What Happened in 2004 — Events, Births & Deaths

In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.

Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.

Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history.

Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.

Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.

The RMS Queen Mary 2, then the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula en route to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28. This is the second deadliest marine disaster in Albanian history.

The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.

Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154 crashes while landing at Tashkent International Airport, killing 37.

NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.

Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured.

Double suicide attack in Erbil on the offices of Iraqi Kurdish political parties by members of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men's singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.

Facebook, a mainstream online social networking site, is founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin.

Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion.

Forty-three people are killed and three are injured when a Fokker 50 crashes near Sharjah International Airport.

The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 28 people, and wounding 193 others.

Up to 295 people, 182 of which being rescue workers, die near Nishapur, Iran, when a runaway freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes.

The 6.3 Mw Al Hoceima earthquake strikes northern Morocco with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 628 people are killed, 926 are injured, and up to 15,000 are displaced.

A bombing of a SuperFerry by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines' worst terrorist attack kills more than 100 passengers.

Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, is sentenced to death for masterminding the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as president of Haiti following a coup.

Angelina Jolie wears a White Marc Bouwer dress to the 76th Academy Awards, which has since been placed on numerous lists for best Oscars fashion.

War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.

A new constitution is signed by Iraq's Governing Council.

Madrid train bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid, Spain kill 191 people.

President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly, the first such impeachment in the nation's history.

Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.

Catalina affair: A Swedish DC-3 shot down by a Soviet MiG-15 in 1952 over the Baltic Sea is finally recovered after years of work.

March 19 Shooting Incident: The Republic of China (Taiwan) president Chen Shui-bian is shot just before the country's presidential election on March 20.

The Konginkangas bus disaster kills 23 and injures 14 people in Äänekoski, Finland.

Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.

HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander-class frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia join NATO as full members.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat certifies Taipei 101 as the world's tallest building, based on the building having been topped out on 1 July 2003, even though the building was not completed until 31 December 2004.

Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed.

Google launches its Email service Gmail.

Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.

Islamic terrorists involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombings are trapped by the police in their apartment and kill themselves.

Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment.

The Nicoll Highway in Singapore collapses, killing four workers.

Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.

The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.

The March for Women's Lives brings over one million protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion.

CBS News releases evidence of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse. The photographs show rape and abuse from the American troops over Iraqi detainees.

The final Oldsmobile is built in Lansing, Michigan, ending 107 years of vehicle production.

U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers committing war crimes against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.

The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa, Nigeria. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2.

The final episode of the television sitcom Friends is aired.

American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamist militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.

The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson are married at Copenhagen Cathedral.

Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashes into the Amazon rainforest during approach to Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, killing 33 people.

Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C. with the right to claim the title "The Invincibles".

The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.

The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's interim government.

The National World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

Noël Mamère, Mayor of Bègles, celebrates marriage for two men for the first time in France.

The first Venus Transit in well over a century takes place, the previous one being in 1882.

Cassini–Huygens makes its closest flyby of the Saturn moon Phoebe.

SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.

In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.

Iraq War: Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.

Saturn orbit insertion of Cassini–Huygens begins at 01:12 UTC and ends at 02:48 UTC.

The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City.

Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history.

The first direct Indonesian presidential election is held.

The Senate Report on Iraqi WMD Intelligence is released by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, casting doubt on the rationale for the Iraq War.

A supermarket fire kills 424 people and injures 360 others in Asunción, Paraguay.

The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens after being closed since the September 11 attacks.

A tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band dumps approximately 800 pounds of human waste onto a boat full of passengers.

One hundred fifty-six Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi.

The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.

Google Inc. has its initial public offering on Nasdaq.

Versions of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway.

Ninety passengers die after two airliners explode after flying out of Domodedovo International Airport, near Moscow. The explosions are caused by suicide bombers from Chechnya.

The Beslan school siege begins when armed terrorists take schoolchildren and school staff hostage in North Ossetia, Russia; by the end of the siege, three days later, more than 385 people are dead (including hostages, other civilians, security personnel and terrorists).

Beslan school siege ends, resulting in over 330 fatalities, including 186 children.

NASA's uncrewed spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open.

National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announces lockout of the players' union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office.

Hurricane Ivan makes landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 3 hurricane.

Over 3,000 people die in Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne produces massive flooding and mudslides.

The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth.

Burt Rutan's Ansari SpaceShipOne performs a successful spaceflight, the first of two required to win the Ansari X Prize.

The first parkrun, then known as the Bushy Park Time Trial, takes place in Bushy Park, London, UK.

SpaceShipOne wins the Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight.

