2006

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Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

The year 2006 was designated:

The Year of the Dog In the Chinese calendar, beginning on January 29, 2006.
International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly,
International Asperger's Year,
Year of Mozart, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Events of 2006

January

January 1 - Sydney, Australia, has its hottest day on record, when the city swelters in 45°C heat.
January 1 - Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
January 2 - The Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof in Germany collapses after heavy snowfall in the Bavarian Alps, killing 15.
January 3 - Twelve dead coal miners and one survivor are discovered in the Sago Mine Disaster near Buckhannon, West Virginia, U.S.
January 4 - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his deputy, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after Sharon suffers a massive hemorrhagic stroke.
January 5 - A hotel in Mecca, 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.
January 7 - UK Liberal Democratic leader Charles Kennedy resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.
January 8 - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 earthquake centered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin.
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 - The 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 pilgrims.
January 14 - A natural gas explosion in a coal mine kills eight in Romania.
January 15 - NASA's Stardust mission successfully ends, the first to return dust from a comet.
January 19 - Terrorist blows himself up in Tel Aviv, killing only himself but injuring 20 people, one of them seriously.
January 22 - Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in regulation and is second only to the legendary 1960s center Wilt Chamberlain, who had 100 points.
January 23 - Stephen Harper wins the federal election in Canada, forming a minority government.
January 24 - Mario Lemieux announces his retirement from the National Hockey League
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 are held in Salzburg and around the world for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
January 28 - A trade hall roof collapses in Katowice, Poland, killing 65 people.
January 31 - Samuel Alito is sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

February

February 1 - UAL Corporation, United Airlines' parent company, emerges from bankruptcy after being in that position since December 9, 2002, the longest such filing in history.
February 4 - The Wowowee stampede occurred at the PhilSports Arena. 61 killed.
February 5 - The Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10.
February 7 - An aging Egyptian passenger ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sinks in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast.
February 8 - 2006 East Timor crisis: 404 soldiers desert their barracks in East Timor.
February 10 - The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin, Italy. The closing ceremony occurred on February 26.
February 16 - Kobe Airport, a controversial offshore airport in Kobe, Japan, opens for airline service.
February 17 - As many as 1,800 people die when a mudslide occurs on Leyte Island in the Philippines.
February 19 - Pasta de Conchos mine disaster: Sixty-five miners become trapped underground after an explosion in Nueva Rosita, Mexico; all 65 die.
February 22 - A bomb heavily damages the Al Askari Mosque, a Shiite holy site in Samarra, Iraq.
February 22 - Over £53.1 million is stolen during the Securitas depot robbery, the largest ever cash robbery in the United Kingdom.
February 22 - The 1 billionth song is purchased from the Apple iTunes Store.
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'état against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is foiled.
February 25 - Police officers, and protesters injured when a protest prior to the Love Ulster parade turns into a major riot.
February 25 - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni wins his second re-election, sparking riots in Kampala by opposition supporters.

March

March 4 - The final contact attempt with Pioneer 10 receives no response.
March 4 - Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway was christened by Bishop Ole Christian Kvarme at the chapel inside The Royal Palace in Oslo.
March 5 - The 78th Academy Awards, hosted by Jon Stewart are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with Crash winning Best Picture.
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.
March 10 - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters Mars orbit.
March 11 - Michelle Bachelet is sworn in as the first female President of Chile.
March 11 - Slobodan Milošević is found dead in his cell in the UN war crimes tribunal's detention centre, located in the Scheveningen section of The Hague.
March 12 - Historic cricket match between Australia in South Africa, 5th ODI of the series.
March 15-March 26 - The 2006 Commonwealth Games take place in Melbourne, Australia.
March 17 - The United States strikes its two remaining Iowa-class battleships from the Naval Vessel Register, ending the age of the battleship.
March 20 - Tropical Cyclone Larry makes landfall in Queensland, Australia.
March 21 - Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Laila Freivalds resigns after over a year of criticism.
March 22 - ETA declares a permanent ceasefire in their campaign for Basque independence from Spain.
March 24 - Disney Channel's original hit series Hannah Montana premieres, getting the most viewers for a Disney Channel premiere so far.
March 25 - An estimated 500,000 people take to the streets in downtown Los Angeles to protest 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 25 - Seven people die in the Capitol Hill Massacre in Seattle, Washington.
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 Soyuz spacecraft, Soyuz TMA-8, at 2:29:00 CET.
March 30 - The al-Dana capsizes off the coast of Bahrain, killing at least 48 people.
March 30 - The first World Baseball Classic ends in San Diego, California with Japan beating Cuba in the Championship.

