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Brexit - it seems like it took forever, but now it's finally upon us - with the UK leaving the EU on 31 January 2020.

When the referendum was first announced, Kanye and Jay-Z were still friends and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hadn't even met yet.

Sir Alex Ferguson was managing in the Premier League and Will.i.am and Britney were number one.

Here are some of the key moments in the Brexit timeline - with a little help from Adele, Pokemon and Leicester City.

23 January 2013: Referendum is announced

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Prime Minister David Cameron announces that the UK will get a "very simple in or out choice" on EU membership - if the Conservatives win the next election.

Willi.i.am's Scream & Shout, featuring Britney Spears, is top of the charts and Barack Obama has just started his second term as US president.

8 May 2015: Conservatives win the general election

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Fast forward two years, and the Conservatives win the election outright and Ed Miliband resigns as Labour leader.

Meanwhile, emoji becomes the fastest growing language in the UK, according to a university professor.

20 February 2016: David Cameron sets referendum date

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After finishing renegotiations on the UK's relationship with the EU, David Cameron announces that there will be a referendum on 23 June 2016.

A few days later, Adele cleans up at the Brit Awards, winning best British single for Hello, best British album, best British female solo artist and the global success award.

23 June 2016: The UK votes to leave the EU

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The fact that Leicester City are Premier League champions is still sinking in.

The referendum is held, and the UK votes to leave the EU. David Cameron announces his resignation as prime minister.

A few days later, England lose 2-1 to Iceland in Euro 2016, and Roy Hodgson resigns as manager - while Wales make it all the way to the semi-finals.

13 July 2016: Theresa May becomes prime minister

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Prince Harry has recently gone on a blind date with US actress Meghan Markle - although the world won't know this until a few months later.

Theresa May becomes the UK's new prime minister and promises to lead a "one nation" government that works for all not just the "privileged few".

The country spends the rest of the summer getting into mass brawls, using phones while driving and trespassing onto railway tracks - all to try and catch some Pokemon.

2 October 2016: Theresa May announces Brexit date

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Sam Allardyce has just left his post as England manager after he was secretly filmed discussing how to "get around" international football rules, and Gareth Southgate takes temporary charge.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have recently split after 12 years together - as have Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston after three months.

Prime Minister Theresa May announces that the UK will leave the EU on 29 March 2019 - which seems like an age away.

29 March 2017: Article 50 is triggered

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Cheryl has just given birth to her and Liam Payne's baby son, Bear.

The process for leaving the EU, called Article 50, is triggered - which officially starts the two-year countdown to Brexit.

18 April 2017: Another general election is announced

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Prime Minister Theresa May calls a surprise general election for June, and it's predicted the Conservative party will win easily.

The UK has another thing on its mind as well - Ed Sheeran's new album ÷ (Divide) is taking the charts by storm.

8 June 2017: Election result is revealed

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In a shock result, the Conservative Party loses its majority in the House of Commons which makes it a lot harder for Theresa May to pass future laws.

The UK - and the world - are at the height of Reggaeton-mania, with Despacito reigning in the charts.

8 December 2017: First phase of Brexit talks ends

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A last-minute deal between the EU and UK is agreed.

It says there will be no "hard border" between the UK and Ireland, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU will be protected, and the so-called "divorce bill" will cost around £39bn.

Meanwhile every Sunday, the whole nation's getting its mind blown by David Attenborough's Blue Planet II.

9 July 2018: Resignations from the Cabinet

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A day after Brexit Secretary David Davis resigns, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also resigns. It's over Theresa May's "Cheqeurs plan" for leaving the EU.

But England's attention is focused on Russia and Gareth Southgate's waistcoat for the upcoming World Cup semi-final against Croatia. It's England's best chance to reach a final in a generation.

14 November 2018: UK and EU agree withdrawal agreement

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Theresa May agrees the text of the withdrawal agreement with the EU, but it's not well-received back in the UK.

England's World Cup glory is now just a distant memory after the team failed to make it to the final.

