2020

2020 (twenty twenty) (MMXX) was . The COVID-19 pandemic led to severe global economic and social disruption throughout 2020. The year was also nominated by Time magazine to be one of "the worst years to be alive" in modern history, although the cover article itself did not go as far, instead saying "There have been worse years in U.S. history, and certainly worse years in world history, but most of us alive today have seen nothing like this one."
Events
January
January 2 - The government of New South Wales, Australia, declares a state of emergency and the government of Victoria, Australia declares a state of disaster because of large bushfires that had killed up to 500 million animals.
January 3 -- A U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport kills Iranian military general Qasem Soleimani, fueling the Persian Gulf crisis.
January 5 - Second Libyan Civil War: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces that Turkish troops will be deployed to Libya on behalf of the United Nations.
January 7
Persian Gulf crisis: 56 people are reported killed and over 200 are crushed on by others at the funeral of Qasem Soleimani in the city of Kerman, Iran.
Sebastian Kurz becomes the Chancellor of Austria for a second time following a coalition agreement with the environmentalist faction of the Austrian Parliament.
January 8 -- A plane bound for Ukraine crashes just after taking off from Tehran, Iran, killing all 176 on board. It was later announced that Iran accidentally shot down the plane.
January 9 -- ISIL militants assault a Nigerien military base at Chinagodrar, killing at least 89 Nigerien soldiers.
January 10 -- The Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, dies aged 79. He is replaced by Haitham bin Tariq.
January 16 - The impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, starts in the U.S. Senate.
January 18 - Yemeni Civil War: 111 Yemeni soldiers and five civilians are killed in a drone and missile attack on a military camp near Ma'rib.
January 26 - Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, his 13 year-old daughter Gianna and seven others are killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
January 28 -- President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce the Trump peace plan.
January 30 -- The World Health Organization declared the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak a public and national health emergency and concern.
January 31 -- The United Kingdom and Gibraltar leave the European Union.
February
February 5
Academy Award-winning actor Kirk Douglas died in Los Angeles, aged 103.
President Donald Trump is found innocent during his impeachment trial by the U.S. Senate.
February 11 -- 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak: The World Health Organization (WHO) names the disease COVID-19.
February 13 -- NASA publishes a detailed study of Arrokoth, the most distant body ever explored by a spacecraft, which New Horizons passed by on its journey through the Kuiper Belt.
February 19 -- Shootings in Hanau, Germany, leaves eleven people dead and five others wounded.
February 27 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges by 1,190.95 points, or 4.4%, to close at 25,766.64, its largest one-day points decline in history. This follows several days of large falls, marking the worst week for the index since 2008, triggered by fears of the spreading coronavirus. This would cause a massive global stock market crash.
February 28 - Ambassadors of all 29 NATO Allies meet in the North Atlantic Council expressing solidarity with Turkey after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by the Syrian government forces during the ongoing Syrian civil war.
February 29
A truce is signed between American troops, Afghan troops, and the Taliban.
Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to make all public transport free to use.
March
March 3
Several tornadoes tear through Nashville, Tennessee, killing 25.
Adisumarmo International Airport in Solo (Surakarta), Java, Indonesia, is closed after the eruption of Mount Merapi volcano.
March 4 - Former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Prime Minister of Peru Javier Perez de Cuellar dies at the age of 100.
March 5 - The I.C.C. approves the Afghanistan War Crimes Inquiry to begin, allowing for the first time for U.S. citizens to be investigated.
March 8 - Italy places 16 million people in quarantine, more than a quarter of its population, trying to stop the spread of coronavirus.
March 9 - Share prices fall sharply around the world due to an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, caused by the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 2,000 points. Oil prices fell by as much as 30% in early trading.
March 11 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
March 12 - Global stock markets crash three days after Black Monday due to continued concerns over COVID-19 and the U.S. travel ban on the Schengen Area. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went into free fall, closing at over -2,300 points.
March 13 - The Government of Nepal announced that Mount Everest would closed off from the public and climbers for the rest of the season over concerns rising from the coronavirus pandemic.
