Dashed left edge = started before this timeline ·
Dashed right edge = still ongoing
Events in 2020 90
1916 – 2020Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020)Died 26 July 2020, aged 104Olivia de Havilland was a two-time Academy Award-winning actress best remembered for playing Melanie in Gone with the Wind. She died on 26 July 2020 in Paris, at the age of 104.
1916 – 2020Kirk Douglas (1916-2020)Died 5 February 2020, aged 103Kirk Douglas was a Hollywood leading man of the 1950s and 60s, starring in films including Spartacus and Paths of Glory, and a founder of Bryna Productions. He died on 5 February 2020 at the age of 103.
1917 – 2020Vera Lynn (1917-2020)Died 18 June 2020, aged 103Vera Lynn was an English singer known as "the Forces' Sweetheart" for songs including "We'll Meet Again" that boosted morale among British troops during the Second World War. She died on 18 June 2020 at the age of 103.
1918 – 2020Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)Died 24 February 2020, aged 101Katherine Johnson was a NASA mathematician whose orbital calculations were critical to early US crewed spaceflights, including John Glenn's 1962 orbit of Earth. Her story was told in the 2016 film Hidden Figures; she died on 24 February 2020.
1923 – 2020Chuck Yeager (1923-2020)Died 7 December 2020, aged 97Chuck Yeager was a US Air Force test pilot who became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, breaking the sound barrier in 1947. He died on 7 December 2020.
1926 – 2020Valery Giscard d'Estaing (1926-2020)Died 2 December 2020, aged 94Valery Giscard d'Estaing served as President of France from 1974 to 1981, liberalizing social laws and later chairing the convention that drafted a proposed European Union constitution. He died on 2 December 2020 from COVID-19 complications.
1928 – 2020Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)Died 6 July 2020, aged 91Ennio Morricone was an Italian composer who scored more than 400 films, including Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West, and won an Academy Award for The Hateful Eight. He died on 6 July 2020 from complications of a fall.
1929 – 2020Max von Sydow (1929-2020)Died 8 March 2020, aged 90Max von Sydow was a Swedish actor renowned for his collaborations with director Ingmar Bergman, including The Seventh Seal, and later roles in The Exorcist and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He died on 8 March 2020.
1929 – 2020Milton Glaser (1929-2020)Died 26 June 2020, aged 91Milton Glaser was an American graphic designer who created the iconic I Love New York logo and co-founded New York magazine, becoming one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. He died on 26 June 2020, his 91st birthday.
1929 – 2020Stirling MossThe Greatest Never to be ChampionThe most successful driver in terms of race wins never to win a World Championship.
1930 – 2020Sean Connery (1930-2020)Died 31 October 2020, aged 90Sean Connery was a Scottish actor who became the first to play James Bond on screen, starring in seven Bond films, and later won an Academy Award for The Untouchables. He died on 31 October 2020 in the Bahamas.
1931 – 2020Regis Philbin (1931-2020)Died 24 July 2020, aged 88Regis Philbin was an American television host best known for Live! with Regis and Kelly and for hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He died of natural causes on 24 July 2020.
1932 – 2020Little Richard (1932-2020)Died 9 May 2020, aged 87Little Richard was an American singer and pianist whose energetic performances and hits like "Tutti Frutti" helped invent rock and roll in the 1950s. He died of bone cancer on 9 May 2020.
1933 – 2020Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)Died 18 September 2020, aged 87Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as a US Supreme Court justice from 1993 until her death, becoming a pioneering advocate for gender equality and a cultural icon known as "the Notorious RBG." She died of complications from pancreatic cancer on 18 September 2020.
1934 – 2020Charley Pride (1934-2020)Died 12 December 2020, aged 86Charley Pride was one of the first Black country music stars, scoring dozens of hits including "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'" and becoming a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He died of complications from COVID-19 on 12 December 2020.
1935 – 2020Christo (1935-2020)Died 31 May 2020, aged 84Christo was a Bulgarian-born artist known, with his late wife Jeanne-Claude, for large-scale environmental installations such as wrapping the Reichstag and the Pont Neuf. He died on 31 May 2020 while working on a planned wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe.
1935 – 2020David Prowse (1935-2020)Died 28 November 2020, aged 85David Prowse was an English bodybuilder and actor who physically portrayed Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, though James Earl Jones supplied the character's voice. He died on 28 November 2020.
1935 – 2020Pranab Mukherjee (1935-2020)Died 31 August 2020, aged 84Pranab Mukherjee served as the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017 after a long career as a senior Congress party minister. He died on 31 August 2020 after contracting COVID-19 and suffering complications from brain surgery.
