Greta Thunberg began her school strike for climate outside the Swedish Parliament. Her protest inspired a global youth-led movement demanding urgent climate action, known as Fridays for Future.
๐ Stockholm, Sweden
Egyptโs first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was deposed by the military following mass protests against his rule. The coup led to a major political shift and unrest in Egypt.
๐ Cairo, Egypt
Mass protests erupted in Cairo and across Egypt demanding the end of Hosni Mubarakโs regime. The uprising became a pivotal part of the Arab Spring and led to Mubarakโs resignation after 30 years in power.
๐ Cairo, Egypt
Protests by oil workers in Zhanaozen escalated into deadly clashes with police on Kazakhstan's Independence Day. The event raised global concerns about labor rights and state violence.
๐ Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan
Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor who self-immolated in protest of police corruption, died from his injuries. His death triggered mass protests and the wider Arab Spring uprisings.
๐ Sfax, Tunisia
Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest of government harassment, igniting protests that spread across the Arab world and led to the Arab Spring uprisings.
๐ Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia
On the anniversary of the 1988 Halabja chemical attack, Kurds across Iraq and abroad held mass protests demanding recognition and justice. The massacre had killed thousands of civilians.
๐ Halabja, Iraq
Mass protests erupted in Ukraine following allegations of widespread electoral fraud in the presidential election, sparking the Orange Revolution and demands for democratic reforms.
๐ Kyiv, Ukraine
Mass protests erupted in Ukraine in response to disputed presidential election results, launching the Orange Revolution, a pivotal moment for democracy in Eastern Europe.
๐ Kyiv, Ukraine
Facing a massive economic collapse, Argentina declared a default on $132 billion in public debt, triggering widespread protests, a currency crisis, and the largest sovereign debt default in history at that time.
๐ Buenos Aires, Argentina
Greenpeace activists staged a protest against French nuclear testing in the South Pacific at Mururoa Atoll. The protest sparked international debate on nuclear policy and environmental ethics.
๐ Mururoa Atoll, French Polynesia
Following the federal civil rights trial, two LAPD officers were convicted for violating Rodney Kingโs rights, while two others were acquitted. The verdict reignited national conversations about police brutality and racial justice.
๐ Los Angeles, California, United States
After four years of intense unrest and global pressure, the South African government ended the state of emergency imposed to suppress anti-apartheid protests, paving the way for democratic reforms.
๐ Pretoria, South Africa
After weeks of growing protests and political shifts, East Germany opened all checkpoints of the Berlin Wall, allowing free movement between East and West Berlin. It marked the symbolic end of the Cold War division.
๐ Berlin, Germany
Following mass protests and military defections, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauศescu was overthrown, ending decades of brutal rule. He was arrested the same day and executed shortly after.
๐ Bucharest, Romania
Mass protests in Prague marked the start of the Velvet Revolution, a peaceful movement that led to the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia.
๐ Prague, Czechoslovakia
Facing mass protests, East Germanyโs government resigned, signaling the approaching fall of the Berlin Wall.
๐ East Berlin, East Germany
Chinese troops violently suppressed peaceful pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, resulting in hundreds to thousands of deaths. The event is one of the most infamous examples of political repression in modern history.
๐ Beijing, China
The Chinese government launched a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijingโs Tiananmen Square. The event drew global condemnation and remains a symbol of the fight for civil liberties in China.
๐ Beijing, China
The Chinese Politburo formally declared martial law in Beijing in response to growing pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, setting the stage for the violent crackdown that would follow in early June.
๐ Beijing, China
Filipino opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated upon his return from exile at Manila International Airport. His death triggered massive protests and ultimately led to the fall of Ferdinand Marcosโs dictatorship.
๐ Manila, Philippines
Thousands of Black students in Soweto protested the apartheid regimeโs education policies. The brutal police crackdown sparked international condemnation and became a defining moment in South Africaโs anti-apartheid struggle.
๐ Soweto, South Africa
British paratroopers shot 26 unarmed civil rights protesters in Derry, killing 14. The event, known as Bloody Sunday, intensified the Northern Ireland conflict and led to global condemnation.
๐ Derry, Northern Ireland
During an anti-Vietnam War protest at Kent State University, Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed students, killing four and injuring nine. The event shocked the nation and intensified opposition to the war.
