Memorable News Events of 2023
Jan. 7: Protests in Israel against Prime Minister Netanyahu's judicial control plans led to tensions with Hamas.
Jan. 8: Far-right protests in Brazil against President Lula escalated into riots.
Jan. 19: In France, protests against pension reforms significantly lowered President Macron's approval rating.
Feb. 4: U.S. downed a Chinese balloon, aggravating U.S.-China relations.
Feb. 6: A devastating earthquake in Turkiye and Syria resulted in massive casualties and damage.
Feb. 21: Russian President Putin suspended the New START treaty, stirring nuclear race fears.
Feb. 23: Harvey Weinstein received an additional 16-year sentence for rape.
Mar. 10: Iran and Saudi Arabia declared a normalization of relations.
Mar. 17: Taylor Swift's 'The Eras' tour made record-breaking box office history.
Mar. 31: Former U.S. President Trump was indicted over a sex scandal cover-up.
Apr. 4: Finland joined NATO, breaking its long-standing neutrality.
Apr. 15: A failed coup in Sudan led to an ongoing brutal civil war.
Apr. 20: SpaceX's Starship rocket test ended in failure.
Apr. 24: India became the world's most populous country, surpassing China.
May 2: The Writers Guild of America's strike ended successfully after negotiations.
May 3: Sectarian violence erupted in Manipur, India.
May 6: King Charles III was crowned in the United Kingdom.
May 14: Thailand's election saw a pro-democracy victory against the military.
May 17: WHO declared the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
May 28: Erdogan re-elected in Turkey amidst economic crisis and earthquake.
June 4: Ukrainian counter-offensive failed against strong Russian defenses.
June 15: A refugee boat capsized in Libya, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
June 18: The Titanic tourism submersible, the Titan, went missing.
June 24-25: Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a coup; a Muslim boy's death in France led to protests.
June 29: U.S. Supreme Court ruled affirmative action unconstitutional.
July 17: Russia suspended the Black Sea Grain Agreement.
July 24: Twitter, acquired by Musk, rebranded to X.
July 26: A military coup occurred in Niger.
Aug. 8: A massive wildfire in Hawaii caused extensive damage and casualties.
Aug. 23: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Group chairman, died in a plane crash.
Aug. 30: A palace coup in Gabon led to a new president.
Sep. 8: A major earthquake in Morocco caused thousands of deaths.
Sep. 11: A flood in Libya resulted in over 30,000 deaths.
Sep. 18: An Indian Sikh activist's assassination in Canada strained India-Canada relations.
Sep. 19: Azerbaijan annexed the Armenian republic of Artsakh.
Oct. 3: U.S. House Speaker McCarthy was dismissed, replaced by Mike Johnson.
Oct. 7: A Hamas attack initiated a devastating war with Israel.
Oct. 15: A political shift in Poland with the election of a center-right/left coalition.
Oct. 19: Yemen's Houthi militia declared involvement in the Israel-Hamas war.
Oct. 27: Ethnic minority rebels in Myanmar launched an offensive against the military.
Nov. 1: The Texas Rangers won their first baseball championship.
Nov. 15: Biden-Xi meeting at APEC led to conflict prevention agreement.
Nov. 19: Javier Millay's victory in Argentina's presidential election.
Nov. 22: Far-right Freedom Party's unexpected win in Dutch elections.
Nov. 29: Henry Kissinger, former U.S. diplomat, passed away at 100.
Dec. 3: Venezuela's controversial referendum on Guayana Essequibar region.
Dec. 14: EU voted to start Ukraine's accession negotiations.
Dec. 18: Pope Francis granted limited blessings to same-sex couples.
Dec. 29: Russia conducted a large-scale drone and missile strike on Ukraine.