Year Ender 2023 l From wars to wonders- Here are some global events that made 2023 unforgettable

Year Ender 2023 l From wars to wonders: Here are some global events that made 2023 unforgettable

Year Ender 2023: With less than 4 days left before we bid farewell to this year forever, it becomes imperative to reflect on the transformative events that may have indelibly shaped our collective destiny. As we embark on the journey into the unknown of the coming years, this recap serves as a compass, guiding us through the events that have forged the path ahead.

Here are some of the major events that framed 2023.

The ongoing Israel-Palestine war commenced after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. What started as an attack on innocent civilians in Israel has catapulted into a global affair which refuses to die down. At the time of writing this article, 83 days have gone by since the war began. On October 7, Hamas terrorists killed over a thousand Israelis, including children, and kidnapped hundreds. Vowing retaliation, Israel launched airstrikes in the Gaza strip in an attempt to eradicate Hamas. However, the price was and is being paid by thousands of Palestinians. This also led to many accusing Israel of war crimes. With no end in sight, this war saw a brief pause in which Hamas released several hostages.

Turkey-Syria earthquake

On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey, near the Syrian border. This was followed by another 7.5 magnitude earthquake which hit the same region. The earthquakes, including a third one within 12 hours, were called one of the deadliest earthquakes in the history of Turkey, which claimed over 54,000 lives. The disaster, according to the United Nations, produced a quantity of debris that is at least ten times greater than the aftermath of the significant Turkish earthquake in 1999.

India surpasses China as most populous country

Earlier this year, a UN report confirmed that India’s population would exceed that of China. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), in its annual State of World Population report, indicated that India’s population in mid-2023 stood at 1,428 million, slightly surpassing China’s population of 1,425 million. Last year, the same report had projected China’s mid-2022 population at 1,448 million, significantly surpassing India’s population of 1,406 million. The notable shift in India becoming the world’s most populous country in the current year can be attributed to a relatively sharp decline in China’s population, amounting to a reduction of 23 million (2.3 crore) in just one year.

Titan submersible

Five people, including a Pakistani billionaire, hopped onboard an OceanGate Expeditions submersible to take a dive to the Titanic wreckage site, earlier in June. Soon after the vessel went under, it was reported to be missing with all the five crew members. A search and rescue operation was launched in the Atlantic ocean as the submersible was left with just hours of oxygen. However, after days of search, the US Coast Guard announced that the vessel had disintegrated into the ocean after a “catastrophic implosion”, killing everyone on board. The search and the ultimate demise of the people hit headlines globally. During all of this, several questions were raised against the expedition. The 1997 hit film, Titanic, maker James Cameron too put up his concerns over the design and safety of the submersible.

Twitter becomes X

In 2022, billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter last year and changed its name to X earlier this year. The change prompted reactions from all around the world. Musk has always been vocal about his goal of transforming the platform and making it a superapp that encompasses everything. The name change was accompanied by a logo swap, which replaced the iconic blue bird with the letter ‘X’ in a bold, yet minimalistic design.

Chandrayaan-3

This year was India’s year. Many firsts happened for the country, but an achievement that stood out and garnered applause and praise from everywhere was the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the South Pole of the Moon. The landing made India the fourth country to land on the lunar surface and the first to land on the South Pole. While India was attempting to land on the moon, Russia’s Luna 25 mission, the country’s inaugural moon mission in nearly five decades, met a catastrophic end as the spacecraft spiraled out of control and collided with the lunar surface. The Russian mission was also attempting to land on the southern pole.

2023 warmest year on record

The year 2023 shattered climate records. Earlier this month, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that November 2023 was the warmest November on record globally, registering an average surface air temperature of 14.22°C. This was 0.85°C higher than the November average from 1991 to 2020 and 0.32°C above the temperature observed in the previous warmest November, which occurred in 2020. From January to November, the average global temperature in 2023 set a new record as the highest, surpassing the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900 by 1.46°C, the report said. Additionally, it was 0.13°C higher than the average for the same eleven-month period in 2016, which currently holds the record as the warmest calendar year.

AI deciphers ancient scroll buried in ash

In a groundbreaking achievement, artificial intelligence played a pivotal role in deciphering a portion of an ancient scroll, marking the first instance in recent history. In August, an AI model developed by a computer science student successfully extracted the ancient Greek word “porphyras,” meaning “purple,” from a Herculaneum scroll. These scrolls, including the one in question, were buried and preserved in ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.