January 01, 2019 NASA’s New Horizons space probe made a successful flyby of Ultima Thule, an object located four billion kilometres away in the Kuiper belt. It was the farthest object in the Solar System yet visited by a spacecraft January 10, 2019 Felix Tshisekedi was declared the winner of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo January 14, 2019 Polish politician Paweł Adamowicz, the mayor of Gdansk, died after being stabbed on stage at a charity concert the previous day January 15, 2019 Broadway star Carol Channing, who starring in the musicals Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello, Dolly!, died at age 97. She also won a supporting actress Golden Globe for the 1967 film Thoroughly Modern Millie January 17, 2019 A suicide car bombing killed 21 people at Colombia’s National Police Academy in Bogota. The National Liberation Army (ELN) said the attack was a response to the Colombian government violating the ceasefire January 18, 2019 More than 90 people were killed in an explosion at an oil pipeline in Mexico. The blast was caused by fuel thieves illegally tapping the pipeline, attracting large crowds of people trying to retrieve fuel January 21, 2019 A Taliban attack on a military compound in Maidan Shar in Afghanistan killed over 100 members of the Afghan national security forces. The attack occurred as Taliban representatives held truce talks with the U.S. in Qatar January 25, 2019 A dam at an iron ore mine collapsed in Brumadinho, Brazil, leaving more than 50 people dead and around 300 missing January 26, 2019 Oscar-winning French composer and jazz pianist Michel Legrand died in Paris aged 86. He won the first of his three Oscars in 1968, for the song The Windmills of Your Mind from the film The Thomas Crown Affair February 02, 2019 The United States suspended the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed in 1987, citing Russian non-compliance. Russia denied violating the treaty but announced it would also withdraw February 01, 2019 Qatar defeated Japan in the final of soccer’s AFC Asian Cup, held at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi February 03, 2019 The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. It gave the Patriots a record-tying sixth victory and quarterback Tom Brady his sixth Super Bowl ring, an outright record for an individual player February 03, 2019 Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen, widely regarded as the greatest in his sport, died on February 3 at age 55. He won four Winter Olympic medals, including three at Calgary 1988, and five World Championship golds from 1981-91 February 07, 2019 British actor Albert Finney died on February 7 at age 82. Oscar-nominated five times, notable film roles included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Tom Jones, Murder on the Orient Express, Erin Brockovich and Skyfall February 12, 2019 Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was found guilty of 10 criminal charges, including one mandating life imprisonment, at a U.S. federal court in Brooklyn February 12, 2019 Gordon Banks, England’s 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, died at age 81. Regarded as one of the game’s greatest goalies, Banks was named FIFA goalkeeper of the year six times and earned 73 caps for England February 12, 2019 The Republic of Macedonia formally changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a 27-year naming dispute with Greece February 13, 2019 NASA concluded its 15-year Opportunity Mars rover mission. The probe stopped communicating with Earth in June 2018 after it was engulfed in a dust storm and all attempts to restore contact failed February 14, 2019 A suicide bombing attack near Pulwama, in Indian-administered Kashmir, killed 40 security personnel. It was the deadliest militant attack in Kashmir’s three-decade separatist insurgency February 16, 2019 Swiss actor Bruno Ganz died on February 16 at age 77. Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Hitler in the film Downfall, he also did notable work with directors Werner Herzog, Eric Rohmer, Francis Ford Coppola, and Wim Wenders February 14, 2019 British author Andrea Levy died at age 62. Of Jamaican heritage, her novels, including Small Island (2004) and The Long Song (2010) explored topics related to British Jamaicans and their cultural and national identities February 15, 2019 U.S. socialite Lee Radziwill, the younger sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, died at age 85. Radziwill became a fashion icon and counted Andy Warhol and Truman Capote among her friends February 19, 2019 German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died in Paris on February 19 at age 85. The creative director of Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous label was instantly recognisable by his signature white ponytail and dark glasses February 21, 2019 Peter Tork, a member of the popular 1960s band The Monkees, died aged 77. Tork played keyboard and bass for the group, whose hits included I'm A Believer and Daydream Believer February 21, 2019 Stanley Donen, the last surviving film director from Hollywood’s Golden Age, died at age 94. His best known works included On the Town (1949) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952), both