April

April 1 - Apple Inc. celebrates its 30th birthday.
April 5 - A swan with Avian Flu is discovered in Cellardyke in Fife, Scotland (the first case in the United Kingdom).
April 6 - Allegedly the day the Devil would rise from hell.
April 8 - Shedden massacre: The bodies of 8 murdered men are found in Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario.
April 8 - Bristol, United Kingdom celebrates the 200th birthday of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (actually April 9) by relighting the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
April 8 - Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Niall Madden, wins the Grand National at Aintree.
April 8 - Bloc 8406 publishes their Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Viet Nam in Viet Nam; their name comes from this date.
April 9 - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is removed from office after four months in a coma.
April 9 - Hungarian parliamentary election, 2006
April 10 - Romano Prodi narrowly defeats Silvio Berlusconi in the Italian parliamentary elections.
April 11 - The European Space Agency's Venus Express spaceprobe enters Venus' orbit.
April 11 - President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirms that Iran has successfully produced a few grams of low-grade enriched uranium.
April 16 - Albert II, Prince of Monaco, reaches the North Pole, becoming the first reigning monarch ever to do so.
April 16 - Ireland commemorates the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising for the first time since 1971.
April 17 - A suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad in Tel Aviv kills nine people and injures dozens.
April 18 - Festivities and memorials across the Bay Area mark the 100th anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
April 19 - Han Myeong Sook becomes the first female Prime Minister of South Korea.
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 – the worst one-day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War.
April 22 - Jalal Talabani re-elected for a second term as President of Iraq.
April 24 - Three explosions in a tourist section of Dahab, Egypt kill 30 and injure over 115.
April 25 - The Beaconsfield mine collapse occurs in Tasmania, Australia
April 28 - Ground is broken for the $2.1 billion Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
April 29 - Massive anti-war demonstrations and a march down Broadway in New York City mark the third year of war in Iraq.
April 29 - The Global Night Commute takes place in over 130 cities around the world to promote the visibility of the Invisible Children in Uganda.
April 30 - In the Australian Football League, a match between St Kilda and Fremantle ends in controversial circumstances after St Kilda's Steven Baker was alleged to have kicked a behind after the final siren had gone. Following an investigation, the Saints were stripped of two competition points and the full win was handed to Fremantle.

May

May 1 - Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalizes his nation's gas fields.
May 1 - The Great American Boycott takes place across the United States as marchers protest for immigration rights.
May 4 - A new coalition government takes office in Israel; its four political parties hold 67 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.
May 5 - NASA astronomers announce the discovery of a storm system in the Jovian atmosphere, dubbed the Red Spot Junior.
May 5 - Fiat chairman Sergio Marchionne announces that the Alfa Romeo automobile brand will return to the United States in 2008, after a 13-year hiatus.
May 9 - Beaconsfield mine collapse: After 14 days trapped underground, miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb are rescued in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia.
May 13 - Liverpool F.C. defeat West Ham United F.C. on penalties in the 2006 FA Cup Final following a 3-3 draw after extra time.
May 17 - FC Barcelona beat Arsenal in the final of the UEFA Champions League played in Paris.
May 20 - Munster defeat Biarritz 23-19 to win their first Heineken European Cup in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
May 20 - Finland's Lordi wins the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest held in Athens.
May 21 - The Dallas Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs in overtime to win the Western Conference semi-finals in the NBA Playoffs.
May 24 - East Timor's Foreign Minister Ramos-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 6,000, injuring at least 36,000 and leaving some 1.5 million people homeless.
May 27 - The first demonstration for gay rights in Moscow is broken up by the police.
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

