As we approach towards 2024, here are some highlights from the year so far. So, grab a comfy seat and join us as we dive into this incredible journey!

January
Jan 1: Croatia replaced its national currency, the kuna, with the euro.

Jan 10: The UK’s Prince Harry published Spare, his tell-all memoir on his upbringing with the Royal Family.

Jan 24: Coldest winter in a decade in Afghanistan has killed at least 124 people and 70,000 livestock, leaving many areas cut off, according to state officials.

Jan 24: The Doomsday Clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight after new escalations in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Jan 30: Suicide bomb blast kills at least 100 and injures 157 people at a mosque for police officers in Peshawar, Pakistan.

February
Feb 1: Legendary rock singer Ozzy Osbourne announced his retirement from touring.

Feb 6: Turkey and Syria were struck by a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 59,259 people.

Feb 9: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declares "a national state of disaster" to respond to the country's electricity crisis amid daily blackouts.

Feb 11: The Armenian-Turkish land border opened for the first time in 35 years.

Feb 28: The FBI publicly confirmed that they believed COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan, China.

March
Mar 9: The US record industry reported that for the first time since 1987, sales of vinyl records exceeded CD sales.

Mar 14: OpenAI released GPT-4, an upgraded version of their popular artificial intelligence chatbot.

Mar 17: The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mar 31: Italy banned the use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT over data security concerns.

April
Apr 3: NASA announced the astronauts for the first trip to the moon in over 50 years.

Apr 4: Finland officially joined Nato, becoming the 31st member of the security alliance.

Apr 20: SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded four minutes into its first full flight test.

Apr 29: Legendary country musician Willie Nelson held a two-day music concert for his 90th birthday party.

May
May 1: Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI,” resigned from Google amidst growing concerns over AI.

May 2: The Writers Guild of America went on strike after a labour dispute.

May 4: Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

May 25: The FDA gave Elon Musk the go-ahead to trial his Neuralink brain implants on humans.

June
Jun 8: Former US President Donald Trump was formally accused of mishandling classified documents.

Jun 16: The rules for the Grammy Awards were updated to restrict AI-generated songs.

Jun 18: OceanGate’s Titan submersible imploded during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic.

Jun 30: Harrison returned to our screens for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

July
Jul 8: Elton John ended his touring career with a final concert in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jul 21: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer opened in cinemas.

Jul 26: Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was removed from office by a military coup.

August
Aug 10: Two rival driverless taxi companies were given approval to operate 24/7 in San Francisco, California.

Aug 19: Russia’s Luna 25 lunar lander mission crash-landed on the Moon.

Aug 23: India became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon.

Aug 24: Donald Trump became the first former US President to have their mug shot taken.

September
Sep 12: Kim Jong-Un arrived in Russia by armoured train to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin regarding potential military cooperation.

Sep 13: UFO expert Jaime Maussan presented the bodies of two alleged aliens before the Mexican Congress.

Sep 16: Rolling Stone magazine removed one of its co-founders, Jann Wenner, from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sep 27: The Writers Guild of America strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended.

October
Oct 5: Research into fossil footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico confirmed humans were in the Americas at least 21,000 years ago.

Oct 8: Israel formally declared war on Hamas following a surprise attack by Hamas operatives in Israeli-controlled territory.

Oct 13: Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard in a record-breaking $69 billion takeover.

Oct 28: Matthew Perry – an American-Canadian actor born on August 19, 1969 – died at the age of 54 in Los Angeles, USA.

Oct 30: US President Joe Biden signed an executive order to guide the use of AI within federal agencies.

November
Nov 1: Collins Dictionary announced “AI” as the most notable word in 2023.

Nov 2: Russia carries out its most extensive artillery attack of the year in Ukraine as Ukraine’s commander in chief admits the war has reached a deadlock.

Nov 3: A 5.6 magnitude earthquake in the northwest Nepal, kills 157 people and leaves thousands homeless.

Nov 7: Australian cricket all-rounder Glenn Maxwell hits 201 not out to guide his team to a three-wicket World Cup win over Afghanistan in Mumbai.

Nov 7: Israeli forces cut off north Gaza, severing it from the southern part of the territory as the Palestinian death toll is now over 20,000.

Nov 12: WHO calls for attacks on and around hospitals in Gaza to stop, with newborn babies reportedly dying as a result of power, water and oxygen cuts.

December
Dec 3: Israeli ground forces begin offensive in southern Gaza, north of Khan Younis after a seven-day ceasefire expires.

Dec 5: Sculptor Jesse Darling wins the Turner Prize for his sculptures made of everyday objects.

Dec 6: Taylor Swift is named Time's Person of the Year.

Dec 12: U.N. General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, amid reports 20,000 Palestinians have been killed with over 80% now homeless.

Dec 14: European Union agrees to open membership negotiations with Ukraine at a summit on Brussels.