2012 United States presidential election A concise overview of the 2012 U.S. presidential election: candidates, campaign themes, outcome, and its political significance in the Obama–Romney rematch.
2013 Boston Marathon bombings Two bombs exploded near the 2013 Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013, killing three and injuring hundreds; the attack prompted a large criminal investigation, a citywide…
2013 in video games A summary of the video game landscape in 2013: notable releases, franchise entries, console launches, and industry trends that shaped the year's games.
2013 Moore tornado (May 20, 2013) 2013 Moore tornado A violent EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013, causing catastrophic damage, dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries and renewing attention to storm safety and…
2014 (year): overview and notable events 2014 Concise encyclopedia entry for 2014: calendar position, defining global events, political and cultural highlights, and its broader significance in the early 21st century.
2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup The 18th AFC Women's Asian Cup, held in Vietnam in May 2014, was won by Japan. The tournament served as Asia's continental championship and as qualification for the 2015 FIFA Women…
Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games: events, venues, and lasting legacy 2014 Commonwealth Games Overview of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (23 July–3 Aug): events and citywide venues, participating nations and athletes, and the long-term sporting, economic and community…
2014 North American polar vortex: winter cold outbreak and its impacts 2014 North American polar vortex A major early-January 2014 cold-air outbreak in North America driven by a displaced polar vortex. Widespread record lows, infrastructure disruptions, power outages and deadly conse…
2014 Oso mudslide (Washington) 2014 Oso mudslide A catastrophic slope failure on March 22, 2014 near Oso, Washington, that devastated a rural neighborhood, killed dozens, covered about a square mile and prompted wide-ranging resc…
2014 Shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa On 22 October 2014 a gunman fatally shot a Canadian soldier at the National War Memorial and then attacked Parliament Hill in Ottawa; the attacker was killed and authorities descri…
2014 Sydney hostage crisis A December 2014 armed siege at a Lindt chocolate café in Martin Place, Sydney, in which 17 people were held hostage. Two hostages and the gunman died; the event led to national deb…
2015 — overview, calendar, major events and significance 2015 A concise encyclopedic overview of the year 2015: calendar classification, major global events, cultural and scientific highlights, and its broader historical significance.
2015 Algarve Women's Football Tournament: United States Crowned Champions 2015 Algarve Cup Summary of the 2015 Algarve Cup in Portugal: the 22nd invitational women's football tournament, its group-and-placement format, venues across the Algarve, and the United States cro…
2015 Ankara bombings A pair of suicide attacks on 10 October 2015 outside Ankara's central station during a mass rally killed more than 100 people and wounded hundreds, provoking national outrage and i…
2015 Chapel Hill shooting Fatal shooting on Feb 10, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, when three Muslim students were killed. The case prompted debate over motive, hate crime classification, and led to c…
2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of South America's senior international football championship, hosted by Chile and organized by CONMEBOL; Chile won its first title.
2015 Copenhagen shootings Two coordinated spree shootings in Copenhagen, Denmark on 14 February 2015 that targeted a free‑speech event and a synagogue, prompting national debate on security, extremism, and…
2015 Cricket World Cup The 2015 Cricket World Cup was an international one-day tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in Feb–Mar 2015. Fourteen teams competed; Australia won the title, New Zea…
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, held in Canada from 6 June to 5 July 2015. Expanded to 24 teams, it concluded with the United States beating Japan 5–2 in the final; Carli Lloyd…
2015 Mina stampede in Mecca 2015 Mina stampede A deadly crowd crush on 24 September 2015 in Mina near Mecca during the annual Hajj. Official Saudi figures reported hundreds killed and many injured; counts and the sequence of ev…
2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 helicopter crash in Naltar Valley 2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash On 8 May 2015 a Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashed in Naltar, Gilgit-Baltistan, killing eight of the twenty people on board, including three foreign ambassadors and prompti…
2015 Pan American Games The 17th Pan American Games were held in Toronto, Canada, from July 10–26, 2015, featuring over 6,000 athletes from 41 nations competing across 36 sports and leaving lasting sporti…
2015 Rugby World Cup The eighth Rugby World Cup, held in England from 18 September to 31 October 2015. New Zealand won, defeating Australia in the final; 20 nations competed in a tournament notable for…
2015 San Bernardino attack A mass shooting and terrorist investigation on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California that left 14 dead, injured many, and prompted national…
2015 South Indian floods Severe floods across South India in Nov–Dec 2015 caused by intense northeast monsoon rains and successive low‑pressure systems, devastating Chennai and coastal districts and displa…
2015 United Kingdom general election A concise overview of the 7 May 2015 UK general election: context, process, principal results, key issues, and immediate political consequences.
