army for engineering plans. They construct the Band-e Kaisar ("Bridge of Valerian"). Pope Dionysius convenes a synod at Rome to demand an explanation from bishop Dionysius of Alexandria, who has been charged with separating the members of the Trinity as three distinct deities. Emperor Cao Mao of Former Wei state attempts to lead a coup against the powerful regent Sima Zhao, but he himself is killed before it comes to a confrontation.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Technology & Infrastructure
Science & Discovery
Births
Deaths

title: 260


lead: Roman–Persian Wars: Balista, Roman usurper, collects ships from Cilician ports and defeats a Persian raiding force near Pompeiopolis. Gallienus usurpers: The rebellion of Macrianus Major, Macrianus Minor, and Quietus against Gallienus comes to an end. They march from Asia to Europe but they are defeated in Thrace by Gallienus' general Aureolus, and both Macrianus Major and Macrianus Minor are killed. Quietus flees to Emesa, where he is killed by Odaenathus of Palmyra. Michu of Silla ascends to the Korean throne of Silla, becoming the first ruler of the Long Kim line.

title: 261


lead: The Goths invade Asia Minor and destroy the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. The Heruls accompany the Goths, ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. An earthquake strikes Ephesus and Pergamon and another strikes Cyrene.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Climate & Environment
Deaths

title: 262


lead: Chinese mathematician Liu Hui writes a commentary on The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, describing what will later be called Gaussian elimination, computing pi, etc. King Odenathus of Palmyra declares himself ruler of the area west of the River Euphrates and is declared Dux Orientalis by the Roman emperor Gallienus. Conquest of Shu by Wei: The Chinese state of Cao Wei conquers Shu Han, one of its two rival states.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Science & Discovery
Deaths

title: 263


lead: 3 – Zhong Hui's Rebellion in China is quelled. Sun Hao succeeds Sun Xiu as emperor of the Chinese state of Eastern Wu. Sima Zhao, regent of the Chinese state of Cao Wei, styles himself the "King of Jin", the penultimate step before usurpation.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Deaths

title: 264


lead: Emperor Gallienus tries twice to crush the usurper Postumus, but on the first occasion Aureolus, commander of the elite cavalry, carelessly lets him escape. The second time, Gallienus sustains an arrow wound and has to break off his siege of a Gallic town where Postumus has holed up. He makes no other serious attempt to overcome his rival, instead devoting his attention to the political and military problems in the Danube and eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Sima Zhao, who had been the regent and de facto primary authority of the state of Cao Wei for little over 10 years by this point, passes away, leaving his authority to his eldest son, Sima Yan, who will go on to disestablish the state of Cao Wei in February 266, founding the Jin dynasty. A general of Gallienus' army, Victorinus, defects to Postumus.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Births
Deaths

title: 265


lead: Sima Yan, regent of the Chinese state of Cao Wei, forces the last Cao Wei emperor Cao Huan to abdicate in his favour. The Cao Wei state's existence comes to an end. Sima Yan establishes the Jin Dynasty, and becomes its first emperor on 8 February, and is historically known as "Wu of Jin". He establishes his capital at Luoyang, and gives his male relatives independent military commands throughout his empire. King Odaenathus of Palmyra invades Persia to conquer the capital, Ctesiphon, and twice comes as far as the walls of the Persian capital, but fails to take it. After his victories in the East, he pronounces himself with the title "king of kings". A powerful tropical volcanic eruption around this year brings a below-average flood of the Nile next year.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Climate & Environment
Births
Deaths

title: 266


lead: The Heruli invade the Black Sea coast; they unsuccessfully attack Byzantium and Cyzicus. The Roman fleet defeats the Herulian fleet (500 ships) but allows them to escape into the Aegean Sea, where they raid the islands of Lemnos and Skyros. The Goths sack several cities of southern Greece including Athens, Corinth, Argos and Sparta. After the Sack of Athens, an Athenian militia force (2,000 men), under the historian Dexippus, pushes the invaders to the north where they are intercepted by the Roman army under emperor Gallienus. He wins an important victory near the Nestos River, on the boundary between Macedonia and Thrace. King Septimius Odaenathus of Palmyra makes plans for a campaign in Cappadocia against the Goths. He is assassinated, along with his eldest son, most probably by his nephew due to a previous altercation between him and Odaenathus. His wife Zenobia succeeds him, and rules Vaballathus (the Palmyrene Empire) with her young son.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Births
Deaths

title: 267


lead: Battle of Naissus: Emperor Gallienus, aided by Aurelian, defeats a Gothic coalition (50,000 warriors) near Naissus (Niš, modern Serbia). Battle of Lake Benacus: A Roman army (35,000 men) under emperor Claudius II defeats the Germanic tribes of the Alamanni along the banks of Lake Garda. Claudius II asks the Senate to spare the lives of Gallienus's family and political supporters. Emperor Gallienus is deified and buried in a family tomb on the Appian Way.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Deaths

title: 268


lead: Pope Felix I succeeds Dionysius as the 26th pope of Rome. Paul of Samosata is deposed as Patriarch of Antioch (though he is not removed until 272). Queen Zenobia conquers Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, parts of Mesopotamia and Anatolia and Egypt, giving her control of Rome's grain supply. The library at Alexandria is partly burned during a raid by Zabdas, general of Zenobia.

sections:
Conflict & Security
Exploration & Expansion
Religion & Belief
Crime & Justice
Births
Deaths

title: 269


label: 27 CE

lead: Using the dates and ranges listed in the Gospel of Luke, this year can be established as when John the Baptist begins preaching. It is also argued that Jesus was baptised by John in the final months of this year before his temptation and the first of three Passovers listed in the Gospel of John (another possibility is AD 29). An Arc of Triumph is erected in Rimini, in honor of the former Emperor Augustus. A poorly built amphitheatre in Fidenae collapses, killing 20,000 of the 50,000 spectators.

sections:
Religion & Belief
Disasters & Accidents
Culture & Society
Births
Deaths

title: 20s


lead: Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (or Aurelian), the cavalry commander who distinguished himself in the previous year at the Battle of Naissus (Serbia), usurps power in Sirmium and marches against Quintillus in Aquileia. Quintillus commits suicide. Emperor Claudius II Gothicus fights a drawn-out campaign against the Gothic raiders in the Balkans, with setbacks suffered on both sides. Eventually, many Goths die of plague and others are absorbed into the Roman legions. Claudius dies of plague in Sirmium while preparing to fight the Vandals and Sarmatians, who have invaded Pannonia. He is succeeded by his brother Quintillus, who briefly holds power over the Roman Empire.

sections:
Geopolitics & Diplomacy
Conflict & Security
Religion & Belief
Economy & Finance
Health & Medicine
Births
Deaths

title: 270