2004
(Redirected from 23 April 2004)
| Millennium: | 3rd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | |
| Decades: | |
| Years: |
| 2004 by topic |
|---|
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2004th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 4th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 5th year of the 2000s decade.
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations,[1] and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).[2]
Culture
[edit]Media
[edit]2004 was a year marked by many popular and highly grossing film releases such as Shrek 2, Spider Man 2, The Incredibles, The Passion of the Christ and Howl's Moving Castle. 2004 was also the year where Toho Studios would release Godzilla's 50th anniversary movie, Godzilla: Final Wars, the last Godzilla movie until Legendary Entertainment's Godzilla in 2014, and the last Japanese Godzilla movie until Shin Godzilla in 2016.
Many shows would debut and end in 2004, with Friends airing its final episode on May 6, 2004 after nearly a decade on air, and Lost airing its first episode on September 22 of the same year. Tsuburaya Productions would air the highly controversial Ultraman Nexus, the 17th entry of the Ultra Series on October 2, 2004. Though the series was poorly received when it first began its broadcast, it is now seen as one of the best entries of the Ultra Series.
The gaming industry would see the release of many FPS and sequel games in 2004, with some of the most famous being Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[3] Halo 2,[4] Metroid Prime 2: Echoes,[5] Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,[6] and Half Life 2.[7] These titles are considered some of the greatest video games of all time.[8][9][10][11] The Nintendo DS also released this year, which grew to become the best-selling handheld console of all time.
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, killing all 148 aboard, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history at the time.[12]
- January 4 – NASA's MER-A (Spirit) spacecraft lands on the surface of Mars.[13]
- January 6 – Construction on the tallest human-made structure to date, the Burj Khalifa begins in Dubai UAE.
- January 8 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, at the time the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by its namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.[14]
- January 25 – NASA's MER-B (Opportunity) spacecraft lands on the surface of Mars.[15]
- January 26 – The MyDoom virus is first identified.[16]
February
[edit]- February 4 – Mark Zuckerberg launches “TheFacebook”, later renamed to Facebook, a social networking website for Harvard University students.[17]
- February 9 - Maura Murray, who disappeared on the evening of after a car crash on Route 112 near Woodsville, New Hampshire, a village in the town of Haverhill. A nursing student completing her junior year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst at the time of her disappearance
- February 26 – Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[18]
- February 29 – Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide is overthrown in a coup d'état.[19]
March
[edit]- March 2 – A series of bombings occur in Karbala, Iraq, killing over 140 Shia Muslims commemorating the Day of Ashura.[20]
- March 7 – The 2004 Greek legislative election is held to elect all 300 members of the Hellenic Parliament and the New Democracy party, led by Kostas Karamanlis, won 165 out of 300 seats, ending over 11 years of rule by the PASOK party.[21]
- March 11 – Al-Qaeda bombings on Cercanías trains in Madrid, Spain, kill at least 192 people.[22][23]
- March 14 – The PSOE wins the election in Spain; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is elected Prime Minister of Spain, replacing José María Aznar.[24]
- March 28 – Hurricane Catarina, the first ever recorded South Atlantic hurricane, makes landfall in Santa Catarina, Brazil.[25]
- March 29 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are admitted to NATO, the largest expansion of the organization.[26]
April
[edit]- April 4 – The First Battle of Fallujah starts.
- April 8 – The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups, in order to put a pause on the War in Darfur.
- April 17 – Israeli helicopters fire missiles at a convoy of vehicles in the Gaza Strip, killing Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi.[27]
- April 24 – Referendums on the Annan Plan for Cyprus, which proposes to reunite the island, take place in both the Greek-controlled and the Turkish-controlled parts. Although the Turkish Cypriots vote in favour, the Greek Cypriots reject the proposal.[28]
May
[edit]- May 1
- The European Union expands by 10 new member states: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. [29]
- The First Battle of Fallujah ends.
- May 9 – A stadium bombing in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia kills ten people, including regional governor Akhmad Kadyrov.[30]
- May 10 – 2004 Philippine presidential election: Incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as Philippine President.
- May 12–15 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 takes place in Istanbul, Turkey, and is won by Ukrainian entrant Ruslana with the song "Wild Dances".[31]
June
[edit]- June 1 – A United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti begins, the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
- June 4 – Marvin Heemeyer takes his modified and armoured Komatsu D355A bulldozer (killdozer) on a rampage through the town of Granby, Colorado, causing approximately 7 million dollars worth of damage.[32]
- June 8 – 2004 transit of Venus.[33]
- June 12–July 4 – Portugal hosts the UEFA Euro 2004 football tournament, which is won by Greece.
