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In 2003, the United States and its allies invaded Iraq, leading to the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein. The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry, resulting in the tragic loss of all seven crew members. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) a global health threat, leading to widespread concern and precautions worldwide.
Historic events 2002-2008 January 1, 2002 - The Euro currency is introduced in 12 EU member states January 29, 2002 - George W. Bush speaks of an 'axis of evil'. April 11, 2002 - US led coup in Venezuela, however Hugo Chavez is soon reinstated as president June 30, 2002 - Brazil wins the FIFA World Cup for a record fifth time. September 22, 2002 - Gerhard Schroeder reelected as German chancellor October 31/November 1, 2002 - Strong earthquakes strike central Italy March 20, 2003 - US led invasion of Iraq begins. April 9, 2003 - Fall of Baghdad August 2003 - Europe hit by immense heatwave September 10, 2003 - Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh is fatally stabbed. November 15/20, 2003 - Terrorist attacks in Istanbul March 11, 2004 - Madrid Train bombings kill over 190 people. May 1, 2004 - The EU undergoes its biggest enlargement with the addition of 10 new member states August 2004 - Athens Olympics September 3, 2004 - School massacre in Beslan, Russia November 21, 2004 - Disputed Ukrainian election sparks orange revolution. December 26, 2004 - South Asian tsunami disaster kills more than 300,000 people. January 20, 2005 - George W. Bush inaugurated for second term. April 2, 2005 - Pope John Paul II dies aged 84. April 19, 2005 - Joseph Ratzinger elected as Pope Benedict XVI. July 2, 2005 - Live8 July 7, 2005 - London terrorist bombings kill 52 people. August 29, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina strikes southern US. November 22, 2005 - Angela Merkel becomes Chancellor of Germany. June 3, 2006 - Montenegro becomes independent. July 12 - August 14, 2006 - War between Israel and Lebanon November 23, 2006 - Russian former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko dies in London. This leads to a polonium 210 trail across Europe. December 2006 - Five women are murdered in Ipswich in one of the UK's worst killing sprees. January 1, 2007 - Romania and Bulgaria join the EU. Slovenia adopts the Euro. April 23, 2007 - Boris Yeltsin dies aged 76. May 3, 2007 - Disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal sparks worldwide attention. May 16, 2007 - Nicolas Sarkozy becomes President of France. June 27, 2007 - Gordon Brown replaces Tony Blair as British Prime Minister. June 30, 2007 - Attempted attack at Glasgow airport puts the UK on high terrorism alert. November 24, 2007 - Kevin Rudd is elected Prime Minister of Australia. January 1, 2008 - Cyprus and Malta adopt the Euro. February 19, 2008 - Fidel Castro steps down as President of Cuba. August 2008 - Beijing Olympics November 4, 2008 - Barack Obama is elected US President November 26 - 29, 2008 - Terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. December 27, 2008 - January 17, 2009 - War between Israel and Palestine in the Gaza Strip.
January 20, 1993 - Bill Clinton is elected president.August 31, 1997 - The death of Princess Diana.January 17, 1998 - News of the Lewinsky scandal first breaks.April 20, 1999 - The Columbine High School massacre happens.December 31, 1999/January 1, 2000 - The clocks pass into 2000 without being disrupted by the Y2K computer virus.January 20, 2001 - George W. Bush is elected president.September 11, 2001 - 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.March 20, 2003 - The Iraq War begins.August 23 - 30, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina forms and causes great damage to New Orleans.May 1 2011 - Osama Bin Laden Killed.
2000s events January 1, 2000 - People around the world celebrate the start of the year 2000. August 4, 2000 - Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother turns 100. September 15 - October 1, 2000 - Sydney Olympics November 7, 2000 - US Presidential election runs into controversy over votes cast in Florida. December 13, 2000 - George W. Bush is declared as the winner of the US election over Al Gore January 1, 2001 - Official start of the new millennium January 13, 2001 - Strong earthquake hits El Salvador. January 20, 2001 - George W. Bush is inaugurated as 43rd President of the United States January 20, 2001 - Gloria Macapagal Arroyo becomes President of the Philippines. January 26, 2001 - Strong earthquake hits the state of Gujarat in Northwestern India. February 13, 2001 - El Salvador is hit by a second strong earthquake. February 19, 2001 - The British Foot and Mouth crisis begins. June 1, 2001 - The Nepalese royal family is massacred. June 7, 2001 - The British Labour Party is elected to a second term in office. September 11, 2001 - Tragic events of 9/11- The twin towers of New York's world trade center and Washington's Pentagon are hit by devastating terrorist attacks. A fourth hijacked plane is crashed into a field in Pennsylvania September 17, 2001 - George W. Bush launches his 'War on Terror'. December 13, 2001 - The Indian Parliament Building is attacked. January 1, 2002 - The Euro currency is introduced in 12 EU countries. January 29, 2002 - George W. Bush speaks of an 'Axis of Evil'. March 30, 2002 - Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother dies aged 101. April 26, 2002 - School shooting at the Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany May 2002 - Jacques Chirac is reelected as President of France. June 1, 2002 - Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Golden Jubilee. June 22, 2002 - Devastating earthquake hits Iran. June 30, 2002 - Brazil wins FIFA World Cup for a record fifth time. September 22, 2002 - Gerhard Schroeder is reelected as chancellor of Germany. October 31/November 1, 2002 - Two devastating earthquakes hit central Italy. February 1, 2003 - Space shuttle Columbia blows up over Texas killing all 7 astronauts on board. March 2003 - SARS pandemic March 20, 2003 - The US led invasion of Iraq begins. April 9, 2003 - Fall of Baghdad August 2003 - Europe is hit