March 14 - Spain goes into lockdown after the country is hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic the day before declaring the Alarm Status.
March 15 - New Zealand cancels the mass gathering marking the first anniversary of the 2019 Christchurch Mosque massacre due to 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.
March 16 - Oil prices fall into the $20 range, down 10 percent from the previous day amid the coronavirus pandemic, as The Fed cuts interest rates to zero.
March 17
The Iranian government says that "millions" may die from the coronavirus if people keep ignoring health guidelines and continue traveling. Two major shrines were closed on March 16 after fiathful pushed into the courtyards. 90% of the 18,000 coronavirus cases in the Middle East have taken place in Iran; 988 people have died in the country.
European leaders close the EU's external and Schengen borders for at least 30 days, in an effort to slow the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: UEFA postpones the Euro 2020 association football tournament until summer 2021.
March 18 - The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 would be cancelled due to 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic in Europe. It's the first in the history of the contest to be cancelled.
March 20
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 passes 10,000 as the total number of cases reaches a quarter of a million.
Country music singer Kenny Rogers dies at the age of 81.
March 23 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The International Baccalaureate cancels the May 2020 IB Exams, affecting 200,000 students worldwide.
March 24
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: 2.6 billion people, a third of the world's population, face some form of movement restrictions as India goes into lockdown for 21 days to curb the spread of COVID-19.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reports that "the spread of domestically transmitted epidemic has been basically blocked" and the outbreak has been controlled in China.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The United Kingdom goes into lockdown for three weeks to contain COVID-19.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Japan suspends the Summer Olympics until 2021.
March 25 - American FBI official Robert Levinson was declared dead by his family after being missing for nearly thirteen years while on a CIA mission. It is believed he died while being held captive by the Iranian government.
March 26
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed. The United States surpasses China and Italy in total number of known COVID-19 cases, with at least 81,321 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.
China temporarily suspends entry for foreign nationals with visas or residence permits, effective midnight March 28.
Militants in the Philippines, Syria, Yemen, and Libya agree to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's call for a cease fire; some accept medical aid for themselves and the noncobatants in their communities. Guterres also asked wealthy countries to provide $2 billion to aid in fighting the virus. Colombia and Venezuela discussed a common response to the globabl pandemic, and the UAE has airlifted aid to Iran.
March 27
North Macedonia becomes the 30th country to join NATO.
Hamed Karoui, who was Prime Minister of Tunisia for ten years, dies at the age of 92.
March 30
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The number of deaths in Spain, 7,340, passes those in China.
2020 Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war: The price of Brent Crude falls 9% to $23 per barrel, the lowest level since November 2002.
2020 Summer Olympics: The International Olympic Committee announced of rescheduled Olympics will be July 23 to August 8, 2021.
Former Premier of the Republic of China General Hau Pei-tsun dies of multiple organ failure, aged 100.
April
April 1 - Former Prime Minister of Somalia Nur Hassan Hussein dies of COVID-19, aged 82.
April 2 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Over 1,000,000 cases of COVID-19 are confirmed worldwide.
April 3 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong announced a much stricter set of rules called "Circuit Breaker", starting 7 April until at least 4 May. All non-essential workplaces will be closed during this period. Schools will move to home-based learning, and preschools will close.
April 5
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The first case of COVID-19 in a zoo animal is reported; a four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York.
Mahmoud Jibril, interim Libyan Prime Minister who oversaw the 2011 civil war and the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, dies of COVID-19 at aged 67.
April 7 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Japan declares a state of emergency in response to COVID-19, and passes a stimulus package worth 108 trillion yen ($990 billion), equal to 20% of the country's GDP.
April 8 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: China ends the lockdown in Wuhan, with people allowed to leave the city for the first time in 76 days.
April 10 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 100,000 globally, a ten-fold increase from March 20.
April 12-13 - At least thirty people are killed in an Easter Sunday tornado outbreak in the Southeastern United States.
April 13 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Spain partially stops some lockdown rules, allowing around 300,000 non-essential workers, such as construction and manufacturing industries to return to their jobs.
