2026 (Scenario: Betaverse4)

2026 is the 26th year of the 21st Century and the seventh year of the 2020s.

January

 * January 25th: Jacques Pepin dies at age 91.

February

 * February 19th: The 2026 Winter Olympics begin in Sapporo, Japan, marking the first time East Asia hosts three Olympics in a row.

June

 * June 11th: Pete's Gyros is founded in Maryland. They specialize in many types of Greek food but primarily gyros. Slowly but surely, they spread up and down the East Coast. By 2027, their most northern restaurant is in NYC, the most southern is in Richmond. They dominate Greek food chains - seeing little to not competition.
 * June 26th: ISRO launches its first human into space.

July

 * July 15th: ESA launches PLATO.
 * July 25th: Roger Federer is inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

August

 * August 8th: Citizens of a small town in the Arabian Desert report hearing an explosion and seeing a flash of light.
 * August 13th: 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in North America.
 * August 28th: The Saudi Arabian government announces it has tested its first nuclear device, in response to Iran.

October

 * October 1st: Samsung announces that it has bought SEGA - separating the company from Sammy. Samsung is rumored to release a new Sega console as a result.

November

 * November 3rd: 2026 US Midterm Elections.
 * November 5th: Rocosmos launches the Venera-D Probe.

December

 * December 19th: Sony releases the PlayStation 6 home console.