Dashed left edge = started before December 2022 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond December 2022
Events in December 2022 22
1927 – 2022Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022)Died 31 December 2022, aged 95German theologian who led the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 and in 2013 became the first pope in six centuries to resign.
1929 – 2022Barbara Walters (1929-2022)Died 30 December 2022, aged 93American broadcaster who was the first woman to anchor a network evening news programme in the United States.
1940 – 2022Pelé (1940-2022)Died 29 December 2022, aged 82Brazilian footballer, the only man to win three World Cups and for many the greatest player the game has produced.
1941 – 2022Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022)Died 29 December 2022, aged 81British designer who dressed the punk movement and spent five decades turning subversion into couture.
2000 – 2022Later Career and Animal AdvocacyMoved to a ranch in Malibu, California, and became a passionate animal rights advocate. Continued selective modelling work while raising her son Jonah.
2009 – 2022Environmental and Animal AdvocacyBecame a dedicated environmental activist and animal rights advocate, supporting organisations like the Natural Resources Defense Council and using her platform to raise awareness about conservation.
2018 – 2022Peaky BlindersAppeared as the preacher Jeremiah Jesus in the BBC television series Peaky Blinders, bringing his distinctive presence to one of Britain's most popular dramas.
2019 – 2022Judge JerryHosted the courtroom show Judge Jerry, his final regular television role before retiring from broadcasting in 2022.
20222022: Max VerstappenRed BullVerstappen won his second title in dominant fashion with 15 victories, the most wins in a single season at that time.
2022Auction RecordHer 1959 painting Untitled (Nets) sold for $10.5 million, setting a new auction record. A second Louis Vuitton collaboration launched worldwide. The largest retrospective of her work in Asia opened at Hong Kong's M+ museum.
2022Death of Sinéad O'Connor's Son ShaneHer 17-year-old son Shane died by suicide in January 2022. O'Connor was devastated, later cancelling her upcoming album and performances.
2022Mahsa Amini Protests in IranWoman, Life, FreedomThe death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly sparked months of nationwide protests under the slogan Woman, Life, Freedom. The movement became the most serious challenge to Iran's theocratic government since the 1979 revolution. Security forces killed over 500 protesters.
2022Artemis I launches to the MoonThe first flight of the Space Launch SystemArtemis I launched on 16 November 2022, sending an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon on the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System. It returned on 11 December.
20222022 FIFA World CupThe Winter CupThe first tournament in the Arab world; Lionel Messi finally secured the title for Argentina. Winner: Argentina.
2022Protests force China to abandon zero-COVIDThe largest demonstrations in decadesProtests against lockdowns spread across Chinese cities in late November 2022 following a deadly fire in Urumqi. Within weeks the government dismantled its zero-COVID controls.
2022Released from prison after eight months; deported to GermanyBecker is released from HMP Huntercombe under a scheme allowing foreign nationals to be repatriated before their release date. After serving eight months, he is deported to Germany. During his sentence he worked as a classroom assistant teaching PE theory to fellow inmates.
2022TSMC Arizona — first US fab in decadesTSMC breaks ground on its first US semiconductor factory in Phoenix, Arizona in December 2022, with $12 billion in investment and US government support under the CHIPS Act. It is the first leading-edge semiconductor fab to be built in the United States in decades. The Arizona fab is geopolitically motivated: US officials want some TSMC production on American soil, outside China's potential military reach. TSMC also announces a second Arizona fab, bringing the total US investment to $40 billion.
2022Nuclear fusion ignition achievedNIF produces more energy than inputThe National Ignition Facility announced on December 5, 2022 that it had achieved nuclear fusion ignition for the first time — producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to trigger it, a 60-year goal.
2022Pedro Castillo removed and arrested in PeruAn attempted dissolution of Congress backfiresPeru's Congress removed President Pedro Castillo on 7 December 2022, hours after he tried to dissolve it. He was arrested and Dina Boluarte became the country's first woman president.
2022Global Combat Air Programme announcedUnited Kingdom, Italy and JapanBritain, Italy and Japan merge their next-generation fighter projects into a single sixth-generation fighter, planned to enter service in 2035.
2022Avatar: The Way of Water#1 film of 2022 — $2.32bn worldwideDirected by James Cameron. Jake Sully and Neytiri must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora to keep their family safe.
2022Argentina win the World Cup in QatarMessi's final at the end of a penalty shoot-outArgentina beat France on penalties in Lusail on 18 December 2022 after a 3-3 draw, widely called the greatest World Cup final ever played. It was Lionel Messi's first world title.