of which starred Gene Kelly February 28, 2019 German-born U.S. conductor and composer André Previn died on February 28 at age 89. One of the most talented all-round musicians of the 20th century, he blurred the boundaries between jazz, pop, film and classical music March 10, 2019 An Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. Flight data from the Boeing 737 Max 8 showed similarities with the crash of another Max 8 off Indonesia in Oct 2018 March 15, 2019 A gunman killed 51 people and wounded dozens more at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the deadliest attack in the country’s history. The killer described himself as a white supremacist March 15, 2019 Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, impacting over 2.6m people in one of the worst weather-related disasters in the southern hemisphere. Mozambique’s port city of Beira was 90% destroyed March 19, 2019 Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned as President of Kazakhstan after 29 years in power, since independence from the Soviet Union. Parliamentary speaker Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was appointed interim president March 21, 2019 A major explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, killed 78 people and injured more than 600 others March 23, 2019 So-called Islamic State lost its last territory in Syria following a defeat by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the U.S.-led coalition allies March 23, 2019 A summary of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 22-month probe into Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election concluded that it did not find any evidence that Donald Trump or his associates broke the law March 22, 2019 Scott Walker, singer, songwriter and producer who rose to fame as one of the 1960s U.S. band The Walker Brothers, died aged 76 March 13, 2019 The Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliner was grounded around the world after two crashes of the aircraft within five months killed all 346 people onboard both flights March 20, 2019 UN judges increased the sentence of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, 73, to life in prison, upholding his 2016 convictions for genocide and crimes against humanity, including the Srebrenica massacre April 02, 2019 President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria resigned after weeks of massive street protests. Bouteflika, in power since 1999, had earlier dropped his candidacy for a fifth presidential term as opposition to his rule grew April 11, 2019 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by British police after Ecuador withdrew his asylum. Assange had lived at the Ecuador embassy in London since June 2012, unable to exit for fear of extradition to the U.S. April 11, 2019 Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir was deposed in a coup d’état after nearly 30 years in office, after months of mass protests against his government April 14, 2019 Tiger Woods won the U.S. Masters at Augusta, Georgia to record his first major golf title in 11 years and his first win at the Masters since 2005. The victory gave him his 15th major title and his fifth green jacket at the Masters April 15, 2019 A major fire engulfed the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, one of France’s most famous landmarks. The spire and roof collapsed but the the bell towers and main structure were saved, as were many valuable treasures April 21, 2019 More than 250 people were killed and around 500 others injured in multiple bombings that targeted churches and hotels in Sri Lanka April 21, 2019 Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky won Ukraine’s presidential election run-off, defeating incumbent President Petro Poroshenko by scooping more than 70 percent of the votes April 17, 2019 Alan Garcia, former president of Peru, shot himself as police arrived to arrest him in connection with a financial scandal. He died hours later. He twice served as president, from 1985-90 and from 2006-11. He was 69 April 23, 2019 Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, died at age 98. He abdicated in favour of his son Henri in 2000, after 36 years on the throne during which he oversaw Luxembourg’s transformation into an international financial centre April 25, 2019 Cyclone Kenneth smashed into Mozambique, flattening thousands of homes and flooding low-lying areas, barely a month after Cyclone Idai killed 900 people across southern Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe April 30, 2019 Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne, becoming the first Emperor to abdicate in over 200 years. His 30-year reign was the first without a war in Japan’s modern history May 01 2019 Emperor Naruhito acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. His ascension began the new imperial era of Reiwa, meaning peace and harmony May 04 2019 Vajiralongkorn, King of Thailand since 2016, was officially crowned sovereign. His fourth wife Suthida Tidjai, whom he married only three days before the elaborate ceremony, was declared Queen consort May 06 2019 The first child of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was