大象传媒

2010

January-February: Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile
On 12 January, a catastrophic earthquake strikes Haiti, killing 160,000 people and displacing millions more. On 27 February, an even bigger quake occurs off the coast of Central Chile, triggering a tsunami that devastates several coastal towns, killing over 500.

Chile dominates global headlines again in August, with the dramatic rescue of 33 miners from a copper-gold mine in the Atacama region. 5.3 million people watch a live-stream as the miners are winched to safety in a specially designed capsule after 69 days trapped underground.

July: Sherlock
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’s new TV adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories brings Sherlock Holmes up to date, with a bachelor pad in modern-day Baker Street and a self-diagnosis of high-functioning sociopathy.

David Arnold and Michael Price's main theme for the show is played on a distinctive modified autoharp (a kind of zither), creating a sense of haphazard excitement and mystery. Watch it all on 大象传媒 iPlayer.

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2012

June: Line of Duty
A new police procedural drama, Line of Duty, hits TV screens and viewers are thrown headlong into a world of CHISs, OCGs and bent coppers.

Carly Paradis is the composer behind the series’ tense, brooding soundtrack. She that she wrote the opening and closing credits music while thinking: “Line of duty, line of duty…” Watch it all on 大象传媒 iPlayer.

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July: Opening of the London 2012 Olympics
The Olympics come to the UK and become the first truly digital Games, with a record-breaking 55m global browsers watching events unfold online via 大象传媒 Sport – a figure comparable to the 大象传媒’s record TV reach of over 51.9m UK viewers. The spectacular opening ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle, is watched by an estimated worldwide television audience of 900 million.

Fireworks at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics 2012. Image 漏 大象传媒

October: A jump from the edge of space
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner breaks a world record – and the speed of sound – by completing a skydive from the edge of the stratosphere. Wearing a pressurised suit, Baumgartner jumps from a helium balloon and skydives around 39km to earth, remaining in freefall for four minutes and 19 seconds.

2014

March: Same sex marriage becomes legal in England and Wales
Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, who have been together for 17 years, are among the first couples to tie the knot. Their ceremony begins late in the evening on Friday 23 March so that they can be among the first to legally wed when the law comes into effect at midnight. Same sex couples in Scotland are able to marry from December 2014.

2016

June: Brexit
On 23 June, a referendum is held to decide whether or not the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union. Its result proves bitterly divisive, with 51.9% of votes being cast in favour of leaving the EU. PM David Cameron, who called for the referendum and campaigned for Remain, resigns and is replaced by Theresa May.

September: A little lost robot is found
Philae has been missing in action since its battery ran flat 60 hours after being dropped onto a comet by the Rosetta space probe in 2014. Nearly two years later, Philae is discovered in new images downloaded from Rosetta. Lead scientist Prof Mark McCaughrean says that although the robot cannot be recovered, “it [is] probably just as important to provide some emotional closure for the millions who have been following both Philae and Rosetta through the trials and tribulations of their exploration of this remarkable remnant of the birth of our Solar System.”

2017

January: Donald Trump becomes President of the United States
On 20 January, Republican Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. In his inaugural speech he promises that "our country will prosper again", echoing the “Make America Great Again” slogan that characterised his campaign for the presidency.

June: Grenfell Tower fire
In the early hours of 14 June, fire breaks out in the fourth floor kitchen of a 23-storey tower in North Kensington, spreading rapidly up all four sides of the building. 72 people are killed in what is described as one of the UK’s worst modern disasters.

June 2017: The burned-out shell of Grenfell Tower. Image 漏 大象传媒

October: #MeToo
Multiple allegations of sexual abuse are made against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. The hashtag #MeToo starts trending globally on social media, with women around the world sharing their stories. It starts a global conversation about the prevalence of sexual violence which, , is experienced by nearly a third of all women worldwide.

2018

May: A Royal Wedding
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marry in a ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Among the musicians personally invited by the couple to perform is 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who won 大象传媒 Young Musician in 2016 and made his Proms debut with Chineke! in 2017. His performances of music by von Paradis, Fauré and Schubert catapult him to global fame.

June-July: Thai cave rescue
On 23 June, 12 members of the Wild Boars football team and their coach enter a familiar cave complex in Chiang Rai province, but become trapped by rising waters. Two weeks later, all 13 are discovered alive nearly 2.9km inside the submerged cave complex. They are delivered to safety in a rescue operation that involves over 100 divers from all over the world.

2019

September: Greta Thunberg addresses the United Nations
The teenage environmental activist accuses world leaders of failing to act on climate change, saying: “You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you.”