A reference page for the defining events, conflicts, disasters, political shifts, technological breakthroughs and cultural milestones of 2023.
2023 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2023rd year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations, the 23rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2020s decade.
The year was marked by catastrophic natural disasters, the continued rise of generative artificial intelligence, a major banking crisis, the continuation of the Russo Ukrainian war, conflict in Sudan, the end of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, and the major escalation of the Israeli Palestinian conflict after the October 7 attacks.
ChatGPT came into widespread use, marking the rapid public rise of generative artificial intelligence.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brazil’s National Congress, Supreme Federal Court and presidential palace.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Damage in the Gaza Strip during the war that followed the October 7 attacks.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.The Turkey Syria earthquakes became one of the deadliest disasters of the century.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
January
The funeral of Pope Benedict XVI was held in St. Peter’s Square on January 5.
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January 1, Croatia adopted the euro and joined the Schengen Area.
January 5, the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI was held at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
January 8, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brazil’s National Congress, Supreme Federal Court and presidential palace.
January 15, Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed in Nepal, killing all 72 people on board.
January 18, a helicopter crash near Kyiv killed 14 people, including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.
January 25, Chris Hipkins succeeded Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
January 30, a suicide bombing inside a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, killed 85 people.
February
The detection of a Chinese high altitude balloon over North America increased tensions with the United States.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Cyclone Freddy became the longest lasting tropical cyclone on record.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
February 1, Lebanon’s central bank devalued the Lebanese pound by 90 percent amid an ongoing financial crisis.
February 3, the United States announced it was tracking alleged Chinese spy balloons over the Americas.
February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
February 4, Cyclone Freddy formed in the Indian Ocean, later becoming the longest lasting tropical cyclone in recorded history.
February 6, devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, killing tens of thousands of people.
February 21, Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s suspension of participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty.
March
March 10, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, becoming one of the largest banking failures in United States history.
March 17, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova Belova.
March 19, UBS agreed to buy Credit Suisse amid the 2023 banking crisis.
March 20, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its Sixth Assessment Report synthesis.
March 24 to 27, a deadly tornado outbreak struck Mississippi and Alabama.
March 26, large protests erupted across Israel over the government’s judicial reform plans.
March 31 to April 1, a widespread tornado outbreak affected the United States.
April
Finland joined NATO as the alliance’s 31st member.
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April 2, elections were held in Bulgaria, Montenegro, Finland and Andorra.
April 4, Finland became the 31st member of NATO.
April 10, leaked Pentagon documents concerning the Russo Ukrainian war appeared online.
April 11, a Myanmar Air Force attack killed at least 165 people in Pazigyi.
April 14, the European Space Agency launched JUICE to study Jupiter’s icy moons.
April 15, Germany ended nuclear power after 50 years, while fighting broke out in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
April 20, SpaceX’s Starship launched for the first time in a test flight and exploded four minutes after launch.
April 24, India surpassed China as the world’s most populous country.
May
Charles III and Camilla were crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reelected President of Turkey.
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May 1, First Republic Bank failed and was sold to JPMorgan Chase.
May 3, Serbia was shaken by mass shootings, and ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, India.
May 5, the WHO ended the global health emergency status for COVID 19.
May 6, the coronation of Charles III and Camilla was held in Westminster Abbey.
May 9 to 13, the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Liverpool and won by Loreen of Sweden.
May 14, Thailand held a general election, while the G7 summit took place in Hiroshima.
May 28, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won a third term as President of Turkey.
June
June 2, a passenger train collision in Odisha, India, killed 296 people.
June 6, the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was destroyed, causing severe flooding.
June 14, Greece experienced a major migrant boat disaster off Pylos.
June 18, Titan, a submersible operated by OceanGate, imploded during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic.
June 23 to 24, the Wagner Group launched a rebellion against the Russian government before halting its advance toward Moscow.
June 25, Greece held a second legislative election, won by New Democracy.
July
SAG AFTRA members picketed during the 2023 Hollywood labour disputes.
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July 4, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation admitted Iran as a full member.
July 10, Turkey agreed to support Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
July 14, SAG AFTRA began a strike against major film and television studios.
July 20 to August 20, the FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and won by Spain.
