Something Interesting About 2023
something interesting about 2023
EVENTS
Here you’ll discover a collection of fascinating and unforgettable events that shaped the world in 2023.
In January 2023
Croatia replaced its national currency, the kuna, with the euro.
The UK’s Prince Harry published Spare, his tell-all memoir on his upbringing with the Royal Family.
Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the Moon, married Anca Faur on his 93rd birthday.
The Doomsday Clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight after new escalations in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Doomsday Clock represents how close the world is to a major catastrophe or all-out nuclear war. This adjustment brought the clock the closest it had ever been to midnight since its creation in 1947.
In February 2023
Legendary rock singer Ozzy Osbourne announced his retirement from touring.
The 74-year-old had faced health complications for years,
Turkey and Syria were struck by a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 59,259 people.
Over the next three weeks, the region was hit with over 10,000 aftershocks. It was the deadliest earthquake in Turkey since 526 AD and Syria since 1822.
The Armenian-Turkish land border opened for the first time in 35 years.
The border was opened briefly to allow a convoy of vehicles carrying aid to disaster-struck areas of Turkey affected by the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake. The last time the border opened was in 1988 when Turkey sent aid to Armenia after another devastating earthquake.
The FBI publicly confirmed that they believed COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan, China.
In March 2023
The US record industry reported that for the first time since 1987, sales of vinyl records exceeded CD sales.
Open AI released GPT-4, an upgraded version of their popular artificial intelligence chatbot.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The warrant was issued for the crime of forcefully deporting children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine into Russia. A warrant for the same crime was also issued against Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
Italy banned the use of Open AI’s Chat GPT over data security concerns.
Instead of responding to the concerns raised by Italy’s data privacy regulators, Open AI simply pulled the plug for Italian users. Chat GPT was restored the following month with changes that allowed users to prevent the chatbot from using their data.
In April 2023
NASA announced the astronauts for the first trip to the moon in over 50 years.
Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, flight engineer Christina Koch, and pilot Victor J. Glover were chosen for Artemis II, a fly-by mission to the moon.
Finland officially joined Nato, becoming the 31st member of the security alliance.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded four minutes into its first full flight test.
The Starship rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, is set to one day carry human colonists to Mars. Despite the explosion, SpaceX’s engineers celebrated the launch, as it provided invaluable data.
Legendary country musician Willie Nelson held a two-day music concert for his 90th birthday party.
In May 2023
Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI,” resigned from Google amidst growing concerns over AI.
The so-called godfather, who gained his nickname for his pioneering work in the AI field, resigned to help spread the word about the dangers of the emerging technology.
The Writers Guild of America went on strike after a labor dispute.
The strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) was the largest stoppage interruption to US film and TV production since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Guild members headed to picket lines demanding increased wages and better job security.
Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The FDA gave Elon Musk the go-ahead to trial his Neuralink brain implants on humans.
In June 2023
US President Donald Trump was formally accused of mishandling classified documents.
The rules for the Grammy Awards were updated to restrict AI-generated songs.
The new rules clarified that songs that are fully generated by AI will not be considered for awards. Songs that are only partly written by AI and have “meaningful” human contributions are still allowed.
Ocean Gate’s Titan submersible imploded during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic.
All contact with the submersible was lost just one hour and forty-five minutes after Titan dove below the surface. Four days later, Titan’s wreckage was found about 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the Titanic. All five of the expedition’s participants, including Oceangate CEO Paul-Henri Nargeolet, perished.
Harrison returned to our screens for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
The fifth and final installment of the Indiana Jones film series also starred John Rhys-Davies, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Antonio Banderas. It’s the only film in the series that Steven Spielberg didn’t direct.
In July 2023
Elton John ended his touring career with a final concert in Stockholm, Sweden.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer opened in cinemas. Many people flocked to cinemas to watch both films back-to-back, morphing the two films into a five-hour marathon delightfully coined as “Barbenheimer.”
Good Vibes Festival was canceled after The 1975’s lead singer kissed his bandmate on stage in protest of Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQIA+ laws. Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country where homosexual activity is criminalized. Matty Healy, an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, kissed bassist Ross MacDonald to make a point and criticized the government’s stance on the matter.
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was removed from office by a military coup. This made the fifth coup in Niger since it gained independence from France in 1960. The coup was condemned by many of the world’s foremost institutions and political bodies, including the World Bank, the United Nations, and the African Union.
In August 2023
Two rival driverless taxi companies were given approval to operate 24/7 in San Francisco, California. The two companies, Cruise and Waymo, had been testing their services in the city for a year before they were given full approval.
Russia’s Luna 25 lunar lander mission crash-landed on the Moon. The mission was Roscosmos’ (Russia’s space agency) first attempt to send a spacecraft to the moon. The last Russian attempts occurred in the 70s under the Soviet space program.
India became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon.
India followed in the footsteps of Russia, China, and the US with the touchdown of its Chandrayaan-3 Moon Lander. India’s Moon landing is quite different from all other landings, though, as it was the first to land on the Moon’s unexplored south pole.
Donald Trump became the first former US President to have their mug shot taken.Trump surrendered to the Fulton County jail for 13 felony charges related to his attempts to interfere in the 2020 Presidential election. This was the fourth time in six months that Trump turned himself in due to criminal charges being laid against him.
In September 2023
Kim Jong-Un arrived in Russia by armored train to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin regarding potential military cooperation.
