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,[1] International Asperger's Year, Year of Mozart, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Contents
1 Events of 2006
1.1 January 1.2 February 1.3 March 1.4 April 1.5 May 1.6 June 1.7 July 1.8 August 1.9 September 1.10 October 1.11 November 1.12 December
2 Major religious holidays 3 Ongoing 4 Births 5 Deaths
5.1 January 5.2 February 5.3 March 5.4 April 5.5 May 5.6 June 5.7 July 5.8 August 5.9 September 5.10 October 5.11 November 5.12 December
6 Nobel Prizes 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links[edit] Events of 2006
[edit] January
January 1 - Sydney, Australia, has its hottest day on record, when the city reaches 45°C (113°F). 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 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 (11,011.90) for the first time since June 7, 2001. 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 - A suicide bomber in Tel Aviv, Israel injures 20, one of them seriously. 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 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.
[edit] 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 3 - An aging Egyptian passenger ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sinks in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast. February 4 - The Wowowee stampede at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, Philippines kills 71. February 5 - The Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10.
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 - A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126. 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 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 in Dublin, Ireland are 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.
[edit] 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 - Records are broken at Johannesburg, as first Australia, then South Africa set world record totals in one-day internationals. South Africa's total of 438 for 9 sees them win by one wicket, taking the one-day international series 3–2. This was considered as the greatest One Day International ever, it was the highest run chase. 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 22 - The Federal Reserve stops the publishing of M3 money supply data. 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 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 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.
[edit] April
April 5 - A swan with Avian Flu is discovered in Cellardyke in Fife, Scotland (the first case in the United Kingdom). April 6 - NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) was made an official language of New Zealand April 8 - 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 10 - Brand India Fair at Meerut Victoria Park fire at Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, killing 100. 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 - 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 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.
[edit] 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 - 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 FC defeated West Ham United FC in the FA Cup Final, 3-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw aet. May 20 - Finland's Lordi wins the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest held in Athens. 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.
[edit] 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 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.