- June 21 – In Mojave, California, United States, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.[34]
- June 28 – The U.S.-led coalition occupying Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), transfers sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government.[35]
- June 30 – Preliminary hearings begin in Iraq in the trial of president Saddam Hussein, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
July
[edit]- July 1 – The unpiloted Cassini–Huygens spacecraft arrives at Saturn.[36]
- July 11 – The Russian Federation stops recognizing Soviet Union passports as legal identification.[37]
August
[edit]- August 1 – A fire in the "Ycua Bolaños-Botánico" supermarket in Asunción, Paraguay kills around 400 people.[38]
- August 3 – NASA's unpiloted MESSENGER spacecraft is launched, with its primary mission being the study of Mercury.[39]
- August 12 – Lee Hsien Loong is sworn in as the third Prime Minister of Singapore.[40]
- August 13–29 – The 2004 Summer Olympics are held in Athens, Greece.[41]
- August 18 – Broadband internet connections surpass dial-up for the first time in the United States.[42]
- August 22 – Armed robbers steal Edvard Munch's The Scream, Madonna, and other paintings from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway.[43]
- August 24 – After departing Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow, Volga-AviaExpress Flight 1303, a Tupolev Tu-134, explodes over Russia's Tula Oblast and crashes, killing all 43 people on board; minutes later, Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154 departing the same airport, explodes over Rostov Oblast and crashes, killing all 46 on board. The Government of Russia declares the explosions to have been caused by female Chechen suicide bombers.
September
[edit]- September 1 – Beslan school siege: Chechen rebels take 1,128 people, mostly children, hostage at a school in Beslan, Russia. The crisis ends when Russian security forces storm the building, resulting in more than 330 people being killed.[44]
- September 9 – A car bomb of the Jemaah Islamiyah explodes at the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 9 people.[45]
- September 22 – West Sulawesi is established as the 33rd province of Indonesia.
October
[edit]- October 8 – Suicide bombers detonate two bombs at the Red Sea resort of Taba, Egypt, killing 34 people and injuring 171, mostly Israeli tourists.[46]
- October 9 – 2004 Australian federal election: John Howard's Liberal/National Coalition government is re-elected with an increased majority, defeating the Labor Party led by Mark Latham.[47]
- October 17 – Parque Central Complex fire: A fire that lasted over 15 hours destroyed almost one third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela.[48]
- October 19 – A team of explorers reach the bottom of Krubera Cave, the world's deepest cave, with a depth of 2,080 meters (6,824 feet).[49]
- October 20 – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is sworn in as the 6th President of Indonesia, becoming the first directly elected president in Indonesia.[50]
- October 27 – The Boston Red Sox win the World Series for the sixth time after completing a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. It was their first championship since 1918.
- October 29 – European heads of state sign in Rome the Treaty and Final Act, establishing the first European Constitution.[51]
November
[edit]- November 2 – 2004 United States presidential election: George W. Bush is re-elected President of the United States, defeating his Democratic challenger John Kerry.
- November 7 – The Second Battle of Fallujah starts.
- November 13 – The European Space Agency probe SMART-1 arrives at the Moon, becoming the first European satellite to fly to the Moon and orbit it.[52]
- November 16 – NASA's hypersonic Scramjet breaks a record by reaching a velocity of about 7,000 mph (Mach 9.6) in an unpiloted experimental flight.[53][54][55]
- November 21 – Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS, the best-selling handheld game console, in North America.
- November 22 – The Orange Revolution begins, following a disputed presidential election in Ukraine where Viktor Yanukovych won against Viktor Yushchenko amid accusations of electoral fraud. A revote results in Yushchenko being declared the winner.[56]
- November 26 – The last known Po'ouli dies in captivity at the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Maui, Hawaii.
- November 30 – A McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Lion Air Flight 538, overran the runway and crashed on a cemetery near Adisumarmo Airport, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, killing 25 people.[57]
December
[edit]- December 14 – The world's tallest bridge, the Millau Viaduct over the Tarn in the Massif Central mountains, France, is officially opened.[58]
- December 21 – Iraqi insurgents attack a U.S. military base in the city of Mosul, killing 22 people.[59]
- December 23 – The Second Battle of Fallujah ends.