1937 – 2020John Conway (1937-2020)Died 11 April 2020, aged 82John Conway was a British mathematician known for the Game of Life cellular automaton, group theory work and numerous contributions to recreational mathematics. He died of COVID-19 on 11 April 2020.
1938 – 2020Bill Withers (1938-2020)Died 30 March 2020, aged 81Bill Withers was an American soul singer-songwriter behind classics including "Lean on Me," "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lovely Day." He died of heart complications on 30 March 2020.
1938 – 2020Diana RiggBorn July 20, 1938 — Actress, The Avengers & Game of ThronesDame Diana Rigg was born on July 20, 1938 in Doncaster, England. She became famous as Emma Peel in The Avengers (1965–68) and later as Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones. She died September 10, 2020.
1938 – 2020Kenny Rogers (1938-2020)Died 20 March 2020, aged 81Kenny Rogers was an American country singer known for hits including "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream," selling over 100 million records worldwide. He died at home on 20 March 2020.
1940 – 2020John Lewis (1940-2020)Died 17 July 2020, aged 80John Lewis was a leader of the American civil rights movement who helped organize the 1965 Selma march and later served over three decades as a US congressman from Georgia. He died of pancreatic cancer on 17 July 2020.
1940 – 2020Alex Trebek (1940-2020)Died 8 November 2020, aged 80Alex Trebek hosted the American quiz show Jeopardy! for 37 seasons, becoming one of the most familiar faces on US television. He died of pancreatic cancer on 8 November 2020, having continued hosting the show after his 2019 diagnosis.
1942 – 2020Terry Jones (1942-2020)Died 21 January 2020, aged 77Terry Jones was a Welsh writer, director and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe, directing films including Monty Python's Life of Brian. He died on 21 January 2020 after a long illness with a rare form of dementia.
1942 – 2020David Stern (1942-2020)Died 1 January 2020, aged 77David Stern served as commissioner of the NBA from 1984 to 2014, transforming it into a global entertainment brand and expanding the league internationally. He died on 1 January 2020 following a brain hemorrhage.
1944 – 2020Roy Horn (1944-2020)Died 8 May 2020, aged 75Roy Horn was the German-American illusionist and animal trainer of the Las Vegas duo Siegfried & Roy, famous for their shows with white tigers and lions. He died of complications from COVID-19 on 8 May 2020.
1945 – 2020Herman Cain (1945-2020)Died 30 July 2020, aged 74Herman Cain was an American businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate who later chaired the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He died of complications from COVID-19 on 30 July 2020.
1947 – 2020Jerry Rawlings (1947-2020)Died 12 November 2020, aged 73Jerry Rawlings led Ghana as head of state following two coups and later as elected president from 1993 to 2001, shaping the country's transition to multiparty democracy. He died on 12 November 2020 after a short illness.
1952 – 2020Rishi Kapoor (1952-2020)Died 30 April 2020, aged 67Rishi Kapoor was a leading Bollywood actor from the noted Kapoor film dynasty, starring in over a hundred Hindi films across five decades. He died on 30 April 2020 following a two-year battle with leukemia.
1952 – 2020Neil Peart (1952-2020)Died 7 January 2020, aged 67Neil Peart was the drummer and primary lyricist of the Canadian rock band Rush, widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers in rock history. He died on 7 January 2020 after a three-year battle with brain cancer, kept private until his death was announced.
1955 – 2020Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)Died 6 October 2020, aged 65Eddie Van Halen was the virtuoso guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Van Halen, celebrated for his innovative tapping technique. He died of cancer on 6 October 2020.
1957 – 2020Qassem Soleimani (1957-2020)Died 3 January 2020, aged 62Qassem Soleimani commanded Iran's elite Quds Force and was widely seen as the architect of Iran's regional military strategy across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. He was killed by a US drone strike near Baghdad airport on 3 January 2020.
1960 – 2020Diego MaradonaFootballer, manager, 1960-2020Diego Armando Maradona (1960-2020) — widely regarded as the greatest footballer who ever lived. The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century in a single match; two World Cup finals; two Serie A titles with Napoli; a life of extraordinary brilliance, devastating addiction, improbable comebacks and unconditional love from the people of Argentina and Naples. He died aged 60 on 25 November 2020.
1963 – 2020Brian "Licorice" Locking's later yearsJehovah's Witness workAfter leaving the Shadows in 1963, Brian "Licorice" Locking devoted his life to work as a Jehovah's Witness, making occasional appearances at reunions and on recordings with former bandmates over the following decades. He died peacefully on 8 October 2020 at the age of 81.