๐ Kent, Ohio, United States
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of civil rights activists into Montgomery, Alabama, concluding the Selma to Montgomery marches. This historic protest was pivotal in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
๐ Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in Saigon to protest the South Vietnamese government's persecution of Buddhists. The act shocked the world and intensified opposition to the regime.
๐ Saigon, South Vietnam
While imprisoned for leading civil rights protests, Martin Luther King Jr. penned his seminal 'Letter from Birmingham Jail,' a powerful defense of nonviolent resistance and a cornerstone of American civil rights literature.
๐ Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk, self-immolated in Saigon to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government, drawing international attention to human rights abuses.
๐ Saigon, South Vietnam
South African police opened fire on a peaceful anti-apartheid protest in Sharpeville, killing 69 and injuring 180. The massacre sparked international condemnation and intensified the global anti-apartheid movement.
๐ Sharpeville, South Africa
Four African American college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworthโs lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Their peaceful protest sparked a wave of civil rights activism across the U.S.
๐ Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
The African National Congress (ANC) organized its first nationwide protest against apartheid laws in South Africa. The demonstration set the stage for decades of resistance and global support for the anti-apartheid movement.
๐ South Africa
Jazz legend Billie Holiday recorded *Strange Fruit*, a haunting protest against lynching in America. The song became one of the earliest musical statements on civil rights and a timeless symbol of resistance.
๐ New York City, United States
Mahatma Gandhi began the Salt March, a 240-mile protest against British salt taxes in colonial India. The act of civil disobedience became a pivotal moment in India's struggle for independence.
๐ Sabarmati, India
Mahatma Gandhi led a nationwide hartal (mass protest) against the Rowlatt Act, marking a pivotal moment in Indiaโs nonviolent struggle against British colonial rule.
๐ India
The March 1st Movement, a peaceful protest against Japanese colonial rule, erupted across Korea. Though suppressed, it laid the foundation for Korean nationalism and eventual independence.
๐ Seoul, Korea
Women in Petrograd protested for bread and peace, sparking a workers' strike that helped trigger the Russian Revolution. This day became the foundation for International Women's Day.
๐ Petrograd, Russian Empire (now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
The Second International declared May 1 as International Workersโ Day to commemorate the Haymarket affair and labor struggles. It became a global day of protest, solidarity, and labor rights advocacy.
๐ Paris, France (declaration) / Global
A labor protest in Chicago turned deadly when a bomb exploded in Haymarket Square, killing police and civilians. The event became a symbol of the struggle for workersโ rights and is commemorated worldwide on May Day.
๐ Chicago, Illinois, United States
Violent protests against the military draft erupted in New York City, turning into one of the worst civil disturbances in U.S. history. The riots exposed deep racial and class tensions during the Civil War.
๐ New York City, United States
American colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act, escalating tensions that led to the American Revolution.
๐ Boston, Massachusetts, United States
After widespread protest and economic pressure from the American colonies, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act just one year after its enactment. The repeal intensified colonial resistance and fueled revolution.
๐ London, United Kingdom
Following intense protests and boycotts in the American colonies, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, a pivotal event in the lead-up to the American Revolution.
๐ London, United Kingdom
The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, imposing direct taxation on the American colonies. It ignited widespread resistance and became a catalyst for the American Revolutionary movement.
๐ London, United Kingdom
Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed after being implicated in plots to assassinate her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. Her death fueled tensions between Catholic and Protestant powers in Europe.
๐ Fotheringhay Castle, England
Thousands of Huguenots (French Protestants) were slaughtered by Catholic mobs in Paris during the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, marking one of the bloodiest episodes of the French Wars of Religion.
๐ Paris, France
Pope Leo X issued the papal bull *Decet Romanum Pontificem*, officially excommunicating Martin Luther from the Catholic Church, solidifying the Protestant Reformationโs split from Rome.
๐ Rome, Italy
Martin Luther received the papal bull excommunicating him, a pivotal moment in the Protestant Reformation.
๐ Wittenberg, Germany
Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, challenging the Catholic Church and initiating the Protestant Reformation.
๐ Wittenberg, Germany
John Calvin, influential French theologian and key figure in the Protestant Reformation, was born. His teachings formed the basis of Calvinism and reshaped Christian doctrine and governance.
๐ Noyon, France
During religious and political unrest, Hussite protesters threw Catholic council members out of the window of Pragueโs New Town Hall. This marked the beginning of the Hussite Wars.
๐ Prague, Bohemia (Czech Republic)