April 15
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 2 million worldwide.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Denmark partially lift some of its lockdown rules, allowing children up to age 11 returned to school.
April 17
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: China fixes the coronavirus death toll upward in Wuhan, where the virus originated, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country's reported deaths from COVID-19 to 4,632.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Europe passes the 100,000 deaths mark.
April 18-April 19 - At least 23 people are killed at random at several places in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was the deadliest attack of its kind in Canadian history.
April 20 - Oil prices reach a record low, falling into negative values, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war.
April 24 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Ecuador revises its total confirmed cases to 22,719, doubled from previous day, caused by increased test capacity and presentation of delayed results.
April 25 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 200,000 globally. The U.K. becomes the fifth country to report 20,000 deaths.
April 26
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The number of cases in Iran passes 90,000.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Spain further partially eases its lockdown rules, allowing children up to 14 to go outside their home for at most one hour.
April 27 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 3 million worldwide, while the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States passes 1 million.
April 28 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Russia's 87,147 COVID-19 cases passes the 84,341 in China.
May
May 1
In the aftermath of the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Canada bans assault-style weapons.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency remdesivir use to treat the sickest COVID-19 patients.
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The total number of recovered COVID-19 patient reached 1 million worldwide, according data from Johns Hopkins University.
May 2 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Spain further eases the nationwide lockdown, allowing adults to go outside their homes from 6 to 10am and 8 to 11pm.
May 3 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: Brazil reports 100,000 cases of infection and 7,000 deaths. This is the ninth highest number of cases in the world, passing Iran.
May 4 - COVID-19 pandemic: Italy begins slowing down some of its lockdown measures. Italians can now exercise outside of their home, visit relatives at the same regions, be part of a funeral with a 15 attendees minimum, and visit bike and scooter shops. Schools, cinemas, and most shops remain closed.
May 5 - 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: The UK death toll from COVID-19 becomes the highest in Europe at 32,313 after exceeding the death toll of 29,029 in Italy.
May 6
2019-20 coronavirus pandemic: New evidence indicates that an Algerian-born French fishmonger who had not traveled to China and did not have contact with any Chinese nationals was treated for pneumonia from an unknown source, now identified as COVID-19, on December 27, 2019.
Astronomers announce the discovery of the first black hole located in a star system visible to the naked eye.
May 9
Several Chinese and Indian soldiers are injured in a cross-border clash at the Nathu La crossing. About 150 troops participated in the face-off, which involved fistfights and stone-throwing.
Rock and Roll pioneer Little Richard dies at the age of 87.
May 10
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 4 million worldwide.
COVID-19 pandemic: Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, reports its first coronavirus cases in more than a month. A 89-year-old man was confirmed positive, but his wife and several member of the community were recorded as asymptomatic cases.
May 12
Gunmen storm a maternity hospital and kill 24 people, including two newborn babies in a majority-Shia neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan.
Former Laotian Vice President and Prime Minister Sisavath Keobounphanh dies aged 92.
May 14
COVID-19 pandemic:
The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 300,000.
The UN warns of a global mental health crisis caused by isolation, fear, uncertainty and economic turmoil.
May 16 - Felicien Kabuga, a Rwandan businessman responsible for supporting the Rwandan genocide, is arrested in Asnieres-sur-Seine, France after 26 years as a fugitive.
May 21 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 5 million worldwide, with 106,000 new cases recorded over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day figure so far.
May 22
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashes in Karachi, killing 97 people, leaving two survivors from the plane and eight injuries on the ground.
COVID-19 pandemic: Brazil overtakes Russia to become the country with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases, with over 330,000 reported. President Jair Bolsonaro continues to dismiss the threat of the virus.
May 26
Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Costa Rica, becoming the first Central American country to do so.
Massive riots and protests break out in the United States following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
May 27
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that Hong Kong is "no longer autonomous", as China backs a new security law that would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority in the territory.
COVID-19 pandemic: The U.S. death toll passes 100,000 - more Americans then were killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined, and approaching that of the First World War, when 116,000 Americans died in combat. The total number of cases continues to rise, although the rate is slowing.