2016 (year) 2016 Summary of 2016 — a leap year that began on Friday — covering calendar facts, major global events, cultural moments, scientific milestones, notable deaths, and international observ…
2016 Austrian presidential election and its annulled runoff 2016 Austrian presidential election A contested two-round presidential contest in Austria in 2016 that required a court-ordered rerun after procedural irregularities affected postal ballots and the narrow runoff resu…
2016 Brussels bombings Coordinated suicide bombings at Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro on 22 March 2016 that killed dozens, injured hundreds, and were claimed by ISIL; led to a major investigation an…
2016 Democratic National Convention July 25–28, 2016 gathering in Philadelphia where Democrats nominated their presidential and vice‑presidential candidates, adopted a party platform, and sought party unity ahead of…
2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest Cancellation of a March 11, 2016 Donald Trump campaign rally at UIC after large protests raised safety concerns; sparked debate over protest tactics, free speech and political resp…
2016 Ecuador earthquake (April 16, 2016) 2016 Ecuador earthquake A major 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck coastal Ecuador on April 16, 2016, causing widespread destruction, at least 272 deaths, thousands injured, and a national state of emergency…
2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire A large wildfire in early May 2016 that burned through Fort McMurray, Alberta, prompting the evacuation of nearly 90,000 people and destroying roughly 1,600 buildings.
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes: sequence, impacts, and recovery 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes A multi-day earthquake sequence in April 2016 near Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan, featuring a large foreshock and a 7.0 mainshock that caused widespread damage, casualties, and long-term…
2016 Nice truck attack (Bastille Day mass killing) 2016 Nice attack On 14 July 2016 a man drove a heavy truck into crowds on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, killing 86 people and wounding many. The attack had major legal, security and so…
2016 Republican National Convention Four-day gathering in Cleveland where the Republican Party formally nominated Donald Trump for president and Mike Pence for vice president; delegates, speeches, platform and notabl…
July 2016 Dallas attack on police officers 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers A sniper ambushed officers during a July 7, 2016 protest in Dallas, Texas, killing five officers and wounding others. The attack, its motives, and the police response had wide nati…
2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt On 15 July 2016 an attempted coup by a faction of Turkey's security forces tried to overthrow the government. The effort failed but caused many deaths, widespread arrests and long-…
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum (Brexit referendum) 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum A nationwide referendum held on 23 June 2016 asking whether the UK should remain a member of the EU; the Leave side won and led to significant political and constitutional change.
2016 United States presidential election The U.S. presidential election held on November 8, 2016, resulted in Republican Donald Trump winning the Electoral College and the presidency while Democrat Hillary Clinton won the…
2016 World Series: Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians — a historic seven‑game classic 2016 World Series The 2016 World Series saw the Chicago Cubs defeat the Cleveland Indians in seven games, ending the Cubs’ 108‑year championship drought in a dramatic extra‑inning Game 7.
2017 Barcelona attack A vehicle-ramming and follow-up attacks in Catalonia on 17 August 2017 that killed and injured many people, prompted a major police investigation and international condemnation.
2017 Catalan independence referendum A contested referendum held in Catalonia on 1 October 2017 that prompted a constitutional crisis in Spain after the Spanish Constitutional Court suspended the vote and Spanish auth…
2017 Chiapas earthquake A powerful earthquake on September 7, 2017, struck off the coast of Chiapas, Mexico. With a magnitude reported near 8.2–8.4 Mw, it produced widespread shaking, casualties, damage a…
2017 Congressional baseball shooting in Alexandria, Virginia 2017 Congressional baseball shooting On June 14, 2017 a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress and staff during a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, wounding several and prompting a law-enforceme…
2017 eruption of Mount Agung, Bali 2017 eruption of Mount Agung A chronology and analysis of the 2017 eruption of Mount Agung in Bali, covering causes, impacts, evacuation and aviation disruption, monitoring and the eruption's wider significanc…
2017 Finsbury Park attack A vehicle-ramming assault on worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque in London on 19 June 2017. One person was killed, several injured; the driver was arrested, charged with terroris…
2017 French presidential election A two-round presidential contest in France held in April–May 2017 that produced Emmanuel Macron as president, ended the incumbent’s bid not to run and reshaped the country’s politi…
