2020
WHO declares COVID a pandemic
The director-general of the World Health Organization, in a Geneva press room mostly emptied by his own warnings, used the word pandemic for the first time.
Murder of George Floyd
A Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on the neck of a handcuffed Black man for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds while bystanders begged…
Hong Kong national security law
Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong that criminalized secession, subversion, and "collusion with foreign forces," with penalties…
Soleimani killed in Baghdad
An American drone strike at Baghdad airport killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force and the architect of its regional proxy strategy.
Second Karabakh war
Azerbaijan, armed with Israeli loitering munitions and Turkish Bayraktar drones, launched an offensive that recaptured most of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia…
First COVID vaccinations
A 90-year-old grandmother named Margaret Keenan rolled up her sleeve at a Coventry hospital and became the first person outside a clinical trial to receive…
Crew Dragon takes humans to orbit
SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station.
AlphaFold solves protein folding
Brexit becomes real
Beirut port explosion
Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 2020?
Saeculum lists 11 events from 2020. The most significant is WHO declares COVID a pandemic: The director-general of the World Health Organization, in a Geneva press room mostly emptied by his own warnings, used the word pandemic for the first time.
What era was 2020 part of?
2020 falls within the Contemporary (2001-2026). Networks, climate, and the new uncertainty.
Which regions saw notable events in 2020?
The events from 2020 span Europe, North America, East Asia, Middle East and Central Asia.