Dashed left edge = started before December 2024 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond December 2024
Events in December 2024 20
1924 – 2024Jimmy Carter39th President — longest-lived US presidentJimmy Carter (Oct 1, 1924 – Dec 29, 2024) was the 39th President 1977-1981. He brokered the Camp David Accords, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and became the longest-lived US president at age 100.
1927 – 2024William Labov (1927-2024)Died 17 December 2024, aged 97American linguist whose work on regional variation founded the field of sociolinguistics.
1932 – 2024Manmohan Singh (1932-2024)Died 26 December 2024, aged 92Indian economist and prime minister from 2004 to 2014 whose 1991 reforms as finance minister opened the Indian economy.
1934 – 2024Shyam Benegal (1934-2024)Died 23 December 2024, aged 90Indian director and a founder of parallel cinema, the realist counterweight to mainstream Hindi film.
1937 – 2024Yoshio Taniguchi (1937-2024)Died 16 December 2024, aged 87Japanese architect best known for the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
1942 – 2024Richard Perry (1942-2024)Died 24 December 2024, aged 82American music producer who worked with Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon and the Pointer Sisters.
1943 – 2024Nikki Giovanni (1943-2024)Died 9 December 2024, aged 81American poet whose work ranged from calls for Black power to poems for children.
1948 – 2024Richard Parsons (1948-2024)Died 26 December 2024, aged 76American businessman who led AOL Time Warner through its post-merger crisis and later chaired Citigroup.
1958 – 2024Rickey Henderson (1958-2024)Died 20 December 2024, aged 65American baseball player who holds the records for career stolen bases and runs scored.
2019 – 2024Notre Dame FireCultural TragedyA massive fire severely damaged the historic cathedral; it was reopened to the public in late 2024.
20242024: Max VerstappenRed BullVerstappen won his fourth consecutive title despite a less dominant Red Bull, showing his abilities as a driver in a tighter championship battle with McLaren's Lando Norris.
2024New Infinity Mirror Room in LondonUnveiled a new Infinity Mirror Room — Beauty Described by a Spherical Heart — at the Victoria Miro Gallery in London, demonstrating that her creative powers remained undiminished at 95. Cyndi Lauper's farewell tour featured Kusama-designed sets and costumes.
2024Nvidia becomes most valuable companyAI chip demand drives $3 trillion valuationNvidia briefly surpassed Microsoft and Apple to become the world's most valuable company in June 2024, driven by extraordinary demand for its AI chips. Its market cap reached $3.3 trillion.
2024Pat Gelsinger ousted — Intel in crisisPat Gelsinger resigns as Intel CEO on 1 December 2024 under pressure from the board — effectively fired after three years of declining revenues, manufacturing setbacks and a stock price that has fallen over 60% during his tenure. Intel's 18A process node — intended to restore process leadership by 2025 — has suffered yield problems. Intel's market capitalisation has fallen below $100 billion from a peak above $250 billion. CFO David Zinsner and product chief Michelle Johnston Holthaus become interim co-CEOs as the board searches for a permanent successor.
2024South Korea Martial Law CrisisPresident Yoon declares — and rescinds — martial lawSouth Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law in an extraordinary late-night address, deploying troops to the National Assembly. Legislators broke through military cordons and voted unanimously to overturn the decree within hours. Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly and later arrested, plunging one of Asia's most stable democracies into its worst political crisis in decades.
2024South Korea's president declares martial lawAn order reversed by parliament within hoursPresident Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in South Korea on 3 December 2024. Lawmakers forced their way into the National Assembly and voted it down within hours; Yoon was impeached on 14 December.
2024Notre-Dame de Paris reopensFive years after the fireNotre-Dame cathedral reopened on 7 December 2024, five years after the fire that destroyed its roof and spire, following a restoration involving hundreds of craftspeople.
2024The Assad regime falls in SyriaFifty-four years of family rule end in eleven daysA rebel offensive that began in late November captured Damascus on 8 December 2024, ending the rule of Bashar al-Assad and fifty-four years of Assad family control. Assad fled to Russia.
2024Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashes near AktauThirty-eight killed after an apparent shoot-downAn Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on 25 December 2024, killing 38 of the 67 on board. Evidence pointed to the aircraft having been struck by Russian air defences.
2024Jeju Air flight crashes at MuanOne hundred and seventy-nine killed in South Korea's worst air disasterA Jeju Air Boeing 737 crashed on landing at Muan International Airport on 29 December 2024, killing 179 of the 181 on board in the deadliest aviation accident in South Korean history.