1/26
Trump becomes first president to be indicted on criminal charges
On March 31, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed Donald Trump's indictment in the Stormy Daniels case, making him the first president to face criminal charges. In addition to this case, on Aug. 24, Trump turned himself in to the authorities to be officially booked in Georgia's Fulton County jail on charges of attempting to reverse the results of the 2020 election.
2/26
Hunter Biden's rant in front of Congress
The investigations into Joe Biden's son and his business dealings with foreign companies continued during this 2023. Hunter Biden defied the GOP and decided, instead of appearing at a private hearing in the House Oversight Committee (as requested by Republicans) to speak publicly at the doors of the Capitol.
3/26
Historic dismissal of Kevin McCarthy
On Oct. 3, Congress removed Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives following a motion by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. McCarthy became the first speaker to be removed in history. Mike Johnson, after weeks of intense disputes with his party colleagues, managed to unite Republicans and assumed the gavel from McCarthy. In the meantime, Patrick McHenry served as speaker on an interim basis for a few days.
4/26
China spies from the skies
On Feb. 2, authorities reported the sighting of a white sphere flying over U.S. airspace, specifically over the state of Montana. Two days later, the Army shot down the object. Investigations concluded that it was a spy balloon from the Chinese communist regime, which provoked innumerable criticisms against the Biden administration for having allowed the object to fly over U.S. territory and gather information. China even threatened the White House after the U.S. ultimately shot down the aircraft.
5/26
Henry Kissinger dies
Known as one of the most influential diplomats in U.S. history, Henry Kissinger died on Nov. 29 at the age of 100. He served as secretary of state under both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He worked to curb the spread of communism in Latin America and open trade relations with China.
6/26
Illegal immigrant crossings break records
The arrival of illegal immigrants broke all records during fiscal year 2023. In total, 3,201,144 illegal migrants entered the country, surpassing the 2,766,582 who crossed the border in 2022. The record number of arrests of those convicted of terrorism was also broken.
7/26
Israel's 9/11 and the war in Gaza
On Oct. 7, the Hamas terrorist group began carrying out attacks against Israel. Its response to the attacks was immediate, so much so that Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet decided to make incursions into Gaza to carry out military operations. Hundreds of hostages were kidnapped by the terrorist group. So far, some have been killed and others released. Much of the international community, including the United States, has supported Israel during the conflict, while Hamas has received support from countries like Iran as well as other terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, which also launched attacks against Israelis from Lebanon.
8/26
Killing at the Covenant School
In March, a trans woman named Audrey Hale entered the Covenant School, a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tenn. Armed with an assault rifle, Hale roamed the halls inside the school and began shooting anyone who crossed her path. She killed six people, three of them children. Authorities responded to the school and shot Hale. Months later, podcaster Steven Crowder disseminated a manifesto written by the shooter, which included phrases such as "Kill those kids!!! ... Those morons who go to fancy private schools with those fancy khakis, sports backpacks with their daddy mustangs and convertibles." Due to its magnitude, news of the massacre reached all parts of the world.
9/26
Javier Milei overthrows Peronism
In November, Javier Milei became Argentina's first libertarian president after winning a resounding election victory over Peronist Sergio Massa. Argentina's new president is tasked with implementing urgent measures to alleviate the serious economic situation he inherited from his predecessors, such as reducing inflation, which is over 100%. One of his first initiatives upon arrival to the Casa Rosada was to drastically reduce the number of public ministries from 19 to 8.
10/26
No more affirmative action in universities
In June, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action. It ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) may not use race as a basis in their admissions processes to benefit certain prospective students. Joe Biden condemned the ruling: "For decades, the Supreme Court recognized a college’s freedom to decide how to build a diverse student body and provide opportunity. Today, the Court walked away from precedent, effectively ending affirmative action in higher education."
11/26
Fires in Canada
The fires in the central Canadian provinces did not result in any deaths, but they did result in the evacuation of thousands of people affected by smoke and poor air quality. Several U.S. states were also affected.
12/26
Fire devastates Hawaii
In August, Hawaiian authorities declared a state of emergency due to forest fires that were beginning to be reported in the state, more specifically on the island of Maui. Soon, their scope expanded to reach a significant magnitude. Investigations determined that a tree falling on a power line caused the fire, which left 97 dead, 31 missing, more than 60 injured and thousands of properties destroyed.
13/26
East Palestine train accident
In February, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The accident caused the release of chemicals from the railroad's tanks. Local residents and cleanup workers began to report health problems, such as respiratory issues and voice changes.