- December 26 – The 9.1–9.3 Mw Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis follows, affecting coastal areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, killing 227,000 people.[60]
- December 27 – Astrophysicists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching near Munich measure the strongest burst from a magnetar. At 21:30:26 UT Earth is hit by a huge wave front of gamma and X-rays. It is the strongest flux of high-energetic gamma radiation measured so far.[61]
- December 30 – A fire in the República Cromañón nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina kills 194.[62]
- December 31 – Taipei 101, at the time the tallest skyscraper in the world, standing at a height of 1,670 feet (510 m), officially opens.[63]
Date unknown
[edit]- Metrocable (Medellín) Line K opens, the first modern urban transit cable car.[64]
Births and deaths
[edit]Nobel Prizes
[edit]
- Chemistry – Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, Irwin Rose
- Economics – Finn E. Kydland, Edward C. Prescott
- Literature – Elfriede Jelinek
- Peace – Wangarĩ Maathai
- Physics – David J. Gross, Hugh David Politzer, Frank Wilczek
- Physiology or Medicine – Linda B. Buck, Richard Axel
References
[edit]- ^ "UN declares 2004 the International Year of Rice". United Nations. October 31, 2003. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived September 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (2003). INTERNATIONAL YEAR TO COMMEMORATE THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY AND ITS ABOLITION Archived July 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Fahey, Rob (March 1, 2004). "Rockstar announces Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for October '04". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Halo 2 prepares to storm retail shelves - Nov. 12, 2004". money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ Fahey, Rob (February 9, 2004). "Nintendo hints at 2004 launch for Metroid Prime 2". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (July 9, 2020). "Paper Mario: The Origami King Isn't the Thousand Year Door, Nor Does It Want to Be". USGamer. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Dransfield, Ian (October 18, 2004). "Half Life 2 Gold: 2004 release". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "International Video Game Hall of Fame Website". www.ivghof.info. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ Gabe Newell: IVGHOF 2020 - 2000's era game - "Half Life 2", May 6, 2021, archived from the original on August 17, 2023, retrieved August 17, 2023
- ^ "Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century: Half-Life 2". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts". British GQ. May 10, 2023. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Egypt plane crash claims 148 lives". BBC News. January 3, 2004. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Spirit Rover Bounces Down on Mars". NASA. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "The Cunard Liner Queen Mary 2". Queen Mary 2. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "NASA Hears From Opportunity Rover On Mars". NASA. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "[Review] MyDoom Virus: The Most Destructive & Fastest Email Worm [MiniTool Tips]". MiniTool. Helen. March 3, 2021. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ Alan J. Tabak (February 9, 2004). "Hundreds Register for New Facebook Website". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ Jeffery, Simon; agencies (February 26, 2004). "Macedonian president killed in plane crash". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Embattled Aristide quits Haiti". BBC News. February 29, 2004. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Burns, John F.; Gettleman, Jeffrey (March 2, 2004). "Blasts at Shiite Ceremonies in Iraq Kill More Than 140". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών - Αποτελέσματα ΕΘΝΙΚΩΝ Εκλογών 2004". July 22, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "elmundo.es. Documento: Auto del 11-M". www.elmundo.es. Archived from the original on April 12, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ ZoomNews (in spanish). The 192nd victim died in 2014, after a decade in coma in a hospital of Madrid. She was the last hospitalized injured person.
- ^ "Zapatero vence con casi 11 millones de votos". El País (in Spanish). March 15, 2004. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "First South Atlantic hurricane hits Brazil". USA Today. January 29, 2004. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Seven join Nato in biggest expansion". The Guardian. Press Association. April 2, 2004. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrike". CNN. April 17, 2004. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Sachs, Susan (April 25, 2004). "Greek Cypriots Reject a U.N. Peace Plan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "EU welcomes 10 new members". CNN. May 1, 2004. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Chechen president is killed in bombing at holiday". New York Times. May 9, 2004. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine celebrates Eurovision win". BBC. May 16, 2004. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ "Marvin Heemeyer Wanted Revenge — So He Built A 'Killdozer'". February 8, 2022.
- ^ "The Venus Transit 2004". ESO. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Long, Tony (June 21, 2004). "SpaceShipOne Reaches Space". Wired. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "US hands over power in Iraq". The Guardian. June 28, 2004. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Cassini probe enters Rhea orbit". BBC News. July 1, 2004. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Some Russians still live in the USSR - PravdaReport". English.pravda.ru. July 6, 2011. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ Benson, Todd (August 4, 2004). "6 Are Charged With Murder After Paraguay Store Fire (Published 2004)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ Malik, Tariq (August 3, 2004). "NASA Sends Mercury a MESSENGER". Space.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Let us shape our future together". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ "Olympics open in Athens". BBC News. August 13, 2004. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Study: Broadband leaps past dial-up". CNet. August 18, 2004. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ "Armed robbers steal 'The Scream'". CNN. August 23, 2004. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ 31 August 2006: Beslan – Two Years On, UNICEF
- ^ "Australian embassy bomb kills nine". The Guardian. September 9, 2004. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ Urquhart, Conal (October 8, 2004). "Dozens killed in bomb blasts at Sinai resorts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ "2004 Federal Election | AustralianPolitics.com". australianpolitics.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Torre Este de Parque Central: 8 años después". El Universal. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Cavers smash world depth record". BBC News. April 22, 2005. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ "Indonesian President Is Sworn In, Promising a Cleaner Government". New York Times. October 21, 2004. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "SCADPlus: A Constitution for Europe". Europa. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Leonard, David (September 3, 2006). "SMART-1 Space Probe Slams into the Moon". Space. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Gibbs, Yvonne (May 10, 2017). "X-43A Hyper-X". NASA. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "NASA - NASA's X-43A Scramjet Breaks Speed Record". www.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on October 31, 2004. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ "NASA scramjet smashes speed record". New Scientist. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Schneider, William. "Ukraine's 'Orange Revolution'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Runway excursion Accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) PK-LMN". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "France shows off tallest bridge". BBC News. December 14, 2004. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Deadly Attack on U.S. Military Base". Fox News. December 22, 2004. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Indian Ocean tsunami anniversary: Memorial events held". BBC News. December 26, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Starquake Reveals Hidden Structure of a Neutron Star". phys.org. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "Argentina: 7 Members of Band Convicted in Club Fire". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 21, 2011. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "World's tallest building opens". BBC News. December 31, 2004. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "The Metrocable: transport by urban cable car in Medellín". Centre For Public Impact (CPI). Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
