April 9 marked 100 days into 2020. Here are 26 shocking things that have happened so far.

• Thursday, April 9, marked 100 days into the new year.

• The year 2020 has seen its fair share of major historic events in a little over three months — including the acquittal of President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial, the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Here are 26 major moments that happened in 2020 so far.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

April 9 marked 100 days into the new decade.

Life as we know it has come to a grinding halt since the coronavirus pandemic has left countries struggling to respond to the rapidly spreading virus.

The coronavirus, which causes a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, has prompted schools to shut down, employees to work remotely, and people to remain inside their homes in an attempt to contain the spread of the disease,

For some, days begin to blend together as people begin to adjust to a new way of life under quarantine. While the coronavirus becomes the new norm as countries continue to grapple with the outbreak, some events in 2020 seem like a long lost memory amid a rapidly changing news cycle.

From the acquittal of President Donald Trump to the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, here are 26 major moments that happened in 2020 so far.

January 2: A third state of emergency was called in New South Wales, Australia, as bushfires threatened the south coast of the country.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian called for a third state of emergency due to Australian bushfires on January 2 after months of continuously blazing.

The deadly wildfires had prompted cities to evacuate and burned tens of millions of acres. At least one billion animals were believed to have died in the fires as more than 100 species were in need of "emergency intervention" in order to survive.

Source: CNN, Business Insider

January 2: Iranian General Qasem Soleimani killed in US drone strike.

Acting on the orders of US President Donald Trump, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was killed on January 2 by the US military via drone strike.

"The US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," the Pentagon said in a statement at the time, adding that the strike was "aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans."

Source: Business Insider

January 7: The World Health Organization is notified of the novel coronavirus, then known as 2019-nCoV, in China.

The Chinese branch of the World Health Organization was officially notified of the novel coronavirus, then referred to as 2019-nCoV, on January 7, despite cases being reported as early as November 2019.

The novel coronavirus, which causes a respiratory disease now known as COVID-19, is believed to have started in a wet market in the city of Wuhan, located in the Hubei province of China.

Source: Business Insider

January 8: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce they are stepping down from their duties as senior royals in Buckingham Palace.

After months of speculation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put the rumors to rest and officially announced they were stepping down from their duties as senior royals.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they planned on being financially independent and split their time between North America and the United Kingdom.

"This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter," the couple posted on their Instagram.

Source: Insider

January 8: Iran launches ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq, injuring American soldiers.

On January 8, US officials estimated that more than a dozen missiles were launched from Iran on two military bases in Iraq housing American soldiers. No deaths were reported from the incident, but more than 100 troops were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.

The attack was believed to be retaliation against the US, following the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif  said the missile strike was a "proportionate measure of self-defense."

"Iran took [and] concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched," Zarif said on Twitter.

Source: Business Insider

January 8: A Ukrainian flight crashes in Tehran, Iran, killing all 176 passengers on board.

Shortly after Iran launched an attack on US troops stationed at Iraqi military bases, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed in Tehran, Iran, on January 8, killing all 176 people on board.

Iran later claimed responsibility for the incident, saying in a statement that the plane was shot down after it was mistaken for a threat.

"In such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit," the Iranian statement said.

Source: Business Insider

January 11: China records its first coronavirus death.

China reported its first death from the novel coronavirus on January 11, days after the World Health Organization learned of the virus outbreak.

Source: Business Insider

January 16: The impeachment trial for President Donald Trump begins.

After US President Donald Trump was impeached on two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — his impeachment trial in the Senate began on January 16.

Prompted by a whistleblower complaint that centered on the president's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky where Trump asked Zelensky for "a favor" and discussed his political rival Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

Source: Business Insider

January 20: The first coronavirus case in the US is reported in Washington state.

The first coronavirus case was reported in Washington state on January 20 — a man in his 30s. The patient landed in Seattle after visiting China, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

At the time, the coronavirus had killed 17 people and infected more than 470 people in China, spreading to other countries like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Source: Business Insider

January 23: Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak — goes under an unprecedented lockdown, impacting 11 million residents.

On January 23, city officials in Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic — went under an unprecedented lockdown, impacting its 11 million residents as transportation in and out of the city was shut down.

In their first week under quarantine, Wuhan experienced food shortages and hospitals saw an overwhelming number of patients.

Foreigners visiting the city were evacuated and repatriated to their own countries.

Source: Business Insider

January 26: Kobe and Gigi Bryant, along with seven other passengers, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26.

The group was on their way to a game at Bryant's sporting facility Mamba Academy via private helicopter, which was a Sikorsky S-76 model. There was no black box onboard.

The helicopter flew during dangerously foggy weather conditions, so much so that the Los Angeles Police Department grounded its flights.

Source: Business Insider

January 31: The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union.

After more than three years of deliberation and political turmoil, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union at the end of January.

The move brought about a mixed reaction as celebrations and protests sparked across the country.

"The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a video message at the time. "This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act. It is a moment of real national renewal and change."

Source: Business Insider

February 4: The Iowa caucus results are delayed due to "quality control."

The Iowa caucus — the first time Americans gather to throw their support behind a candidate in the 2020 presidential race — fell to disaster following extensive reporting delays.

The Iowa Democratic Party said it erred on the side of caution by performing "quality control" on the results, prompting a weeks-long delay in voting results

It was later revealed an application that was used by polling stations to report results had issues that also contributed to the delay.

