A reference page for the defining events, crises, elections, conflicts, disasters, scientific milestones and cultural developments of 2025.
2025 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2025th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations, the 25th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 6th year of the 2020s decade.
The year saw an escalation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Gaza war, the Sudanese civil war, several political crises, a wave of youth led protests, trade disruption, major aviation accidents and advances in space exploration.
Collapsed house in Tibet after the January 7 earthquake. Image credit: 中国新闻社, CC BY 3.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Homes devastated by the Palisades Fire in California. Image credit: Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, U.S. Army.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Turkey. Image credit: Melih Rustu Calikoglu, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Emergency response after the Potomac River mid air collision. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
January 1, Poland took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Bulgaria and Romania completed the process of joining the Schengen Area. Liechtenstein legalised same sex marriage. Ukraine halted the transportation of many Russian gas supplies through the country and became a state party in the International Criminal Court.
January 6, Indonesia became the tenth member to join BRICS.
January 7, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Tibet, China. Greater Los Angeles experienced the most destructive wildfires in its history.
January 15, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested. Israel and Hamas approved a ceasefire agreement.
January 21, 78 people were killed after a fire broke out in a hotel in Kartalkaya, Turkey.
January 27, global technology shares fell sharply after the release of DeepSeek’s chatbot.
January 29, a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a Bombardier CRJ700 over Washington, D.C. There were no survivors.
February
Search and rescue efforts after the Guatemala City bus crash. Image credit: Gobierno de Guatemala.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Student led protests in Indonesia. Image credit: David Wadie Fisher Freberg, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office. Image credit: The White House.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
February 4, China announced export controls and tariffs on American imports. Sweden recorded the deadliest mass shooting in its history. Donald Trump announced that the United States would take control of the Gaza Strip.
February 9, the Baltic states completed synchronisation of their power grids with continental Europe.
February 10, a bus fell from a bridge in Guatemala City, killing at least 55 people.
February 18, Nicaragua became a diarchy with Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo as co-presidents. Russia and the United States agreed to restore diplomatic relations.
February 23, the German federal election was held, with the CDU/CSU becoming the largest party.
February 28, Donald Trump, JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a tense Oval Office meeting.
March
Blue Ghost Mission 1, which landed on the Moon. Image credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Remains of the nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia. Image credit: Toshe Ognjanov.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Protests in Turkey after the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu. Image credit: Mocmuk, CC0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Rescue efforts in Bangkok after the Myanmar earthquake. Image credit: U.S. Air Force.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
March 2, Firefly Aerospace became the first commercial company to successfully land on the Moon with no technical issues.
March 3, the Trump administration paused military aid to Ukraine.
March 11, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested after an International Criminal Court warrant.
March 16, a nightclub fire in Kočani, North Macedonia, killed at least 59 people.
March 18, Israel launched widespread attacks on Gaza, ending the January ceasefire agreement.
March 19, protests erupted across Turkey after the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, killing thousands.
April
Possible biosignatures were reported in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Donald Trump presenting tariff plans on April 2. Image credit: The White House.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Rescue work after the Jet Set nightclub roof collapse. Image credit: La Prensa Gráfica, CC BY 3.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Smoke after the Port of Shahid Rajaee explosion. Image credit: Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Metro station closed in Madrid during the Iberian Peninsula blackout. Image credit: Javier Perez Montes, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
April 1, Fram2 launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, becoming the first crewed spaceflight to enter a polar retrograde orbit.
April 2, Donald Trump issued sweeping trade tariffs on many countries.
April 4, South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
April 8, a nightclub roof collapse in Santo Domingo killed at least 231 people.
April 17, possible biosignatures were reported in the atmosphere of K2-18b.
April 21, Pope Francis died at the age of 88.
April 28, a widespread power outage affected Spain and Portugal.
May
Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV. Image credit: Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
May 3, Australia and Singapore held general elections.
May 6, Friedrich Merz was elected Chancellor of Germany.
May 7 to 8, Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV.
May 13 to 17, the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Basel, Switzerland.
May 18, Portugal held a legislative election and Romania held a presidential election.
May 28, floods in Nigeria killed more than 500 people.
June
A Tu-95 on fire at Olenya airbase after being struck by drones. Image credit: SBU, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.California National Guard and protestors during the Los Angeles protests. Image credit: U.S. Northern Command.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Wreckage of Air India Flight 171. Image credit: Prime Minister’s Office, GODL India.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Explosions in Tehran during Israeli strikes on Iran. Image credit: Mehr News Agency, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
June 1, Ukraine launched Operation Spiderweb against Russian military bases.
June 3, Lee Jae Myung won the South Korean presidential election.
June 12, Air India Flight 171 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
June 13, Israel conducted strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Iran retaliated.
June 22, the United States carried out B-2 bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
June 24 to 25, a NATO summit was held in The Hague.
June 25, Axiom Mission 4 launched.
