2020

Events

January

• January 7: PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump.
• January 22: Katerina Sakellaropoulou is elected to serve as the first female President of Greece.
• January 24: Fitch Ratings upgrades the credit ratings of Greece to BB (from BB-).

February

• February 24: The Athens Stock Exchange index crashes with a drop of 8.36%.
• February 26: Violent protests break out on the island of Lesbos over the proposed construction of new migrant camps.
• February 26: First person in Greece diagnosed with the Coronavirus.
• February 29: Turkey sends thousands of illegal migrants to the Greek border where they are met by riot police and army units.

March

• March 5: It is announced that, so far, 31 Greeks have been infected by the Coronavirus. At Rethymno, the local university closes for three days, due to a suspected case, while Panteios suspends classes for two.
• March 11: Schools and nurseries throughout Greece are closed for two weeks due to the Coronavirus.
• March 12: Greece reports its first fatality from a coronavirus infection: a 66-year-old man who had returned from a religious pilgrimage to Israel and Egypt at the end of February.
• March 13: Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as President of Greece.
• March 14: Two more people die in Greece from coronavirus infection, bringing the toll to three.
• March 20: The coronavirus infection claims its 10th victim in Greece. The latest victim is a woman - the previous nine were all men.
• March 21: An earthquake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, strikes Parga and the surrounding area.

April

• April 14: Two people in Greece die of coronavirus pushing the total to 101.

May

• May 2: An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale strikes the seacoast south of Ierapetra, Crete, causing a mini-tsunami.
• May 4: Greece begins to ease the restrictions imposed because of the Covid19 virus. Small shops are now allowed to re-open.
• May 16: Four men die in a cave in Loutraki while searching for German World War II-loot.

June

• June 4: Haris Alexiou announces her retirement during an interview on the TV show “Katalili ora” due to persisting voice problems.
• June 16: PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis pays an official visit to Israel - his first since the outbreak of the Covid19 virus.

July

• July 22: A large wildfire breaks out in Corinthia prefecture.
• July 22: The death toll in Greece, from COVID-19, reaches 200.
• July 24: Church bells throughout Greece and Cyprus toll mournfully as Turkey converts Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
• July 30: Health authorities in Greece confirm 65 new COVID-19 cases, in the last 24 hours, marking the largest single-day increase in new cases since the lockdown ended.

August

• August 9: Floods on the island of Euboea leave seven people dead.

September

• September 8: Fires destroy the migrant centre at Moria, Lesbos, leaving 13,000 migrants homeless.
• September 12: AEK sets a new negative record losing the Cupfinal for a fourth consecutive year in a row. Olympiakos wins 1-0.
• September 18: Storm Ianos brings much damage to the Ionian Islands.
• September 18: An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale strikes the island of Crete.
• September 19: Storm Ianos causes flooding in the Karditsa area whilst claiming three victims.

October

• October 7: After a trial lasting more than five years, the leadership of the Golden Dawn party is convicted of running a criminal organisation.
• October 11: Kostas Antetokounmpo is the first Greek to be crowned NBA Champion as the LA Lakers defeat Miami Heat in the Finals.
• October 12: Torrential rainfall causes flooding in Kefalonia and Kerkyra.
• October 13: Rainstorms cause much material damage in Nea Ionia, Neo Heraklio, Peristeri and other Athens suburbs.
• October 14: An Athens court sentences the top leaders of Golden Dawn - including Nikos Michaloliakos and Elias Kasidiaris - to 13 years imprisonment for running a criminal organisation.
• October 17: The number of deaths, due to Corona virus in Greece, reaches the 500 mark.
• October 30: A strong earthquake, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, strikes Samos causing two fatalities and much material damage.

November

• November 5: A new lockdown - due to Corona virus - is announced for Greece.
• November 6: Moody’s upgrades Greece’s credit rating by one notch, to Ba3 from B1.
• November 14: The number of deaths, due to COVID-19 in Greece, reaches the 1,000 mark.

December

• December 16: Greek-Nigerian superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, signs a record $228.2m deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Deaths

January

• January 5: Erika Breuer, actress
• January 17: Yiannis Michailidis, footballer
• January 31: Dimitris Papadopoulos, footballer

February

• February 26: Kostas Voutsas, comic actor

March

• March 1: Andreas Papaemmanouel, footballer
• March 24: Notis Tsintoglou, footballer
• March 30: Manolis Glezos, resistance fighter, politician

May

• May 1: Giorgos Zaimis, olympic sailor, gold medalist
• May 16: Gene Rossides, Greek-American political appointee and political lobbyist

June

• June 23: Nikos Alefantos, footballer and coach

July

• July 1: Christos Ambos, footballer
• July 10: Panagiotis Manias, basketball player
• July 22: Zacharias Haliabalias, footballer
• July 25: Thanasis Intzoglou, footballer
• July 28: Spyros Pomonis, footballer

August

• August 5: Agathon Iakovidis, musician
• August 17: Savvas Theodoridis, footballer
• August 23: Yiannis Poulopoulos, singer

September

• September 9: George Bizos, Greek-South African civil rights lawyer
• September 9: Nikos Yialamas, footballer

November

• November 16: Antonis Georgiadis, footballer and coach

December

• December 6: Paul Sarbanes, Greek-American politician