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First Day of Kindergarden
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Scott Ritter resigns from the UN weapons inspection team
William Scott Ritter, Jr. (born July 15, 1961) was the chief United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, and later became known for his criticism of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ritter publicly argued that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). He became a popular anti-war figure and talk show commentator as a result of his stance. Since 2001, Ritter has been detained once and arrest -
In-Flight Fire Causes Pilots to Lose Control on Swissair Flight 111
Swissair Flight 111 (SR-111, SWR-111) was a Swissair McDonnell Douglas MD-11 on a scheduled airline flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, United States to Cointrin International Airport in Geneva, Switzerland. This flight was also a codeshare flight with Delta Air Lines. -
Google is Founded
Google Inc. is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking, and video sharing services as well as selling advertising-free versions of the same technologies. Google has also developed an open source web browser and a mobile operating system. The Google headquarters, the Googleplex, is located in Mountain View, California. As of March 31, 2009 (2009 -03-31), the company has 19,786 f -
"Mystery Disc" by Frank Zappa Is Released
Mystery Disc is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. It was released on CD in 1998, compiling tracks that were originally released on two separate vinyl records and included in the mail order Old Masters box sets, which were released in three volumes between 1985 and 1987. (These box sets, issued on Barking Pumpkin, contained repressings of Zappa's albums from Freak Out! (1966) to Zoot Allures (1976), along with a 'Mystery Disc' in boxes one and two.) The CD omits two tracks from the box sets, -
Kiss releases Psycho Circus
Psycho Circus is a 1998 studio album by the American hard rock band Kiss. This album featured the original four members back together and in full make up. Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer stepped aside to allow the return of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.
The album features a lenticular cover that alternates between a black Kiss logo and the album title with pictures of a clown and the band members. -
Stephen King publishes Bag of Bones
Bag of Bones is a 1998 novel by Stephen King. Its themes include the trials of the writing process (the main character, Mike Noonan, has writer's block), the power of memory (the ghosts of Noonan's past as well as the ghosts of Sara Laughs, the lakeside house to which he moves) and the ghosts lurking close behind the everyday and the mundane. A human element, however, is the struggle of a young widow and her daughter to stay away from the grip of Max Devore, the power-mad figurehead of the commu -
Pets.com is Founded
Another important dot-com lesson was that advertising, no matter how clever, cannot save you. Take online pet-supply store Pets.com. Its talking sock puppet mascot became so popular that it appeared in a multimillion-dollar Super Bowl commercial and as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But as cute--or possibly annoying--as the sock puppet was, Pets.com was never able to give pet owners a compelling reason to buy supplies online -
Wye River Memorandum signed
The Wye River Memorandum was an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestine Authority to implement the earlier Interim Agreement of 28 September, 1995. Brokered by the United States at the Aspen Institute Wye River Conference Centers near Wye River, Maryland, it was signed on October 23, 1998. -
Ricky Williams Wins Heisman Trophy
The 6-foot, 225-pound Williams is the second Texas Longhorn to win the Heisman Trophy. Ricky also garnered numerous post-season honors including the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Award, the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award as well as being named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Ricky holds or shares 20 NCAA records. Ricky became the NCAA career-rushing leader in 1998 with 6,279 yards. Ricky and the Longhorns finished the 1998 season with a 38-11 victory over Miss -
18 Dec 1998 "The General" Is Released
The General is a true film about Dublin criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off several daring heists in the early 1980s, and attracted attention from the Garda, IRA, and UVF. The film was directed by John Boorman, filmed in 1997 and released in 1998. Brendan Gleeson played Cahill, Adrian Dunbar played his close friend Noel Curley, and Jon Voight played Inspector Ned Kenny. -
Rainbow Bridge Collapse
In Chongqing alone 1,600 people have died as a result of shoddy construction. Forty people died after falling 460 feet when the steel-and-concrete Rainbow Bridge over the Qijang River near Chongqing collapsed. An investigation uncovered faulty welding, $12,000 in bribes given to officials to overlook problems and allow project to exceed its budget. Some of the siphoned-off money was used to build a karaoke parlor with scantily clad girls. Less than a week later, another bridge collapsed in Fujia -
David Duval Becomes the Third PGA Tour Player in History to Score a 59
In case you were on some other planet, Duval did win by shooting a 59 in the final round, including a 28 on the back nine. His second shot at the par five 18th (to six fee) may have been the shot of the year (in only the third week of the season). His score of 59 was the third ever shot on the PGA TOUR, but the first ever on a weekend (and obviously the first in a final round). Normally very composed, Duval's clenched fist after sinking the putt for 59 was only a small salute to his unbelievabl -
Bill Clinton acquitted by US Senate in impeachment proceedings