July
Aerial view of flooding near Kerrville, Texas. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Aftermath of the Bangladesh Air Force aircraft crash at Milestone College. Image credit: Ahammed Saad, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Wreckage of Angara Airlines Flight 2311. Image credit: Interstate Aviation Committee.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
July 1, Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
July 4 to 7, floods in Central Texas killed at least 135 people.
July 21, a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into Milestone College in Dhaka.
July 23, the International Court of Justice ruled that countries can sue each other over historical greenhouse gas emissions.
July 24, Angara Airlines Flight 2311 crashed in Eastern Siberia.
July 30, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
August
Donald Trump welcomes Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. Image credit: Benjamin Applebaum, U.S. Department of Defense.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Damage after the eastern Afghanistan earthquake. Image credit: Niazof, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
August 7, OpenAI’s GPT-5 was released.
August 8, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace deal.
August 15, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska.
August 22, famine was confirmed in Gaza City.
August 30, Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office.
August 31, an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people.
September
Aftermath of the Glória funicular derailment in Lisbon. Image credit: infoLibre, CC BY 3.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Students during the Nepalese Gen Z protests. Image credit: हिमाल सुवेदी, CC0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Dutch F-35 aircraft patrolling Polish airspace after Russian drone incursions. Image credit: Dutch Ministry of Defence, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Aerial view of the campus scene after the Charlie Kirk shooting. Image credit: KSL News Utah, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Rescue efforts after the Cebu earthquake. Image credit: Philippine Army.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
September 3, the Glória funicular derailment in Lisbon killed at least 16 people.
September 8, protests erupted in Nepal, and Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned.
September 9, Russian drones breached Polish airspace, prompting Poland to invoke NATO Article 4.
September 10, Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a campus event in Utah.
September 21, the UK, Canada, Australia and France announced recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state.
September 30, an earthquake struck Cebu in the Philippines.
October
Journalists outside the Louvre after the 2025 robbery. Image credit: Remi Mathis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Protest in Antananarivo after the Madagascar coup. Image credit: Raveloaritiana Mamisoa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Refugees setting up shelter in Tawila, North Darfur. Image credit: UNOCHA, Mohamed Elgoni.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa. Image credit: Lt. Col. Mark Withee, U.S. Air Force.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Police officers during Operation Containment in Rio de Janeiro. Image credit: CanalGov, CC BY 3.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
October 1, Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla.
October 3, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, abdicated in favour of Guillaume.
October 12, a coup in Madagascar ousted President Andry Rajoelina.
October 19, pieces of the French Crown Jewels were stolen from the Louvre.
October 21, Sanae Takaichi became the first female Prime Minister of Japan.
October 26, Timor-Leste became the 11th member state of ASEAN.
October 28, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane.
November
Damage in Samangan Province after the Balkh earthquake. Image credit: Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Effects of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Cebu City. Image credit: Martin Michlmayr, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.The Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong. Image credit: Cyril Yoshi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Bridge destroyed by flash floods in Padang Panjang, Indonesia. Image credit: Rahmatdenas, CC BY 4.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
November 3, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Balkh and Samangan in Afghanistan.
November 4, Typhoon Kalmaegi caused major destruction in Southeast Asia.
November 10 to 21, COP30 was held in Belém, Brazil.
November 17, Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a Bangladeshi tribunal.
November 22 to 23, the G20 Johannesburg summit was held in South Africa.
November 26, a fire engulfed Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong.
November 28, floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah killed hundreds across Sri Lanka and South India.
December
Largo, Sofia, during the Bulgarian protests. Image credit: Zerga, CC BY 3.0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.Floral tributes and candles after the Bondi Beach shooting. Image credit: Sardaka, CC0.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia. Used under the licence stated on the original file page. Original author credited on Wikimedia Commons.
December 6, shootings and fires caused mass casualties in South Africa and India.
December 8, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake occurred off Aomori Prefecture, Japan.
December 11, Bulgaria’s Zhelyazkov Government resigned following protests.
December 14, José Antonio Kast was elected President of Chile. A mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney killed at least 16 people.
December 19, EU leaders approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
December 20, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user to travel into space.
December 26, Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland.
Nobel Prizes
Chemistry, Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi, for the development of metal organic frameworks.
Economics, Joel Mokyr, Peter Howitt and Philippe Aghion, for work on technological progress and creative destruction.
Literature, László Krasznahorkai, for a visionary oeuvre that reaffirms the power of art.
Peace, María Corina Machado, for promoting democratic rights in Venezuela.
Physics, John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis, for discoveries concerning macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation.
Physiology or Medicine, Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi, for discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.
Open Chronicle Perspective
2025 reflects the defining character of the twenty first century: acceleration, instability and interconnection. Conflicts, elections, technological disruption, climate disasters, social movements and scientific breakthroughs unfolded across a world increasingly shaped by rapid transformation.