June 3 - Montenegro declares independence after a May 21 referendum. The state union of Serbia and Montenegro is dissolved on June 5 leaving Serbia as the successor state.
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.
June 6 - The Union of Islamic Courts gains control of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, ending warlord rule of the city.
June 6 - The 6bone (testbed network for the IPv6 network protocol) is phased out.
June 7 - Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and seven of his aides are killed in a U.S. air raid just north of the town of Baqouba, Iraq.
June 9 - An explosion kills eight Palestinian civilians on a Gaza beach. Israel denies responsibility for the blast.
June 9 - Thailand begins celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej to the throne.
June 9 - The 2006 FIFA World Cup begins in Germany.
June 10 - President Mahmoud Abbas sets July 26 as the date for a national referendum in the Palestinian National Authority.
June 18 - The first Kazakh space satellite "KazSat" is launched.
June 19 - The Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Edmonton Oilers 4 games-3 games to win the Stanley Cup.
June 20 - The Miami Heat win the NBA Finals over the Dallas Mavericks, 4-2.
June 22 - The Magen David Adom and Palestine Red Crescent Society are officially recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
June 23 - In Miami, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrests seven men, accusing them of planning to bomb the Sears Tower and other attacks in Miami.
June 25 - Warren Buffett donates over US$30 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
June 28 - Israel launches Operation Summer Rains, an offensive against militants in Gaza.
June 29 - The Dutch cabinet Balkenende II resigns after the political party of D'66 drops its support.
June 29 - Women vote for the first time in elections for the National Assembly of Kuwait.

July

July 1 - The Qinghai-Tibet Railway launches a trial operation, connecting China proper and Tibet for the first time.
July 2 - A presidential election is held in Mexico. Felipe Calderón is confirmed as the winner on September 5.
July 4 - STS-121: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched to the International Space Station. It returns safely on July 17.
July 5 - North Korea test fires missiles, timed with the liftoff of Discovery, preceding the fireworks celebrations that night in America. The long range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails shortly after takeoff.
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 the 2006 FIFA World Cup by beating France 5-3 on penalties. The score after extra time is 1-1.
July 10 - Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688 crashes in Multan, Pakistan shortly after takeoff.
July 11 - A series of coordinated bomb attacks strikes several commuter trains in Mumbai, India during the evening rush hour.
July 12 - 2006 Lebanon War: Israeli troops invade Lebanon in response to Hezbollah kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing 3. Hezbollah declares open war against Israel 2 days later.
July 17 - Space Shuttle Discovery returns to Earth from the International Space Station, thirteen days after its launch.
July 18 - The SS Nomadic, the last floating link to Titanic, returns home to a great reception in Belfast.
July 21 - St Louis is hit by two major derechos (violent windstorms) in a span of three days.
July 22 - Canada defeats USA 15-11 in the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship. This marked only the second time the USA had not won the gold medal, and only the second time Canada had won the gold. Geoff Snider was announced as MVP.
July 23 - Phonak team rider, American cyclist Floyd Landis wins the Tour de France; however, tour officials soon announce that he has failed a doping test.
July 28 - Alejandro Toledo concludes his term as President of Peru, and Alan Garcia becomes president.
July 28 - Actor Mel Gibson is arrested for drunk driving in California and launches an anti-semitic tirade.
July 30 - The world's longest running music show, Top of the Pops, broadcasts for the last time on BBC Two.
July 31 - Fidel Castro, President of Cuba, temporarily relinquishes power to his brother Raúl before surgery.

