A Much Needed 2019 Recap To Recall The Important World Events

Every year spins out headlines that literally leave the world in shock. The year 2019 isn’t any different. In fact, 2019 saw some of the headlines that are going to be studied as major historical events by the generations to come. We are just a day away from stepping into 2020, but before we do that, lets look back and take a 2019 recap, as there are many world events that unfolded this year which are definitely worth recalling. 

India Launched The Chandrayan 2 Mission

A lunar space mission launched by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), India was the nation’s second unmanned moon mission. Though the mission was only partially successful, India took a giant step with the launch of this mission. With this mission, India became the fourth nation of the world after the USA, China, and Russia to land on the moon. The main objective of this lunar mission was to make a soft landing of its rover called the Vikram lander on the southern pole of the moon. The attempt to soft-land on the lunar surface took place on 7th September 2019. This mission, however, succeeded only partially as ISRO lost all communication with its lander. When the communication was revived after a few days, ISRO chief announced that the lander had made a hard landing.

Article 370 Of The Indian Constitution Was Abrogated

On 5th August 2019, Article 370 and Article 35A got scrapped out, withdrawing the special status from Jammu and Kashmir, by Ram Nath Kovind, the president of India. This was a huge move initiated by the NDA government. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was a ‘temporary provision’ that granted special autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Further, under Article 370, the state also had its own constitution, different from that of the Indian constitution. It is important to know that now Jammu and Kashmir has not only lost its special status but also no longer remains a state. It is reduced to being union territories. Other than this, Ladakh too is now a union territory.

An Indian Won A Nobel Peace Prize Among Others

Regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the world, the Nobel Prize is awarded to highly intellectual people belonging to different categories which include Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Literature, Environment, etc. The Nobel Prize, initiated by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist in 1895, aims at rewarding individuals who prove to be of great benefit to mankind, every year. This year too, a total of 15 people received the prize for their immense contribution in varied fields. One out of them was an Indian economist named Abhijit Banerjee. He shared this award with two other economists, one out of the two being his own wife, Esther Duflo. They were awarded for their stupendous attempt and “experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”.   

The Image Of Black Hole Was Revealed For The First Time

Blackhole, a cosmic abyss of immense gravity that nothing – not even light – can escape from has been a topic of discovery for many scientists for over two centuries now. It was only on April 10, 2019, that the first documented photo of a black hole was released to the world. The picture of a halo of dust, gas, and light surrounding a dark circle deep in the heart of the M 87 galaxy was showed at six news conferences simultaneously. It was a successful representation of efforts put by 200 members, nine telescopes and six papers of Astrophysics.

Greta Thunberg Captivated Entire World’s Attention

A Swedish climate change activist, Greta Thunberg has left the world gasping. Her words were scathing enough to wake the sleeping leaders of the world from a deep slumber. The world is currently experiencing a whirlwind of climate change which has caused unrest in the minds of millions of youth. One such youth who has grabbed the entire world’s attention is Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teen climate change activist. Greta first staged a school strike for the climate in front of the Swedish parliament in August last year. Since then, the founder of Youth Strike for Climate movement has been missing school on almost all Fridays to stage her regular protests. 

Supreme Court Of India Finally Rolled Out The Ayodhya Dispute Verdict

The centuries-old Ayodhya dispute finally reached its ‘the end’ on 9th November 2019 when the Supreme court rolled out its judgment in favor of the Hindus granting them permission to construct a temple on the much-disputed land of Ayodhya. The judgment was passed on the grounds of Hindus demonstrating a stronger claim to the property than the Muslims. After the judgment, a ram temple is soon going to be constructed. While this judgment was welcomed by the Hindus, it did not go down that well with the Muslims. However, it is also important to note that the Supreme court granted five acres of a plot for a mosque to be constructed in Ayodhya itself for the Muslims. 

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman Was Captivated By The Pakistani Forces For 60 Hours

Wing Commander Abinandan Varthaman became the most googled personality of 2019 in India for obvious reasons. This individual was celebrated by the entire nation on 1 March 2019 for his sheer courage and patriotism. This unfortunate event took place when the tension between Indian and Pakistan was at its peak due to the terror attack that had taken place in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. In retaliation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted an airstrike at a terror camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed. During this airstrike, on 27th February, Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistan F-16 jet. It was amidst this that he got captured by the Pakistani forces. He stayed captured with Pakistan for a total of 60 hours, after which the Pakistan PM, Imran Khan said that he would be released safely to the Indian forces. On 1st March, the Pakistan army released Abhinandan. This move acted as an antiseptic which cooled down the warlike situations between the two nations. 

Citizenship Amendment Bill Received President’s Assent And Became An Act

On 12th December, President of India, Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Citizenship Amendment Bill making it an act. As per the act, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis, and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan who have migrated and settled in India till December 31, 2014, will no longer be deemed as illegal migrants even if they don’t hold any valid papers or exceed their stay in India beyond the permitted time period. Rather, they will be granted Indian Citizenship.  Modi government, on the other hand, states that Muslims of the three countries cannot be included in this eligibility as they are not a minority. The Modi Government stated that the CAB is important to protect the non-muslim communities that are facing oppression in these neighbouring countries. This move of the government has attracted massive disagreement, criticism and protests. 

Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh Mela, 2019 Was Held In India’s Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

The Kumbh Mela is probably the biggest religious gathering in the Hindus in India where devotees gather to take a plunge in the holy waters with the motive of curing their sins, becoming pure, receiving blessings and securing a seat for themselves in heaven. This mela is held four times in 12 years. The Ardh Kumbh Mela that was held this year from between 15 January to 4 March is held once every six years. The Ardh Kumbh Mela was held in Prayagraj, Allahabad. This year, around 20 million people had gathered to take a plunge in the holy waters. 

Hong Kong Witnessed The Longest Protests Ever For 6 Months Consistently Over Extradition Bill

The citizens of Hong Kong have been in a conflict with China for 6 months consistently over the Extradition Bill. These protests gained momentum in June when the people of Hong Kong raised their voices against the plans to allow extradition to mainland China as they feared that this moved could endanger their judicial independence and overall freedom. The extradition bill was introduced early in the month of April. Since Hong Kong is mainly governed by mainland China, the people of Hong Kong were facing oppression. The protests have escalated to such an extent that now Hong Kong has started demanding complete freedom from China. 

Notre Dame Cathedral In Paris Caught Massive Fire

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is one of the most known structures of the world. The news of it catching fire grabbed the entire world’s attention. Around 400 firefighters were put to task to bring the fire under control. The Cathedral which is said to attract millions of tourists every year was said to catch fire when it was in the middle of a $6.8m renovation. After assessing the fire, it was found that the rooftop of this gothic structure had collapsed completely while the main structure and two bell towers had been saved. This incident took place in the month of April. 

England Won The ICC Cricket World Cup Of 2019

This year’s ICC Cricket World Cup was a series to remember, especially its final match. The final match took place between England and New Zealand. It held the attention of cricket lovers till the last ball. The match ended in a tie. Not just this, but the super over, played to announce a clear winner to ended up in a tie.  England, however, ended up winning the tournament based on the ‘boundary-count’ rule. This pierced right through the hearts of the New Zeland’s players but proved to be a golden moment for the players of the England team. 

These were the events that made it to the news in 2019. It was due to such eventful incidents that a 2019 recap was necessary. We hope this 2019 recap refreshed your memory and provided knowledge. Make sure to share this 2019 recap with your friends as well.