Source: Business Insider

February 5: Trump is acquitted by the Senate on both articles of impeachment.

February 5, marked a historic day in presidential history after President Donald Trump became the third president to be impeached and subsequently acquitted by the Senate, which is controlled by the GOP.

Trump was acquitted on both articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

On abuse of power, Sen. Mitt Romney broke with Senate Republicans and sided with Democrats.

For abuse of power, he was acquitted 52-48; and for obstruction of Congress, Trump was acquitted 53-47.

Source: Business Insider

February 11: The WHO names the coronavirus disease COVID-19.

The disease caused by the novel coronavirus, then referred to as 2019-nCoV, was officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization on February 11.

"We had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual, or group of people," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, adding the name was chosen for being "pronounceable and related to the disease."

Source: Associated Press

February 24: Harvey Weinstein is found guilty of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act.

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act on February 24. He was acquitted on the charge of predatory sexual assault.

"The verdict capped off a grueling weeks-long trial that was widely seen as a referendum on the #MeToo movement and whether years-old allegations of sexual misconduct could hold up in criminal court," Insider's Michelle Mark reported of the ruling.

Source: Insider

March 5: Sen. Elizabeth Warren drops out of the 2020 presidential race.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — one of the leading candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary — ended her campaign on March 5 after poor performances in initial primaries.

"I wanted you to hear it straight from me: today, I'm suspending our campaign for president," Warren wrote in an email to her supporters. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you have poured into this campaign."

"I know that when we set out, this was not the news you ever wanted to hear," the email continued. "It is not the news I ever wanted to share. But I refuse to let disappointment blind me — or you — to what we've accomplished."

Source: Business Insider

March 10: Italy becomes the first country to implement a nationwide lockdown.

In an unprecedented move in the coronavirus outbreak, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a nationwide lockdown in the country after it had become the second-worst hit country by the virus besides China.

The country shut down its borders and shuttered all stores except grocery stores and pharmacies in a bid to stem the spread of the disease.

The virus, which can be more fatal in older people or those with underlying conditions, posed a high-risk to Italy, as it has one of the oldest populations in the world.

Several other countries began to follow suit, including El Salvador, New Zealand, Colombia, Poland, and Spain.

Source: Business Insider

March 11: The WHO declares the coronavirus a pandemic.

The WHO officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11 after spreading to more than 100 countries around the world.

"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we're deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

At the time, the coronavirus had infected more than 121,000 people and killed over 4,300 people.

Source: Business Insider

March 13: Trump declares a national emergency amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After weeks of downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, triggering the Stafford Act which allows states to access $50 billion in federal aid.

"Our immediate goal is to stop the spread of the virus and to help all Americans who have been impacted by this," the president said at the time, adding "Again, we don't want everybody taking this test, it's totally unnecessary."

"This will pass," he said. "This will pass through and we'll emerge even stronger for it. We've learned a lot. A tremendous amount has been learned."

Source: Business Insider

March 16: Dow plunges 2,997 points in the worst drop since 1987 amid coronavirus fears.

US stocks took a major plunge on March 16 amid mounting fears surrounding the coronavirus. The Dow fell a sharp 2,997 points, the biggest drop since 1987.

According to Business Insider's Carmen Reinicke, "the S&P 500 plummeted 8.1% at the open, triggering a 15-minute market-wide trading halt. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 9.7%, or 2,250 points, within the first minute."

Source: Business Insider

March 24: The 2020 Summer Olympics, which were supposed to take place in Tokyo, are postponed until 2021.

One of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year — the 2020 Summer Olympics — was officially postponed on March 24 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Olympics were set to take place at the end of July of this year in Tokyo, Japan.

The International Olympic Committee later announced the event will be postponed until July 23, 2021.

Source: Business Insider

April 2: Global coronavirus cases surpass one million.

A little over three months since the first coronavirus was reported in China, the pandemic passed a grim milestone, infecting more than one million people worldwide on April 2.

At the time, more than 51,000 people had died worldwide, and more than 208,000 had recovered, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Business Insider

April 7: Officials in Wuhan, China, lift the city-wide lockdown after 76 days.

The citywide lockdown on Wuhan, China — where the first coronavirus case was reported — was lifted by city officials after 76 days. The move allowed traffic in and out of the city.

A mandatory smartphone app downloaded by Wuhan residents must indicate that they're healthy and haven't been in recent contact with anyone infected with the coronavirus in order to leave the city.

Source: Business Insider

April 8: Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 race, making former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee in the race against President Donald Trump.

After the once-large 2020 Democratic pool was narrowed down to just two candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont officially suspended his campaign on April 8.

Sanders had maintained a strong lead throughout the Democratic primary and earned a fair share of victories in the race, but ultimately dropped out after a string of losses and with other former candidates endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden.

Sanders' withdrawal from the race makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to run against incumbent President Donald Trump.

Source: Business Insider

April 9: The state of New York alone has the highest number of coronavirus cases than any country in the world.

On April 9, the 100th day of 2020, New York state alone had more coronavirus cases than any country in the world, with over 160,000 people infected.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday more than 7,000 people have been killed by the virus, which causes a respiratory illness known as COVID-19.

"9/11 was supposed to be the darkest day in New York for a generation," Cuomo said. "And then, in many ways, we lose so many more New Yorkers to this silent killer."

Source: Business Insider

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