2024 facts for kids

2024 (MMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2024th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 24th year of the 3rd millennium, the 24th year of the 21st century, and the 5th year of the 2020s decade. The year 2024 has been full of important events around the world. Major conflicts, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel–Hamas war, have continued. The conflict in the Middle East has also affected global shipping in the Red Sea.

Many countries are holding national elections this year. About 79 countries, with around four billion people, are having elections. This includes eight of the ten most populated countries. Some of these are India, the United States, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The European Parliament also held elections.

Key Events of 2024

January

• January 1
  • Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined the BRICS group of countries.
  • A very strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit western Japan. It sadly killed at least 244 people. The next day, a plane carrying aid crashed with a passenger jet. All 379 people on the passenger jet were safely evacuated.
• January 3 – In Kerman, Iran, two bombs exploded during a memorial event. This attack killed 94 people.
• January 8 – Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency. This happened after a dangerous criminal escaped from prison. The military was sent out to help keep order.
• January 12 – The U.S. and its allies launched air strikes in Yemen. This was a response to attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Houthi militants.
• January 13 – Lai Ching-te won the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. He is from the ruling party.
• January 14 – Margrethe II stepped down as Queen of Denmark. Her son, Frederik, became King Frederik X.
• January 19 – Japan became the fifth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon. This was done with their SLIM mission.
• January 26 – The UN's International Court of Justice told Israel to take steps to prevent serious harm in Gaza. However, they did not order an immediate stop to military actions.
• January 31 – Sultan of Johor Ibrahim Iskandar became the 17th King of Malaysia.

February

• February 2 – The U.S. launched air strikes in Iraq and Syria. This was in response to an attack on a U.S. military base.
• February 4 – President of Namibia Hage Geingob passed away. His vice-president, Nangolo Mbumba, took over as president.
• February 8 – In the 2024 Pakistani general election, independent politicians won the most seats. Many of them were linked to a banned political party.
• February 11 – Alexander Stubb was elected president in a very close election.
• February 14 – Prabowo Subianto won the 2024 Indonesian presidential election.
• February 22 – An American company's Nova-C lander became the first private spacecraft to land on the Moon.
• February 28 – Haiti declared a state of emergency. This happened after gangs broke into prisons and demanded the Prime Minister's resignation.
• February 29 – In Gaza City, soldiers opened fire on a crowd of people. More than a hundred people were killed. The total number of people killed in the conflict in Gaza passed 30,000.

March

• March 7 – Sweden officially joined NATO. It is the 32nd country to join this alliance.
• March 11 – Haiti's acting Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, announced he would resign. This was due to ongoing gang violence in the country.
• March 13 – The European Union passed the Artificial Intelligence Act. This is the world's first big law for artificial intelligence.
• March 15–17 – Vladimir Putin was re-elected as President of Russia for a fifth time.
• March 22 – Gunmen attacked a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Russia. At least 145 people were killed and many more were injured.
• March 25 – The UN Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza. They also demanded the release of all hostages.
• March 26 – A large container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, United States. The bridge completely collapsed, and six people died.
• March 31 – Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen Area for travel by sea and air.

April

• April 1 – Israel attacked the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing 16 people.
• April 3 – A strong 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Taiwan. Small tsunamis reached parts of Japan.
• April 5 – Police in Ecuador raided the Mexican embassy to arrest a former vice-president. This action broke international rules, and Mexico and Nicaragua cut ties with Ecuador.
• April 8 – A total solar eclipse was seen across North America.
• April 9 – Simon Harris became Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland. He is the youngest person to hold this position.
• April 13 – Iran launched missile and drone attacks against Israel. This was in response to the earlier attack on its embassy.
• April 16 – Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the Middle East. At least 32 people died, and there were many delays at Dubai International Airport.
• April 19 – Israel conducted air strikes against Iran. This was a response to Iran's earlier attack.
• April 29 – Terrible floods in Brazil killed many people and left thousands without homes. In Kenya, a railway embankment failed, causing a flash flood that killed 50 people.

May

• May 7–11 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was held in Malmö, Sweden. The Swiss contestant, Nemo, won the competition.
• May 10 – The United Nations General Assembly voted to give Palestine more rights to participate in UN meetings.
• May 15 – Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, was shot and taken to the hospital.
• May 19 – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash.
• May 20 – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. They are accused of war crimes.
• May 24 – The ICJ ruled that Israel must stop its military actions in Rafah, southern Gaza. Also, a huge landslide in Papua New Guinea killed over 2,000 people.
• May 29 – For the first time in South Africa's democratic history, the ruling ANC party did not win a majority of votes in the 2024 South African general election.
• May 30 – Former U.S. President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 charges in his hush money trial. This was the first time an American president (current or former) was found guilty of a crime.

June

• June 1 – The 2024 Indian general election ended. The ruling party lost its majority, but its alliance still holds power.
• June 2 – Claudia Sheinbaum was elected as the first female president of Mexico.
• June 5 – The Starliner Crewed Flight Test launched to the ISS. This was an important step for space travel.
• June 6–9 – The 2024 European Parliament election was held. The main group, led by Ursula von der Leyen, remained the largest.
• June 12 – A UN investigation found that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes during the conflict.

Upcoming Events

• June 28 – 2024 Iranian presidential election.
• July 4 – 2024 United Kingdom general election.
• July 26 – August 11 – The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place in Paris, France.
• August 17 – Nusantara is planned to become the new capital of Indonesia.
• November 5 – 2024 United States presidential election.
• December 24 – The 2025 Jubilee will begin.