The big world events that happened in World Cup years

The big world events that happened in World Cup years - In a World Cup year the world turns its attention to soccer's biggest party, and the countdown to Russia 2018 is on!
Some people are such big World Cup fans they can rattle off the names of host countries, winning teams, how many titles each nation has, etc.
So if you're a soccer expert, let's see if you remember these important world events that happened in World Cup years!
We made a list of some big events that you might remember. Have a look!

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1930 - Uruguay - The first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930. It was also the year that Constantinople officially became Istanbul.

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1930 - Uruguay - Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon was born in 1930.

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1934 – Italy - While Italy hosted the 1934 World Cup, in Germany the Nazi regime had been installed. It was this year that Adolf Hitler became their leader.

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1934 – Italy - Brigitte Bardot was born in France and would go on to be one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1960s.

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1938 – France - Christopher Lloyd, best known for playing Doc Brown in the 'Back to the Future' films was born in 1938.

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1938 – France - LSD was first synthesized by chemist Albert Hofmann.

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1950 – Brazil - The Korean war, fought between North and South Korea and their respective allies, broke out in 1950.

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1950 – Brazil - Mexican comedian Maria Antonieta de las Nieves, known for playing La Chilindrina in the series 'El Chavo del Ocho' was born. Also born that year were brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter who would go on to form The Carpenters.

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1954 – Switzerland - Brazil was experiencing some turbulent times. Former president Getúlio Vargas committed suicide, although some people still suspect he was murdered.

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1954 – Switzerland - Angela Merkel, leader of Germany, was born in 1954.

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1958 – Sweden - NASA was founded in July of 1958, as human kind took a giant leap towards discovering the mysteries of the universe.

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1958 – Sweden - It was an important year for the future of music as three of its biggest stars were born: Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson.

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1962 - Chile - Algeria, Uganda and Jamaica all gained independence the year Chile hosted the World Cup.

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1962 - Chile - The world mourned the loss of cinema's biggest star, Marilyn Monroe. Axl Rose, frontman of Guns N' Roses and one of music's most emblematic figures was born.

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1966 – England - Walt Disney, responsible for bringing joy to so many people's lives, passed away in 1966.

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1966 – England - David Robert Jones chose the stage name 'David Bowie' in 1966 in order to avoid being confused with the lead singer of The Monkees.

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1970 – Mexico - They didn't win the World Cup, but 1970 was an historic year for Chile. Salvador Allende was confirmed as president, becoming the first democratically elected left-leaning leader in Latin America.

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1970 – Mexico - The music world had plenty to cry over though. The Beatles broke up, while Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix both passed away.

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1974 – West Germany - In 1974 the Mariner 10 space probe passed by Mercury, becoming the first to fly by two planets, after previously passing Venus.

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1974 – West Germany - In Portugal, the Carnation Revolution brought an end to the Salazar dictatorship, ushering in the era of democracy.

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1974 – West Germany - Three future Hollywood superstars were born: Eva Mendes, Penélope Cruz, and Hilary Swank.

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1978 - Argentina - In 1978 while Argentina battled to win the World Cup on home turf, Ashton Kutcher was born in the US, while in France Audrey Tautou - who would be known for playing Amélie Poulain in 'Amélie' - was born.

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1978 - Argentina - While on the topic of cinema, 'Grease,' one of the most famous and best loved musicals was released.

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1982 – Spain - The Falklands War, disputed by Argentina and the United Kingdom broke out in 1982.

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1982 – Spain - Kate Middleton and Prince William, who would go on to marry, were born in 1982.

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1986 - Mexico - Mexico hosted the World Cup again in 1986, a year marked by two big astronomical events: Halley's comet passed by, and the Challenger space shuttle disaster took place, wherein the whole crew was lost when it broke apart after blast off.

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1986 - Mexico - The Chernobyl accident, one of the world's worst nuclear incidents, happened in 1986.

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1990 - Italy - While the national teams battled it out in Italy, Japan launched the Super Nintendo, winning a generation of loyal fans and changing gaming.

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1990 - Italy - After the fall of the Berlin Wall the year before, Germany became unified in 1990.

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1994 - USA - History was made in Africa, where, after years living under the Apartheid regime, Nelson Mandela became the first black leader of South Africa.

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1994 - USA - Formula 1 fans mourned the death of Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna after an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix. While in Canada, future pop star Justin Bieber was born.

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1998 – France - The year France hosted and won the World Cup we bid farewell to Frank Sinatra.

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1998 – France - Shakira released one of her best received albums, '¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?' The album was inspired by a theft the singer experienced in an airport.

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2002 – South Korea & Japan - In 2002 South Korea & Japan shared hosting duties. On the big screen, 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' were released.

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2002 – South Korea & Japan - We also mourned the losses of director Billy Wilder and actor Richard Harris.

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2006 – Germany - Important stuff always happens in a World Cup year! In 2006 for example, Serbia and Montenegro broke up, becoming two separate countries.

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2006 – Germany - In Brazil, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, was re-elected as president of the country. While Evo Morales took charge as president of Bolivia.

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2010 – South Africa - Shakira sang the official song of the World Cup, but there was another tune that had the world dancing. Rihanna released 'Only Girl' which was a hit around the globe.

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2010 – South Africa - It was a tough year for Haiti. The country endured a terrible natural disaster when an earthquake devastated the island, leaving thousands of victims behind.

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2014 – Brazil - Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo was voted FIFA's best player.

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2014 – Brazil - Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared on route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, thus becoming one of the biggest modern day mysteries.

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2018 - Russia - So, what about 2018? What big world events will we remember in years to come? Only time will tell.

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