2020–Ongoing

A record of events shaping political, economic, technological, and cultural systems since 2020.

2026

28 March

Philippines signs Visiting Forces Agreement with France

28 March

Nationwide transport strike in Philippines protests fuel prices and energy crisis

27 March

Power outage hits parts of Northern San Diego County and Orange County, including Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, and San Clemente

27 March

Fire destroys major egg production facility in Corwith, Iowa, killing flocks and injuring firefighter

27 March

Nicolás Maduro appears in New York federal court following U.S. capture

27 March

Government officials report gradual restoration after a second grid failure in a week leaves nearly the entire population without electricity, with hospitals, communications, and food systems severely disrupted

26 March

Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in social media addiction lawsuit and orders damages

26 March

Trump appoints Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Larry Ellison, and Sergey Brin to federal technology advisory council

26 March

Philippines moves to secure oil from sanctioned countries with U.S. approval

26 March

Philippines suspends electricity spot market as prices surge during energy crisis

26 March

Philippines suspends fuel taxes to control rising energy costs

26 March

Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in social media addiction lawsuit and awards $6 million in damages

26 March

Gulf states warn U.N. that ongoing strikes threaten regional energy stability

26 March

Trump appoints Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Larry Ellison, and Sergey Brin to federal technology advisory council

26 March

Gulf states warn Iranian attacks threaten regional stability and energy supply

25 March

European Union meets with major tech companies over AI competition concerns

25 March

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declares national energy emergency amid global oil disruptions

25 March

OpenAI shuts down its Sora video platform, ending its deal with Disney

22 March

A large-scale airstrike hits a hospital in Kabul, killing hundreds and injuring more, marking a major escalation in ongoing regional conflict

22 March

Cuba’s grid collapses again days after partial restoration

21 March

CBS News shuts down its 99-year-old CBS News Radio and lays off staff

21 March

CBS News shuts down CBS News Radio and lays off about 6% of staff

21 March

Trump administration releases national AI framework to centralize federal policy

21 March

White House releases national AI framework for regulation and development

20 March

Attacks on Iranian and Gulf energy infrastructure disrupt oil and gas supply

20 March

Israeli strikes hit Iranian-linked gas facilities as Iran-linked forces threaten Gulf shipping routes

20 March

Iran-linked forces retaliate with strikes affecting Gulf energy routes

19 March

Israeli strikes hit Iranian-linked energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf

18 March

Cuba’s national electrical grid collapses, leaving most of the country without power

18 March

OpenAI signs agreement with Amazon Web Services to supply AI systems to U.S. government agencies

18 March

OpenAI signs agreement with Amazon Web Services to provide AI tools to U.S. government agencies

18 March

OpenAI signs deal to sell AI services to U.S. agencies through Amazon Web Services

17 March

Airstrike on hospital in Kabul kills hundreds during regional conflict escalation

10 March

Anthropic sues U.S. Department of Defense over restrictions on AI sales to the military

10 March

Anthropic files lawsuit over restrictions on selling AI systems to the Pentagon

05 March

Nationwide blackout hits Cuba after power plant failure amid fuel shortages

28 February

OpenAI signs agreement to deploy AI systems on U.S. government networks

28 February

OpenAI raises tens of billions of dollars from investors including major tech firms

26 February

Paramount Skydance agrees to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including HBO

13 February

Environmental Protection Agency repeals 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases

14 February

House of Representatives passes SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote

10 February

Federal regulators propose expansion of lower-cost, high-deductible health plans

30 January

Pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, ending expanded coverage for millions

30 January

Trump administration expands sanctions to block third-party oil shipments to Cuba

16 January

White House proposes healthcare plan focused on direct payments to consumers

12 January

U.S. cuts off Venezuelan oil flows to Cuba following Maduro’s removal

10 January

OpenAI and SoftBank invest $1 billion in energy company building AI data centers

04 January

U.S. launches military operation in Caracas, captures President Nicolás Maduro

2025

21 December

Shipping routes in the Red Sea are disrupted by attacks on commercial vessels

12 December

White House announces plan to create a unified national AI policy

12 December

Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI and licenses characters for Sora video platform

09 December

Paramount-backed group submits competing bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

06 December

Netflix opens talks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and TV assets

