Difference between revisions of "2006"

	2006 by topic:
News:	Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun ; Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec
Arts	Architecture - Art - Literature ; Music - Film - Television - Home video
Politics	Elections - Int'l leaders - Politics - State leaders
Sci/Tech	Archaeology - Aviation - Railroads - Science
Countries	Australia - Canada - India - Iraq - Ireland - South Africa
Other	Deaths - Gaming - Religious leaders - Sport

Years:	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Centuries:	20th century - 21st century - 22nd century

Revision as of 14:05, 22 September 2008

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2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is the current year.

Climate

The first half of 2006 has been tied with 1998 as the warmest for any year since the 1890s, indicating it may become the warmest year on record, which had already happened only a year earlier.

It has been designated:

The year of Aquarius, the Water Bearer in Western astrology. The next year for Aquarius will be in the year 2018.
The Year of the Dog in the Chinese calendar. The next year of the dog will be in the year 2018.
International Year of Deserts and Desertification.

Events

January

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January 1 - Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
January 2 - Fifteen are killed when the Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof in Germany collapses after heavy snowfall in the Bavarian Alps.
January 3 - Twelve deceased coal miners and one survivor are discovered in the Sago Mine Disaster near Buckhannon, West Virginia in the United States.
January 4 - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his deputy, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, after Sharon suffers a massive hemorrhagic stroke.
January 5 - A hotel in Makkah, Saudi Arabia collapses, killing 76 pilgrims visiting to perform hajj.
January 6 - The record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially draws to a close as Tropical Storm Zeta dissipates.
January 7 - Embroiled in multiple scandals, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay announces he will not seek to reassume his former post. U.K. Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.
January 8 - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 earthquake epicentered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin. Only a few minor injuries and no significant damage were reported.
January 9 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 11,000 for the first time since June 7, 2001 closing at 11,011.90.
January 11 - Augustine Volcano in Alaska erupts twice, marking its first major eruption since 1986.
January 12 - A stampede during the Stoning of the devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills 362 Muslim pilgrims.

New Horizons, the world's first probe to Pluto, is launched on January 19

January 14 - A natural gas explosion in a coal mine kills eight in Romania.
January 15 - NASA's Stardust mission successfully ends, being the first to return dust from a comet.
January 23 - Stephen Harper wins the federal election in Canada forming a minority government.
January 25 - Hamas wins the majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections.
January 25 - Deus Caritas Est, the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, is promulgated.
January 27 - Celebrations in Salzburg and around the world for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Mozart.
January 28 - A trade hall roof collapses in Katowice, Poland, killing 65 people.

February

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February 1 - UAL. Corp, United Airlines' parent company emerges from bankruptcy after being in such position since December 9, 2002, the longest such filing in history.
February 7 - An aging Egyptian passenger ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sinks in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast.

The logo of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy

February 8- Four hundred four soldiers desert their barracks in East Timor. This is seen as the start of the 2006 East Timor crisis
February 10 - The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin, Italy. The closing ceremony occurs on February 26. The next 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Whistler, Vancouver, Canada.
February 11 - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots friend and lawyer Harry Whittington, on a south Texas ranch.
February 16 - Kobe Airport, a controversial offshore airport in Kobe, Japan, opens for airline service.
February 17 - As many as eighteen hundred people die when a mudslide occurs on the island of Leyte in the Philippines.
February 19 - Sixty-five miners become trapped underground after an explosion in Nueva Rosita, Mexico during the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster. There are no survivors.
February 22 - A blast heavily damages the Al Askari Mosque, a Shiite holy site in Samarra, Iraq, causing a wave of protests and counterattacks across Iraq.
February 22 - Over Â£53.1 million is stolen during the Securitas depot robbery, the largest ever cash robbery in the United Kingdom.
February 22 - The one billionth song is purchased from Apple iTunes.
February 23 - A roof collapses on a Moscow market, killing 56 people.
February 24 - A state of emergency is declared in the Philippines after an alleged coup d'etat against President Gloria Arroyo is foiled.
February 25 - Six police officers, seven protesters, and a journalist receive head wounds when a protest prior to the Love Ulster parade turns into a major riot.
February 25 - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni wins 2nd re-election, sparking riots in Kampala by opposition supporters.

March

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March 3 - The first World Baseball Classic opens in Tokyo, Japan.
March 4 - A new species of shark, Mustelus hacat, is discovered in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, bringing the number of Mustelus species found in the eastern North Pacific to five.
March 4 - The Deep Space Network tries one final attempt to contact Pioneer 10.
March 5 - Crash wins Best Picture, Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) wins Best Director, Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) wins Best Actress, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) wins Best Actor during the 78th Academy Awards.
March 7 - Fifteen people die and many others are injured in three blasts throughout Varanasi, India.
March 9 - NASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft discovers geysers of a liquid substance shooting from Saturn's moon Enceladus, signaling a possible presence of water.