14/26
Titan submarine implosion
In June, a submarine named Titan from the OceanGate company, which was on a sightseeing expedition to see the Titanic wreckage, disappeared. On board were five passengers: Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; Action Aviation company President Hamish Harding; French adventurer Paul-Henry Nargeolet; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Search efforts soon began until the submersible was reported to have imploded. All five passengers died.
15/26
Hollywood on strike
In May, Hollywood screenwriters went on strike, led by the WGA union. Two months later, actors represented by SAG-AFTRA joined in. Both demanded higher wages, better working conditions and regulation of the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Finally, the screenwriters' strike ended on Sept. 27 and the actors' strike on Nov. 9. The stoppage caused the delay and suspension of many film projects, also causing economic losses valued in the millions. Another strike that had great repercussions was in the automobile industry. In September, the United Auto Workers (UAW) called thousands of workers at several Ford Motor Company, Stellantis and General Motors plants to strike. They demanded a wage increase and improved working conditions for their constituents. The work stoppage finally ended in November after the union and the corporations ratified an agreement that would benefit the workers.
16/26
The coronation of Charles III
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 in September 2022, her son Charles assumed the reign of the United Kingdom. The coronation of Charles III took place on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, an event attended by First Lady Jill Biden but not by U.S. President Joe Biden.
17/26
Taylor Swift has an unbeatable year
2023 has been an unforgettable year for the singer. She has broken several records during these 365 days: the woman with the most No. 1 albums in history, first female artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify, her album "1989 (Taylor's Version)" became the best-selling album in the United States in 2023, she won Time magazine's Person of the Year, plus she won numerous awards in several galas, including nine at the MTV Video Music Awards gala. Her successful career earned her billionaire status. In addition, her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went viral.
18/26
Matthew Perry: 'Friends' loses one of its main characters
2023 saw the tragic death of one of America's beloved actors. At the end of October, one of the main characters of "Friends," Matthew Perry, was found dead in the hot tub at his home in Los Angeles. His death was mourned around the world, due to the success he had with one of the most popular TV series in history. After an autopsy, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that the actor died from the "acute effects of ketamine."
19/26
'Sound of Freedom' condemns child trafficking
The horrors of child trafficking were captured in "Sound of Freedom," a film directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde that tells the true story of former FBI agent Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel), who for years fought against child trafficking. With a budget of less than $20 million, it has grossed almost $200 million in the United States and more than $63 million abroad, according to Box Office Mojo.
20/26
From Twitter to X, and the 'Twitter Files'
Shortly after Elon Musk bought Twitter (now X), he revealed the practices of censorship and manipulation from its previous owners. Among the most relevant cases were the suppression of information about Hunter Biden, silencing Donald Trump or the influence that the FBI had over the social network. In addition, Musk decided to change the platform's image: Twitter was renamed X, and the bird logo was replaced by the letter X.
21/26
Artificial intelligence invades our daily lives
Artificial intelligence has become one of the most significant issues of the moment. Faced with its potential dangers, authorities around the world have already started to legislate the technology and prevent it from getting out of hand. Some countries, such as Italy, have even banned it outright. The most prominent AI tool is ChatGPT, developed by the company OpenAI, whose CEO, Sam Altman, was in the limelight for his dismissal and immediate reinstatement.
22/26
Tucker Carlson's dismissal from Fox and Rupert Murdoch's farewell
In April, Fox News announced that Tucker Carlson was stepping down as the network's flagship anchor. His dismissal resulted in a drop of hundreds of millions in Fox Corporation's stock price, in addition to the loss of half of its audience. This year, Fox Corporation was not only in the limelight for Carlson's departure, but also for that of Rupert Murdoch, who announced that he was stepping down as chairman of the company in September.
23/26
Messi lands in the U.S.
After a legendary career in Europe for FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Leo Messi decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean and play in MLS. In June, he signed for Inter Miami, owned by former English player David Beckham. During his first season in American soccer, the Argentine has been far from his best, but he will be the leader of the Florida-based team for the next few seasons.
24/26
LeBron James becomes leading scorer in NBA history
In February, LeBron James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,390 points, surpassing the mark set 39 years ago by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
25/26
Shohei Ohtani signs record sports contract
With just days to go before the end of 2023, Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani signed the largest contract in sports history with the Los Angeles Dodgers: $700 million.
26/26
Denver Nuggets win first NBA title
The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA Championship after defeating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The Kansas City Chiefs took home Super Bowl LVII, and the Texas Rangers won the World Series.