On This Day: January 3rd

The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.

At least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier.

Singapore's Jurong Bird Park permanently closes.

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.

Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.

For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm.

In response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Boko Haram militants destroy the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.

The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, is established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history.