January
09 – Elections are held to replace Yasser Arafat as head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. He is succeeded by Rawhi Fattouh.
09 – The Second Sudanese Civil War ends.
10 – A mudslide occurs in La Conchita, California, killing 10 people, injuring many more, and closing Highway 101, the main coastal corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for 10 days.
13 – Pictures of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi military uniform at a private fancy dress party are published in British newspapers.
16 – At 66 years old, Romanian university lecturer Adriana Illiescu becomes the oldest birth mother in the world.
18 – The world’s largest commercial jet, the Airbus A380, is unveiled in France.
25 – A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills at least 258.
26 – Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as US Secretary of State, the first African American woman to hold the post.
26 – Two trains derail, killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.
February
01 – Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act, making Canada the fourth country in the world to sanction same-sex marriage.
01 – Nepalese King Gyanendra stages a coup d’état to seize power, becoming Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
01 – Arsenal’s Premier League record 33-game unbeaten streak at home ends when the Gunners go down, 4-2 to Manchester United at Highbury.
06 – New England Patriots beat Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21 at Super Bowl XXXIX, Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, FL.
09 – UK Prime Minister Tony Blair issues a formal apology to the Guildford Four for their wrongful imprisonment.
10 – Clarence House announces that His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, is to marry Camilla Parker Bowles in April in a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle.
14 – Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is killed in an apparent assassination in West Beirut. The bomb blast kills about nine people and injures 100 others.
14 – Online video-sharing site YouTube is founded by former PayPal employees Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen.
14 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Philippines that hit the Makati financial district in Metro Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City.
16 – The Kyoto Protocol comes into effect, committing member states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring and that human-made CO2 emissions are driving it.
16 – The 2004-05 NHL season is cancelled by Commissioner Gary Bettman. It is the first time a North American professional sports league has called off a season due to a labour dispute.
28 – A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq, kills 127.
28 – Lebanon’s pro-Syrian Prime Minister, Omar Karami, resigns amid large anti-Syrian street demonstrations in Beirut.
March
03 – James Roszko murders four Royal Canadian Mounted Police constables during a drug bust in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, then commits suicide. It is the deadliest peacetime incident for the RCMP since the North-West Rebellion in 1885.
03 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an aeroplane around the world solo without any stops or refuelling, completing a journey of 40,234 km (25,000 miles) in 67 hours and 2 minutes.
04 – A car carrying released Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena is fired upon by US soldiers in Iraq, killing an Italian Secret Service agent and injuring two passengers.
13 – Terry Ratzmann shoots and kills seven members of the Living Church of God, including the minister, at Sheraton Inn in Brookfield, Wisconsin, before killing himself.
14 – Over a million Lebanese march in the streets of Beirut to demonstrate against the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, and against the government, following the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
26 – Former British Prime Minister James Callaghan dies at his home in Ringmer, East Sussex, shortly before his 93rd birthday.
26 – The classic British TV show Doctor Who resumes more than 25 years after its initial run ended, with the debut of Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion, Rose.
April
02 – Pope John Paul II dies at age 84, drawing millions of mourners to Rome and generating one of the largest news broadcasts in religious history.
04 – The Gender Recognition Act 2004 comes into effect in Britain, allowing transsexual people to have their reassigned gender legally recognised by law.
09 – Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, marries Camilla Parker Bowles at Windsor Guildhall more than 30 years after their romance first began.
17 – Pop star Kylie Minogue announces her breast cancer diagnosis, sparking a global public health surge known as the “Kylie Effect” that heightens early screening awareness.
19 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected as the new Pope. Taking the name Pope Benedict XVI, the 78-year-old German appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
19 – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith premieres, concluding the prequel trilogy and setting box office records.
26 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troops from Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of the country.
29 – New Zealand’s first civil union takes place.
May
05 – Tony Blair wins a historic third term in government for the Labour Party, but with a drastically reduced majority.
10 – A hand grenade thrown by Vladimir Arutyunian lands about 65 feet (20 metres) from US President George W. Bush while giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia. It malfunctions and does not detonate.
14 – The Former USS America (CV-66), a decommissioned supercarrier of the US Navy, is deliberately sunk in the Atlantic Ocean after four weeks of live-fire exercises. It is the largest ship ever to be disposed of as a target in a military exercise.
17 – 36-year-old Australian singer Kylie Minogue is diagnosed with breast cancer.
21 – Arsenal beats Manchester United 5-4 on penalties in the FA Cup Final at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. It is the Gunners’ 10th title.
21 – In Kyiv, Helena Paparizou wins the 50th Eurovision Song Contest for Greece singing My Number One.
25 – Liverpool beats Milan (3-3, 3-2 on penalties) in the 13th UEFA Champions League Final.
29 – French voters overwhelmingly reject the European Union’s proposed constitution in a key referendum, sending reverberations right across Europe.
29 – Dan Wheldon becomes the first British-born winner of the Indianapolis 500 since Graham Hill in 1966.
June
01 – The Dutch referendum on the European Constitution results in its rejection.
13 – A jury in Santa Maria, California acquits pop singer Michael Jackson of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo at his Neverland Ranch.
23 – Prince William of Wales graduates from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
23 – Reddit is founded by American University of Virginia students Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian.
