2020-2025: What Happened First? Quiz

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization described COVID-19 as a pandemic. The word pandemic describes an outbreak spreading widely across countries and regions. WHO had already declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January. The illness was caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Cases had already been detected in China in December 2019.

The container ship "Ever Given" was refloated on 29 March 2021. It had run aground on 23 March, blocking the Suez Canal in Egypt. The canal is an important shipping link between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Salvage crews used dredging and powerful tugboats to free the vessel. The successful operation allowed ships to use the canal again.

The Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony took place on 23 July 2021. The Games had been postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They kept the name Tokyo 2020 despite being held in 2021. The ceremony took place at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium. Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron.

Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her reign had lasted seventy years. She had become queen in 1952 following the death of her father, George VI. Her son Charles succeeded to the throne on the day she died. His accession was a separate event from his later coronation.

Argentina won the final on 18 December 2022 at Lusail Stadium in Qatar. France were the opponents in a match that finished 3-3 after extra time. Argentina then won the penalty shoot-out 4-2. Lionel Messi scored twice in the match, while Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick for France. It was Argentina's third men's World Cup title, following victories in 1978 and 1986.

India's Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the Moon on 23 August 2023. The mission was run by the Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO. The lander was named Vikram and carried a rover called Pragyan. A soft landing means reaching the surface in a controlled way rather than crashing into it. The landing came after the mission's launch on 14 July 2023.

The Paris Olympic opening ceremony took place on 26 July 2024. Athletes traveled along the River Seine in a parade of boats. The river and its banks provided the setting instead of the usual stadium parade. Rain fell during the celebrations, but the ceremony continued through the city. French President Emmanuel Macron formally declared the Games open.

Notre-Dame de Paris held its reopening ceremony on 7 December 2024. The cathedral had been badly damaged by fire on 15 April 2019. The blaze destroyed its medieval roof framework and spire. The reopening followed more than five years of restoration work. A separate Mass to celebrate the reopening took place on 8 December.

Expo 2025 Osaka opened to the public on 13 April 2025. Its site was on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka, Japan. The exhibition's theme was "Designing Future Society for Our Lives". Participating countries and organisations presented exhibits in pavilions across the site. The Expo ran until 13 October, but this item uses its opening day.

The papal election took place on 8 May 2025. Before taking the name Leo XIV, the new pope was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. He was elected by the cardinals gathered in conclave at the Vatican. His chosen name was announced from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica. His election, rather than a later inaugural ceremony, is the event used in this timeline.