May 29
Taiwan decriminalises adultery.
Abderrahmane Youssoufi, who was Prime Minister of Morocco for four years, dies of lung cancer at aged 96.
May 30 - The first crewed flight of the Dragon 2 (initially scheduled for May 27 but delayed due to weather) is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first manned spacecraft to take off from U.S. soil since 2011.
May 31 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 6 million worldwide.
June
June 1
COVID-19 pandemic: The annual Tiananmen Square memorial in Hong Kong is banned for the first time since 1990 because of health concerns due to COVID-19.
Kivu Ebola epidemic: The World Health Organization reports six new cases of Ebola, and UNICEF reports five deaths, in a renewed outbreak of the disease the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Killing of George Floyd: After a week of rioting, U.S. President Donald Trump officially labels Antifa as a terrorist organisation.
June 2 - A US$5 billion lawsuit is filed against Alphabet Inc. and Google, saying that the company violates users' right to privacy by tracking them in Chrome's private browsing Incognito mode.
June 3
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the United Kingdom will change immigration laws to offer a pathway to UK citizenship for all Hong Kong citizens.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Nisarga makes landfall south of Mumbai as a Category 1 hurricane. This is the first time a tropical cyclone has targeted the megacity since 1891. About 100,000 people have been evacuated.
SpaceX successfully launches and deploys 60 satellites into a low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This brings the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 482.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declares a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of oil leaked near Siberia within the Arctic Circle on May 26, 2020.
June 4 - The interim government of Libya says they are in full control of the capital, Tripoli, after army forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar retreat from the territory after months of intense fighting in the city.
June 7 - COVID-19 pandemic: The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 400,000.
June 8
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 7 million worldwide.
President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza, who ruled the country for fifteen years, dies of a heart attack while in office, aged 55.
June 9 - COVID-19 pandemic: A Harvard University study suggests that COVID-19 may have been spreading in China as early as August 2019, based on hospital car park usage and web search trends.
June 15 - At least 20 Indian soldiers and over 40 Chinese forces are killed or injured in skirmishes, the largest escalation along the Sino-Indian border in five decades.
June 16
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 8 million worldwide.
North Korea destroys the Inter-Korean Liaison Office with South Korea in Kaesong, created in 2018 to improve relations.
June 18 - Kenya, Mexico, India, Ireland and Norway are elected as non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council for the 2021 session.
June 20 - Three people are killed and three more are injured during a terrorist knife attack at Forbury Gardens in Reading, Berkshire.
June 21 - An annular solar eclipse occurs. It is visible mainly in countries in Asia and Africa.
June 22 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 9 million worldwide.
June 23
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico and kills at least four people. It is felt more than away in Mexico City.
Lazarus Chakwera is elected President of Malawi in a rerun election, defeating incumbent Peter Mutharika. The 2019 election was found to have been rigged and a new election was ordered.
June 27 - Micheal Martin succeeded Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach of Ireland in a three-party coalition government.
June 28
COVID-19 pandemic:
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 10 million worldwide. The U.S. continues to have the highest number of any country as it reaches 2.5 million, a quarter of all cases globally.
The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 500,000.
June 29 - Four gunmen attack on the Pakistani Stock Exchange killing four people in Karachi.
July
July 1 - Russian voters support a constitutional amendment that would allow Vladimir Putin to seek two further six-year terms when his current term ends in 2024, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036.
July 2 - A landslide in Myanmar results in at least 162 deaths.
July 3 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 11 million worldwide.
July 4 - After record breaking rain, a massive flood occurs in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, killing 49 people.
July 7 - In China, 21 people are killed and 16 were injured in a bus crash in Anshun, Guizhou.
July 8
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 12 million worldwide.
At least 180 bodies are found in mass graves in Burkina Faso, where soldiers are fighting jihadists. It is suspected that the government forces were involved in mass executions.
July 10
The European Central Bank accepts Bulgaria and Croatia into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, a mandatory stage for countries that wish to adopt the euro. This is the currency bloc's first major expansion in half a decade.
