The world in
What happened in 2019?
13 events across 9 world regions, each with its sources.
East Asia
- Global COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, began in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and spread globally by early 2020. The WHO declared it a pandemic on 11 March 2020. By early 2025, over 777 million confirmed cases and more than 7 million deaths had been reported worldwide.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Chang'e 4 Makes First Soft Landing on the Far Side of the Moon
On 3 January 2019, the Chang'e 4 mission achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon. The spacecraft, comprising a lander and rover, carried instruments for geological survey and soil composition analysis.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- 2019–2020 Hong Kong Protests
From March 2019, large-scale protests erupted in Hong Kong against the government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. Demonstrators feared the bill would allow extradition to mainland China, undermining judicial independence. The movement escalated from 9 June, demanding withdrawal of the bill and five key demands, with some resorting to violence. It was the largest series of demonstrations in Hong Kong's history, lasting until 2020.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
West Asia
- Outbreak of the Syrian Civil War
In March 2011, large-scale anti-government protests demanding democratic reforms broke out in Syria as part of the Arab Spring. The Assad regime's lethal crackdown led to the formation of armed opposition groups, turning the uprising into a civil war. The conflict lasted nearly 14 years until the regime's fall in December 2024.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Opening of the Azerbaijan Railway MuseumThe Azerbaijan Railway Museum opened in 2019 in central Baku, housed in the former Sabunchu railway station. It is dedicated to the country's railway history.
North America
- War on Terror begins
The United States launched the global War on Terror in 2001, following the September 11 attacks, a military campaign spanning multiple theaters.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- First Impeachment of Donald Trump
On December 18, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The impeachment stemmed from allegations that Trump pressured Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and obstructed the congressional inquiry. On February 5, 2020, the Senate acquitted him on both articles, and he was not removed from office.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Crash
On 10 March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, crashed near Bishoftu six minutes after takeoff. All 157 people on board were killed, making it the deadliest accident in Ethiopian Airlines history and the worst aviation disaster in Ethiopia.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Oceania
- Christchurch mosque shootings
On 15 March 2019, two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand were attacked during Friday prayer. An Australian gunman shot at worshippers at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, killing 51 people and injuring dozens. This lone‑wolf terrorist attack drew global attention.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
- 2019 Sudanese coup d'état
On 11 April 2019, after months of popular protests, the Sudanese Armed Forces staged a coup that ousted President Omar al-Bashir, ending his three-decade rule. The military dissolved the government and legislature, suspended the constitution, declared a three-month state of emergency, and established a military council to oversee a two-year transition. Defense Minister Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf initially led the council but resigned the next day, succeeded by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The coup ultimately led to a power-sharing deal between the military and civilian forces.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central & South America
- Event Horizon Telescope reveals first black hole image
In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project released the first-ever image of a black hole, showing the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87. By linking radio telescopes worldwide using very-long-baseline interferometry, the EHT creates a virtual telescope with an effective aperture equal to Earth's diameter, achieving angular resolution fine enough to observe event-horizon-scale structures. This breakthrough provided the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole, enabling tests of Einstein's general relativity in strong gravitational fields and advancing the study of accretion disks and jets. It marked the beginning of an observational era for black hole physics.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Europe
- Outbreak of the War in Donbas
In April 2014, Russian-backed paramilitaries launched an uprising in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, seizing territory and declaring independent states, prompting a military response from the Ukrainian government. This phase of the Russo-Ukrainian war, fought as a hybrid conflict, lasted until it was subsumed by the full-scale invasion in 2022.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central Asian steppe
- Launch of the Belt and Road Initiative
In 2013, the Chinese government launched the Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and economic development strategy to connect Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond. The initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, evoking the historic trade routes. It has since involved agreements with numerous countries and organizations for global connectivity projects.
SourcesWikipedia ↗