12 December 2018: Theresa May wins vote of no confidence

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Conservative MPs who are unhappy with the prime minister's performance trigger a vote of no confidence in her as party leader - which she wins by 200 to 117.

Ariana Grande is in the middle of a six-week run at the top of the charts with Thank U, Next.

16 January 2019: Theresa May wins another vote of no confidence

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This time, the vote of no confidence is for the whole of parliament to vote on - not just the Conservatives. It comes after the prime minister's Brexit deal was voted down by MPs.

Theresa May wins again - this time 325 to 306.

In the National Television Awards, Ant and Dec win - again - for best presenter, making it 18 wins in a row.

18 February 2019: MPs quit their parties

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Seven Labour MPs quit their party because of issues which include Brexit. They're joined by another Labour and three Conservative MPs over the next few days.

Meanwhile, there is a new twist in the story of Empire actor Jussie Smollett - who had claimed he was attacked two men in a homophobic and racist incident.

Police in Chicago say the "trajectory of the investigation" has changed and later arrest and charge him "disorderly conduct/filing a false police report".

10 March 2019: Prime Minister comes back with legal changes

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The Prime Minister returns from a meeting in Strasbourg with the news that "legal changes" have been made to her proposed Brexit plans.

The most significant amendment centres around the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Meanwhile after dating for two years former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez announce their engagement. He popped the question on a beach in The Bahamas.

12 March 2019: Second meaningful vote

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What a thrashing!

With just 16 days before Britain is due to leave the European Union - MPs overwhelmingly reject Theresa May's Brexit deal for a second time.

On the same night Manchester City handed a thrashing of their own - they beat German side Schalke 7-0 (8-2 on aggregate) to secure a Champions League quarter final spot.

10 April 2019: Brexit deadline extended to 31 October

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Some things you just can't get enough of. Game of Thrones, for instance, or time left to leave the EU.

In the same week that the UK was granted an extension of the Article 50 period to 31 October, the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones hit screens.

The end of Game of Thrones doesn't go down too well with viewers, with more than 1.8 million people signing a petition to have the whole thing re-done because they didn't like how it ended.

24 July 2019: Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister

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OMG, more than a million people are going to storm Area 51 in America to discover the secrets about aliens the US government are keeping secret!

Except it never happens - despite all the interest on social media. Things do get serious enough for an official warning to be issued, though.

Something that does happen in July 2019 is that Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister, following Theresa May's resignation announcement on 24 May.

28 October 2019: Another pushback, this time until 31 January

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Boris Johnson promised he would "get Brexit done" when he became PM, but if there's one person we really trust to get things done after what goes down in October 2019, it'd be Coleen Rooney.

She outs her mate........... Rebekah Vardy's account as the person allegedly selling stories on her to the tabloids, resulting in one of the most gripping celebrity stories of the year - it's the sort of can-do attitude many people believe the UK was built upon.

Boris Johnson does manage to secure another Brexit extension, though.

12 December: Conservatives win the general election

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jacqueline Jossa returns from Australia - a day before Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds get the keys back to Number 10

While the UK's celebrating Jacqueline Jossa becoming queen of the jungle, an (arguably) more important vote is about the take place.

The third general election in five years results in the Conservative party getting a huge majority - they go from having fewer than half of the 650 MPs in the House of Commons, to 365.

Christmas comes early for Conservatives in the UK - and the result pretty much ends the arguments around whether the UK leaves or remains in the UK.

The 31 January leaving date is on.

31 January 2019: The UK leaves the EU

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Kobe Bryant: London Lions basketball team pay tribute

That's it, we're off (from 11pm). Although nothing really changes on the day the UK officially leave the EU.

Not that Big Ben will bong us out, though.

But it's somehow not the biggest news story of the week (that's the spread of the coronavirus). It's not even the second.

That's because in the same week as Brexit finally happens, US basketball star Kobe Bryant is killed, alongside his daughter, in a helicopter accident.

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