Tropical Cyclone Larry, considered the worst tropical cyclone to hit Queensland, off the Australian coast on March 18

March 10 - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters Mars orbit.
March 11 - Slobodan MiloÅ¡eviÄ‡, former Yugoslav president, dies of a heart attack in his prison cell in The Hague, Netherlands.
March 11 - Michelle Bachelet is sworn in as the first female President of Chile.
March 15-March 26 - The 2006 Commonwealth Games take place in Melbourne, Australia.
March 20 - Tropical Cyclone Larry makes landfall in Queensland, Australia as what is considered to be the worst cyclone to hit the region since 1931.
March 22 - Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) declares a permanent ceasefire in their campaign for Basque independence from Spain.
March 25 - An estimated 500,000 people take to the streets in downtown Los Angeles in protest of a proposed federal crackdown on illegal immigration.
March 25 - A revolutionary scramjet jet engine Hyshot III designed to fly at seven times the speed of sound is successfully tested at Woomera, South Australia.
March 26 - The ban on smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants comes into effect in Scotland.
March 30 - The first Brazilian astronaut, Marcos Pontes, goes to space in a Russian spaceship, Soyuz TMA-8, at 2:29:00 CET.
March 30 - The al-Dana capsizes off the coast of Bahrain killing at least forty-eight people.

April

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April 5 - A swan with Avian Flu is discovered in Cellardyke in Fife, Scotland: the first case in the United Kingdom.
April 8 - The bodies of eight murdered men are found in Shedden, Ontario (see Shedden massacre).

File:Zacarias Moussaoui2.jpg

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April 8 - Bristol, United Kingdom celebrates the 200th birthday of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (actually April 9) by relighting the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
April 9 - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is taken out of office after four months in a coma.
April 10 - Romano Prodi narrowly defeats Silvio Berlusconi in Italian parliamentary elections.
April 11 - ESA's Venus Express spaceprobe enters Venus's orbit.
April 11 - President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirms that Iran had successfully produced a few grams of 3.5% low-enriched uranium.
April 16 - HSH Albert II, Prince of Monaco, reaches the North Pole, becoming the first reigning monarch ever to do so.
April 17 - A suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad in Tel Aviv kills nine people, injures dozens.
April 18 - Centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
April 19 - Han Myung-sook becomes South Korea's first female Prime Minister.
April 20 - Iran announces a uranium enrichment deal with Russia, involving a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil. Nine days later Iran announces that it will not move all activity to Russia, thus leading to a de-facto termination of the deal.
April 22 - War on Terror: Four Canadian soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of Kandahar, Afghanistan by a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants, the worst one-day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War.
April 24 - Three explosions in a tourist section of Dahab, Egypt kill 30 and injure over 115.
April 29 - Massive anti-war demonstrations and a march down Broadway in New York City mark the third year of war in Iraq. Also, the Global Night Commute takes place in over 130 cities around the world to promote the visibility of the Invisible Children in Uganda.

May

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May 1 - Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalizes his nation's gas fields.
May 1 - The Great American Boycott takes place across the US nation as marchers protest for illegal immigration rights.
May 4 - A new coalition government takes office in Israel, with four political parties, which together hold 67 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.
May 5 - After disappointing results in the English local elections, British Prime Minister Tony Blair holds major reshuffle of his cabinet, due also to political crises of some high ranking members.

The location of the epicenter of the earthquake that struck Indonesia on May 27

May 5 - NASA astronomers announce the discovery of a storm system in the Jovian atmosphere, dubbed the Red Spot Junior, which has a striking similar appearance to the famous Great Red Spot.
May 8 - Judgment is given in London in favour of Apple Computer in Apple Corps v. Apple Computer, a trademark lawsuit brought by The Beatles' company, Apple Corps.
May 8 - Fighting between Palestinian factions leave one Fatah gunman and two Hamas gunmen dead.
May 9 - After 14 days trapped underground after the Beaconsfield mine collapse, miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb are rescued in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia.
May 13 - Liverpool defeat West Ham to win the FA Cup on penalties after a 3-3 draw. [1], [2], [3]
May 17 - Captain Nichola Goddard of the 1st RCHA becomes Canada's first female casualty since World War II, and Canada's first female combat arms casualty.
May 20 - Finland's Lordi wins the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest held in Athens. The monster-like band earns the most points ever given in the fifty-one year-old history of the contest.
May 22 - Belfast City Airport is officially renamed the George Best Belfast City Airport in memory of the football legend on what would have been his 60th birthday.
May 23 - The collision of a Greek and a Turkish fighter jet above southeastern Aegean Sea results in the death of the Greek pilot. The accident took place as the two aircraft were involved in a mock fight.
May 24 - East Timor's Foreign Minister Horta officially requests military assistance from the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal
May 27 - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes central Java in Indonesia, killing more than 5,400, injuring at least 6,500 and leaving some 100,000 people homeless. Death toll likely to rise over time.
May 27 - First attempt of a demonstration for the rights of homosexual people in Moscow. It was broken up by the police because it was illegal.
May 28 - President Alvaro Uribe Velez is re-elected in Colombia for a second term. He becomes the first president in over a century to serve consecutive terms.