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD 106th Congress, 1st Session Friday, February 12, 1999 I learned about the burden of proof and presumption of innocence as a young boy, long before law school, when my father, who was a lawyer, taught me that American justice is dependent on these principles. As I grew up and became a lawyer myself, I experienced firsthand the significance of these bedrock principles and learned that it applies to all Americans accused of crimes, including the President. These principles of -
Galtür Avalanche
In February 1999, a catastrophic avalanche at Galtür in Austria claimed 31 lives. Over the next six months, Horizon followed a team of scientists as they pieced together the extraordinary chain of events that led to the disaster. The scientists' investigations into the extreme forces of nature responsible for the tragedy are making people re-evaluate their calculations about avalanches. The picturesque skiing resort of Galtür was considered by everyone to be a relatively safe area. Most years a -
The Matrix released
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving. It was first released in the USA on March 31, 1999, and is the first entry in The Matrix series of films, comics, video games, and animation. -
Joe DiMaggio Dies
DiMaggio was admitted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, on October 12, 1998, for lung cancer surgery and remained hospitalized there for the next 99 days. He returned to his Florida home on January 19, where he died on March 8, 1999. On his deathbed and with his last breath, DiMaggio said "I'll finally get to see Marilyn". -
eToys Goes Public and Completes Its Initial Public Offering
The eToys IPO did not open until after noon on Thursday. It made up for its late start by soaring as high as $85 in its opening minutes of trading after pricing at $20 a share. Although selling pressure pared the price back to $72 in the late afternoon, the stock rebounded to close at $76.56, up $56.56, or 283 percent, from its offering price. -
Superman 64 is Released for the Nintendo 64
Superman, unofficially referred to as Superman 64, is a video game that was released by Titus Software on May 31, 1999 on the Nintendo 64. The game is based on the Superman Animated Series. Much like Castlevania 64, the game is not actually titled "Superman 64" on its box, cartridge, or title screen. It is notorious for negative reception it received from critics and is considered one of the worst games of all time. -
First Battle of Yeonpyeong
The First Battle of Yeonpyeong was a skirmish between naval units of North and South Korea. It did little to settle the dispute about control of the area and was an embarrassment to the North Korean regime. Minor incidents and incursions concerning fishing in the area continued, including another naval skirmish in 2002 dubbed the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong. -
Orissa Cyclone of 1999
October 29, 1999, saw cyclonic storms with winds of 200 km per hour ripping through India’s eastern coast. Orissa, like many times in the past, was at the receiving end of nature’s fury. Few can forget newspaper photographs and television images of decomposed bodies floating around in the mass of water covering the state. In fact, a Times of India reporter had to wade through human corpses and animal carcasses to reach villagers living in makeshift camps. The loss in the cyclone - later descri -
Y2K Does Not Result in the End of the World
Y2K was a notable computer bug resulting from the practice in early computer program design of representing the year with two digits. This time code ambiguity caused some date-related processing to operate incorrectly for dates and times on and after January 1, 2000 and on other critical dates which were billed "event horizons". Without corrective action, long-working systems would break down when the "...97, 98, 99..." ascending numbering assumption suddenly became invalid. Companies and organi -
The Dow Jones Peaks
Another reason may have been accelerated business spending in preparation for the Y2K switchover. Once New Year had passed without incident, businesses found themselves with all the equipment they needed for some time, and business spending quickly declined. This correlates quite closely to the peak of U.S. stock markets. The Dow Jones peaked on January 14, 2000 (closed at 11,722.98, with an intra-day peak of 11,750.28 and theoretical peak of 11,908.50) and the broader S&P 500 on March 24, 2000 -
Nupedia is Founded
Nupedia was an English-language Web-based encyclopedia whose articles were written by experts and licensed as free content. It was founded by Jimmy Wales and underwritten by Bomis, with Larry Sanger as editor-in-chief. Nupedia lasted from March 2000 until September 2003, and is mostly known now as the predecessor of the free wiki encyclopedia, Wikipedia. -
Microsoft Is Declared A Monopoly
Over 1999 and early 2000, the U.S. Federal Reserve had increased interest rates six times, and the economy was beginning to lose speed. The dot-com bubble burst, numerically, on March 10, 2000, when the technology heavy NASDAQ Composite index peaked at 5,048.62 (intra-day peak 5,132.52), more than double its value just a year before. The NASDAQ fell slightly after that, but this was attributed to correction by most market analysts; the actual reversal and subsequent bear market may have been tri -
"Blue Line" border demarcation published by United Nations
The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the purposes of determining whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon. At the same time, an extension, expressly not to be called the Blue Line nor considered the legally demarcated international boundary according to the UN, identified the Israeli withdrawal line between Lebanon and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. -
Russian Submarine K-141 Kursk Sinks in the Barents Sea
It was a year ago that the Russian nuclear powered submarine, the Kursk, sank with all of its 118 crew. The cause of the accident has yet to be established and amidst the controversy which surrounded it, the tragedy remains the single biggest error of judgement by Vladimir Putin during his time as Russian president. -
Ostankino Tower Catches on Fire