August

August 10 - London Metropolitan Police make 21 arrests in connection to an apparent terrorist plot that involved aircraft traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States. Liquids and gels are banned from checked and carryon baggage.
August 11 - A resolution to end the 2006 Lebanon War is unanimously accepted by the United Nations Security Council.
August 14 - A UN cease fire takes effect in the 2006 Lebanon War.
August 22 - Pulkovo Airlines Flight 612 crashes near the Russian border in Ukraine, killing 171 people, including 45 children.
August 22 - The ICM awards Grigori Perelman the Fields Medal for proving the Poincare conjecture, one of seven Millennium Prize Problems. Perelman refuses the medal.
August 23 - In Austria Natascha Kampusch manages to escape after being kidnapped eight years ago by Wolfgang Priklopil who locked her up in his cellar. Priklopil commits suicide by throwing himself in front of a train.
August 24 - The International Astronomical Union defines 'planet' at its 26th General Assembly, demoting Pluto to the status of 'dwarf planet' more than 70 years after its discovery.
August 27 - Comair Flight 5191, carrying 50 people, crashes shortly after take off from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky.
August 28 - A Greyhound Lines bus from New York City to Montreal, carrying 52 people, crashes at mile 115 on Interstate 87 near Elizabethtown killing 5 people including the driver and several are seriously injured.
August 31 - Edvard Munch paintings The Scream and Madonna are recovered in a police raid in Oslo, Norway.

September

September 1 - A fire kills 29 of 148 people aboard an Iran Air Tours Tu-154M aircraft after the plane lands in Mashhad, Iran.
September 2 - A Nimrod MR2 based at RAF Kinloss, Scotland, crashes in the Southern Province of Kandahar, Afghanistan, due to a technical fault. All 14 crew on board were killed.
September 3 - Spain wins the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
September 3 - Andre Agassi retires after his final tennis match against Benjamin Becker in the U.S. Open.
September 4 - Vladimir Putin issues a statement revealing that the Soviet Union will be re-established in the near future
September 4 - Steve Irwin, Australian wildlife wrangler, dies at 44.
September 7 - Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei is renamed to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
September 9 - STS-115: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on a mission to build up the International Space Station. It returns safe and successful on September 21.
September 10 - Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher announces he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the year.
September 12 - A stampede at a rally in Yemen leaves 41 dead.
September 12 - Pope Benedict XVI gives a lecture in Germany; he quotes a criticism of the Islamic faith, sparking mass protest.
September 13 - 10th anniversary of the death of American rapper Tupac Shakur, aka 2Pac, is commemorated by the release of his sixth posthumous album, Pac's Life(released November 21).
September 13 - The Dawson College Shooting occurs in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, leaving one student dead and 19 others injured.
September 13 - The solar system's largest dwarf planet, designated until now as 2003 UB313, is officially named "Eris"; its satellite is now known as "Dysnomia".
September 15 - Spinach contaminated with E. coli kills one person and poisons over 100 others in 20 states of the United States.
September 16 - Five churches are attacked in Palestinian areas following the Pope's comments on Islam.
September 17 - The Alliance for Sweden wins the Swedish general election, 2006 after ousting the Social Democratic government which have ruled Sweden since 1994 .
September 17 - The 2006 protests in Hungary started near the Hungarian Parliament.
September 19 - Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand declares a state of emergency in Bangkok as members of the Royal Thai Army stage a coup d'état. The army announces the removal of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power.
September 19 - A memorial service for recently deceased Australian personality Steve Irwin takes place at Australia Zoo, Queensland, Australia. The service is broadcast across Australia and other parts of the world.
September 20 - The CW Television Network (a merger of The WB and UPN) officially begins operations.
September 22 - A Transrapid Maglev train crashes into a maintenance vehicle on a test track in Germany, killing 23 and injuring 10; it is the first recorded fatal accident involving a Maglev.
September 23 - Toomas Hendrik Ilves is elected President of Estonia.
September 24 - Europe win the Ryder Cup in Ireland.
September 24 - Communist Party of China Central Political Bureau committee member, Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Secretary Chen Liangyu is dismissed for alleged corruption charges.
September 25 - The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans re-opens 13 months after Hurricane Katrina with extensive repairs, including the largest re-roofing project in the United States.
September 26 - Diet of Japan elects Shinzo Abe as new Prime Minister of Japan succeeding Junichiro Koizumi.
September 27 - An armed suspect holds six female students as hostages in Platte Canyon High School located in Bailey, Colorado. One hostage is fatally wounded as the gunman kills himself.
September 28 - After 40 years of development, Suvarnabhumi Airport, opens in Bangkok, Thailand replacing Don Mueang International Airport as Bangkok's primary airport for commercial flights.
September 29 - Gol Flight 1907, a Boeing 737-800, collides with a business jet over the Amazon Rainforest killing all 154 onboard.
September 29 - U.S. Representative Mark Foley (R-FL) resigns after it is revealed that he sent explicit e-mails for several years to underage male pages.
September 30 - West Coast Eagles win the Australian Football League Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

