The 21st century

In 2001, the September 11 attacks killed nearly three thousand people and reshaped global security policy.

In 2002, euro notes and coins entered circulation (Europe).

In 2003, the Human Genome Project was declared complete.

In 2004, an Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed more than 200,000 people (Indian Ocean).

In 2005, YouTube was founded, accelerating online video.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union adopted a definition of 'planet' that reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet.

In 2007, the first iPhone was released, reshaping mobile computing.

In 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers deepened a global financial crisis.

In 2009, Bitcoin's first block was mined, introducing a working blockchain currency.

In 2010, an earthquake devastated Haiti, and the Deepwater Horizon spill became the largest marine oil spill.

In 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused the Fukushima nuclear accident (Japan).

In 2012, the Higgs boson was observed at CERN.

In 2013, the Higgs boson discovery announced the previous year was confirmed, and the Nobel Prize in Physics followed (Switzerland).

In 2014, the Rosetta mission placed the Philae lander on a comet, the first controlled landing on one (deep space).

In 2015, the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted.

In 2016, gravitational waves were detected directly for the first time.

In 2017, gravitational waves from a neutron-star merger were detected alongside light from the same event.

In 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation took effect across the European Union (Europe).

In 2019, the first image of a black hole was published by the Event Horizon Telescope.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, and vaccines were authorised within the year.

In 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope was launched.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, beginning the largest European land war since 1945 (Europe).

In 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope returned its first deep-field science results.

In 2024, a total solar eclipse crossed North America from Mexico to Newfoundland (North America).

In 2025, Robert Prevost was elected pope, taking the name Leo XIV and becoming the first pope born in the United States.