The tower caught fire on August 27, 2000, killing three people. In addition, television and radio signals were disrupted around Moscow. The fire broke out at a height of about 458 m (1,502.6 ft), or approximately 98 metres (322 ft) above the observation platform and the Seventh Heaven restaurant, after a short-circuit in wiring belonging to a paging company. -
Second (al-Aqsa) Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the al-Aqsa Intifada was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000. "Al-Aqsa" is the name of a prominent Muslim mosque, constructed in the 8th century CE at the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, a location considered the holiest site in Judaism and third holiest in Islam. "Intifada" is an Arabic word that literally translates into English as "shaking off." -
Jean-Bertrand Aristide Re-elected President of Haiti
Haiti's general elections of 2000 featured elections for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on May 21, as well as a presidential race in November. Although the legislative elections in May had been delayed several times and irregularities were reported on voting day, the balloting was initially judged to be free and fair. However, there was controversy after the election regarding the decision of the Provisional Electoral Council to declare first-round winners in a number of disputed senate -
Rizal Day Bombings
THE horror brought by the bombing of a packed commuter trains in Manila on December 30, 2000, by a group of renegade Islamic extremist continues to haunt the police. Some 20 people died and scores were seriously injured in the attacks blamed on the Jemaah Islamiah, a pan-regional group linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda. -
Wikipedia is Launched
Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales are the founders of Wikipedia. While Wales is credited with defining the goal of making a publicly editable encyclopedia, Sanger is usually credited with the strategy of using a wiki to reach that goal. On January 10, 2001, Larry Sanger proposed on the Nupedia mailing list to create a wiki as a "feeder" project for Nupedia. Wikipedia was formally launched on January 15, 2001, as a single English-language edition at wikipedia.com, and announced by Sanger -
Bill Clinton's Final Day in Office
Clinton issued 141 pardons and 36 commutations on his last day in office on January 20, 2001.[30][88] Most of the controversy surrounded Marc Rich and allegations that Hillary Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, accepted payments in return for influencing the president's decision-making regarding the pardons.[89] Some of Clinton's pardons remain a point of controversy. -
Ariel Sharon elected Prime Minister of Israel
Elections for Prime Minister were held in Israel on 6 February 2001 following the resignation of the incumbent, Labour's Ehud Barak. Barak stood for re-election against Likud's Ariel Sharon. It was the third and last Prime Ministerial election (separate elections were scrapped before the next Knesset elections in 2003), and the only one which was not held alongside simultaneous Knesset elections. -
eToys Files for Bankruptcy
eToys Announces Bankruptcy Filing and Securities Delisting Los Angeles, March 7, 2001—eToys, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETYS) today announced that it has filed a voluntary petition for reorganization pursuant to the provisions of chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. Section 101-1330, in Delaware. As previously announced, the company said its decision to take this action was based on the results to date of its efforts to pursue strategic alternatives and its conclusion that, under any scenario, -
Kellogg's Acquires Keebler Foods Company
Ending weeks of speculation, Kellogg Co. plans to acquire Keebler Foods Co. in a deal with Flowers Industries Inc., the majority shareholder of Keebler. Kellogg said it would pay $42 for each of Keebler's shares and assume Keebler's debt under the deal, which is expected to close early 2001. The deal, valued at approximately $3.86 billion, would create a company with almost $10 billion in annual sales and further extend Kellogg's operations beyond the breakfast table and into faster-growing area -
Tropical Storm Allison
Allison originated off the coast of Africa on May 21. For the next two weeks it moved across the Atlantic, into the Caribbean and then along the Mexican coast. By the morning of June 6, the storm had winds as high as 60 miles per hour as it hit the Texas coast at Galveston. It battered the region with rain, with Houston getting as much as eight inches. Allison was unusual in that it hovered over the region for several days. -
Time Warner Cable Corporate Offices completed
This unique project began with a complete overhaul of a blighted power plant that dates back to the late 1800s. The building was deemed a historic renovation so all major exterior detail had to be restored to its original condition. The building was then gutted to remove the coal burning turbine engines and coal hoppers that towered through all four stories. After sitting unused for more than two decades, this historic building is once again humming with activity. -
Microsoft Releases Xbox in North America
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Nintendo's GameCube. The integrated Xbox Live service allows players to compete online. -
Halo: Combat Evolved released
Halo: Combat Evolved (commonly known as Halo or Halo 1) is a first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by Bungie. The first game of the Halo series, it was released on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system, and is considered the platform's "killer app." With more than five million copies sold worldwide as of November 9, 2005, Microsoft released versions of the game for Microsoft Windows (ported by Gearbox Software) and Mac OS X in 2003, -
Apple Introduces Complete Redesign of iMac
The 2002 iMac is definitely different with its 10.5" base and 15" flat panel display. Definitely different. Steve Jobs says the design was inspired by a sunflower.