“UFO expert” Jaime Maussan presented the bodies of two alleged aliens before the Mexican Congress. Maussan had made several debunked claims in the past, and on this day, he presented the mummified “aliens” with the claim that they are “not part of our terrestrial evolution.” Scientists worldwide have since decried the entire thing as yet another elaborate hoax.
Rolling Stone magazine removed one of its co-founders, Jann Wenner, from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The decision came soon after Wenner released a book titled “The Masters,” in which he exclusively interviewed white male musicians, and the magazine’s board of directors removed Wenner from the list following racist and sexist remarks he made regarding why he didn’t feature any female or Black artists.
The Writers Guild of America strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended. The 148-day strike was the second-longest strike the Writers Guild had ever undertaken. Writers took to picket lines to demand better pay and benefits while also seeking to safeguard their jobs from potential replacement by AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
In October 2023
Research into fossil footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico confirmed humans were in the Americas at least 21,000 years ago. According to former theories, the Americas was only populated about 15,000 years ago via the Bering Strait between modern-day Russia and Alaska. The new research used multiple methods to determine the footprints’ age, with all results pointing to a date between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.
Israel formally declared war on Hamas following a surprise attack by Hamas operatives in Israeli-controlled territory.At the point of the declaration, the death toll had already risen to 1,100 from both sides.
Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard in a record-breaking $69 billion takeover.
Microsoft’s chief gaming executive announced that despite the takeover, gamers’ favorite franchises would remain accessible to the usual platforms.
US President Joe Biden signed an executive order to guide the use of AI within federal agencies.
In November 2023
Collins Dictionary announced “AI” as the most notable word in 2023.
Colombia began a campaign to sterilize Pablo Escobar’s wild hippos. Infamous cartel leader Pablo Escobar smuggled four hippos into the country back in the 1980s. Following his demise in 1993, the hippos were left to nature. Without any natural predators, their population grew to the hundreds, and they became an invasive species.
Disgraced former British PM David Cameron returned to the UK government. David Cameron stepped down as Prime Minister in 2016 following the complete and utter botching of the Brexit referendum. Cameron’s return as PM Rishi Sunak’s Foreign Secretary shocked many, as it appeared that he would never be allowed back.
A four-day ceasefire in Gaza between HAMAS and Israeli forces began.The first day saw Israel release 39 Palestinians in return for 24 hostages. In addition to the exchange, the ceasefire allowed international aid groups to bring much-needed emergency supplies to Gaza.
In December 2023
Taylor Swift was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. The famed pop singer and cultural icon was the first ever to win the prestigious award based on success in the arts. The award has traditionally been given to men, particularly those in traditional positions of power.
FAMOUS DEATHS
Here’s a glimpse at a few famous people who bid us farewell in 2023.
2023 IN MUSIC
2023 was a musical whirlwind that had us grooving and singing along all year long!
From the infectious rhythms of “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus to the empowering anthem “Kill Bill” by SZA, these tunes not only defined the year but also had us moving to the beat with an unbridled sense of freedom.
Discover the music highlights from 2023 that you need to know about.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Harry Styles’ vibrant and infectious pop album “Harry’s House” lit up the music scene in 2023, earning him the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and solidifying his status as a charismatic and talented artist.
SONG OF THE YEAR
In 2023, Bonnie Raitt won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year with her catchy hit “Just Like That.”
BEST NEW ARTIST
Samara Joy’s exceptional talent and captivating jazz performances have earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2023, establishing her as a rising star in the world of jazz music.
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST WINNER
The 67th Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 brought the musical extravaganza to Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Sweden triumphed with the enchanting performance of “Tattoo” by Loreen, adding another memorable chapter to Eurovision history.
2023 IN NUMBERS
Let’s look at some fun number facts! 2023 when written in Roman numerals is MMXXIII, and when written in binary, it’s 11111100111.
HARSHAD NUMBER
2023 is a Harshad number, which is a number that can be evenly divided by the sum of its digits. It’s like a special math rule for some numbers.
To explain in more detail, we add up the digits (2 + 0 + 2 + 3), which equals 7. And now we see if 2023 can be divided evenly by 7, which it can! 2023 ÷ 7 = 289. So this makes2023 a Harshad number.
CHINESE ZODIAC 2023
According to the Chinese zodiac cycle, 2023 was The Year of the Rabbit, which occurs once every twelve years.
But did you know that the Chinese zodiac cycle also incorporates the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal), and Water? This actually makes 2023 the Year of the Water Rabbit, a cycle that repeats every sixty years.
Because the Chinese calendar works from the lunar cycle, in 2023 Chinese New Year actually began on January 22nd.
People born in the Year of the Rabbit tend to be gentle, compassionate, and artistic. They possess a harmonious nature, valuing peace and tranquility while showcasing their creativity and sensitivity.
Johnny Depp, Tessa Brooks and DJ Khaled are shining examples of the success and talent that can be found among those born in the Years of the Rabbit!
2023
On July 4, 2023, Earth experienced its hottest day since at least 1979, with a global average temperature of 62.92°F (17.18°C).
Reported by the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction, this temperature milestone signifies a significant occurrence.
It has led some scientists to suggest that July 4 could be counted among the hottest days on Earth in approximately 125,000 years, attributing it to the impact of climate change on rising global temperatures.
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