IMPORTANT EVENTS IN WORLD HISTORY - UPSC STUDYMATERIALS

UPSC STUDYMATERIALS

IMPORTANT EVENTS IN WORLD HISTORY

2005

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in U.S. and caused huge flooding between the cities of Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
In U.K., four suicide bombers (3 blasts on Tube trains in the Underground and one on a double-decker bus) attacked central London and claimed 52 lives.

2004

A magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the coast of Indonesia, and followed by a tsunami in the Indian Ocean which hit the countries Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India on Dec. 26 and claimed more than 220,000 lives.

2003

Based on the months of reports on Iraq housing weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. and its coalition forces attacked the capital of Baghdad, in March 2003. Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003.

2002

During his annual State of the Union address, President George W. Bush used the term “axis of evil" and said that US would intervene in dangerous regimes with destructive weapons such as North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
On 30 March 2002, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes- Lyon died at the age of 101.

2001

On September 11 2001, the attacks in U.S. were a series of four airline hijackings by members of al-Qaida and these planes crashed into the World Trade Center (WTC), New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. About 3,000 people were killed and Osama bin Laden took responsibility for this attack.

2000

In US, George W. Bush beat Al Gore. In this, Bush managed a slim lead over Gore in Florida, which led to a recount of votes. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a halt to the recount and sealed Bush’s victory.

1999

The alleged relationship between U.S. President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky came to light in 1998, and the U.S. Senate started the impeachment trial of this case and after a five-week trial, Clinton was acquitted of charges of lying under oath and obstruction of justice.

1998

The Good Friday or Belfast Agreement was ratified between the British and Irish governments, bringing an end to 30 years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.

1997

On August 31, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris, France. Diana's companion and Harrod’s heir, Dodi al Fayed, and driver, Henri Paul, also died in this car crash.

1996

On 5 July 1996, Dolly the sheep (world’s first cloned mammal) was born at Roslin Institute, Midlothian, Scotland
NASA scientists presented a Martian rock and reported that it contained microfossils. They told that there could be life on Mars.

1995

Former football player, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
In Tokyo, Japan, the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult released sarin gas, which killed 12 people and left thousands sick.

1994

Nelson Mandela became the South Africa's first black leader on 10 May 1994.
In Rwanda, about 800,000 ethnic Tutsi people were killed by Hutu extremists within a span of 100 days.

1993

China carried out a nuclear weapons test in its western desert, ignoring a voluntary global test ban and moratorium
The European Union and European citizenship were established following the Maastricht Treaty.

1992

Panama dictator General Manuel Noriega, (initially a U.S. ally spying for the CIA) was sentenced to 40 years in prison by a U.S. court. He was found guilty of drug trafficking, money laundering and racketeering.

1991

U.S. launched Operation Desert Storm, which carried out aerial bombardment of Iraqi facilities and pushed out the Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev resigned and the USSR was dissolved.

1990

In South Africa, anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was freed from jail on 11 February 1990, after serving a 27-year sentence.
In U.K., British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stepped down after 11 years in office and was succeeded by John Major.

1989

Pro-democracy protesters set up camp in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Chinese troops retook this space after several weeks, leaving hundreds dead.
The Berlin wall was pulled down in Germany and this reunited the communist East and capitalist West Berlin.
In U.S., an Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground a reef off the coast of Alaska, which released about 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sea.

1988

On 21 December 1988, the New York-bound Pan-Am flight 103, a Boeing 747, was flying over Lockerbie, Scotland and a timer-activated bomb onboard was detonated, which killed all 259 people on the flight and 11 people on the ground.
In the Persian Gulf, the Iran-Iraq war (22 September 1980 – 20 August 1988) came to an end.

1987

On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones index fell 22.6%, which is the largest one-day percentage drop ever. This day is referred to as Black Monday, as the stock markets crashed around the world and the Dow was down 508 points, by the time markets closed.

1986

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger (by NASA) exploded just 73 seconds into the flight, which killed all 7 astronauts onboard. The reason for this failure was a booster engine broke apart after the launch.
In Russia, a flawed nuclear reactor exploded at the Chernobyl power station and killed 30 people. The entire town of Pripyat was executed after this incident.

1985

Mikhail Gorbachev came into power in Soviet Union at the age of 54.

1984

During Operation Blue Star, the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India between 1 and 8 June 1984 to remove the religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from Harmandir Sahib complex in Amristar, Punjab.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh

1983

In Beirut, Lebanon, 241 U.S. personnel were killed on October 23, 1983 when a truck bomb hit the Marine compound.

1982

The Falklands War began on April 2, 1982. Argentine forces, fed up of British claims, invaded and claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Within one month they had more than 10,000 troops stationed on the South Atlantic archipelago.
British ship RFA Sir Galahad was destroyed on June 8, 1982
Argentine forces in Stanley surrender on June 14, 1982 to British forces

1981

On July 29, 1981 Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London
On January 20, 1981, Iran released 52 Americans after 444 days in captivity. They were taken as hostages from US Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 by 500 Iranian radicals, mostly students
On January 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of USA.

1980

The 1980 Summer Moscow Olympics was boycotted by 65 nations to show the protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
On March 4, 1980, Robert Mugabe was elected as the PM of Zimbabwe. On April 18, 1980, Zimbabwe got de jure independence from UK.

1979

Margaret Thatcher was sworn in as Britain's first female PM on May 4, 1979. She won the election with 43.9% seats.

1978

The world's first test-tube baby Louise Brown was born on July 25, 1978 at Oldham General Hospital in the U.K.

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