All models feature a G4 processor and can burn CDs. The less expensive models have a 700 MHz G4, and the middle of the line has a Combo drive. The top-end iMac runs an 800 MHz G4 and has a SuperDrive so you can burn DVDs. -
Beirut Summit/Arab Summit Conference
The Beirut Summit (also known as the Arab Summit Conference) was a meeting of the Arab League in Beirut, Lebanon in March 2002 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The meeting became especially noteworthy for the adoption, by the Arab states attending, of a proposal offering a comprehensive peace between the Arab countries and Israel, called the Arab Peace Initiative. -
Dudley Moore Dies
In September 1997 Moore underwent quaduruple heart bypass surgery in London, and subsequently suffered four minor strokes. In June 1998, Nicole Rothschild was reported to have told an American television show that Moore was "waiting to die" due to a serious illness, but these reports were denied by Suzy Kendall. On 30 September 1999, Moore announced that he was suffering from the terminal degenerative brain disorder progressive supranuclear palsy -
Operation Defensive Shield
Operation Defensive Shield was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002, during the course of the Second Intifada. It was the largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The operation was an attempt by the Israeli army to stop the increasing deaths from terrorist attacks. -
Apple Acquires Logic Music Production Software from Emagic
Apple® today announced it has acquired Emagic, a leading provider of professional software solutions for computer based music production. Emagic’s most popular product, Logic, is actively used by over 200,000 musicians around the world. Emagic will operate as a wholly owned division of Apple. -
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City released
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (abbreviated as GTA: VC) is a sandbox-style action-adventure computer and video game designed by Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall. It debuted in North America on October 27, 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and was later ported to the Xbox and PC in 2003. Vice City was preceded by Grand Theft Auto III and followed by Grand Theft Auto: S -
Prestige Oil Spill
The oil spill from the tanker Prestige, which sank off Spain in November 2002, has been far worse than previously claimed, the Spanish government has disclosed. Environmentalists are now comparing the damage caused to that of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989.
More than 80 per cent of the tanker's 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil is now thought to have been spilled off Spain's north-east coast. The government initially said just 17,000 tonnes had been lost, -
SARS Pandemic
Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). There has been one near pandemic to date, between the months of November 2002 and July 2003, with 8,096 known infected cases and 774 confirmed human deaths (a case-fatality rate of 9.6%) worldwide being listed in the World Health Organization's (WHO) 21 April 2004 concluding report. Within a matter of weeks in early 2003, SARS spread from the Guangdong province of China -
Jimmy Carter is Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Jimmy Carter should of course have been awarded the Peace Prize a long time ago. It is no secret today that the Norwegian Nobel Committee wished to give him the Prize in 1978, together with Anwar Sadat and Menachim Begin. A mere formality prevented Carter from receiving his well-earned Peace Prize at that time: he had not been nominated by the 1 February deadline. -
Carson Palmer Wins 2002 Heisman Trophy
Carson Palmer Wins Heisman Trophy!!
Quarterback becomes first Trojan to win the award in 21 years.
NEW YORK - Carson Palmer capped his rise from mediocrity to stardom by winning the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, taking the bronze statue back to the West Coast for the first time in 21 years.
