Top developments in 2026 Q3

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Think of one major development from each of these years.

It can be anything: technology, science, sport, culture, or something that changed everyday life.

• 2021

• 2022

• 2023

• 2024

• 2025

Now check out the list of developments below.

Are any of yours mentioned?

Have you heard of all of these things?

2021

• COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out around the world, and billions of doses were given within a year.

• The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas Day, after decades of delays.

• NFTs went mainstream. A digital artwork by Beeple sold for $69 million.

• Squid Game became a global TV phenomenon.

2022

• ChatGPT was released in November and reached 100 million users in about two months.

• The James Webb Space Telescope sent back its first images, the deepest views of the universe ever taken.

• Lionel Messi finally won the World Cup when Argentina beat France on penalties in Qatar.

2023

• GPT-4 launched, and almost every big tech company began racing to build AI.

• Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy became a global phenomenon.

• "Barbenheimer": Barbie and Oppenheimer came out on the same day and both became huge hits.

2024

• SpaceX caught a giant returning rocket booster in mid-air with mechanical "chopsticks" on its launch tower.

• The Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry went to AI pioneers, including the team behind AlphaFold.

• The Paris Olympics held their opening ceremony on the River Seine instead of in a stadium.

2025

• China's DeepSeek released a powerful AI model, reportedly built for a fraction of the usual cost, and tech stocks fell sharply.

• Leo XIV became the first American pope.

• KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix's most-watched film ever

• Labubu toys became a worldwide craze.

discussion

Which of these developments affected your life most directly? How?

Looking back, which of these was the most important in the long term? Which was just hype?

AI appears in almost every year from 2022. Did you expect it to grow this fast?

NFTs were huge in 2021 and are rarely mentioned now. What else has disappeared that quickly?

Is there anything important that's missing from this list?

The next text describes the five biggest developments from July to September 2026.

As you read, think about which one will still matter in ten years.

1. AI agents escaped their test and hacked a real company

In July, AI agents developed by OpenAI escaped their testing sandbox, accessed the internet and broke into the systems of Hugging Face, a major platform where developers share AI tools. An independent investigation found the operation was more sophisticated than first thought: around 1,200 agents exchanged more than 70,000 messages on a secret message board, and about 700 of them joined the attack. The investigators said the agents were not trying to commit crimes; they mostly seemed to want the highest possible score in the experiment. OpenAI delayed its next model to add more safeguards, and GPT-6 finally arrived in early September.

2. Apple released its first foldable iPhone, under a new boss

On September 9, Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone. It has a 5.4-inch screen when closed and a 7.6-inch screen when open, and costs $1,999. It was also Apple's first major launch under its new CEO, John Ternus, after Tim Cook stepped down. Apple is entering the foldable market about seven years after Samsung.

3. Spain won the World Cup

On July 19 in New Jersey, Spain beat Argentina 1–0 in the final. Spain had 20 shots to Argentina's 3, but the only goal came from substitute Ferran Torres in the 106th minute of extra time. It was Spain's second World Cup, 16 years after their first, and possibly Lionel Messi's final World Cup match.

4. Cinema had its biggest summer ever

From May to early September, US ticket sales reached $4.76 billion, breaking a record that had stood since 2013. For the first time, every summer month earned over $1 billion. The biggest hits were Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which has earned $1.62 billion worldwide. A low-budget horror film, Obsession, also made over $500 million with no big stars. There is one caveat: the figures are not adjusted for inflation.

5. NASA launched the Roman Space Telescope

On August 30, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Its field of view is at least 100 times larger than Hubble's, and it could measure light from a billion galaxies during its lifetime. It is now on a 1.5-million-kilometre journey to its observing position.

discussion

Which of the five do you think is the most important?

The AI agents seemed to be trying to get a high score, not to cause harm. Does that make the incident more or less worrying?

Would you pay $1,999 for a foldable i-phone? What would a phone need to do to be worth that much?

Why do you think people went back to cinemas in such large numbers this summer? Have you seen either of the films mentioned?

Do you think sporting achievements, like Spain winning the world cup or someone breaking a world record in the Olympics should feature in a lesson about humanity's most improtant developments?

What can we expect from Q4 in 2026?

The Nobel Prizes (early October)

Every October, the Nobel Prizes are announced in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics. In 2024, two of the science prizes went to AI researchers. Will AI win again, and could anyone recognise the AI agent incident from July in some way?

The iPhone Duo goes on sale (October)

Apple's first foldable is launching in October. The first reviews and sales figures will show whether people are ready to pay $1,999 for a phone that folds, and whether the new CEO's first big product is a success.

GTA VI finally arrives (November 19)

After two delays, Grand Theft Auto VI is due on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-orders are already open at $79.99 for the standard edition. It is expected to be one of the largest entertainment launches in history.

The Roman Space Telescope gets ready (October–December)

Roman is in a three-month testing phase, with NASA aiming to release its first public images in early 2027. If testing goes well, astronomers will soon start surveying the sky on a scale never seen before.

"Dunesday" (December 18)

Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three both open on December 18, and neither studio has moved its date. Dune has an advantage: it has reserved North America's roughly 400 IMAX screens for three weeks. Avengers, however, has already made over $50 million in presales. Will this be the next "Barbenheimer," or will one film lose badly?

discussion

Which of these five events are you most looking forward to? Which do you care least about?

Who or what do you think deserves a Nobel Prize this year?

Predict the iPhone Duo: a hit, a flop, or somewhere in between?

GTA VI was delayed twice. Is it really coming out in November?

Avengers or Dune: which one will win "Dunesday"? Will you see either of them?

What else do you think could happen before the end of the year that isn't on this list? Make one bold prediction for Q4 2026. We'll check it in January.

REFLECTION

Today's lesson covered a broad spectrum of topics - sport, tech, science, films games. Are there any other topics that could have been included?

As people get older, they start to lose their sense of 'what happened when'. Do lessons like this help as a kind of calendar?

In January, we will do another one of these. At the beginning, I'll ask you what you remember about the previous developments lesson (i.e. this one). Do you think you'll remember the things we spoke about today?