born. The baby, named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was seventh in line to the British throne May 13 2019 Doris Day, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 60s, died on May 13 aged 97. Known for her girl-next-door image, hit films and songs included Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk, Que Sera, Sera, and Sentimental Journey May 16 2019 I.M. Pei, Chinese-American architect best known for the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, died on May 16 aged 102. Other notable works include the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and the JFK Presidential Library in Boston May 16 2019 Bob Hawke, prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, died at age 89. The charismatic Labor Party leader, renowned for his love of beer and cricket, is credited with modernising the economy May 20 2019 Three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda died on May 20 at age 70. The Austrian is best remembered for his remarkable recovery and return to racing after being badly burned in a crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix May 14 2019 Grumpy Cat, the famous feline whose frown endeared her to some 12 million fans across social media, died. Her glum face, caused by an underbite and feline dwarfism, made her an internet sensation worth millions May 26 2019 Thailand’s former prime minister and royal confidante Prem Tinsulanonda, one of the most influential figures in modern Thai politics, died on May 26 aged 98 June 15, 2019 Renowned Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, famed for his 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, the lavish TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, and for staging extravagant opera productions, died on June 15 aged 96 June 09, 2019 Mass protests began in Hong Kong over plans to allow extradition to mainland China, which critics feared would undermine judicial independence. Organisers claimed more than a million people took to the streets June 12, 2019 In ice hockey, the St Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins to win the NHL Stanley Cup Finals June 13, 2019 In basketball, the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors to become the first Canadian team to win the NBA Finals June 13, 2019 Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The incident came a month after the U.S. alleged Iran used mines to attack four tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. Iran denied involvement in both attacks June 17 , 019 Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi, collapsed and died at his trial in Cairo at age 67. He had been in jail since his overthrow in 2013 June 17, 2019 U.S. artist and fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt died at age 95. She was known as the “poor little rich girl” in 1934 because of a high-profile custody fight between her mother and her aunt in New York July 06, 2019 João Gilberto, Brazilian musician known as the “father of bossa nova”, died aged 88. Gilberto’s unique guitar style, mixing traditional samba music with modern jazz influences, introduced bossa nova to the world in 1958 July 07, 2019 The United States women’s football team won a record fourth victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, defeating the Netherlands 2-0 in the final in Lyon, France July 08, 2019 Iran began enriching uranium beyond the limit set in its 2015 nuclear deal. The move was intended to press the European signatories to salvage the accord after the U.S. withdrew in 2018 and reimposed punishing sanctions July 09, 2019 Texan billionaire Ross Perot, who twice ran for the U.S. presidency in the 1990s, died at the age of 89 July 14, 2019 At Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in five sets in a match that lasted four hours, 56 minutes. It was the longest ever Wimbledon final, and the first Grand Slam singles final to go to a fifth-set tiebreaker July 14, 2019 England beat New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup Final after both the match itself and a super over ended in a tie. The tile was eventually decided on the total number of boundaries scored July 16, 2019 The European Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen of Germany as the new President of the European Commission, succeeding Jean-Claude Juncker. She was the first woman to be elected as EU president July 17, 2019 The WHO declared the Ebola crisis in DR Congo a public health emergency. With over 1,600 deaths so far, the outbreak was the second-largest ever, behind only the 2013-16 West Africa epidemic that killed 11,000 people July 17, 2019 Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, and ordered to forfeit $12.6 billion. He accused the U.S. government of “torture and corruption” during his sentencing hearing July 19, 2019 Iran captured a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions had flared two weeks earlier after British troops seized an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar, suspected of breaking EU sanctions by transporting oil to Syria July 19, 2019 Cesar Pelli, Argentine–American architect whose notable buildings included the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the