The Turkish government orders the Hagia Sophia to be turned back into a mosque following a supreme court annulment of a 1934 presidential decree that made it a museum.
In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is re-elected with a super majority and 61.24% of the vote.
July 12
2020 Polish presidential election: Conservative incumbent President Andrzej Duda narrowly wins re-election against socially liberal challenger Rafal Trzaskowski.
At least sixteen people are killed in border clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces.
July 13 - C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) can be seen by the naked eye and becomes one of the brightest visible to observers in the northern hemisphere since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997.
July 14 - The United States government passes the Hong Kong Autonomy Act.
July 15 - The Twitter accounts of well known political figures, CEOs, and celebrities are hacked to promote a bitcoin scam.
July 19 - Flooding of the Brahmaputra River kills 189 and leaves 4 million homeless in India and Nepal.
July 21 - European leaders agree to create a EUR750 billion ($858 billion) recovery fund to rebuild EU economies impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 22 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 15 million worldwide.
July 24 - Television host Regis Philbin dies at the age of 88.
July 25
COVID-19 pandemic: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held an emergency meeting after a suspected case of COVID-19 detected on North Korean town of Kaesong. Then the city was put on lockdown.
Hurricane Hanna makes 2 landfalls in South Texas with 90 mph winds (145 km/h) mainly in Kennedy County, Texas.
July 26 - Academy Award-winning actress Olivia de Havilland died in Paris, aged 104.
July 28 - Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak found guilty on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust, becoming the first Prime Minister of Malaysia to be convicted of corruption.
July 30 - Successful launch of NASA's Mars 2020 mission to study the habitability of Mars in preparation for future human missions.
August
August 3 - Former King of Spain Juan Carlos I goes into voluntary exile following a financial scandal.
August 4 - Multiple explosions caused by unsafely stored ammonium nitrate kill over 220 people, injure thousands, and severely damage the port of Beirut, Lebanon. Damage is said to be worth at $10-15 billion, and at least 300,000 people are left homeless.
August 5
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar travels to Taiwan, the highest U.S. official visit to the country in 40 years. The PRC condemns the visit.
COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 passes 700,000.
August 7 - Air India Express Flight 1344 crashes after overrunning the runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, India killing 19 of the 191 persons on board.
August 9 - President Alexander Lukashenko is controversially re-elected, with many saying the election system was rigged and unfair. Opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared victory, however fled to Lithuania due to fears of being arrested. Many protest the election results.
August 10
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 20 million worldwide.
In the aftermath of massive explosions in Beirut, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his resignation along with his government.
August 11 - COVID-19 pandemic: Russian President Vladimir Putin announces that Russia has approved the world's first COVID-19 vaccine.
August 12
It is reported that Britain's gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020, the biggest quarterly decline since records began in 1955, and the worst economic figure of any G7 nation.
A train derailment kills three people near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Scotland caused by heavy rain triggering a landslide. It is the worst rail derailment in the United Kingdom in over a decade.
August 13 - Israel and the UAE controversially agree to fix their national relations, marking the third Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
August 18 - A mutiny in a military base by soldiers of the Malian Armed Forces develops into a coup d'etat. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, among other senior governmental and military officers, are arrested.
August 19 - The Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicts in absentia Salim Ayyash, a member of Hezbollah for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
August 22 - COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 passes 800,000.
August 24 - Two bombings in Jolo, Sulu kills fourteen people and injuring 75.
August 25 - Africa is declared free of wild polio, the second virus to be eradicated from the continent since smallpox 40 years previously.
August 26 - Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos becomes the first person in history to have a net worth of $200 billion, according to Forbes.
August 28
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his resignation from the office due to bad health.
Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman dies of colon cancer at age 43.
August 30 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 25 million worldwide. India continues to record the highest daily increase of cases.
August 31 - Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee dies from COVID-19, aged 84.
September
September 3
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced a signed agreement to transition the country into a secular state.
The skeletons of 200 mammoths and 30 other animals are unearthed at a construction site for the Mexico City Santa Lucia Airport. It is the largest find of mammoth bones to date.
September 4
Pope Benedict XVI becomes the longest-lived pope at 93 years, four months, and 16 days, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.