The Southern California quarterback became the first player from the region to win college football's most prestigious award since running back Marcus Allen did it in 1981. -
Daegu Subway Fire
The Daegu subway fire of February 18, 2003 killed at least 198 people and injured at least 147. An arsonist set fire to a train stopped at the Jungangno Station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire then spread to a second train which had entered the station from the opposite direction. -
President Bush Announces that Time is Running Out for UN Inspections in Iraq
Two weeks before he would launch the invasion of Iraq, President Bush announces at a press conference that time is running out on the UN inspections process and on Saddam Hussein -
Federal appeals court rules that Guantanamo Bay detainees have no legal rights in the US
In answer the Supreme Court rejected the proposition "that the Fifth Amendment confers rights upon all persons, whatever their nationality, wherever they are located and whatever their offenses," id. at 783. The Court continued: "If the Fifth Amendment confers its rights on all the world ... [it] would mean that during military occupation irreconcil- able enemy elements, guerrilla fighters, and 'werewolves' could require the American Judiciary to assure them free- doms of speech, press, and asse -
United States Invades Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1, 2003, was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Spain, Poland and Denmark. Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from March 20 to May 1. These were the United States (248,000), United Kingdom (45,000), Australia (2,000), and Poland (194). 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath. -
French Heat Wave of 2003
Between August 3 and August 13, temperatures regularly exceeded 40 C (104 F), TF1 reported. Typically, the temperature in August in Paris is around 23 C (75 F). -
The Canal Hotel Bombing - At Least 22 Killed in Baghdad
The Canal Hotel Bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, in the afternoon of August 19, 2003, killed at least 22 people, including the United Nations' Special Representative in Iraq Sérgio Vieira de Mello, and wounded over 100. The blast targeted the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq created just 5 days earlier (the United Nations had used the hotel as its headquarters in Iraq since 1991.) -
Facebook Launched
Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of a book given to incoming students at Zuckerberg's high school alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy. The book shows the faces and names of the school's stude -
Konginkangas Bus Disaster
The Konginkangas bus disaster was a major traffic accident on March 19, 2004, outside the Konginkangas housing estate in Äänekoski, Finland. At 02:08 local time (00:08 UTC) a bus transporting 38 passengers, most of them youths, to the Rukatunturi skiing center for an alpine skiing vacation crashed into a tractor trailer carrying heavy paper rolls weighing about 61.5 tonnes (60.5 LT; 67.8 ST) total. The accident occurred on highway 4 (E75) 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Äänekoski, and left the bu -
Apple Discontinues Iconic HyperCard Application
HyperCard is an application program created by Bill Atkinson for Apple Computer, Inc. that was among the first successful hypermedia systems before the World Wide Web. It combines database capabilities with a graphical, flexible, user-modifiable interface. HyperCard also features HyperTalk, written by Dan Winkler, a programming language for manipulating data and the user interface. Some HyperCard users employed it as a programming system for Rapid Application Development of applications and data -
2004 Australia Embassy Bombing
The Indonesian government blamed terrorists linked to al-Qaeda for a suicide car bombing early Thursday outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. At least nine people were killed and 173 injured. -
Ali al-Haidari, Governor of the Baghdad Governorate, is Assassinated by Armed Gunmen
Ali al-Haidari was the governor of the Baghdad Governorate in Iraq. Al-Haidari had narrowly escaped being killed in an assassination attempt in early September 2004 in Baghdad, but he was assassinated by armed gunmen during a second attempt in Baghdad in early 2005. -
Pope John Paul II dies
On 31 March 2005 Pope John Paul II developed septic shock, a widespread form of infection with a very high fever and profoundly low blood pressure, but was not taken to the hospital. Instead, he was offered medical monitoring by a team of consultants at his private residence. -
Four Blackwater Defense Contractors Are Ambushed and Killed in Fallujah, Iraq
On March 31, 2004 Fallujah ambush saw Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah ambush a convoy containing four United States contractors from the private security company Blackwater USA, who were conducting delivery for food caterers ESS. -
Riots break out across the Muslim World in response to allegations of Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay detention camp
CAIRO, May 28 -- Muslims in several countries demonstrated Friday in resurgent anti-American anger over reported desecration of the Islamic holy book, the Koran, and some protesters called on their leaders to demand an apology from the United States -
Maharashtra Floods of 2005
The Maharashtra floods of 2005 refers to the flooding of many parts of the Indian state of Maharashtra including large areas of the metropolis Mumbai, a city located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, on the western coast of India, in which at least 1,000 people died. It occurred just one month after similar flooding in Gujarat. The term 26 July, now is, in context always used for the day when the city of Mumbai came to a standstill. -
