2004

Decades: 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s

Years: 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 - 2004 - 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2004 news by month: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

• International Year of Technology
• International Year of Rice
• International Year of Education by Sports

Elections are to be held in 73 countries in 2004.

Events

• January 1 - Joseph Deiss becomes President of the Confederation in Switzerland
• January 1 - Ireland takes over the Presidency of the European Council from Italy
• January 2 - Several British Airways flights from London Heathrow Airport to Washington D.C. and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are cancelled due to security fears.
• January 3 - Flash Airlines Flight FSH604 crashes into the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, killing all 148 aboard.
• January 3 - NASA's MER-A (Spirit) lands on Mars.
• January 3 - Tony Blair makes an unannounced trip to Basra, Iraq to give a speech to British troops.
• January 4 - Dr. Mikhail Saakashvili won Presidential Elections in the Republic of Georgia.
• January 5 - Britney Spears's marriage to childhood sweetheart Jason Allen Alexander is annulled by a Las Vegas court following a surprise 55-hour marriage.
• January 6 - An inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales opens in London held by Michael Burgess, the coroner of The Queen's Household.
• January 8 - Queen Elizabeth II officially names the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner.
• January 13 - A Uzbekistan Airways plane crashes in Uzbekistan's capital of Tashkent, killing 37.
• January 15- The South Korean Foreign Minister, Yoon Young-kwan resigns following his support for American policy towards North Korea.
• January 20- India signs a $1.5 billion deal with Russia to buy the 45,000 tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov along with 28 MiG-29k fighters.
• January 21 - Canada: In a move condemned by journalists worldwide and later disapproved of by the Prime Minister, the residence of Ottawa Citizen reporter, Juliet O'Neill was searched by the RCMP for the purpose of investigating leaks concerning the deportation of Maher Arar
• January 22- The European Union bans the import of poultry from Thailand, as bird flu spreads throughout South East Asia
• January 24 - NASA's MER-B (Opportunity) lands on Mars.
• January 27- A House of Commons vote on University tution top-up fees is narrowly won by the British Government. It is however the worst voting result for Tony Blair since he came to power in 1997.
• January 28- The findings of the Hutton Inquiry are published in London. The British Government is found not to have falsified information in the "sexed up dossier". The report criticises the BBC's role in the death of David Kelly, a weapons expert on Iraq.
• January 28- At a hearing of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, it is revealed that the September 11, 2001 terrorists used Mace (a brand of tear gas) or pepper spray in overpowering the flight crew of American Airlines Flight 11
• February 1 - Janet Jackson's right breast is exposed during the live Super Bowl XXXVIII half time show, sparking a controversy in the United States.
• February 3- The CIA admits that there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction before the war on Iraq
• February 6- A suicide bomber kills 40 people on an underground train in Moscow
• February 7- His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales begins a tour of the Middle East, visiting troops in Iraq, the Iranian earthquake zone at Bam and Saudi Arabia
• February 10 - At least 50 people killed in a car bomb attack on a police recruitment centre south of Baghdad.
• February 10- The French National Assembly votes to pass a law banning religious items and clothing from schools.
• February 11 - 25th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution
• February 11 - Up to 47 people killed in a car bomb attack on an army recruiting centre in Baghdad.
• February 13- Scientists in South Korea announce the cloning of 30 human embryos.
• February 18- A train carrying a convoy of petrol, fertiliser and sulphur derails and explodes in Iran, killing over 180 people.

Predicted and scheduled events

• February 13 - Michael Jackson's pretrial hearing, on charges of child molestation.
• February 20 - Iranian parliament elections to be held.
• February 24 - Mardi Gras
• March 13 - The Kyushu Shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan opens for service.
• March 20 - Presidential election on Taiwan. Likely to be a match between incumbent President Chen Shui-bian and KMT Chairman Lien Chan.
• April - 2004 Canadian election expected to be held.
• April 14 - South African elections to be held.
• April 19 - A partial solar eclipse is visible from Southern Africa
• May 1 - An enlargement of the European Union takes place, expected to include admission of further 10 member-states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus.
• May 12 and May 15 - Eurovision Song Contest 2004.
• May 18 - European Festival of Youth Choirs (EJCF) in Basel expected to start.
• June 4 - The movie version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is scheduled to be released.
• June 8 - The first solar transit of the planet Venus since 1882; the next one will occur in 2012.
• June 10 - Elections take place in the United Kingdom for the European parliament, the Greater London Assembly, Mayor of London, and English local councils.
• June 12 - The EURO 2004 European football (soccer) championships start in Portugal.
• June 23 - The Green Party of the United States national convention convenes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• June 30 - Power is due to be handed over to a fledgling Iraqi government.
• July - The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrives at Saturn.
• July 1 - The Netherlands takes over the Presidency of the European Council from Ireland.
• July 7 - The last patent on the LZW compression algorithm, in Canada, expires.
• July 26 - The United States Democratic Party national convention convenes in Boston, Massachusetts.
• August 13 - The 2004 Summer Olympics starts in Athens.
• August 30 - The United States Republican Party national convention convenes in New York City.
• September 29 - The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within 4 lunar distances of Earth.
• [October-date to be announced] - The New World Hockey Association begins play in 11 cities.
• October 1 - The University of Manchester and UMIST merge to form the largest conventional university in the United Kingdom.
• October 14 - A partial solar eclipse is visible from North-East Asia and parts of the Northern Pacific.
• November 2 - U.S. presidential election. Presidential candidates will be nominated during the party conventions held from May through September.
• November 26 - Presidential and parliamentary elections in Romania.

Births

Deaths

• January 6 - Charles Dumas, American high jumper
• January 13 - Doctor Harold Shipman, the United Kingdom's most prolific serial killer (by suicide)
• January 13 - Arne Næss jr., Norwegian mountaineer and businessman
• January 19 - David Hookes, Australian cricketer
• January 20 - Guinn Smith, American athlete
• January 23 - Bob Keeshan, famous as Captain Kangaroo
• January 24 - Abdul Rahman Munif, Arab author
• January 25 - Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete
• January 27 - Jack Paar, television show host
• January 28 - Rikki Fulton, a Scottish comedian and actor
• January 28 - Elroy Hirsch, football player
• January 31 - Eleanor Holm - American swimmer
• February 1 - Bob Stokoe, F.A. Cup winning footballer and manager
• February 14 - Marco Pantani, Italian bicyclist and Tour-de-France winner
• February 15 - Jan Miner, American actress
• February 17 - Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete

Referenced By