1967 – 2020Irrfan Khan (1967-2020)Died 29 April 2020, aged 53Irrfan Khan was an Indian actor acclaimed for roles in Indian cinema and international films including Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire and Jurassic World. He died on 29 April 2020 after a battle with a neuroendocrine tumor.
1976 – 2020Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)Died 28 August 2020, aged 43Chadwick Boseman was an American actor who starred as T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther and portrayed figures including Jackie Robinson and James Brown. He died of colon cancer on 28 August 2020, a diagnosis he had kept private for four years.
1978 – 2020Kobe BryantThe Black Mamba5-time NBA champion with the Lakers; famous for his "Mamba Mentality" and scoring prowess.
2020 – 2026Narendra Modi StadiumAhmedabad, IndiaThe largest stadium in the world, holding 132,000. Built on the site of the Motera ground it replaced, which was demolished entirely rather than expanded.
2020Narendra Modi Stadium opensAhmedabad, IndiaThe largest stadium in the world, holding 132,000 — more than the Rungrado in Pyongyang and 24,000 more than Michigan Stadium. Built on the site of the Motera ground it replaced.
2020NomadlandBest Picture — 93rd Academy AwardsChloé Zhao's drama with Frances McDormand as a woman living in her van across the American West.
2020 – 2021Return to the playoffsUnder Thibodeau, the Knicks make the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
2020Tom Thibodeau hired as head coachThibodeau takes over as head coach, immediately instilling a defensive culture.
2020Australian "Black Summer" bushfiresCatastrophic fire season burns over 18 million hectaresBushfires that had raged across Australia since mid-2019 continued into early 2020, ultimately burning more than 18 million hectares, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 33 people. Smoke haze reached South America, and the fires were declared contained by mid-February 2020.
2020East Africa locust invasionWorst desert locust outbreak in decades threatens food supplyMassive swarms of desert locusts spread across East Africa and the Horn of Africa through the first half of 2020, devastating crops and pasture in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and beyond. The UN called it the region's worst locust crisis in 25 years, threatening food security for millions.
2020Zoom usage explodesVideo calling becomes essentialZoom went from 10 million daily meeting participants in December 2019 to 300 million in April 2020, becoming essential infrastructure for remote work, education and socialising during COVID-19.
2020Assassination of Qassem SoleimaniUS drone strike kills Iranian general near BaghdadA US MQ-9 Reaper drone strike ordered by President Trump killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020. The killing sharply escalated tensions between the United States and Iran, prompting Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraq days later.
2020Prince Harry and Meghan step back as senior royalsSussexes announce departure from official royal dutiesThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on 8 January 2020 that they would step back as senior members of the British royal family and pursue financial independence. The move, dubbed "Megxit" in the press, took effect on 31 March 2020 and led them to relocate to North America.
2020Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shot downIranian missiles destroy airliner over Tehran, killing 176Shortly after takeoff from Tehran, a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was shot down by Iranian Revolutionary Guard surface-to-air missiles amid heightened tension with the United States. All 176 people aboard were killed, and Iran admitted responsibility three days later after initial denials.
2020Star Trek: Picard — Season 1Patrick Stewart returns as Jean-Luc Picard, now retired and haunted by the Federation's abandonment of the Romulan evacuation. The most sophisticated Star Trek since DS9's peak years. Introduces new characters and deepens the mythology of the TNG era. Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh) reprise their roles.
2020Wuhan lockdownChina seals off city of 11 million to contain COVID-19On 23 January 2020, Chinese authorities imposed an unprecedented lockdown on Wuhan, halting travel in and out of the city of 11 million people. The cordon, later extended across Hubei province, became the model for lockdowns adopted worldwide, and was lifted on 8 April 2020.
2020Bad Boys for Life#1 film of 2020 — $206m worldwideDirected by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The third instalment of the Bad Boys franchise.
2020Kobe Bryant diesBasketball legend killed in helicopter crashKobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others.
2020Brexit completedUK formally leaves European UnionThe United Kingdom formally left the European Union at 11pm on January 31, 2020, ending 47 years of membership.
2020Trump acquitted in first impeachment trialSenate votes to acquit on abuse of power and obstruction chargesThe US Senate voted largely along party lines to acquit President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on 5 February 2020. The trial stemmed from Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.
2020Parasite wins Best PictureBong Joon-ho film is first non-English-language Best Picture winnerBong Joon-ho's South Korean class satire Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Picture on 9 February 2020, the first non-English-language film to do so in Oscar history. It also won Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature.