June

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June 3 - Montenegro declares independence from Serbia after a May 21 referendum.
June 3 - Seventeen men are arrested in the Greater Toronto Area for alleged ties to a terrorist plot to blow up targets in the region. (see also: 2006 Toronto terrorism case)
June 6 - Serbia and Montenegro is formally dissolved.
June 7 - War on Terror: Al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and seven of his aides are killed in Iraq during a US air raid just north of the town of Baqouba.
June 9 - An explosion kills eight Palestinian civilians on a Gaza beach. Four days later, after an investigation, Israel very strongly denies any responsibility for the blast.
June 9 - Thailand begins celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej to the throne
June 9 - FIFA World Cup 2006 begins in Germany, with a 4-2 win for the host nation against Costa Rica, and a 2-0 victory for Ecuador over Poland.
June 10 - President Mahmoud Abbas sets July 26 as the date for a national referendum in Palestine.
June 11 - The first tropical depression of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season is upgraded by the National Hurricane Center to the year's first tropical storm, Alberto.
June 18 - The first Kazakh space satellite "KazSat" is launched.
June 22 - The Magen David Adom and Palestine Red Crescent Society are officially recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross
June 23 - War on Terror: In Miami, the FBI arrests seven men, accusing them of planning to bomb the Sears Tower and other attacks in Miami, Florida.
June 23-June 29 - Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006
June 25 - Warren Buffett donates over $30 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
June 28 - Mideast Crisis:The beginning of Israeli Operation Summer Rains in Gaza.
June 29 - The Dutch cabinet Balkenende II resigned after the political party of D'66 dropped its support.
June 29 - The United States Supreme Court rules in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that the military commissions to be used to try some detainees in Guantanamo Bay's Camp Delta are illegal.
June 29 - Kuwaiti elections.

July

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July 1 - Qinghai-Tibet Railway launches trial operation, connecting China proper and Tibet for the first time.
July 2 - Presidential election is held in Mexico. Felipe Calderon is confirmed as the winner on July 6.
July 4 - Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.
July 5 - North Korea test fires at least seven missiles including a long-range Taepodong-2
July 6 - The Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years.
July 9 - S7 Airlines Flight 778 crashes into a concrete barrier shortly after landing killing at least 122 people and leaving many injured.
July 9 - Italy wins FIFA World Cup 2006 by beating France 5-3 on penalties. Score after regular time was 1-1.
July 10 - Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688 crashes in Multan, Pakistan shortly after takeoff killing all 45 people on board.
July 10 - Ceiling panels in one of the tunnels of Boston's Big Dig collapse, crushing a passing vehicle and killing its driver leaving one alive.
July 11 - A series of coordinated bomb attacks strikes several commuter trains in Mumbai, India during evening rush hour.
July 12 - 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict: Israeli troops enter Lebanon in response to Hezbollah kidnapping two Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah declares open war against Israel two days later.
July 17 - A magnitude 7.2 earthquake causes a tsunami to hit Indonesia
July 23 - Miss Universe pageant takes place in Los Angeles, USA. Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico is proclaimed the winner.
July 23 - American Floyd Landis wins the Tour de France, after what may be considered the greatest comeback in Tour history.
July 27 - Tour de France winner Floyd Landis tests positive for high levels of testosterone during the race.
July 28 - Alejandro Toledo concludes his term as President of Peru. Alan Garcia becomes president.
July 30 - The world's longest running music show Top of the Pops broadcasts for the last time on BBC Two, after 42 years.
July 31 - Fidel Castro, president of Cuba, temporarily relinquishes power to his brother RaÃºl before surgery.

August

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August 9 - The new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia becomes effective.