by a strong heatwave. September 10, 2003 - Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh is fatally stabbed. October 2003 - Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of California. November 15/20, 2003 - Two devastating terrorist bombings hit Istanbul. December 13, 2003 - Saddam Hussein is captured. December 26, 2003 - The Iranian city of Bam is hit by a devastating earthquake. March 11, 2004 - More than 190 people are killed as devastating terrorist bombings occur on commuter trains in Madrid. March 14, 2004 - Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is elected as Prime Minister of Spain, succeeding Jose Maria Aznar. May 1, 2004 - The EU undergoes its biggest enlargement as 10 new member states join. May 22, 2004 - Manmohan Singh becomes Prime Minister of India. June 5, 2004 - Ronald Raegan dies aged 93. August 13 -29, 2004 - Athens Olympics September 3, 2004 - School massacre in Beslan, southern Russia November 2, 2004 - George W. Bush is reelected as US President November 21, 2004 - A Disputed election result leads to the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. December 26, 2004 - The south Asian tsunami disaster occurs, killing more than 300,000 people, after an under sea quake off Sumatra, Indonesia. January 20, 2005 - George W. Bush is inaugurated for a second term as US President. March 28, 2005 - Devastating earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia April 2, 2005 - Pope John Paul II dies aged 84. April 6, 2005 - Prince Rainier III of Monaco dies aged 81. April 8, 2005 - Worldwide dignitaries attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. April 9, 2005 - Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles. April 19, 2005 - Joseph Ratzinger is elected as Pope Benedict XVI. May 29, 2005 - French voters reject the new EU constitution. June 1, 2005 - Dutch voters reject the new EU constitution. July 1, 2005 - German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder loses a vote of confidence. July 2, 2005 - Live8 concerts take place worldwide. July 6 - 9, 2005 - G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland July 6, 2005 - London is awarded the 2012 Olympics. July 7, 2005 - Devastating terrorist bombings hit London, killing 52 people. July 21, 2005 - Attempted terrorist bombings are foiled in London. July 22, 2005 - Innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes is shot dead by London Metropolitan Police. July 23, 2005 - Terrorist bombings in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt August 14, 2005 - Plane crash in Greece kills all on board. August 29, 2005 - Hurricane hits the Gulf coast of the United States, and floods New Orleans. September 18, 2005 - German chancellor's election ends in stalemate. October 27 - November 9, 2005 - Riots occur in cities across France. November 22, 2005 - Angela Merkel becomes Chancellor of Germany. March 11, 2006 - Michelle Bachelet becomes Chile's first female President. March 11, 2006 - Slobodan Milosevic dies aged 64. June 3, 2006 - Montenegro becomes independent. July 9, 2006 - Italy wins the FIFA World Cup. July 9, 2006 - Devastating plane crash occurs in Siberia. July 12 - August 14, 2006 - War between Israel and Lebanon. November 5, 2006 - Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death. November 23, 2006 - Former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko dies in London aged 46. This leads to a trail of Polonium 210 across Europe. December 2006 - Five women are murdered in Ipswich in one of the UK's worst killing sprees. December 26, 2006 - Gerald Ford dies aged 93. December 30, 2006 - Saddam Hussein is executed. January 1, 2007 - Romania and Bulgaria join the EU. Slovenia adopts the Euro. April 16, 2007 - The worst mass shooting in US history occurs at Virginia Tech. April 23, 2007 - Boris Yeltsin dies aged 76. May 3, 2007 - The disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal sparks a worldwide search. May 16, 2007 - Nicolas Sarkozy becomes President of France. June 27, 2007 - Gordon Brown replaces Tony Blair as British Prime Minister. June 30, 2007 - An attempted attack on Glasgow Airport puts the UK on high terrorism alert. July 17, 2007 - Brazil's deadliest plane crash occurs. July 2007 - Anglo-Russian diplomatic crisis July 25, 2007 - Pratibha Patil becomes India's first female President. September 16, 2007 - Deadly plane crash occurs at Phuket, Thailand. September 23 - 30, 2007 - Anti-regime demonstrations in Burma December 10, 2007 - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner becomes Argentina's first female President. December 27, 2007 - Benazir Bhutto is killed in a bomb attack, aged 54. December 27, 2007 - Disputed election result in Kenya results in massive unrest. January 1, 2008 - Cyprus and Malta adopt the Euro. February 17, 2008 - Kosovo declares independence from Serbia. February 19, 2008 - Fidel Castro steps down as President of Cuba. He is replaced by his brother, Raul. March 16, 2008 - Anti-China protests are brutally crushed in Tibet. April 26, 2008 - 73 year old Austrian Josef Fritzl is revealed to have imprisoned his daughter, Elisabeth in a cellar for 24 years, fathering seven children with her. May 3, 2008 - Cyclone Nargis devastates southern Burma. May 12, 2008 - China's Sichuan province is hit by a massive earthquake. June 27, 2008 - Zimbabwe's 'election' re-run is marred by intimidation and fraud. August 8 - 24, 2008 - Beijing Olympics September 11, 2008 - New power sharing deal reached in Zimbabwe. September 15, 2008 - Economic Crisis: Meltdown Monday, as Lehman Brothers collapses. September 29, 2008 - Meltdown Monday nr. 2 November 4, 2008 - Barack Obama is elected President of the United States. December 27, 2008 - January 18, 2009 - Conflict in the Gaza Strip January 1, 2009 - Slovakia adopts the Euro. January 20, 2009 - Barack Obama is inaugurated as 44th President of the United States. January 26, 2009 - Icelandic financial system collapses. March 2, 2009 - Guinea Bissau's President Joao Bernardo Vieira is killed in a coup. April 2, 2009 - G20 summit in London June 12 - 22, 2009 - Disputed Iranian election result leads to widespread protests. Ongoing events - Darfur crisis, North Korean nuclear tests