26 – Countdown presenter Richard Whiteley dies aged 61 following treatment at Leeds General Infirmary.
30 – Spain legalises same-sex marriage.
July
02 – A series of benefit concerts dubbed ‘Live 8’ take place in the G8 states and South Africa to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid.
07 – Islamist terrorists target commuters travelling on London’s public transport during the morning rush hour to carry out four coordinated suicide bombing attacks. 52 people are killed, and nearly 800 are injured in the attacks aboard London Underground trains on the Circle line, and a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. The four suicide bombers die in the explosions.
17 – Former Prime Minister Edward Heath dies of pneumonia aged 89 at Arundells, his home near Salisbury, Wiltshire.
21 – Four attempted bomb attacks in London disrupt part of the capital’s public transport network. Small explosions occur around midday at Shepherd’s Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on the London Underground, and on a bus in Bethnal Green. There are no injuries, and all the bombers are captured.
22 – The Metropolitan Police fatally shoot Jean Charles de Menezes in London, mistakenly believing him to be one of the previous day’s would-be suicide bombers.
26 – Mumbai in India receives 39.17 inches (99.5 cm) of rain within 24 hours, bringing the city to a halt for over two days.
28 – The Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army) ends its 30-year-long armed campaign in Northern Ireland and says it will now pursue exclusively peaceful means.
28 – A tornado touches down in a residential area in Birmingham, England, causing £4,000,000 worth of damage and injuring 39 people.
August
03 – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad becomes President of Iran.
12 – Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, is fatally shot by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sniper at his home.
23 – 31 – Hurricane Katrina kills 1,836 people across the Gulf of Mexico coast in the US. Much of New Orleans is destroyed after the city’s levee system fails.
31 – A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad kills 965 people.
September
05 – Mandala Airlines Flight 91 crashes into a heavily populated residential area seconds after taking off from Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia, killing 100 people on board and 49 people on the ground.
07 – First presidential election is held in the Republic of Egypt.
12 – England beat Australia in the Ashes series for the first time since 1987 after a draw in the final Test at The Oval.
12 – The tech world transforms as eBay announces the acquisition of Skype for $2.6 billion, signalling a massive push into early internet voice communications.
25 – Fernando Alonso wins the Formula One World Championship, ending Michael Schumacher’s legendary five-year streak of dominance.
30 – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, sparking outrage and violent riots by Muslims around the world.
October
01 – Three bomb attacks in two tourist areas on the Indonesian resort island of Bali kill at least 26 people, among them foreign nationals. More than 50 others are injured as blasts rip through three restaurants.
03 – Comedian and actor Ronnie Barker dies of heart failure in a hospice in Oxfordshire, aged 76.
04 – Stephanie Meyer publishes her debut vampire romance novel, Twilight, launching a multi-billion dollar media franchise.
08 – 80,000 are killed in an earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
13 – English playwright Harold Pinter is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
18 – The 170 metre (560 ft) Spinnaker Tower opens in Portsmouth. It is the tallest accessible structure in the UK outside London.
19 – Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
24 – Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks passes away at age 92, becoming the first woman to lie in honour in the US Capitol Rotunda, a profoundly historic national moment.
29 – Islamic terrorists set off three bombs in Delhi, killing 62 people and injuring hundreds.
November
08 – Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is elected president of Liberia, the first woman to lead an African country.
09 – Suicide bombers attack three hotels in Amman, Jordan, killing at least 60 people.
09 – The Venus Express mission launches, marking a monumental milestone in international aerospace exploration and space science data collection.
22 – Angela Merkel becomes Germany’s first female Chancellor.
22 – Microsoft launches the Xbox 360, officially initiating the seventh generation of video game consoles and popularising HD gaming alongside Xbox Live social networks.
24 – The Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian Parliament, Stephen Harper, introduces a motion of no confidence. The motion is passed on 28 November, leading to the dissolution of the 38th Canadian Parliament.
24 – Round-the-clock drinking in England and Wales is now a reality after new licensing laws come into force at midnight.
25 – Legendary footballer George Best dies at the age of 59 from multiple organ failure in London following a seven-week illness.
30 – John Sentamu is enthroned as the 97th Archbishop of York and becomes the first black archbishop in the Church of England.
30 – Surgeons in France carry out the first human face transplant, with Isabelle Dinoire becoming the first person to undergo it.
December
02 – Van Tuong Nguyen is executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.
05 – Civil Partnership Act comes into effect in the United Kingdom, allowing the country’s first civil partnerships to be registered.
06 – David Cameron is elected as the new UK Conservative leader by a margin of more than two to one over David Davis. The 39-year-old Old Etonian beats Mr Davis by 134,446 votes to 64,398 in a postal ballot of Tory members across the UK.
09 – The last Routemaster buses in regular service in London run.
11 – Thousands of white Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence, resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese (and many who were not) in Cronulla, Sydney. These are followed by ethnic attacks on Cronulla.
20 – The first same-sex civil partnerships in Scotland are celebrated.
21 – The Civil Partnership Act comes into force in the UK, with singer Elton John and David Furnish among the first couples to form a same-sex civil union.
Also This Year . . .
- Natalie Glebova (Canada) is crowned Miss Universe.
- ‘Makybe Diva’ wins the Melbourne Cup for the third year in a row.