October

October 1 - Vodafone Japan, owned by SoftBank, officially changes its name to Softbank Mobile Corporation.
October 1 - The Brisbane Broncos become the National Rugby League premiers after defeating the Melbourne Storm 15 - 8 in the grand final.
October 2 - Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-yr-old milk-truck driver, kills five female students at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania before shooting himself.
October 2 - Per Westerberg takes office as Speaker of the Riksdag in Sweden.
October 4 - The Dow Industrial Average closes above 11,800 for the first time rising 123.27 points, or 1.05%, finishing at 11,850.61.
October 6 - Hazardous waste plant near Apex, North Carolina explodes releasing chlorine gas, resulting in the evacuation of thousands and the hospitalization of over 100 residents.

October 8 - Mark Porter, New Zealand racecar driver, dies in Bathurst 1000 support race
October 9 - North Korea claims to have conducted its first ever nuclear test.
October 10 - Google buys YouTube for USD$1.65 billion.
October 11 - New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle is killed, along with his flight instructor, when his plane crashes into a building in New York City's Upper East Side.
October 13 - Ban Ki-moon (from South Korea) is elected as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations.
October 15 - The UN agrees to sanction North Korea over nuclear testing issue.
October 15 - Chief Justice of Japan Akira Machida retires upon reaching the age of 70.
October 15 - Declaration of the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq.
October 16 - The last MASH was decommissioned.
October 17 - The United States population reaches 300 million based on a United States Census Bureau projection.
October 18 - Microsoft publicly releases Windows Internet Explorer 7.
October 19 - On the 19th anniversary of the 1987 stock market crash, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 12,000 for the first time gaining 19.05 points, or 0.16%, to 12,011.73.
October 23 - Jeffrey Skilling is sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison on charges relating to the financial collapse of Enron.
October 25 - The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously rules in favor of marriage equality.
October 27 - Last Ford Taurus rolls off Atlanta Assembly line.
October 27 - The St. Louis Cardinals win the 2006 World Series.
October 29 - Aviation Development Company Flight 53 crashes shortly after take off in Nigeria.
October 29 - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected President of Brazil.
October 30 - Former President of Chile Augusto Pinochet is placed under house arrest for crimes committed at the Villa Grimaldi detention centre.
October 30 - An airstrike on a madrasah in Bajaur kills dozens of suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
October 30 - The Esperanza Fire burns over of Cabazon, California mountain territory.