The La Linea highway tunnel, the longest road tunnel in South America at a length of 8.65 kilometres (5.37 mi), is opened in Colombia after 14 years of construction and several delays.
Kosovo and Serbia announce that they will normalize economic relations. The two countries will also move their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem, becoming the third and fourth countries to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
September 10 - COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 passes 900,000.
September 14 - The Royal Astronomical Society announces the detection of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere, which is known to be a strong predictor for the presence of microbial life.
September 15 - Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain sign agreements to formally normalise diplomatic relations.
September 16 - Yoshihide Suga is elected to replace Shinzo Abe as the next Prime Minister of Japan following the LDP leadership election.
September 17 - France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issue a joint note verbale to the United Nations rejecting China's claims to the South China Sea.
September 18
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies of pancreatic cancer, aged 87.
Former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner who supported free trade between Canada and the United States during his two and a half month tenure as prime minister, dies at 90.
September 19 - A 1634 edition of The Two Noble Kinsmen, the last play by English playwright William Shakespeare, is discovered in Salamanca, Spain. It is believed to be the oldest copy of any of his works in the country.
September 20 - A collection of 2,657 documents are released describing over 200,000 suspicious transactions valued at over trillion that occurred from 1999 to 2017 across multiple global financial institutions.
September 21 - Microsoft agrees to buy video game holding company ZeniMax Media, including Bethesda Softworks and their following subsidiaries for US$7.5 billion, in what is the biggest and most expensive takeover in the history of the video game business.
September 27 - Deadly clashes erupt in Nagorno-Karabakh between armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan forces.
September 29
COVID-19 pandemic: The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 passes one million.
Kuwait's Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dies at an American hospital, aged 91. Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah replaces him as Kuwait's Emir.
October
October 1 - The EU launches legal action against the UK, accusing it of breaking international law by overriding sections of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
October 4 - A referendum was held for a possible chance of independence for New Caledonia. Independence was rejected, with 53.26% of voters against.
October 5 - Massive protests breakout in Kyrgyzstan following accusations that the 2020 parliamentary election was "unfair".
October 6 - Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen dies of throat cancer at age 65.
October 10 - Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to stop military action for a short time in the ongoing Nagorono-Karabakh conflict.
October 15
The Government of Thailand declared a "severe" state of emergency with many arrests in response to the intense protesting.
Following the intense protests in Kyrgyzstan, President Sooronbay Jeenbekov announces his resignation.
October 17 - Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern wins in a landslide victory for second term in office in the general election.
October 19 - Luis Arce is elected President of Bolivia in the general election, replacing interim President Jeanine Anez.
October 20 - NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touches down on Bennu, becoming the agency's first probe to retrieve samples from an asteroid, with its cargo due for return to Earth in 2023.
October 22 - Protests break out in Poland over the country's controversial decision to making abortions illegal.
October 26
NASA confirms the existence of molecular water on the sunlit side of the Moon at concentrations of up to 412 parts per million.
Wavel Ramkalawan is elected the 5th President of Seychelles, becoming the first Opposition Leader elected to the presidency.
October 29 - Three people are stabbed to death in Nice, France. An attempted stabbing attack also happened in Avignon, no one was killed. President Emmanuel Macron said the stabbings were an example of Islamic terrorism.
October 30 - A 7.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami strikes parts of Turkey and Greece killing at least 100 people and injuring 1,000 people.
October 31
Academy Award-winning actor Sir Sean Connery died at his home in The Bahamas, aged 90.
Typhoon Goni makes landfall in the Philippines as a category 5 super typhoon and became the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record with winds reaching up to 315 km/h (195 mph).
November
November 1 - Former Prime Minister Maia Sandu and incumbent President Igor Dodon advance into the second-round of the presidential election in Moldova.
November 2
A mass shooting spree across many locations in Vienna, Austria kills one civilian and multiple people are injured. The attack is described as a terrorist attack by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Three gunmen killed twenty-two people at Kabul University's main campus in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attacks.
November 3 - In the United States, incumbent President Donald Trump faces off former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election with no winner declared on election night.