2020Harvey Weinstein convicted of sexual assaultNew York jury delivers landmark #MeToo verdictA New York jury convicted former film producer Harvey Weinstein of criminal sexual assault and rape on 24 February 2020. The verdict was hailed as a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement; he was later sentenced to 23 years in prison.
2020COVID-19 pandemic declaredWHO declares global pandemicThe World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, had spread to over 100 countries.
2020NBA season suspended over coronavirusLeague halts play after Rudy Gobert tests positiveThe NBA suspended its season indefinitely on 11 March 2020 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, becoming one of the first major US sports leagues to shut down. Play resumed in July inside a quarantined "bubble" at Walt Disney World.
2020Tiger King becomes a pandemic cultural phenomenonNetflix docuseries about big-cat breeders grips locked-down viewersNetflix's docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, following exotic animal breeder Joe Exotic, premiered on 20 March 2020 just as much of the world entered lockdown. It became a runaway pop-culture sensation, drawing tens of millions of viewers in its first weeks.
2020Tokyo Olympics postponed2020 Games delayed a year over pandemicThe IOC and Japanese organizers announced on 24 March 2020 that the Tokyo Summer Olympics would be postponed to 2021, the first peacetime postponement in the Games' modern history. The event was eventually held in July-August 2021 without spectators.
2020Star-sized black hole discovered in Milky WayClosest black hole to Earth foundAstronomers announced the discovery of a black hole just 1,000 light-years from Earth in May 2020 — the closest known black hole to our solar system, found in the constellation Telescopium.
2020French Open 2020 — postponed by COVIDMen: Rafael Nadal · Women: Iga ŚwiątekHeld in October due to COVID. Nadal won his 13th Roland Garros. 19-year-old Iga Świątek won her first Grand Slam without dropping a set.
2020George Floyd protestsBlack Lives Matter goes globalThe murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020 sparked global Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020, the largest civil rights movement in US history with over 15 million participants.
2020Galwan Valley clashDeadly India-China border skirmish in the HimalayasIndian and Chinese soldiers fought a violent hand-to-hand clash in the disputed Galwan Valley on 15 June 2020, the first fatal confrontation on the border in 45 years. At least 20 Indian and an unconfirmed number of Chinese soldiers were killed.
2020Hong Kong national security law imposedBeijing enacts sweeping law curbing dissentChina's National People's Congress imposed a national security law on Hong Kong on 30 June 2020, criminalizing secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. Critics said the law effectively ended the "one country, two systems" autonomy promised to the territory.
20202020 World Snooker ChampionshipO’Sullivan Title 6Delayed due to COVID-19. Winner: Ronnie O’Sullivan; Runner-up: Kyren Wilson. Score: 18–8.
2020US Open 2020 — held during COVIDMen: Dominic Thiem · Women: Naomi OsakaHeld at a bubble in Flushing Meadows without fans during the pandemic. Thiem came back from 2 sets down to win. Osaka wore masks bearing names of victims of racial injustice.
2020Among Us surges in popularity2018 mobile game becomes global lockdown hitThe 2018 multiplayer game Among Us saw explosive growth in players during August and September 2020, boosted by popular Twitch and YouTube streamers, becoming one of the most-played games in the world. Its social-deduction gameplay resonated with audiences confined at home during the pandemic.
2020Beirut port explosionAmmonium nitrate blast devastates Lebanese capitalA massive explosion of improperly stored ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 killed more than 200 people, injured thousands, and devastated large parts of the city. The disaster deepened Lebanon's economic and political crisis and led to the government's resignation.
2020Belarusian protests erupt after disputed electionMass demonstrations challenge Lukashenko's re-electionHundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets after the 9 August 2020 presidential election, which official results gave to incumbent Alexander Lukashenko amid widespread allegations of fraud. Security forces responded with mass arrests and violence as protests continued for months.
2020Mali coup d'etatMilitary officers depose President KeitaMutinous soldiers detained and forced the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on 18 August 2020 amid mass protests over corruption and a jihadist insurgency. A military junta subsequently took power and pledged a transition to civilian rule.
2020TenetNolan's pandemic-era blockbuster — $365mDirected by Christopher Nolan, starring John David Washington. A secret agent embarks on a mission to prevent World War III using time manipulation.
2020Abraham Accords signedIsrael normalizes relations with UAE and BahrainIsrael, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords at the White House on 15 September 2020, establishing formal diplomatic relations. Sudan and Morocco later joined the normalization agreements, reshaping alliances across the Middle East.