Three bombs explode at Taba and Nuweiba in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, killing 34.

MK Airlines Flight 1602 crashes during takeoff from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, killing all seven people on board.

Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 crashes in Jefferson City, Missouri. The two pilots (the aircraft's only occupants) are killed.

A fire that lasted over 15 hours destroyed almost one third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela.

Thirteen people are killed when Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Adair County, Missouri, while on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport.

A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.

Arsenal Football Club loses 2–0 to Manchester United in a match dubbed the Battle of the Buffet, ending their Premier League record 49-match unbeaten streak.

Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation 2 in North America, which sold 12 million units for the PS2, becoming the console's best-selling video game.

The Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera broadcasts an excerpt from a 2004 Osama bin Laden video in which the terrorist leader first admits direct responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks and references the 2004 U.S. presidential election.

An express train collides with a stationary car near the village of Ufton Nervet, England, killing seven and injuring 120.

Iraq War: The interim government of Iraq calls for a 60-day state of emergency as U.S. forces storm the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.

Iraq War: More than 10,000 U.S. troops and a small number of Iraqi army units participate in a siege on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.

Firefox 1.0 is released.

New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is dedicated at the National War Memorial, Wellington.

The Palestine Liberation Organization confirms the death of Yasser Arafat from unidentified causes. Mahmoud Abbas is elected chairman of the PLO minutes later.

Half-Life 2 is released, a game winning 39 Game of the Year awards and being cited as one of the best games ever made.

The worst brawl in NBA history results in several players being suspended. Several players and fans are charged with assault and battery.

The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election is held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election's integrity.

Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island sustains the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. In neighboring Guadeloupe, one person is killed.

The Paris Club agrees to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq's external debt.

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 crashes after takeoff from Baotou Donghe Airport, killing 55.

The Orange Revolution begins in Ukraine, resulting from the presidential elections.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, the largest religious building in Georgia, is consecrated.

Ruzhou School massacre: A man stabs and kills eight people and seriously wounds another four in a school dormitory in Ruzhou, China.

The last Poʻouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) dies of avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii, before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct.

Pope John Paul II returns the relics of Saint John Chrysostom to the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Blackwater 61 crash: A CASA C-212 Aviocar crashes into the Koh-i-Baba mountain range in Afghanistan, killing six.

A McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Lion Air Flight 538, overran the runway at Adisoemarmo Airport and crashed, killing 25 people.

The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.

Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others before being shot dead by a police officer.

The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, is formally inaugurated near Millau, France.

A gang of thieves steal £26.5 million worth of currency from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, one of the largest bank robberies in British history.

Iraq War: A suicide bomber kills 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers in Iraq.

The Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

The 9.1–9.3 Mw Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis, it affected coastal and partially mainland areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia; death toll is estimated at 227,898.

Orange Revolution: The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.

Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.

A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194.

The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).

Lamine Camara, Senegalese footballer

Carlos Baleba, Cameroonian footballer

Toby Collyer, English footballer

Habib Diarra, Senegalese footballer

Victor Wembanyama, French basketball player

Shane Wright, Canadian ice hockey player

Souhardya De, Indian author and columnist

Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

Julio Enciso, Paraguayan footballer

Laila Edwards, American ice hockey player

Emoni Bates, American basketball player

Liam Öhgren, Swedish ice hockey player

Eleonore Caburet, French rhythmic gymnast

Rei, Japanese rapper and singer

Scoot Henderson, American basketball player

Šimon Nemec, Slovak ice hockey player

Millie Bobby Brown, English actress, model and producer

Jared McCain, American basketball player

Samuele Vignato, Italian football player

Rafael Obrador, Spanish footballer

Tyler Sanders, American actor (died 2022)

