2022 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The year 2022 was full of important events around the world. We saw big changes in politics, like new leaders being elected and some stepping down. There were also major natural disasters, exciting sports moments, and new discoveries in science. This article will tell you about some of the most important things that happened in the first half of 2022.

Major Events in 2022
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Major Events in 2022

January: A New Year Begins with Big Changes

On 2 January, Abdalla Hamdok, the Prime Minister of Sudan, resigned because of deadly protests against the military.

On 5 January, huge protests started in Kazakhstan, leading to the government stepping down.

On 8 January, a rockfall in Capitólio, Brazil, tragically killed ten people.

On 15 January, a huge volcanic eruption happened at Hunga Tonga in Tonga. It was the biggest volcanic eruption of the 21st century.

On 18 January, Roberta Metsola, an MEP from Malta, was elected the new President of the European Parliament.

On 23 January, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the President of Burkina Faso, was arrested in a military takeover.

On 27 January, former First Lady Xiomara Castro became the 56th and first female President of Honduras.

On 29 January, Sergio Mattarella was re-elected as President of Italy.

January 1: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest free trade area, began. It included countries like Australia, China, and Japan.
January 2:
- A large fire damaged the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Protests began in Kazakhstan due to a big increase in fuel prices.
- Abdalla Hamdok resigned as Prime Minister of Sudan as anti-military protests became deadly.
January 3: The United States became the first country to have over one million new COVID-19 infections in a single day. This was mostly due to the Omicron variant.
January 4: China, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France made a rare joint statement. They said that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."
January 5:
- A fire in an apartment building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, killed 12 people.
- Asqar Mamin, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and his government resigned because of the large protests.
January 6: Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, died at age 94.
January 7: The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide passed 300 million.
January 8: A rockfall in Capitólio, Brazil, killed at least 10 people.
January 9:
- A fire in an apartment building in The Bronx, New York City, killed at least 19 people.
- The Africa Cup of Nations football tournament began in Cameroon.
January 10: The first successful heart transplant from a pig to a human patient was reported in the United States.
January 11: David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, died in office at age 65. Roberta Metsola took over temporarily.
January 14: Margrethe II of Denmark celebrated 50 years as Queen of Denmark.
January 15:
- A large volcanic eruption happened in Tonga, causing tsunami warnings in many countries.
- A hostage situation at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, ended with all hostages safe.
January 17:
- A 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan killed at least 26 people.
- A Houthi-led drone attack in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, killed three civilians.
January 18:
- The Parliament of Indonesia voted to move the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara.
- Microsoft announced plans to buy the video game company Activision Blizzard.
- Roberta Metsola was elected the new President of the European Parliament. She is the first Maltese person and youngest woman to hold the position.
January 19: Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, was re-elected in a huge victory.
January 20: Zara Rutherford, a 19-year-old pilot, became the youngest female to fly solo around the world.
January 21: A Saudi-led airstrike on a prison in Yemen killed at least 87 people.
January 22: A large protest by truck drivers against COVID-19 vaccine rules began in Ottawa, Canada.
January 23:
- Tropical Storm Ana killed 88 people in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique.
- Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the President of Burkina Faso, was arrested in a military coup d'état.
January 27: Xiomara Castro became the first female President of Honduras.
January 28: Over 10 billion COVID-19 vaccinations had been given worldwide.
January 29: Sergio Mattarella was re-elected as President of Italy.
January 30:
- António Costa, the Prime Minister of Portugal, was re-elected.
- Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty won the singles titles at the Australian Open tennis tournament.

February: Winter Olympics and Growing Tensions

On 4 February, the 2022 Winter Olympics began in Beijing, China.

On 6 February, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 70 years on the British throne.

On 14 February, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, used the Emergencies Act to stop the convoy protests.

On 15 February, mudslides and floods in Petrópolis, Brazil, killed over 220 people.

On 21 February, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, officially recognized Luhansk and Donetsk as independent from Ukraine.

Consequences of a missile strike on Kyiv.

On 27 February, Russia was criticized for civilian deaths and using cluster bombs during the Battle of Okhtyrka.

February 3: India became the third country to have over 500,000 COVID-19 deaths.
February 4: The 2022 Winter Olympics began in Beijing, China.
February 6:
- Lata Mangeshkar, a famous Indian singer, died at age 92 from COVID-19.
- Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as queen.
- Senegal won their first Africa Cup of Nations football championship.
February 8: The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide passed 400 million.
February 9: Scientists reported the biggest breakthrough in fusion energy since 1997.
February 13: Frank-Walter Steinmeier was re-elected President of Germany.
February 14: Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, used the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history to stop the Freedom Convoy protests.
February 15: Over 220 people died in mudslides and floods in Petrópolis, Brazil.
February 20: The 2022 Winter Olympics ended in Beijing, China. Norway won a record 16 gold medals.
February 21: Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, recognized the Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic as independent from Ukraine. He then moved troops into the region.
February 22: Germany stopped the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in response to Russia's actions. The United States placed economic sanctions on Russian banks.
February 24: President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a "special operation" in Ukraine.
February 25: UEFA moved the Champions League final from Saint Petersburg to Paris.
February 26: The European Union, the United States, and their allies decided to remove Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system.
February 27:
- President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces to be on "special alert."
- Belarus voted to remove its non-nuclear status and allow Russian forces to stay permanently.
February 28:
- The United Nations reported that over 500,000 refugees had left Ukraine.
- FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions.
- A Russian airstrike killed over 70 Ukrainian soldiers in Okhtyrka. Russia was criticized for civilian deaths and using cluster bombs.