Predictions and scheduled events

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September

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September 1 - Execution of Mirza Hussain.
September 9-September 14 - Pope Benedict XVI will visit his hometown of Marktl am Inn.
September 17 - Swedish general election, 2006: Sweden holds elections for the Riksdag.
September 19-September 20 - 2006 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, Singapore
September 20 - Election of President of Liberal Democratic Party. Successor of Junichiro Koizumi, not only as a President of LDP, but as a Prime minister of Japan, will be determined.
September 22 - Junichiro Koizumi concludes his term as a President of Liberal Democratic Party.
September 26 - Scheduled reopening date of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, LA after repairs to the Superdome from damages sustained during Hurricane Katrina.
September 28 - Suvarnabhumi Airport, one of the biggest airport in Southeast Asia, scheduled to be opened in Bangkok, Thailand.
September 29 - Diet of Japan convened for the election of new Prime minister of Japan, who succeeds Junichiro Koizumi.

October

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October 1 - Vodafone Japan, which was already sold from Vodafone to SoftBank, is officially changed to Softbank Mobile Corp..
October 2 - Brazilian General Elections, 2006: Presidential election, Legislative: full renewal of the Chamber of Deputies and renewal of one third of the Federal Senate (one of each state's three seats); State sphere: Gubernatorial elections, renewal of the State Legislative body (State Assembly) in all states.
October 4- The 2006-07 NHL regular season begins.
October 12 - The USA is projected to reach a population of 300 million residents. [4] [5]
October 15 - Chief Justice of Japan Akira Machida will be forced to retire upon reaching the age of 70.
October 21 - The 2006 World Series begins at the home stadium of the American League champions.
October 23 - Jeffrey Skilling is scheduled to be sentenced on charges relating to the financial collapse of Enron.
October 24 - NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft to Mercury makes the first of two Venus flybys.
October 25 - Microsoft plans to release Windows Vista to corporate partners.
October 31 - The 2006-07 NBA regular season begins.

November

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November 7 - Midterm elections are held in the United States.
November 8 - A transit of Mercury will occur beginning at 19:12 UTC.
November 11 - The PlayStation 3 video game system is to be released in Japan
November 17 - The PlayStation 3 video game system is to be released in North America, Europe, Australia and the rest of world
November 17 - The 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale (2006 film), will open in theatres worldwide, New Zealand excluded.
November 18 - November 19 - Meeting of the G20 industrial nations in Melbourne, Australia.
November 22 - A General Election will take place for the House of Keys in the Isle of Man.
November 23 - The PlayStation 3 video game system is to be released in New Zealand
November 24 - Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair's deadline on Northern Ireland power sharing.
November 27-December 15 - The XV Asian Games begin Doha
November 28-November 29 - The NATO Summit 2006 will take place in Latvia.
November 30 - The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season and the 2006 Pacific hurricane season officially end.
November - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to end aerobraking stage and begin a two-year long science phase mission.

December

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December 2-December 3 - The Liberal Party of Canada will hold its leadership convention
December 3 - 2006 presidential elections expected to take place in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
December 5 - Release of next ASIMO.

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Major religious holidays

January 6 - Feast of Epiphany or Dia de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Magi Kings).
January 7 - Christmas in the Russian Orthodox and Serbian Orthodox church calendar.
January 10 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 12)
January 11 - Vaikunta Ekadasi is observed by Hindus. This is the day when the Gates of Heaven open and remain open for the next ten days.
January 14 - Mahayana Buddhist New Year.
January 14 - Pongal Harvest Festival in Tamil Nadu.
January 15 - Maatu Pongal, Festival of Cows in Tamil Nadu.
January 16 - Uzhavar Tirunaal, Farmer's Day in Tamil Nadu.
January 29 - Year of the Dog, 4703, begins. Chinese/Asian New Year.
January 31 - Muslim New Year.
February 9 - Day of Ashurah.
February 13 - Tu Bishvat
February 28 - Mardi Gras
March 13 - Jewish holiday of Purim begins at sunset.
March 14 - Sikh New Year.
March 21 - Iranian New Year's Day (Norouz)
March 30 - Hindu New Year.
April 5 - Qingming Festival
April 11 - Birth anniversary of the last Prophet Muhammad.
April 12 - Pesach or Passover begins at sunset, continues for a week.
April 13 - Theravada Buddhist New Year.
April 13 - Punjabi New Year
April 14 - Good Friday in the Western Church Calendar, Sikh Holiday of Vaisakhi
April 14 - Puththaandu Tamil New Year in the Tamil Calendar, observed by people in Tamil Nadu.
April 16 - Easter in the Western Church Calendar.
April 21 - Good Friday in the Eastern Church Calendar.
April 23 - Easter in the Eastern Church Calendar.
June 1 - Jewish holiday of Shavuot begins at sunset.
September 22 - Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown. Continues until nightfall of the 24th.
September 23 - First day of Ramadan.
October 1 - Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur begins at sundown. Ends at nightfall of the 2nd.
October 24 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
October 26 - Hindu festival of Diwali.
December 16 - Channukah
December 25 - Christmas Day in the Western Church Calendar.
December 31 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 2, 2007)

Births