2020Snowflake IPOCloud data firm's debut is largest software IPO everCloud data-warehousing company Snowflake went public on the New York Stock Exchange on 16 September 2020, more than doubling on its first trading day. It was the largest software IPO in history at the time, backed by investors including Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.
2020Duplantis breaks the outdoor record -- Rome, 17 September 2020On 17 September 2020 in Rome, Sweden's Armand Duplantis clears 6.15m to break Bubka's outdoor world record of 6.14m, which had stood since Sestriere 1994 -- 26 years. Duplantis subsequently raises the outdoor record repeatedly and also breaks the indoor record. The end of the Bubka era in the record books is acknowledged as the passing of an extraordinary landmark: no individual world record in any athletics event had stood longer than Bubka's outdoor mark.
2020Second Nagorno-Karabakh WarArmenia and Azerbaijan fight over disputed enclaveAzerbaijan launched a major offensive against Armenian-backed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh on 27 September 2020, reigniting a decades-old conflict. A Russian-brokered ceasefire on 10 November 2020 saw Azerbaijan retake significant territory it had lost in the 1990s.
2020Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded for CRISPRCharpentier and Doudna honored for gene-editing toolEmmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on 7 October 2020 for developing CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, the first time the prize went to an all-female team. The technology has transformed biological research and holds promise for treating genetic disease.
2020Star Trek: Discovery — Season 3Discovery arrives in the 32nd century, 930 years after its own time, to find the Federation in ruins after a catastrophic event called "The Burn." The show reinvents itself — the best season to date — exploring a Federation without power and without certainty.
2020Chile votes to rewrite constitutionReferendum approves replacing Pinochet-era charterChileans voted overwhelmingly in a referendum on 25 October 2020 to draft a new constitution to replace the one enacted under Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. The vote followed mass protests over inequality that began in late 2019.
2020Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to Supreme CourtSenate confirms Trump's third justice days before electionThe US Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on 26 October 2020, just eight days before the presidential election, to fill the seat left vacant by Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Her confirmation cemented a 6-3 conservative majority on the court.
2020Ant Group IPO suspendedChinese regulators halt world's largest planned listingChinese regulators abruptly suspended Ant Group's dual Shanghai-Hong Kong listing on 3 November 2020, days before what would have been the largest IPO in history. The move followed criticism of the financial industry by founder Jack Ma and marked the start of a broader regulatory crackdown on Chinese tech.
2020Biden wins US electionTrump defeated after one termJoe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the US presidential election on November 3, 2020, winning 306 electoral votes. Trump refused to concede.
2020Star Trek: Lower Decks — Season 1The franchise's first animated adult comedy series, created by Mike McMahan (formerly of Rick and Morty). Set aboard the USS Cerritos, one of Starfleet's least important ships. Irreverent, fan-service-rich and surprisingly emotionally sophisticated. A genuine creative departure for the franchise.
2020SpaceX Crew Dragon operationalPrivate spaceflight for NASA astronautsSpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on November 16, 2020, marking the start of regular commercial crew missions by a private company.
2020Boeing 737 MAX ungroundedFAA clears jet to fly after 20-month groundingThe US Federal Aviation Administration cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to resume flights on 18 November 2020, ending a nearly 20-month grounding imposed after two fatal crashes killed 346 people. Boeing had redesigned the plane's flight-control software and retrained pilots.
2020Chang'e 5 returns lunar samples to EarthChina's mission brings back first new Moon rocks since 1976China's Chang'e 5 probe launched on 23 November 2020 and returned to Earth on 16 December 2020 carrying nearly two kilograms of lunar samples, the first fresh Moon rocks retrieved since the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976. The mission made China only the third country to achieve a lunar sample return.
2020First COVID vaccine givenMargaret Keenan, 90, first in worldMargaret Keenan, aged 90, became the first person in the world to receive a fully approved COVID-19 vaccine outside a clinical trial, receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech jab in Coventry, England on December 8, 2020.
2020Airbnb IPOHome-sharing company goes public after pandemic-battered yearAirbnb listed on the Nasdaq on 10 December 2020, with shares more than doubling on debut despite the pandemic having devastated its travel business earlier in the year. The listing valued the company at roughly $100 billion.
2020Tesla joins the S&P 500Automaker enters index as one of its largest membersTesla was added to the S&P 500 index on 21 December 2020, entering as one of the largest companies in the index after its market value soared during the year. The inclusion followed Tesla posting several consecutive profitable quarters.