March: Conflict and Discoveries

On 2 March, Russia took control of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, a major Black Sea port.

On 3 March, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine was attacked by Russia and caught fire.

On 3 March, Vahagn Khachaturyan was elected the 5th President of Armenia.

On 9 March, Yoon Suk Yeol was elected the 13th President of South Korea.

On 9 March, the wreckage of the Endurance, which sank in 1915, was found in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica.

On 11 March, Gabriel Boric became Chile's 36th President of Chile.

On 16 March, an earthquake in Fukushima, Japan, killed 4 people.

On 18 March, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge opened in Turkey, becoming the world's longest suspension bridge.

March 1: World Athletics banned Russia and Belarus from all its events.
March 2:
- Russia claimed to have captured Kherson, its first large city in Ukraine.
- The United Nations reported that over one million refugees had fled Ukraine.
March 3:
- Vahagn Khachaturyan was elected the 5th President of Armenia.
- Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the largest in Europe. A fire started but was put out.
March 4:
- The 2022 Winter Paralympics began in Beijing, China.
- Shane Warne, a famous Australian cricketer, died at age 52.
- An attack at a Shia mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, killed over 60 people.
March 5: Visa and Mastercard stopped their operations in Russia.
March 6: Vinnytsia International Airport was destroyed by Russian missiles.
March 7: The global death toll from COVID-19 passed 6 million.
March 8:
- The United States and United Kingdom announced a ban on Russian oil.
- Major global brands like McDonald's and Coca-Cola stopped sales in Russia.
March 9:
- Yoon Suk Yeol was elected the 13th President of South Korea.
- The wreck of the Endurance, a ship that sank in 1915, was found in Antarctica in good condition.
- Russia launched an airstrike in Mariupol that destroyed a hospital.
March 11: Gabriel Boric became the youngest President of Chile.
March 12: Serdar Berdimuhamedow was elected the 3rd President of Turkmenistan.
March 13: 30 Russian missiles hit the Yavoriv military base near the border with Poland, killing 35 people.
March 15: Russia announced new sanctions, banning U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from entering the country.
March 16: A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off Fukushima, Japan, killing at least 4 people.
March 18: The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge, opened in Turkey.
March 24: NATO announced that four new groups of 40,000 troops would be sent to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.
March 25: Russia announced that the first phase of its military operation in Ukraine was almost complete.
March 27: CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.
March 29: Massive protests began in Peru due to rising inflation.
March 30: Earendel, the farthest known star, was discovered 12.9 billion light-years away by the Hubble Space Telescope.

April: Elections and Sinking Ships

On 3 April, Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, was re-elected in a huge victory.

On 8 April, Russia attacked a train station in Ukraine with missiles, killing over 50 civilians.

On 11 April, Shehbaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, replacing Imran Khan.

On 14 April, the Russian cruiser Moskva was sunk by Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea.

On 24 April, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, was re-elected.

On 25 April, Twitter accepted Elon Musk's offer to buy the company for $44 billion.

April 2: Russia announced it would not work with Western countries on the International Space Station.
April 3:
- Ukraine accused Russia of war crimes after civilian killings near Kyiv.
- Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, was re-elected in a huge victory.
April 4: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025.
April 6: The first known dinosaur fossil linked to the day of the Chicxulub impact was reported.
April 7:
- Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi resigned as President of Yemen.
- The United Nations voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.
- HD1, the most distant galaxy candidate, was discovered.
April 8:
- Russia was criticized for a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, which killed dozens of civilians.
- Global food prices rose to their highest level since 1990.
- Flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, killed over 300 people.
April 10: Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, was removed from office by a vote of no confidence.
April 11: Shehbaz Sharif was elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan.
April 13:
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases passed 500 million worldwide.
- The Russian flagship cruiser Moskva sank in the Black Sea.
April 19: José Ramos-Horta was elected President of East Timor.
April 20: Russian and Belarusian players were banned from the Wimbledon Tennis Championship.
April 21: Mwai Kibaki, the 3rd President of Kenya, died at age 90.
April 22: The Large Hadron Collider began full operations again after upgrades.
April 24: Emmanuel Macron was re-elected President of France.
April 25: Twitter accepted Elon Musk's offer to buy the company for $44 billion.
April 27:
- The European Union accused Russia of blackmail after gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria were stopped.
- The Central African Republic made bitcoin legal tender.
April 28: Dritan Abazović was elected the 7th Prime Minister of Montenegro.
April 29: A building collapse in Changsha, China, killed 53 people.