26 November

Amazon expands use of video content to drive retail sales during holiday season

19 November

Federal Reserve signals interest rates will remain high into 2026

06 November

U.S. elections result in narrow margins in Congress

28 October

U.S. officials increase pressure on TikTok to separate from Chinese ownership

25 October

Amazon expands integration of Prime Video into its shopping and advertising systems

16 October

YouTube becomes the most-watched video platform on U.S. televisions

11 October

Disney tells investors it will focus on streaming profits instead of subscriber growth

08 October

California passes law restricting unauthorized use of AI-generated likeness and voice

01 October

Congress passes a temporary funding bill days before shutdown deadline

24 September

OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank announce new Stargate AI data center sites in the U.S. and abroad

22 September

Major data breach hits federal agencies.

18 September

Art patron Agnes Gund dies at age 87.

18 September

President Trump requires new H-1B visa petitions filed after Sept 21, 2025, to include a one-time $100,000 fee, in effect until Sept 21, 2026.

17 September

ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show over comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

12 September

UC Berkeley shares list of participants in “antisemitic” activities with the Trump administration.

10 September

Charlie Kirk assassinated.

08 September

Protests organized on Discord erupt around the Nepalese Parliament.

02 September

Judge Allison D. Burroughs finds the Trump Administration’s freeze on Harvard’s federal funding illegal, citing the University’s free speech rights.

22 August

CBS begins restructuring its news division toward digital and streaming

15 August

Paramount Global lays off staff across CBS News divisions

31 July

Avant-garde director Robert Wilson dies at 83.

23 July

Columbia University agrees to pay Trump Administration $200 Million.

18 July

Ari Aster’s film Eddington, a dystopian neo-western about the COVID pandemic, premieres in the United States.

06 July

Texas floods kill over 130.

14 June

Melissa Hortman is assassinated.

14 June

Record heat wave scorches East Coast.

03 June

The Whitney suspends the ISP.

14 May

Mid-Atlantic flooding submerges towns.

09 May

Cardinal Robert Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV.

22 April

Pope Francis dies at age 88.

21 April

Harvard University sues Trump administration.

18 April

CDC reports highest measles cases in 25 years.

06 April

Severe storms devastate the South.

03 April

White House imposes broad tariffs.

27 March

Trump signs executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

20 March

DoGE seeks to dismantle the U.S. DoE.

15 March

Trump administration freezes $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University.

08 March

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and doctoral student at Columbia University, is arrested by ICE in the lobby of his apartment building in Manhattan.

30 January

Mid-air collision over the Potomac River.

18 January

TikTok voluntarily suspends its services in the United States.

08 January

Los Angeles wildfires force mass evacuations.

02 January

The CDC reports multi-state measles outbreak.

2024

04 December

The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is shot and killed by a gunman.

06 October

Kamala Harris appears on Call Her Daddy.

25 September

Donald Trump survives second assasination attempt.

21 July

Joe Biden drops out of the United States presidential race.

14 July

Donald Trump survives assassination attempt at rally in Butler, Pennsylvania

13 July

20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shoots at Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

28 June

First Biden–Trump presidential debate raises concerns about both candidates

14 June

Apple announces integration of ChatGPT into iOS and macOS

31 May

Donald Trump is convicted on felony charges in New York hush money case

13 May

ChatGPT 4 omni, a version of the AI software that can generate images and audio, is released.

01 May

Morrison Hall, which houses Princeton African American Studies department, is locked.

29 April

Protestors at Princeton stage a peaceful sit-in at Clio Hall.

25 April

Students establish Princeton’s Gaza Solidarity encampment at 7:00 am.

25 April

Biden signs foreign aid package funding Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan

20 April

Columbia University arrests students during Gaza solidarity protests

12 April

Alex Garland’s film Civil War premieres in the United States.

23 March

Moscow concert hall attack kills over 100 people

19 March

Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender is published.

15 March

U.S. House passes bill that could force TikTok to be sold or banned

23 February

AT&T outage disrupts cellular service across the United States

17 February

Alabama Supreme Court rules frozen embryos can be considered children

25 January

Princeton University dean restricts use of generative AI in coursework

25 January

Generative AI banned by Princeton University Dean.

12 January

SEC approves spot Bitcoin ETFs for public trading

2023

05 November

An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers / Giữa hai giòng sông / Entre deux rivières opens at the Museum of Modern Art.

