What Happened In 2023?

2023 was a dramatic year on many fronts. It was the year that artificial intelligence opened our eyes to a whole new world of creativity – while being a little scary with it! It was also a devastating year for conflict, with Russia and Ukraine still at war, and with the Israel-Palestine conflict worsening by the year’s end.

However, there were lots of positives to 2023, too. Take a look through our month by month review of the year, along with some tributes to famous people we lost across the past 12 months.

In this year

1January

China finally reopened its borders to international visitors as of January 8th, the first time since March 2020 following COVID-19 restrictions. The country had taken a “zero COVID” approach and locked down indefinitely.

2February

Researchers announced on February 14th that a major breakthrough in developing contraceptive medication for men had been made– as lab testing proved to be completely successful with mice. This would be one of the most important moments in the development of such drugs.

3March

March 2023 saw artificial intelligence truly enter the mainstream with OpenAI launching GPT-4, a language model for its content production program ChatGPT. Chat had launched in 2022, but this was the moment everyday people started noticing AI content production.

4April

April 20th saw SpaceX launch what’s become known as the biggest and most powerful rocket on record – at least it was at the time – but it didn’t last long, exploding just a few minutes into its launch.

5May

As of May 4th, the World Health Organization finally declared that the global state of emergency surrounding COVID-19 had come to an end. However, variants of the novel coronavirus remained at large, and the “pandemic” status remained.

6June

A new twist in the Russia-Ukraine war emerged on June 23rd, 2023, as Russian military cell The Wagner Group revolted against their commands, leading to the seizing of Rostov-on-Don. The skirmish would end in a peace agreement and withdrawal. Wagner leader Yevgeny Priogozhin would reportedly die in a plane crash later in the year.

7July

Hollywood received a major shock on July 14th as acting guild SAG-AFTRA announced it would strike against conditions relating to compensation and the rise of AI affecting their work. The strikes would last until the fall.

8August

Wildfires tore across Canada’s Northwest Territories mid-to-late August, with at least 68% of people living in the region having to completely relocate. Elsewhere on the continent, Hawaii, too, suffered wildfires this month, claiming the lives of at least a hundred people and the scorching of 17,000 acres cross-state.

9September

The end of an era emerged in September, as controversial media mogul Rupert Murdoch officially announced his retirement from running businesses such as Fox and News Corp. In his stead, his son Lachlan Murdoch stepped up to take control. Murdoch Sr. was 92 at the time of stepping down.

10October

Early October saw tensions between Israel and Palestine re-escalate as Hamas surged into the south of Israel via Gaza, prompting military action. The event would help to re-ignite the bloody conflict, leading to mass condemnation across the globe. A temporary ceasefire to release hostages would occur in November, but the conflict would continue.

11November

The United Kingdom played host to an important event regarding the future of artificial intelligence in November 2023 – with the “AI Safety Summit” drawing attention to the potential hazards posed by the rise of AI in work, entertainment, and beyond. The event saw 28 nations signing a protection agreement.

12December

In a historic moment for US politics, the House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos from their ranks on December 1st, 2023. Santos had become a disgraced figure in politics following the exposure of various accounts of law-breaking and role exploitation. 311 members voted “for” expelling the representative, with 114 voting “against.”

2023 was the year of the…rabbit!

Like 1987, 1999, and 2011, 2023 celebrated Rabbits everywhere, according to the Chinese Zodiac. People born in Rabbit years are said to be polite and sincere but not always willing to open up to others. The next Rabbit year won’t be until 2035.

Celebrity Births in 2023

• Phoenix Black-Daley (Born March 28th, parents Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black)
• Schneider-Swank twins (Born March-April, parents Hilary Swank and Philip Schneider)
• Gia Chen De Niro (Born April 6th, parents Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen)
• Beau Phillips (Born April 20th, parents Evan Phillips and Elizabeth Phillips)
• Kaius Jeter (Born May 5th, parents Derek Jeter and Hannah Jeter)

Famous People We Lost in 2023

• Matthew Perry, American actor, died aged 54
• Tony Bennett, American crooner, died aged 96
• Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock n’ Roll, died aged 83
• Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady and mental health advocate, died aged 96
• Sinead O’Connor, Irish musician, died aged 56