Decades: 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s
Years: 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 - 2004 - 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2004 news by month: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Events January 1 - Joseph Deiss becomes President of the Confederation in Switzerland January 1 - Ireland takes over the Presidency of the European Council from Italy January 2 - Several British Airways flights from London Heathrow Airport to Washington D.C and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are cancelled due to security fears. January 3 - Flash Airlines Flight FSH604 crashes into the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, killing all 148 aboard. January 3 - NASA's MER-A (Spirit) lands on Mars. January 3 - Tony Blair makes an unannounced trip to Basra, Iraq to give a speech to British troops. January 4 - Dr. Mikhail Saakashvili won Presidential Elections in the Republic of Georgia. January 5 - Britney Spears's marriage to childhood sweetheart Jason Allen Alexander is annuled by a Las Vegas court following a surprise 55-hour marriage. January 6 - An inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales opens in London held by Michael Burgess, the coroner of The Queen's Household. January 8 - Queen Elizabeth II officially names the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner. January 13 - A Uzbekistan Airways plane crashes in Uzbekistan's capital of Tashkent, killing 37. January 15- The South Korean Foreign Minister, Yoon Young-kwan resigns following his support for American policy towards North Korea. Predicted and scheduled Events January 19 - U.S. Presidential caucuses will be held in Iowa, in the first major contest leading up to the U.S. presidential election in November. January 24 - NASA's MER-B (Opportunity) is expected to land on Mars January 28 - The report of the Hutton Inquiry is due to be published. January 29 - A week-long session of Parliament of India to begin January 31 - The 5th Asian women's field hockey championship starts in New Delhi. February 13 - Michael Jackson's pretrial hearing, on charges of child molestation. March 13 - The Kyushu Shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan opens for service. March 20 - Presidential election on Taiwan. Likely to be a match between incumbent President Chen Shui-bian and KMT Chairman Lien Chan. April - 2004 Canadian election expected to be held. April 19 - A partial solar eclipse is visible from Southern Africa May 1 - An enlargement of the European Union takes place, expected to include admission of further 10 member-states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus. May 12 and May 15 - Eurovision Song Contest 2004. May 18 - European Festival of Youth Choirs (EJCF) in Basel expected to start. June 4 - The movie version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is scheduled to be released. June 8 - The first solar transit of the planet Venus since 1882; the next one will occur in 2012. June 10 - Elections take place in the United Kingdom for the European parliament, the Greater London Assembly, Mayor of London, and English local councils. June 12 - The EURO 2004 European football (soccer) championships start in Portugal. June 23 - The Green Party of the United States national convention convenes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July - The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrives at Saturn. July 1 - The Netherlands takes over the Presidency of the European Council from Ireland. July 7 - The last patent on the LZW compression algorithm, in Canada, expires. July 26 - The United States Democratic Party national convention convenes in Boston, Massachusetts. August 13 - The 2004 Summer Olympics starts in Athens. August 30 - The United States Republican Party national convention convenes in New York City. September 29 - The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within 4 lunar distances of Earth. [October-date to be announced] - The New World Hockey Association begins play in 11 cities. October 1 - The University of Manchester and UMIST merge to form the largest conventional university in the United Kingdom. October 14 - A partial solar eclipse is visible from North-East Asia and parts of the Northern Pacific. November 2 - U.S. presidential election. Presidential candidates will be nominated during the party conventions held from May through September. Births Deaths January 13 - Doctor Harold Shipman, the United Kingdom's most profilic serial killer (by suicide) January 13 - Arne Nęss jr, Norwegian mountaineer and businessman
Deaths January 13 - Doctor Harold Shipman, the United Kingdom's most profilic serial killer (by suicide) January 13 - Arne Nęss jr, Norwegian mountaineer and businessman