November

November 1 - The Stardust Resort & Casino closes after 48 years of business in Las Vegas.
November 3 - Iran successfully test-fires 3 new models of sea missiles in a show of force to assert its military capacities in the Gulf.
November 3 - Science predicts 90% of maritime life forms will be extinct by 2048.
November 3 - Ted Haggard resigns as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, after allegations of methamphetamine use and sexual relations with a male prostitute.
November 5 - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and two of his senior allies are sentenced to death by hanging after an Iraqi court finds them guilty of crimes against humanity.
November 7 - U.S. Midterm elections: Democrats win control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994.
November 7 - In the U.S. congressional elections, Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison becomes the first Muslim elected to the House of Representatives.
November 7 - The Japanese town of Saroma, Hokkaido is struck by a tornado, killing nine. It is the deadliest tornado in Japan since 1941.
November 8 - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigns; President Bush nominates Robert Gates, a former Central Intelligence Agency director, as his replacement. Gates is then confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in on December 18.
November 8 - Margaret Chan is elected as the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
November 8 - A transit of Mercury occurs.
November 11 - Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, Hong Kong, completed the last journey of its 49-year operation.
November 12 - Gerald Ford surpasses Ronald Reagan as the longest-lived President of the United States.
November 12 - The former Soviet republic of South Ossetia holds a referendum on independence from Georgia.
November 15 - Al Jazeera launches its English language news channel, Al Jazeera English.
November 15 - Start of the Sales and Use Tax in Puerto Rico; a response to the Puerto Rico budget crisis of May 2006.
November 15 - The State of Hawaii bans smoking in all enclosed public places.
November 16 - Rioting in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, destroys approx. 80% of the CBD; 8 bodies found and foreign forces requested.
November 17 - U.S. comedian and actor Michael Richards launches a racially charged tirade at hecklers during a performance at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.
November 19 - Nintendo releases its 7th generation console, the Wii.
November 20 - Iran and Syria recognize the government of Iraq, restore diplomatic relations, and call for a peace conference.
November 21 - Pierre Amine Gemayel, Lebanon's Minister of Industry, is assassinated in Beirut.
November 21 - Israel's Supreme Court finds that Israel must recognize and register same-gender marriages celebrated in other countries.
November 21 - A gas explosion in the coal mine Halemba in Ruda Slaska, Poland, kills 23 miners approximately 1,000 meters below ground.
November 22 - Dutch general election, 2006: The Christian Democratic Appeal wins a plurality of seats in The Netherlands.
November 22 - A General Election is held for the House of Keys in the Isle of Man.
November 22 - Ten people are trapped and killed in the Kolkata leather factory fire in India.
November 23 - Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian KGB agent, is killed by Polonium-210 in a London sushi bar.
November 23 - A series of car bombs and mortar attacks in Sadr City, Baghdad, kill at least 215 people and injure 257 others.
November 24 - Michael Stone is arrested for breaking into the parliament buildings at Stormont while armed. Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair's deadline on Northern Ireland power-sharing.
November 26 - US Judge James Robertson orders the US Treasury to change the dollar bill.
November 26 - WWE Diva Amy Dumas AKA Lita retires from WWE
November 30 - South Africa becomes the fifth nation to legalize gay marriage.
November 30 - Typhoon Durian triggers a massive mudslide and kills hundreds of people in the Philippines.
November 30 - Windows Vista, the newest version of operating system from Microsoft, released for volume license customers.