World Financial Center in New York City, died at age 92 July 21, 2019 Irish golfer Shane Lowry won the British Open Championship, the year’s final men’s major, staged at Portrush, Northern Ireland. Lowry won by six shots over England’s Tommy Fleetwood July 22, 2019 Li Peng, former Chinese premier known as the “Butcher of Beijing” for his role in the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, when hundreds of unarmed civilians were killed, died aged 90 July 23, 2019 Boris Johnson was elected leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, replacing Theresa May as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom the following day July 25, 2019 A heatwave in Europe saw national temperature records broken, including Germany (42.6C), Belgium (41.8), the Netherlands (40.7), and the UK (38.7). Various cities also set new records, notably Paris at 42.6°C July 25, 2019 Tunisia’s first freely elected President, Beji Caid Essebsi, died aged 92. He became president in 2014 in the first free election following Arab uprisings across the region. He was the world's oldest sitting president July 28, 2019 Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal won the Tour de France. He was the first Colombian and first Latin American rider to win the Tour, and at 22, the youngest winner since 1909 August 03, 2019 Two mass shootings within 24 hours in the U.S. killed 32 people and injured more than 50 others in separate incidents in El Paso, Texas, and in Dayton, Ohio August 05, 2019 India’s government revoked disputed Kashmir’s special status and deployed thousands of troops in the restive, Muslim-majority Himalayan region where most people oppose Indian rule August 05, 2019 American novelist Toni Morrison, whose best-selling books explored black identity in the U.S., died on August 5 at age 88. In 1993 she became the first black woman to win the Nobel prize in literature August 10, 2019 U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on August 10 in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting federal trial on charges of sex trafficking. His death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging but theories of foul play swirled August 16, 2019 Peter Fonda, who starred in and co-wrote the 1969 cult classic Easy Rider, died at age 79. The film, which also starred Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, earned Fonda an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay August 20, 2019 Multiple wildfires in the Amazon rainforest destroyed vast tracts of land and darkened skies over major cities across Brazil September 01, 2019 Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas. The Category 5 storm hit the Abaco Islands with 298km/h winds before stalling over Grand Bahama. Damage was estimated at $3.4bn, more than 25% of GDP September 06, 2019 Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe died on September 6 aged 95. Initially seen as a hero of Africa’s independence struggle, his 37-year rule descended into tyranny, corruption and incompetence. He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 September 14, 2019 Oil prices soared after drone attacks on two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia knocked out more than half of its oil production. Houthi militants in Yemen said they carried out the attacks but the U.S. said Iran was responsible September 26, 2019 Former French president Jacques Chirac, a self-styled affable rogue who championed the European Union but whose later years were blighted by corruption scandals, died on September 26 aged 86 September 30, 2019 Renowned U.S. opera singer Jessye Norman died on September 30 at age 74. She established her career at Europe’s top opera houses in the 1970s and made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1983 September 23, 2019 Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 16, attended the UN Climate Action summit in New York. She sailed across the Atlantic in a zero-carbon racing yacht, refusing to fly because of toxic aviation emissions September 24, 2019 The U.S. House of Representatives launched an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, accusing him of abusing his office by seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden September 23, 2019 British travel company Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel agency, entered compulsory liquidation, leaving 150,000 British holidaymakers stranded abroad and endangering 22,000 jobs worldwide September 25, 2019 Beijing Daxing International Airport, boasting the world’s biggest single-building airport terminal and nicknamed the “starfish”, was opened in China October 01, 2019 Kristalina Georgieva succeeded Christine Lagarde as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund October 09, 2019 Turkey launched a military invasion of north-eastern Syria following an abrupt decision by President Donald Trump to pull U.S. troops out of the region October 12, 2019 Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours, assisted by a rotating fleet of pacemakers in a non-IAAF event in Vienna, Austria. Kipchoge completed the challenge in 1:59:40.2 October 13, 2019 Kenyan Brigid Kosgei broke the 16-year-old women’s marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon. Kosgei ran 2:14:04, over a minute faster than the time set by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe at the London Marathon in 2003 October 13, 2019 U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, 22, became the most decorated artistic gymnast of all time, with a total of 25 World Championship medals, 19 of them gold. Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus had held the record of 23 since 1996 October 04, 2019 U.S. actress Diahann Carroll died on October 4 at age 84. In the 1960s her TV show Julia was the first U.S. sitcom with a black woman in a central role, and she won a best actress Tony in 1962 for the Broadway musical No Strings October 06, 2019 Ginger Baker, English drummer and co-founder of the rock band Cream, regarded as the world’s first supergroup, died at age 80 October 11, 2019 Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who in 1965 became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, died on October 11 at age 85. The Russian later commanded the Soyuz-Apollo mission, the first U.S.-Soviet link-up in space, in 1975 October 12, 2019 Typhoon Hagibis, Japan’s worst storm in decades, killed over 95 people and displaced thousands. Hagibis also led to the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup matches and qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix October 17, 2019 Alicia Alonso, renowned Cuban ballerina and choreographer, died on October 17 aged 98. Best known for her portrayals of Giselle and the ballet version of Carmen, her company became the Ballet Nacional de Cuba in 1955 October 14, 2019 Protests erupted in Barcelona after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition over their role in the failed independence bid in 2017 October 18, 2019 Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera imposed a state of emergency as protests spread over the rising living costs and growing inequality. The protests were triggered by a fare increase in the Metro de Santiago subway October 22, 2019 Emperor Naruhito was formally enthroned as the 126th ruler of Japan, the world’s oldest continuing hereditary monarchy. Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, after the abdication of his father, Akihito October 27, 2019 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, fugitive leader of the Islamic State terror group, killed himself during a U.S. military operation in north-west Syria. Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest after fleeing into a tunnel October 30, 2019 The Washington Nationals baseball team defeated the Houston Astros in the final game to win the World Series 4-3. It was the first title for the U.S. capital since the Washington Senators franchise won in 1924 November 02, 2019 South Africa defeated England 32-20 in the Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan. Led by Siya Kolisi, the first black man to captain the South African team, the Springboks won the Webb Ellis trophy for the third time November 03, 2019 Lewis Hamilton secured his sixth Formula 1 title, moving the British driver just one behind the record seven championships won by Germany’s Michael Schumacher November 09, 2019 The Kartarpur Corridor, a border corridor between Pakistan and India was opened, allowing Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib for the first time since the partition of India in 1947 November 10, 2019 After weeks of protests, Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced to resign after nearly 14 years in power, amid accusations of electoral fraud over his disputed re-election in October November 21, 2019 Firefighters battled at least 200 fires across Australia, with the city of Sydney blanketed in thick smoke. The fires had claimed at least six lives in the previous month, with the greatest damage in New South Wales November 23, 2019 Brazil’s Flamengo won the Copa Libertadores, beating defending champions River Plate of Argentina 2-1. The next day Flamengo won the Brazilian league, the first team since 1963 to win both titles on the same weekend November 24, 2019 Amid ongoing protests in Hong Kong, pro-democracy candidates won control of 17 of 18 district councils in local elections to leave Carrie Lam’s government reeling November 24, 2019 Clive James, Australian writer and broadcaster died on November 24 aged 80. Renowned for his sharp wit and colossal vocabulary, his newspaper columns, radio and TV programmes entertained thousands around the world November 27, 2019 Jonathan Miller, acclaimed British theatre director, writer and broadcaster, died on November 27 aged 85. A qualified doctor, he found fame in the satirical revue Beyond The Fringe, and directed more than 50 operas in cities around the world December 01, 2019 Ursula von der Leyen of Germany took office as the first female President of the European Commission December 12, 2019 UK voters headed to the polls in an election dominated by the Brexit impasse December 02, 2019 The Power of Siberia pipeline entered service, delivering Russian natural gas to China December 09, 2019 A volcano frequented by tourists on New Zealand’s White Island erupted, leaving at least five people dead and several unaccounted for