Big World Events Since 2000
The moments that shaped the world you grew up in, from 9/11 to the pandemic.
The timeline
Sep 11, 2001
9/11
Al-Qaeda hijackers crash planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people. The US launches a war in Afghanistan, and airport security changes forever.
2003
The Iraq War
A US-led coalition invades Iraq. The war and what followed lasted years and is still debated.
Dec 26, 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami
A huge earthquake off Indonesia sets off a tsunami that kills over 200,000 people across more than a dozen countries.
2008
The global financial crisis
Risky US mortgages collapse, big banks fail or get bailed out, and the world falls into the worst recession since the 1930s.
2010–2011
The Arab Spring
Protests starting in Tunisia spread across the Middle East and North Africa. Leaders fall in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and Syria descends into civil war.
2015
The Paris Agreement
Almost every country agrees to try to limit global warming to well below 2°C.
2016
The Brexit vote
The UK votes to leave the European Union. It officially leaves in 2020.
2020
COVID-19
The WHO declares a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Lockdowns, remote school and record-fast vaccines follow. Millions of people die worldwide.
Feb 24, 2022
Russia invades Ukraine
Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since World War II.
Oct 7, 2023
Israel and Gaza
Hamas attacks Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. The war in Gaza that follows causes a massive loss of life and a humanitarian crisis.
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