November 4
The United States formally leaves the Paris Agreement on climate change.
An armed conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia break out over conflicts with policies of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and a surprise armed attacked by Tigray security forces.
November 7 - Former Vice President Joe Biden defeats President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election and will become the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021. U.S. Senator from California Kamala Harris will become the country's first female, African-American and Asian-American Vice President, becoming the highest-ranking female elected official in American history.
November 8
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 50 million worldwide.
Long-time Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek dies after battling stage-4 pancreatic cancer.
November 9
COVID-19 pandemic: The first successful phase III trial of a COVID-19 vaccine is announced by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech, able to prevent 90% of infections.
A Russian-backed peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan is signed in Moscow, ending the Nagorno-Karabakh war the following day.
Massive protests break out in Peru after the country's congress voted to impeach President Martin Vizcarra.
November 10
Former President Amadou Toumani Toure, who ruled Mail for ten years until being overthrown in a coup d'etat in 2012, dies in Turkey at aged 72.
President of Peru Martin Vizcarra is removed from the presidency after the Congress of Peru found him "morally corrupt". President of the Congress, Manuel Merino became the country's next president.
November 11
Bahrain's first and only Prime Minister since 1971, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, dies in the United States at aged 84.
China issued a decision ordering to disqualify four Hong Kong legislators.
November 12
Jerry Rawlings, military leader who led Ghana from 1980 to 2001 and became the country's first president, dies of COVID-19 at aged 73.
Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign in response to four lawmakers disqualification made by the government.
The PlayStation 5 is released in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
Opposition Leader Johnny Briceno is elected Prime Minister of Belize, beating Patrick Faber and his party.
November 15
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is signed by 15 Asia-Pacific countries to form the world's largest free-trade bloc, covering a third of the world's population.
Following the mass protests in Peru, President Manuel Merino resigns from the presidency only five days after assuming it.
Former Prime Minister Maia Sandu defeats incumbent President Igor Dodon in the presidential election.
NASA and SpaceX launch the SpaceX Crew-1 mission from the Kennedy Space Center to the ISS, the first operational flight of the Crew Dragon capsule.
November 16
Francisco Sagasti is elected Peru's Congressional President and later becomes the country's 87th president following the resignation of Manuel Merino.
COVID-19 pandemic: Moderna's mRNA vaccine is proven to be 94.5% effective against COVID-19 based on interim results, including severe illnesses. The vaccine is easier to distribute as no ultra-cold storage is required.
November 17 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 55 million worldwide, with around a million cases recorded every two days on average.
November 18
COVID-19 pandemic: Pfizer and BioNTech have completed trials on their COVID-19 vaccine, with an overall effectiveness rate of 95% without adverse events.
The Federal Aviation Administration allows the Boeing 737 MAX to fly in the United States after they are modified; this follows a 20-month ban caused by two accidents.
November 19
The National Science Foundation announces the decommission of the Puerto Rican radio telescope Arecibo Observatory.
The Brereton Report into Australian war crimes during the War in Afghanistan is released.
November 20 - Irinej, the 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church since 2010, dies of COVID-19 at aged 90.
November 22 - The United States withdraws from the Treaty on Open Skies.
November 23 - COVID-19 pandemic: AstraZeneca's AZD1222 vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, is shown to be 70% effective in protecting against COVID-19. The efficacy can be raised to 90% if an initial half dose is followed by a full dose a month later, based on interim data.
November 25
Argentine footballer and FIFA World Cup champion Diego Maradona dies of a heart attack at aged 60.
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 60 million worldwide.
Ingrida Simonyte is selected by a coalition party in the Seimas to be the 14th Prime Minister of Lithuania, becoming the second woman to hold this office.
November 27 - Iran's top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, is assassinated near Tehran.
November 28 - Boko Haram jihadists attack a farm in the Borno State in Nigeria and killed at least 110 people.
November 30
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs; the last of four total lunar eclipses in 2020.
Protein folding, one of the biggest mysteries in biology, is solved by artificial intelligence company DeepMind.
