Year in Review: 2019

Last year during this time of the year, I wrote “Year in Review: 2018” to recap the most significant events that occurred across the world in 2018. My inspiration behind the article came after recognizing that there are many students who do not have time to read the news on a daily basis yet wish to read one article that they can read to quickly learn all the important, you-should-know events of the year. I received positive feedback, so I’m writing the same article for 2019. This article will cover all of the biggest headlines of 2019 and provides an opportunity to be aware of the majority of global news that shocked, angered, amazed, or had a profound impact on the lives of people worldwide.

January 2019

• January 10: Amid a severe economic recession and political turmoil, Venezuela enters a constitutional crisis as Juan Guaidó, backed by the US government, declares President Nicolás Maduro “illegitimate” and initiates his attempt to remove Maduro from his presidency.
• January 28: The US justice department accuses the Chinese technology giant Huawei of multiple frauds and illicit surveillance activities through the usage of microchips, further worsening the relationship between the two countries during the trade war.

February 2019

• February 28: DPRK-USA summit is held in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was the second summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-un. Though the summit was held with widespread expectations of reaching a consensus for DPRK denuclearization, the meeting between the two leaders ended with no fruitful agreement. (I was at Vietnam, Hanoi during the summit. There were road blockades everywhere to ease the traffic and multiple local banners, posters and news articles advertising and discussing the historic summit.)

March 2019

• March 15: A mass shooting breaks out on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. More than 100 people are either killed or injured in the terrorist attacks. It is indubitably the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s history and as New Zealand Prime Minister said, this event marked “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”.

April 2019

• April 10: Researchers at the National Science Foundation (NSF) release the first-ever picture of a black hole.
• April 15: A disastrous fire breaks out at one of France’s greatest heritage sites, Notre Dame Cathedral. Millions of people across the globe express their condolences as the 850-year-old structure is engulfed in and destroyed by the flame. The French government immediately initiates a restoration project afterward.
• April 26: The Marvel Cinematic Universe film “Avengers: Endgame” is released in the theaters across the world, breaking numerous box-office records both in and out of the states. By the end of 2019, it has become the highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing “Avatar” and “Titanic”.

May 2019

• May 10: Trade negotiations between the US and China begin, but ultimately to no avail, as the US’ 25% tariff hike on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports takes effect. In response, China retaliates with its own tariffs, causing the trade war to further escalate.
• May 17: Taiwan becomes the first Asian nation to approve a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.

June 2019

• June 7: British prime minister Theresa May resigns from her position as her Brexit deal fails for the third time to gain a majority approval in the parliament.
• June 9: Over 1 million people gather in a plaza in Hong Kong to protest against the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill. It is the largest crowd gathering that took place in Hong Kong since the UK handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997.

July 2019

• July 7: The United States wins the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
• July 24: Boris Johnson is formally invited by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as the new prime minister. A graduate of Oxford University, Johnson won the UK’s Conservative Party leadership contest and replaced Theresa May.

August 2019

• August 2: A “technology” trade dispute between South Korea and Japan rises, as Japan removes South Korea from its whitelist, a list of trusted trading partners that reduce the costs of imports and exports between nations. As a result, the sales of South Korea’s major exports, such as semiconductors and other high-tech goods, decrease, leading to a retaliatory measure taken by the South Korean government.
• August 21: A large wildfire begins in the Amazon forests of Brazil at a record rate, leaving major environmental devastation in the “lungs of the world”.
• August 25: The Hong Kong Protests which began as a peaceful demonstration start to become violent, as the protestors and police begin to use tear gas, rubber bullets, and handmade weapons against each other.

September 2019

• September 23: The young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg who has received the world’s attention for her public attempts to raise awareness of climate change participates in a UN Climate Action Summit with many other world leaders. Her speech becomes viral as she unflinchingly accuses the world leaders of not taking any action to stop the ongoing global warming. In an aggressive manner, she says, “For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away?”

October 2019

• October 23: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam officially withdraws the contentious Hong Kong extradition bill which was the root of the protests.

November 2019

• November 1: Fire begins in Maria Hills, California, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate during the night, which included the NBA superstar LeBron James and his family.
• November 13: Public impeachment hearings against the current US President Donald Trump begin.
• November 13: The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and other universities in Hong Kong officially announce an end to the first semester due to the escalating tensions of protests. All university classes become online for the remaining semester. The universities recently announced that the school will resume in the second semester.

December 2019

• December 2: The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) takes place in Madrid, Spain.
• December 12: The 2019 United Kingdom general election takes place, for 650 seats in the House of Commons. Boris Johnson from the Conservative Party ends up remaining in his position, gaining 43.6% of the votes, while the runner-up was Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Party with 32.2% of the votes.

Please note that the events were selected based on my own perception of the events’ importance and impact on the world. If you think there are certain domestic or world events that should’ve been included in this article, feel free to comment below!