2023-2024 Current Events
Lucile Randon
A French nun, she is the world's oldest known person who died at 118.
Credit Suisse
A Swiss investment bank and financial services company. bought by Swiss banking giant UBS to restore calm amid a global banking crisis
Pat Sajak
After 4 decades, this legendary host of Wheel of Fortune retires.
Phoenix Mercury
After her release from Russian prison, Britney Griner signs (and returns) to this WNBA team
Sha'Carri Richardson
American sprinter who won the title of fastest woman in the world
Damar Hamlin
Buffalo Bills safety was hospitalized in critical condition in January after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Don Lemon
CNN anchor who was fired shortly after Tucker Carlson left Fox News
Dianne Feinstein
California Senator who is the longest running female senator in U.S. history; died at 90
Alec Baldwin
Charged with manslaughter for a fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust movie set
Microsoft
China approved this company's $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard
Washington Commanders
Dan Snyder sells this football team for a record $6 billion
Lisa Marie Presley
Elvis Presley's only daughter. Died at 54 after going into cardiac arrest
Tyre Nichols
Five Memphis police officers face murder charges of beating this Black man to death during a traffic stop
Idalia
Florida braces for this hurricane.
Sam Bankman-Fried
Former CEO of FTX — the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange that was worth $32 billion and later found to be a fraud. Convicted in trial.
Daniel Ellsberg
Former Pentagon official who "leaked" the Pentagon Papers; died at 92
Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida; the College Board changed the content of its AP African American studies after his criticism
Tina Turner
Hall of Fame rock singer known for What's Love Got to Do with It in 1984; died at 83
Trump
He arrives in Manhattan to face 34 criminal charges
Chris Hipkins
Jacinda Ardern's replacement as PM of New Zealand
Ralph Yarl
Kansas City Black man shot for entering the wrong house. One of a handful of cases in the U.S. where someone mistakenly entered a house or car and got shot.
Sinead O'Connor
Known for her songs "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Mandinka", this Irish singer died at age 56.
Bob Barker
Long time host of the day time television game show "The Price is Right"; died at 99
Threads
Meta's alternative to Twitter released on July 6
Machu Picchu
Most famous Peruvian tourist site that is closed amongst ongoing violence and protests
Frank Rubio
NASA astronaut who has set a space endurance record, beating the old U.S. record of 355 days as he continues to orbit Earth in the International Space Station
Bola Tinubu
Newly elected president of Nigeria replacing the two-term president, President Muhammadu Buhari
Jon Fosse
Norwegian author who has won the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable"
Jeff Zients
President Biden names him as Ron Klain's replacement as Chief of Staff
Guillermo Lasso
President of Ecuador
Sauli Niinisto
President of Finland
Cyril Ramaphosa
President of South Africa
Tsai Ing-wen
President of Taiwan
Recep Erdogan
President of Turkey
Sanna Marin
Prime Minister of Finland
Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister of New Zealand who recently stepped down
Jeff Beck
Replaced Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds and known as one of the greatest guitarists. Died at 78
Jim Brown
Running back for the Cleveland Browns, considered by most as the best running back ever in the NFL; died at 87
Elizabeth Holmes
Serving her 11 year sentence for fraud by running biotech company Theranos
Brazil
Several supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed this country's congress in protest
Beyonce
She broke the record for the most Grammy wins ever with 32
Jennifer McClellan
She is the first Black woman elected to Congress in Virginia
Lori Lightfoot
She was elected Chicago's first black female mayor, but lost her bid for re-election
Lionel Messi
Soccer star from Rosario, Argentina; will play for the MLS soccer team Inter Miami
Libya
Storm Daniel this African country with torrential rains, causing severe flooding that killed more than 2,000 people, head of its government, Ossama Hamad, announced
Titanic
The Canadian and U.S. coast guards launched a rescue mission Monday after a submarine on a tourism expedition went missing on a dive to see the wreckage of this ship
China
The United States shot down a suspicious spy balloon from this country
Ken Mattingly
The original pilot on Apollo 13's crew who was forced off the crew and replaced with Jack Swigert due to potential exposure to the measles; died at 87
China
The population of this country drops for the first time in 60 years.
Turkey and Syria
These two countries were rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing thousands of people
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin
These two world leaders meet in Russia in a show of unity
First Citizens
This bank bought a large portion of failed bank Silicon Valley Bank
JP Morgan Chase Bank
This bank bought out troubled regional bank First Republic Bank
Silicon Valley Bank
This bank failed in the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history
3M
This company tentatively agreed to pay $5.5 billion to settle claims by more than 300,000 veterans that the company's combat earplugs failed to prevent hearing loss
Jerry Springer
This controversial talk show host died at 79
Finland
This country finally joins NATO, prompting Russia warning
Israel
This country is "at war" with Hamas after the militant group launched a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 40 people
India
This country's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the south pole of the moon
UConn
This team defeated San Diego State to win the 2023 NCAA men's basketball championship
X
Twitter changed its logo to this and doing away with its iconic blue bird
Nikki Haley
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and first female governor of South Carolina; she becomes Trump's first rival for GOP nomination
Megan Rapinoe
US Soccer legend who announced her retirement following the World Cup.
Hawaii
Wildfires destroyed homes and historic buildings and killed over 40 people in this U.S. state, particularly in Maui
Burning Man
an American festival that takes place in the desert (Nevada in 2023). Over 70,000 people are stranded
debt ceiling
an explicit, legislated limit on the amount of outstanding national debt; President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meet to discuss it
Wagner Group
began an armed rebellion against Russian forces on Friday, with mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin pushing forward with efforts to move his troops toward Moscow
Charles III
crowned monarch of UK
Morocco
deadliest quake to hit this North African nation in more than six decades, struck villages in the High Atlas Mountains southwest of Marrakech
Spain
defeated England to win its first ever Women's World Cup
Denver Nuggets
defeated the Miami Heat to win the 2023 NBA finals
Tucker Carlson
former Fox News anchor known for his show that averaged more than three million nightly viewers
Proud Boys
group accused of conspiracy of plotting January 6 attack; found guilty
Narges Mohammadi
jailed Iranian rights activist who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all
Dick Butkus
legendary Chicago Bears linebacker; died at 80
Kevin McCarthy
ousted as House speaker
Bloody Sunday
the 58th anniversary of civil rights leaders' attempt to cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, AL.
OceanGate
the company running and sponsoring the dive to rescue a submarine (the Titan) containing five people intending to see the Titanic's wreckage
Montana
the first U.S. state to ban TikTok
Greece
the largest single blaze recorded since the European Union began keeping track in 2000 occurred in this country
Hilary
the name of the hurricane that threatens a year's worth of rain throughout the southwestern part of the United States
Linda Yaccarino
the new Twitter CEO
Binance
the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange; the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sues them for running an illegal exchange in the U.S.
Michael Gambon
voice of Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter; dies at 82
Kansas City Chiefs
won Super Bowl LVII by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35
Brooks Koepka
won the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, defeating Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler by two strokes. This win gave him his third PGA championship and fifth major title
Coco Gauff
won the U.S. Open defeating Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka to secure her first Grand Slam
Texas Rangers
won their first World Series title defeating Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5