December
December 1 - The Arecibo Telescope of the Arecibo Observatory collapses, just weeks after the announcement of its planned demolition.
December 2
COVID-19 pandemic: The United Kingdom approves Pfizer's BNT162b2 vaccine, being the first country in the world to do so.
Valery Giscard d'Estaing, France's 20th President who oversaw the country's oil crisis and modernised the country, dies of COVID-19 at aged 94.
December 3 - The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs votes to remove cannabis from a list of dangerous drugs in recognition of its medical value, although some controls will remain.
December 4
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 65 million worldwide, with the global death toll passing 1.5 million. Over 10,000 people worldwide have died on average every day, with one death every nine seconds. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 had caused more deaths in 2020 than tuberculosis in 2019, as well as four times the number of deaths than malaria.
Somali Civil War: The United States announces its withdrawal from the conflict over the next month.
Zdravko Krivokapic becomes the Prime Minister of Montenegro, becoming the first Independent politician to do so.
December 5
COVID-19 pandemic: Russia begins mass vaccination against COVID-19 with the Sputnik V candidate.
Hayabusa2 returns to Earth with samples from the asteroid 162173 Ryugu.
December 6
Tabare Vazquez, who was President of Uruguay twice in the 21st century, dies at aged 80.
In Venezuela, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela kept their majority in the National Assembly, despite many organizations saying the elections were unfair and possibly illegal.
December 7 - Incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo is re-elected President of Ghana, defeating former President John Mahama with a 51% to 47% margin.
December 8
COVID-19 pandemic: The United Kingdom becomes the first nation to begin a mass vacination, fully tested vaccine.
A report into the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings is released to the public.
Nepal and China officially agree on Mount Everest's actual height, which is 8,848.86m.
December 10
COVID-19 pandemic: The United States and Saudi Arabia approve Tozinameran for emergency use, while Argentina approves Sputnik V.
Israel and Morocco normalise diplomatic relations and the United States supports recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara and announces plans to build a consulate there.
The corruption trial of former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy ends in Paris.
December 11 - The European Union agrees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% over the next decade.
December 12
Iran executes Telegram journalist Ruhollah Zam, aged 42, over treason-related charges over his activism during the 2017-2018 Iranian protests.
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 70 million worldwide.
Bhutan and Israel normalise diplomatic relations.
December 13 - Incumbent Prime Minister of Eswatini Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini dies from COVID-19, aged 52.
December 14
COVID-19 pandemic: The United States and Canada begin mass vaccination with Tozinameran.
The United States removes Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The United States places sanctions on Turkey in retaliation for their purchase of a missile system from Russia, making the first time they have sanctioned a NATO ally.
A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.
December 15 - The International Criminal Court accuses the Philippines of crimes against humanity in its war on drugs.
December 16
Flavio Cotti, the 80th President of the Swiss Confederation, dies from COVID-19 at aged 81.
The United States formally accuses Switzerland and Vietnam of currency manipulation.
December 17 - Pierre Buyoya, the 3rd President of Burundi and the country's second longest serving president at thirteen years, dies of COVID-19 at aged 71.
December 18
COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 75 million worldwide.
Andorra's first Prime Minister Oscar Ribas Reig dies at aged 84.
December 20 - COVID-19 pandemic: A highly infectious new strain of SARS-CoV-2 beginning in the U.K. spreads to Europe and Australia, causing international border closures.
December 21
COVID-19 pandemic: 36 cases are reported in Antarctica, marking the first infections in the last continent to report infections.
A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.
December 24 - The United Kingdom and the European Union agree to a free trade agreement before the end of the transition period.
December 25 - In the United States, a possible suicide bombing explode in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
December 27 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 80 million worldwide.
December 29
Italian-born French fashion designing icon Pierre Cardin dies at aged 98.
In Croatia, a 6.4 seismic earthquake strikes Petrinja, killing seven people and injuring 26 people.
December 30 - An attack on the Aden International Airport in Aden, Yemen kills twenty-five people and injures over 100 people.
December 31 - Following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, the current transition period for negotiations on a future relationship expires.