July 23, wildfires forced evacuations on Rhodes, Greece, while Spain held a general election.
July 26, Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was removed in a coup.
July 30, a suicide bombing in Khar, Pakistan, killed dozens of people.
August
Burned building after the Hawaii wildfires in Maui.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Wildfire near Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.India’s Chandrayaan 3 became the first spacecraft to land near the Moon’s south pole.
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August 1, global ocean temperatures reached a new record high.
August 8, wildfires on Maui, Hawaii, killed at least 101 people.
August 20, Bernardo Arévalo was elected President of Guatemala.
August 21, wildfires forced mass evacuations in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
August 23, Chandrayaan 3 landed near the lunar south pole. Yevgeny Prigozhin and other Wagner Group figures died in a plane crash.
August 30, a coup in Gabon ended the Bongo family’s 56 year rule.
August 31, a building fire in Johannesburg killed 77 people.
September
Damage from the Al Haouz earthquake in Morocco.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Storm Daniel became one of the deadliest weather disasters of the year.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in Nagorno Karabakh.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
September 1, Tharman Shanmugaratnam was elected President of Singapore.
September 2, India launched Aditya L1, its first solar observation mission.
September 8, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, killing thousands.
September 10, Storm Daniel caused catastrophic flooding in Libya.
September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in Nagorno Karabakh, leading to the flight of more than 100,000 Armenians.
September 20, archaeologists in Zambia announced the discovery of what was described as the world’s oldest wooden structure.
September 30, Slovakia held a parliamentary election won by Smer.
October
Damage in the Gaza Strip during the war that followed the October 7 attacks.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Donald Tusk returned to power in Poland after the 2023 parliamentary election.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
October 3, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
October 7, Hamas launched attacks in southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking around 240 hostages. Israel declared war and began military operations in Gaza.
October 7, earthquakes in Herat Province, Afghanistan, killed more than 1,000 people.
October 13, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
October 15, Daniel Noboa was elected President of Ecuador, and Poland held a parliamentary election that led to Donald Tusk’s return as prime minister.
October 25, Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco, Mexico. On the same day, a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, killed 18 people.
October 31, Israel intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile above the atmosphere.
November
Javier Milei won the 2023 Argentine presidential election.
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November 1, the first AI Safety Summit took place in the United Kingdom.
November 2, The Beatles released “Now and Then,” described as their last song.
November 6, the reported death toll in Gaza passed 10,000.
November 7, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa announced his pending resignation.
November 9, surgeons at NYU Langone Health announced the world’s first whole eye transplant.
November 17, the global average temperature temporarily exceeded 2 °C above the pre industrial average for the first time in recorded history.
November 19, Javier Milei won Argentina’s presidential election.
November 22, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four day ceasefire. The Dutch general election was won by Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom.
November 27, Christopher Luxon was sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
December
December 3, Venezuela held a referendum on the disputed territory of Guayana Esequiba.
December 6, Google DeepMind released the Gemini language model.
December 12, COP28 reached a consensus calling for countries to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.
December 16, Emir Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah of Kuwait died and was succeeded by Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.
December 18, shipping companies suspended operations in the Red Sea because of Houthi attacks.
December 20, Félix Tshisekedi won reelection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
December 21, the deadliest mass shooting in Czech history occurred at a Prague university.
December 22, the reported death toll in Gaza passed 20,000.
December 29, Russia launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities since the beginning of the war.
Nobel Prizes
Chemistry, Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexey Ekimov, for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.
Economics, Claudia Goldin, for advancing understanding of women’s labour market outcomes.
Literature, Jon Fosse, for innovative plays and prose giving voice to the unsayable.
Peace, Narges Mohammadi, for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and for promoting human rights and freedom.
Physics, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier, for experimental methods generating attosecond pulses of light.
Physiology or Medicine, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, for discoveries enabling effective mRNA vaccines against COVID 19.
Open Chronicle Perspective
2023 was a year of acceleration and rupture. Artificial intelligence entered public life at unprecedented speed, while war, financial instability, climate disasters and geopolitical realignment reshaped the global order. From the Turkey Syria earthquakes to the Gaza war, from the banking crisis to the rise of generative AI, the year revealed how closely connected technology, security, economics and human vulnerability had become.