May: New Leaders and Health Concerns

On 6 May, the global monkeypox outbreak began in the United Kingdom.

On 9 May, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, resigned after months of protests.

On 9 May, Bongbong Marcos was elected the 17th President of the Philippines in a huge victory.

On 14 May, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan became the 3rd President of the United Arab Emirates.

On 21 May, Anthony Albanese was elected Prime Minister of Australia.

May 3: A motion of no confidence was declared against Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
May 6:
- A hotel explosion in Havana, Cuba, killed 42 people.
- An outbreak of monkeypox began in London, United Kingdom.
May 9:
- Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka due to massive protests.
- The Philippine presidential election was held.
May 10:
- Yoon Suk Yeol became the 13th President of South Korea.
- Leonid Kravchuk, the first President of Ukraine, died at age 88.
- Bongbong Marcos was declared the winner of the Philippine presidential election.
May 12: Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, was directly imaged for the first time.
May 13: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, died at age 73.
May 14:
- Russian forces left Kharkiv, Ukraine.
- The Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.
May 15: Finland announced it would apply to join NATO.
May 16:
- Sweden confirmed it would apply to join NATO.
- McDonald's announced it would permanently close its restaurants in Russia.
- Élisabeth Borne became the second female Prime Minister of France.
- The Siege of Mariupol ended with a Russian victory.
May 20: The World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting about the fast spread of the monkeypox outbreak.
May 21: Anthony Albanese became the Prime Minister of Australia.
May 28: Real Madrid won the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League final.

June: Political Shifts and Sporting Wins

On 6 June, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, survived a vote of no confidence.

On 19 June, Gustavo Petro was elected the 34th President of Colombia.

On 28 June, Turkey dropped its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

June 1: Denmark voted to remove its special rule about not joining the European Union's defense policy.
June 4:
- A fire and explosions at a storage depot in Bangladesh killed at least 41 people.
- Bajram Begaj was elected the 9th President of Albania.
June 6: Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, survived a vote of no confidence.
June 10: Former Bolivian president Jeanine Áñez was sentenced to ten years in prison.
June 13: Protests began in Ecuador against the president's economic policies.
June 14: Canada and Denmark divided Hans Island between them, ending a long-standing dispute.
June 16: The Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals.
June 19: Gustavo Petro was elected the 34th President of Colombia, becoming the first leftist president.
June 20: Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister of Israel, announced his resignation.
June 22: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake killed at least 255 people between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
June 23: Dickon Mitchell became the Prime Minister of Grenada.
June 24: At least 23 people died trying to cross the border into Melilla between Spain and Morocco.
June 26: The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.
June 27: In the United States, 51 dead migrants were found in a trailer in San Antonio, Texas.
June 28: Turkey reached a deal with Finland and Sweden to allow them to join NATO.
June 30: The Battle of Snake Island ended with a Ukrainian victory.

July: Resignations and Global Emergencies

On 7 July, Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

On 8 July, former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was assassinated while speaking in Nara, Japan.

On 13 July, heat waves across Europe broke temperature records and caused wildfires.

On 14 July, Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned as President of Sri Lanka after leaving the country due to protests.

On 21 July, Mario Draghi resigned as Prime Minister of Italy.

On 23 July, the World Health Organization declared the ongoing monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

July 1: Yair Lapid became the 14th Prime Minister of Israel.
July 3: Russia and the Luhansk People's Republic took control of the entire Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine.
July 5: Sri Lanka declared its country's bankruptcy.
July 7: Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, resigned after many members of his government stepped down.
July 8:
- Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan, was assassinated while giving a speech.
- Elon Musk canceled his plan to buy Twitter.
July 9: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, agreed to resign after protestors stormed their homes.
July 10: A heat wave across Western Europe began, causing wildfires and many deaths.
July 11: NASA released the first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.
July 13: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, left the country and resigned the next day.
July 14: A Russian missile attack in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, killed at least 22 people.
July 20: Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka.
July 21:
- Droupadi Murmu was elected the 15th President of India, becoming the country's first tribal president.
- Mario Draghi resigned as Prime Minister of Italy.
- The Chinese paddlefish, one of the world's largest freshwater fish, was officially declared extinct.
July 22: Dinesh Gunawardena was named the 15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
July 23: The World Health Organization declared the ongoing Monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
July 24: Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France.
July 25: Voters in Tunisia approved a new constitution that would give more power to their president.
July 26: Pope Francis apologized for the Church's role in the Canadian Indian residential school system.
July 27: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Luzon, Philippines, killing at least 10 people.
July 28: The 2022 Commonwealth Games began in Birmingham, England.
July 31: Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, was killed in a U.S. airstrike.

August: Tensions and Truces

August 4: China conducted its largest ever live-fire military exercise around Taiwan. This was in response to a visit by Nancy Pelosi, a high-ranking U.S. official.
August 5: Israel launched a military operation on the Gaza strip, killing 44 people.
August 7: Israel and Palestinian groups agreed to a ceasefire, ending three days of fighting.