December

December 1 - Felipe Calderón is sworn in as the President of Mexico by the Congress in Mexico.
December 1 - The 15th Asian Games start in Doha, Qatar; the closing ceremony takes place on December 15.
December 1 - Typhoon Durian kills at least 388 people in Albay province on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
December 2 - In Rome, about two million people, led by opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, demonstrate against Romano Prodi's government.
December 2 - Stephane Dion is elected the new Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, on the fourth ballot.
December 3 - Ed Stelmach is elected the new Leader of the Progressive Conservatives, Alberta, after the second ballot results, and second choice votes for Ted Morton have been added up. Ed becomes the Premier-designate of Alberta.
December 3 - Hugo Chávez is re-elected President of Venezuela.
December 3 - Explosive demolition of Germany's tallest chimney at former Westerholt Power Station.
December 5 - The military seizes power in Fiji by means of a coup d'état led by Commodore Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama.
December 7 - Smoking is banned in all Ohio bars, restaurants, workplaces, and other public places.
December 8 - The Wii is launched in the United Kingdom.
December 9 - A fire at a hospital in Moscow kills 45 people.
December 10 - STS-116: Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on the first night launch since the 2003 loss of Columbia.
December 10 - Christer Fuglesang becomes the first Swede in space.
December 10 - Chivas defeats Toluca in the final of the Mexican Soccer League.
December 11 - The Holocaust conference is opened in Tehran, Iran by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
December 12 - Peugeot produce their last car at the Ryton Plant signalling the end of mass car production in a city that was once a major centre of the British motor industry; Coventry.
December 13 - The Chinese River Dolphin or Baiji becomes extinct.
December 13 - U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) suffers a stroke during a radio interview.
December 14 - U.S. Spy Satellite USA 193, also known as NRO Launch 21 (NROL-21 or simply L-21) is launched and malfunctions soon after.
December 15 - Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter successfully flies for the first time.
December 15 - An alleged assassination attempt on the Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh sparks inter-Palestinian clashes.
December 15 - Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, abdicates in favour of his son Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck a year earlier than expected.
December 15 - The Japanese government passes a bill to upgrade the Japan Defense Agency to a Ministry.
December 19 - Murder investigation when the bodies of five murdered prostitutes were discovered at different locations near Ipswich in Suffolk, England.
December 19 - A Libyan court sentences five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
December 20 - Somalia: Islamic Courts Union fighters begin attacking the government-held town of Baidoa.
December 21 - Saparmurat Niyazov, the dictator of Turkmenistan dies unexpectedly, sparking world concern over a possible power vacuum and instability in this energy-rich country.
December 21 - Australian cricketer Shane Warne announces his retirement from the sport.
December 22 - The Space Shuttle Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center, concluding a two week mission to the International Space Station.
December 24 - Ethiopia admits its troops have intervened in Somalia.
December 25 - R&B and soul music legend James Brown passes away at age 73.
December 26 - An oil pipeline explodes in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos killing at least 200 people.
December 26 - The Hengchun earthquake in Taiwan kills two people, damaged about 15 historical buildings and several undersea cables, disrupting Internet and IDD telecommunication services in Asia.
December 29 - War in Somalia: Ethiopian and Transitional government troops capture Mogadishu without resistance.
December 30 - Saddam Hussein, former Iraq president, is executed in Baghdad.
December 30 - The M/V Senopati Nusantara sinks in Indonesia with several hundred casualties.
December 30 - The Free State Project completes its "First 1,000" pledge.
December 31 - At least eleven bombs go off in Bangkok hours before the new year.
December 31 - The U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000.
December 31 - According to the Met Office, England experienced its warmest year since records began in 1659 with an average temperature of 10.82°C.

Major religious holidays

January 6 - Feast of Epiphany or Día de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Magi Kings) or La Fête des Rois (Feast of the Kings).
January 7 - Christmas in the Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic and other Eastern Christian church calendars.
January 10 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 12).
January 11 - Vaikunta Ekadashi 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 1 - Imbolc Cross-quarter day (Celebrated on February 2 in some places).
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 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.
May 1 - Beltane Cross-quarter day.
June 1 - Jewish holiday of Shavuot begins at sunset.
August 1 - Lammas Cross-quarter day.
August 2 - Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av begins at sundown; it extends until the night of August 3.
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 21 - Hindu festival of Diwali.
October 23 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
October 31 - Samhain Cross-quarter day.
December 15 - Hannukah.
December 21 - Wiccans celebrate the festival of Yule.
December 25 - Christmas in the Western Church Calendar.
December 31 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 2, 2007).

Ongoing

War in Iraq.

Births

June 3 - Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, daughter of Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands.
June 18 - Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, daughter of Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau and Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau.
September 6 - Prince Hisahito of Akishino, son of Princess Akishino and Prince Akishino, the prince is third in line to the throne of Japan.
October 24 - World's youngest premature baby (22 weeks in the womb)
October 25 - Krista and Tatiana Hogan, notable conjoined twins.

Deaths

January

January 1 - Charles Steen, American geologist, The "Uranium King" (b. 1919)
January 2 - John Woodnutt, British actor (b. 1924)
January 3 - Steve Rogers, Australian rugby play