Bibisara Assaubayeva, Kazakhstani chess grandmaster

Lydia Jacoby, American swimmer

Abdukodir Khusanov, Uzbek footballer

Kit Connor, English actor

Matt Poitras, Canadian ice hockey player

Margarita Kolosov, German rhythmic gymnast

DannyLux, American singer-songwriter

Coco Gauff, American tennis player

Isaiah Bond, American football player

Belle, American singer

Gonzalo García, Spanish footballer

Awra Briguela, Filipino actor and comedian

Anna Shcherbakova, Russian figure skater

Kim Ju-chan, South Korean footballer

Samson Baidoo, Austrian professional footballer

Mateo Sanabria, Argentine professional footballer

Alex Luna, Argentine professional footballer

Diana Shnaider, Russian tennis player

TommyInnit, English YouTuber and streamer

Ismaël Gharbi, French-Spanish footballer

Savinho, Brazilian footballer

Arch Manning, American football player

Charli D'Amelio, American social media influencer and dancer

Jenna Davis, American actress and YouTuber

Kirsty Muir, Scottish freestyle skier

Ashlyn Krueger, American tennis player

Minji, South Korean singer

Peyton Elizabeth Lee, American actress

Mackenzie Ziegler, American child actress, dancer, and recording artist

Francesca Capaldi, American actress

Katrina Scott, American tennis player

Soyoka Yoshida, Japanese entertainer

Gabi Moura, Brazilian influencer

Millie Gibson, English actress

Mikey Williams, American basketball player

Daniela Avanzini, American singer and dancer

Alejandro Garnacho, Spanish-Argentine footballer

Diabé Bolumbu, French footballer

Nihal Sarin, Indian Chess Grandmaster

Noah Clowney, American basketball player

Amiah Miller, American actress and model

Gavi, Spanish footballer

Takhmina Ikromova, Uzbekistani rhythmic gymnast

Marsai Martin, American actress and producer

Kevin McGonigle, American baseball player

Chae Hyun-woo, South Korean football player

Nguyễn Đình Bắc, Vietnamese football player

Evann Girault, French-Nigerien sabre fencer

Kano Fujihira, Japanese entertainer

Jang Won-young, South Korean singer and model

Tsugumi Aritomo, Japanese entertainer

Lewis Hall, English footballer

Gabriel Bateman, American actor

Santiago Castro, Argentine footballer

Jessie Murph, American singer and songwriter

Isack Hadjar, French-Algerian racing driver

Noah Schnapp, American actor

Bronny James, American basketball player

Hanni, Australian singer

Darci Lynne, American ventriloquist

Niccolò Pisilli, Italian footballer

Patrick Dorgu, Danish footballer

Ilyas Ansah, German footballer

Oakes Fegley, American actor

Linda Nosková, Czech tennis player

Luka Romero, Mexican-Argentine footballer

Liz, South Korean singer

Rico Lewis, English footballer

Ilia Malinin, American competitive figure skater

Billie Starkz, American professional wrestler

Momoe Mori, Japanese entertainer

Leo Carlsson, Swedish ice hockey player

Helmut Newton, German-Australian photographer (born 1920)

Leônidas, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1913)

Janet Frame, New Zealand author and poet (born 1924)

Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (born 1913)

Suraiya, Indian actress and playback singer (born 1929)

John Charles, Welsh footballer and manager (born 1931)

Andy Seminick, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1920)

Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (born 1905)

Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (born 1956)

Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and librarian (born 1914)

Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (born 1923)

Jerome Lawrence, American playwright and author (born 1915)

Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (born 1931)

Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (born 1943)

Mian Ghulam Jilani, Pakistani general (born 1914)

Muhammad Zaidan, Syrian militant, founded the Palestinian Liberation Front (born 1948)

John Mayer, Indian composer (born 1930)

Milton Resnick, Russian-American painter (born 1917)

Mitchell Sharp, Canadian economist and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Finance (born 1911)

Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (born 1962)

Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 2nd President of Fiji (born 1920)

Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (born 1925)

John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (born 1920)

Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (born 1922)

Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (born 1956)

José Giovanni, French-Swiss director and producer (born 1923)

Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded Estée Lauder Companies (born 1906)

Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (born 1928)

Richard Biggs, American actor (born 1960)

Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast (born 1945)

William Manchester, American historian and author (born 1922)

Charles Hyder, American astrophysicist and academic (born 1930)

Mack Jones, American baseball player (born 1938)

Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician and mayor of İzmir (born 1952)

Clayton Kirkpatrick, journalist and newspaper editor (born 1915)

Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (born 1950)

Bob Bemer, American computer scientist and engineer (born 1920)

Mattie Stepanek, American poet and author (born 1990)

Thomas Klestil, Austrian politician, 10th President of Austria (born 1932)

Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter (born 1946)

Czesław Miłosz, Polish-born American novelist, essayist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911)

Trevor Skeet, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician (born 1918)

Ernie Ball, American guitarist and businessman (born 1930)

Caitlin Clarke, American actress (born 1952)

Per Højholt, Danish poet (born 1928)

Phyllis Frost, Australian philanthropist, founded Keep Australia Beautiful (born 1917)

Peggy Ryan, American actress and dancer (born 1924)

Sergejs Žoltoks, Latvian ice hockey player (born 1972)

John Balance, English singer-songwriter (born 1962)

Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (born 1911)

José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (born 1962)

Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand runner and coach (born 1917)

David Wheeler, English computer scientist and academic (born 1927)

Autar Singh Paintal, Indian physiologist and neurologist (born 1925)