27 October

Elon Musk buys Twitter for 44 Billion USD.

19 October

David Velasco is fired from Artforum.

07 October

Hamas-led militant groups attack Southern Israel; used as justification for escalation of Israeli settlements.

23 July

Elon Musk renames Twitter, X.

23 June

The Supreme Court strikes down race-based affirmative action.

01 June

Sotheby’s buys Marcel Breuer’s Upper East Side Museum.

31 March

Sarah Sze: Timelapse opens at the Guggheim Museum in New York.

14 March

ChatGPT 4 is released.

18 January

Tortuguita, a Stop Cop City activist, is killed.

2022

14 December

Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas

01 December

OpenAI releases ChatGPT

09 November

U.S. midterm elections result in divided Congress

16 September

Ethereum completes “The Merge” to proof-of-stake

17 August

Biden signs Inflation Reduction Act into law

09 August

FBI searches Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence

02 July

Illinois eliminates cash bail statewide

01 July

Supreme Court limits EPA authority to regulate emissions

24 June

Roe v. Wade overturned.

19 June

The issue of transgender athletes emerges.

17 May

Death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 1 million.

06 May

WHO announces outbreak of monkeypox.

03 May

Politico publishes leaked draft of Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade

27 April

Elon Musk reaches agreement to acquire Twitter

05 April

Images from Bucha reveal civilian killings in Ukraine

17 March

Federal Reserve raises interest rates for the first time since 2018

25 February

Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine

24 February

Russia invades Ukraine.

04 January

Elizabeth Holmes is found guilty of fraud in Theranos trial

2021

10 December

Don’t Look Up is released.

24 August

FDA approves first COVID-19 vaccine.

27 June

Cop City is approved by Atlanta City Council; Stop Cop City emerges.

18 June

Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

11 March

Beeple’s NFT, Everydays: The First 5000 Days, sells at auction for $69 million.

28 January

GameStop short squeeze.

14 January

Donald Trump is impeached for the second time.

06 January

Donald Trump supporters storm the Capitol.

2020

19 December

The US FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the second COVID-19 mrna vaccine developed by Moderna.

15 December

A US nurse is the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials.

12 December

The US FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the first COVID-19 mrna vaccine developed by Pfizer-Biontech.

07 November

Joe Biden elected president.

23 October

The US FDA approves the drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19.

07 August

Universities remain online.

01 August

Lockdowns lifted as social life moves outside; Black Lives Matter protests persist across the country.

24 July

First interview published in November.

21 June

2020 would see the removal of over 100 confederate monuments across the United States. Some were toppled during protests and some were removed by state actors.

21 June

AMNH requests that Theodore Roosevelt monument be removed.

08 June

The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone is established in Portland, Oregon.

02 June

#BlackoutTuesday

26 May

Demonstrations emerge around the world in response to Floyd’s murder.

25 May

Derek Chauvin murders George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

30 April

Zoom reaches 300 million daily users.

14 April

Trump cuts funding to the WHO while his administration investigates that group's handling of the pandemic.

06 April

Data is released that suggests that black residents are dying at a higher rates than white residents of Chicago.

29 March

COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpass 100,000.

28 March

New Yorkers clap and bang pots at 7:00 pm in solidarity with essential workers.

16 March

New York City shuts down the public school system.

13 March

Princeton and Columbia University close to students.

Classes begin to be conducted on Zoom.

12 March

New Rochelle, New York is declared a “containment area.”

11 March

The WHO declares the novel coronavirus a pandemic.

03 March

The NIH states that COVID-19 is likely to reach “pandemic proportions.”

28 February

The phrase “flatten the curve” enters the popular vernacular.

12 February

The term COVID-19 is first used to refer to the virus.

01 February

The NIH imposes a moratorium on elective medical procedures.


30 January

The WHO names the cause of this sickness the “2019 Novel Coronavirus.”

29 January

NIH begins developing a 2019 Novel Coronavirus Vaccine.

24 January

Wuhan locksdown.

21 January

The first case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus is documented in the United States.


06 January

China makes the genetic sequence of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus public.

2019

12 December

Individuals report experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms in Wuhan, China.

Next from this Volume

Our Literal Speed
in conversation with Drew Pugliese and Henry Moses

“Real education is a furtive, strange activity that involves huge amounts of boredom punctuated by moments of huge enlightenment.”