Hurricane Katrina
At approximately 6:10 a.m., Central Daylight Time, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 storm packing winds of 145 m.p.h., made landfall out of the Gulf of Mexico near Buras, Louisiana, and headed north towards the historic city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the state of Mississippi. At 8:14 a.m., the New Orleans office of the National Weather Service issued a flood warning stating that the city’s Industrial Canal levee had been breached. -
Sago Mine Disaster
The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, in the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, USA near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and ensuing aftermath trapped 13 miners for nearly two days with only one miner surviving. It was the worst mining disaster in the United States since the Jim Walter Resources Mine Disaster in Alabama on September 23, 2001 killed 13 people, and the worst disaster in West Virginia since the 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster that killed -
Bioče Train Disaster
The Bioče train disaster was a train crash on January 23, 2006 in Montenegro. At least 45 people, including five children, were killed and another 184 injured. It was the worst train disaster in Montenegrin history. -
Study from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Determines Greenland's Glaciers Melting Twice as Fast as Previously Estimated
Satellite observations indicate that Greenland's glaciers have been dumping ice into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate that's doubled over the past five years, researchers reported here on Thursday. The findings add yet another factor to the long-running debate over the effect of climate change on the world's ice sheets and sea levels. -
George W. Bush's second inauguration
The second inauguration of George W. Bush as the 43rd President of the United States took place on Thursday January 20, 2005. The inauguration marked the beginning of the second term of George W. Bush as President and Dick Cheney as Vice President. Ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the Oath of office. Attendance at the inauguration has been reported as being around 100,000, 300,000 or 400,000 -
Typhoon Saomai
The most powerful typhoon to hit China in a half century killed 104 people and left at least 190 missing Friday after it blacked out cities and smashed more than 50,000 houses in the southeast part of the country -
Nintendo Releases the Wii
The Wii (ウィー, Uī, pronounced /ˈwiː/, like the pronoun we) is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both.[6] As of December 31, 2008 the Wii leads the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales. -
James Brown Dies
On December 23, 2006, James Brown, in ill health, showed up at his dentist's office in Atlanta, Georgia several hours later than his appointment for dental implant work. During that visit, Brown's dentist observed that Brown looked "very bad ... weak and dazed." Instead of performing the dental work, the dentist advised Brown to see a doctor right away about his medical condition. -
Apple Unveils iPhone
Capping literally years of speculation on perhaps the most intensely followed unconfirmed product in Apple's history -- and that's saying a lot -- the iPhone has been announced today. Yeah, we said it: "iPhone," the name the entire free world had all but unanimously christened it from the time it'd been nothing more than a twinkle in Stevie J's eye (comments, Cisco?). -
Department of Defense announces creation of manual outlining rules for military commissions dealing with Guantanamo Bay detainees
The Defense Department today presented to Congress its manual outlining rules for military commissions as they will be conducted under the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
The manual includes some major departures from past military commissions proceedings, such as affording detainees the right to self representation and directing that no classified information be presented in court without the detainees’ presence -
Adult Swim's Marketing Causes the 2007 Boston Bomb Scare
On January 31, 2007, a bomb scare occurred when police officers mistakenly identified small electronic devices found throughout Boston and the surrounding cities of Cambridge and Somerville as improvised explosive devices. The devices turned out to be battery-powered LED placards with an image of a cartoon character called a Mooninite. The placards were part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, -
Groundhog Day Tornado Outbreak
The 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak was a localized but devastating tornado event that took place in central Florida early on February 2, 2007. Early morning temperatures had risen well above average for the season; combined with increased moisture and a powerful jet stream, this created enough instability and wind shear for thunderstorms to rotate and spawn tornadoes. Due to the conditions, a long-tracked supercell formed and produced three tornadoes over one hour and seventeen minutes -
Wilson Sporting Goods Moves to New Headquarters
Wilson’s new headquarters makes you feel like you’re at Center Court at Wimbledon or taking the final shot as the clock runs out. Employees of Wilson Sporting Goods Co. were welcomed to their new headquarters facility on June 1, 2007. Kept under wraps from concept through construction, despite being right next door to their current office, the new facility was opened to all 280 global headquarters employees for a tour before they moved into their new home the following week. -
Bald Eagle Removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
