Facts and Events That Happened in This Year
A gas explosion occurred in Guoqiao, Kai, Chongqing, China.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released in theaters.
Mexican singer Thalia the 'Queen of Latin Pop,' was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
The final film in the Lord of the Rings series 'The Return of the King,' directed by Peter Jackson, premiered in Wellington, New Zealand.
The last Concorde to ever fly made a lap of honor over the English channel.
The UK's repealed anti-gay amendment, Section 28, came to a complete end in the UK.
A world record commercial railway train speed of 311 mph (500 kph) was achieved by Shanghai Transrapid Railway Systems.
The popular Christmas comedy movie, Elf, was released in the USA.
The comedy series 'Arrested Development' premiered on FOX.
A shark bit off an arm of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton in Hawaiian waters.
The Cedar Fire swept through San Diego County, California, destroying 2,232 homes and killing fifteen people.
The final commercial Concorde flight took place between New York and London Heathrow.
Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor of California.
The European Space Agency integrated its SMART-1 spacecraft with its dedicated launching rocket.
After 14 years in space, NASA's Galileo spacecraft was intentionally destroyed in Jupiter's atmosphere.
The people of Estonia voted to approve joining the European Union.
Half a million people in South East England were left without electricity.
Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years.
A major blackout occurred in the Northeastern and Midwestern US along with Ontario, Canada.
The Anglican Church of America approved a gay bishop.
Volkswagen stopped production of the old VW Beetle.
NASA's Opportunity Mars rover launched from the Florida Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Cosmic Call 2 mission occurred at the Eupatoria Planetary Radar in western Crimea.
The World Health Organization announced that the SARS outbreak was now contained.
Tesla Motors was incorporated in Palo Alto, California, US.
J.K. Rowling published the 5th Harry Potter book 'The Order of the Phoenix.'
The Wikimedia Foundation Inc. was founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The European Space Agency launched its 'Mars Express,' the first planetary mission in Europe.
Finding Nemo, directed by Andrew Stanton, was released in the US & Canada.
The first-ever cloned horse was born in a natural delivery.
American singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone died at 70 from breast cancer.
Michael Jordan played in his final NBA game.
The Human Genome Project was completed in London, England.
US forces pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad to symbolize the end of the Iraqi president's brutal reign.
US forces circled the city of Baghdad, which led to the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime two days later.
Ground troops from the USA, UK, Australia, and Poland invaded Iraq.
The Second Iraq War began after an airstrike took place in the country by combined US and British forces.
The UK government recognized British Sign Language (BSL) as an official language.
The Station nightclub in Rhode Island burned down, killing 100 people.
The first reusable spacecraft called ''Space Shuttle Columbia" broke apart when returning to Earth, and all seven astronauts on board died.
The last signal from the Pioneer 10 space probe was received.
The Columbia space shuttle took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its final time.