The bald eagle was on the brink of extinction in the continental United States (while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada) late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and has been officially removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species. -
Libya Frees All Six of the Medics in the HIV Trial
The Six then had their sentences commuted to life in prison by a Libyan government panel. They were released following a deal reached with European Union representatives on humanitarian issues (the EU did not condone the guilty verdict in Libya against the Six). On July 24, 2007, the five medics and the doctor were extradited to Bulgaria, where their sentences were commuted by the Bulgarian President and they were freed. -
I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse
About 6:05 p.m. central daylight time on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, the eight-lane, 1,907-foot-long I‑35W highway bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, experienced a catastrophic failure in the main span of the deck truss. As a result, 1,000 feet of the deck truss collapsed, with about 456 feet of the main span falling 108 feet into the 15-foot-deep river. A total of 111 vehicles were on the portion of the bridge that collapsed. Of these, 17 were recovered from the water. -
Dole Food Company Recognized for Corporate Social Responsibility Programs in Costa Rica and Thailand
Dole announced yesterday that Standard Fruit Company de Costa Rica, a Dole division in Costa Rica, and Dole Thailand received the 2007 'Grand Winner' Award and a 2007 'Excellence Award' from their respective American Chambers of Commerce, for outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) achievements. -
A Suicide Bombing Occurs In Zayouna, Baghdad
Zayouna is a neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq. Zayouna a residential area in Baghdad, Iraq's capital city located on the side of the Rusafa city of Baghdad, surrounded by the army from the north channel to the south by the rapid and Muhammad al-Qasim al-Ghadeer is located between the east and the Ministries Complex in Palestine Street -
A Macedonian Army Mil Mi-17 Helicopter Crashes Southeast of Skopje
The Mil Mi-17 (also known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service, NATO reporting name "Hip") is a Russian-designed helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. Mil Mi-8/17 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. -
Thousands of Palestinians Cross into Egypt, as the Border Wall With Gaza in Rafah is Blown up by Militants
The breach of the Gaza-Egypt border began on January 23, 2008, after Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip set off an explosion near the Rafah Border Crossing, destroying part of the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. The United Nations estimates that as many as half the 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip crossed the border into Egypt seeking food and supplies. Israeli police went on an increased alert due to fears that militants would acquire weapons in Egypt -
Bhutan Holds Its First General Election
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African Union and Comoros Forces Invade the Rebel-Held Island of Anjouan
The invasion of Anjouan (code-named Operation Democracy in Comoros), on March 25, 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union (AU) forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical support from Libya and France. The objective of the invasion was to topple Colonel Mohamed Bacar's leadership in Anjouan, an island part of the Union of Comoros, when he refused to step down after a disputed 2007 election, -
A Car Bomb Explodes Outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan
The 2008 Danish embassy bombing was an attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan on June 2, 2008. The suspected suicide car bombing in the parking lot of the embassy took place at around 12:10 pm (UTC+5), killing at least five and wounding many more. The Danish national security intelligence agency PET has concluded that al-Qaeda was behind the attack. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack on June 5, 2008. -
Santika Club Fire
At least 61 people are dead and more than 200 injured after a fire broke out during a new year's party at a Bangkok nightclub. The blaze began just as revellers were counting down the last few seconds of 2008. However, there are conflicting reports about the cause. -
Lt. Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn creates Illinois Reform Commission
The man who could be in line to take over from Illinois' scandal-tainted governor is setting up a panel to make recommendations on cleaning up state government. Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins to head the panel. Collins prosecuted the case that sent former Gov. George Ryan to prison for corruption -
US Airways Flight 1549 Lands in the Hudson River
The following is an exclusive account for our members from one of our pilots who was onboard US Airways Flight 1549 when the pilots made a successful emergency ditching into New York's Hudson River. First Officer Susan O'Donnell is a La Guardia-based 767 pilot. She resides with her family in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Susan is a former Navy pilot, hired at AA in February 1990. She has flown the 727, F100, A300 and now the 767. -
Situ Gintung Flood
A dam has burst south-west of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, killing at least 58 people. Witnesses said a "horrifying" flash flood of water up to 4m (13ft) deep engulfed hundreds of homes in Cirendeu in the Tangerang district. -
Earliest Onset of Swine Flu in the United States
The details that I have are that the earliest onset was March 28 and that the more recent ones are, I believe, April 19. That may not be accurate and on our Web site we will have the accurate information. But these are, you know, ranging from that early, that late March time line to quite a bit more recently. -
Porsche Panamera is First Produced
The Porsche Panamera (Type number 970) is a four-door, four-seat luxury saloon/sedan, which was launched in 2009. It is front-engined with rear-wheel drive, with a four-wheel drive version also available. The Porsche Panamera production model was unveiled at the 13th Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in Shanghai, China on April 2009. -
Lakki Marwat Suicide Bombing
At least 88 people have been killed by a suicide bomb attack at a volleyball court in the troubled north-west of Pakistan, local police say. Police chief Ayub Khan said the bomber drove towards a field where people were watching a match, before detonating a load of high-intensity explosives. -
Opening of World's Tallest Building, Burj Khalifa, Formerly Called Burj Dubai
The opening Monday of the world's tallest skyscraper could mark a turning point in Dubai's fortunes and those of its ruler after a year that saw both come under intense scrutiny. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the city-state's 60-year-old hereditary leader, hopes the building and its surrounding $20 billion development will help enhance his reputation among international investors and restore Dubai's allure as a business hub. -
President Obama Meets with Security Advisors to Determine Appropriate Security Reforms in Wake of Failed Christmas-Day Bombing
.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to announce reforms to the nation's counterterrorism policies, following the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. jetliner. -
First North Korean Attack on Civilians Since the Korean War Armistice
According to the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the North Korea military started firing a barrage of artillery shells at 2:34 p.m. local time, on Yeonpyeong Island and its surrounding waters. A least two marines were killed and 13 soldiers wounded, as shells fell on the island inhabited by 1,600 civilians. Four residents were reported wounded. The bombing on the island ended at 4:42 p.m. -
US and Japan Commence Largest-Ever Joint Military Exercise as South Korea Threatens North with Air Strikes
Japan and the US began their biggest-ever joint military exercise today, as South Korea warned it would carry out air strikes against North Korea if the regime repeated its attack on Yeonpyeong. Kim Kwan-jin, expected to be named Seoul's new defence minister at the weekend, said any provocation from the North would be met with immediate retaliation. "In case the enemy attacks our territory and people again, we will thoroughly retaliate to ensure that the enemy cannot provoke again," he said. -
Christmas Island Boat Disaster
The death toll from the Christmas Island shipwreck could rise as high as 50, Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmed today. Ms Gillard told a Canberra press conference that the Australian Federal Police believe there were around 90 people on board the asylum seeker boat which broke up after hitting rocks on Wednesday. -
The death toll from the Christmas Island shipwreck could rise as high as 50, Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmed today.Ms Gillard told a Canberra press conference that the Australian Federal Police believe there were around 90 people on board the asylu
North Korea proposed on Saturday talks with the South in late January or early February and said it will reopen a liaison office in a jointly-run factory park with the South that it shut down last year -
Floods and Landslides Kill Hundreds in Rio de Janeiro (State)
Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 270 people in southern Brazil, and the death toll is expected to rise significantly. Many families were buried as they slept in their mountain town homes near Rio de Janeiro after hillsides collapsed, Reuters reports. "There was no way of telling which house would fall. Rich and poor—everything was destroyed," said a survivor in the devastated town of Teresopolis. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has released hundreds of milli -
400 Dead in Brazilian Flooding and Mudslides
The death toll from Brazil's mudslides in the mountain towns north of Rio rose to 381 today, reports AP. That figure is expected to rise still more as the hunt for survivors continues. The landslides, triggered by torrential rains, buried many victims as they slept. -
Thousands of Protesters Descend on Madison, WI to Oppose Anti-Union Bill
Thousands of teachers, prison guards, and students descended on the Wisconsin Capitol for a second day today to fight a move to take union rights away from government workers. The Statehouse filled with as many as 10,000 demonstrators, and Madison teachers joined the protest by calling in sick in such numbers that the district had to cancel classes. Republican Gov. Scott Walker is seeking passage of the nation's most aggressive anti-union proposal, which was moving swiftly through the GOP-led le -
Prince William of Wales Marries Kate Middleton
More than a billion eyes were on Kate Middleton as she stepped out of the queen's 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI in front of London's Westminster Abbey on Friday wearing a wedding dress of fairy-tale princess-esque proportions — a dress that will be immortalized in fashion history. -
US Forces Kill Osama Bin Laden
WASHINGTON — Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the most devastating attack on American soil in modern times and the most hunted man in the world, was killed in a firefight with United States forces in Pakistan on Sunday, President Obama announced -
Graduation
