Major Events
- Feb 4 Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room
- Apr 8 The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement on the Conflict in Darfur is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups, ending hostilities amid a 45 day ceasefire [1]
- May 17 Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage
- May 26 The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
- Jul 5 First Indonesian presidential election by the people - first round (eventually won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)
- Nov 11 Yasser Arafat's death through unidentified causes confirmed by Palestine Liberation Organization, Mahmoud Abbas elected PLO chairman minutes later.
- Dec 8 Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the Union of South American Nations
- Dec 26 9.3 magnitude earthquake creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and edges of the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people
- More 2004 Events
2004 in Film & TV
- Jan 3 After hosting the show for over 30 years, Casey Kasem gives up the hosting duties of "American Top 40" to Ryan Seacrest
- May 6 TV sitcom "Friends" airs season finale in 10th and final season in US (52.5 million viewers)
- May 13 The final episode of "Frasier" on NBC is watched by 33 million people
2004 in Music
- Mar 13 Luciano Pavarotti performs in his last opera at New York Metropolitan Opera's "Tosca"
- Sep 21 Green Day release their album "American Idiot" in the US
2004 in Sport
- Aug 27 German kayaker Birgit Fischer wins gold in K-4 500m & silver in K-2 500m in Athens; first woman in any sport to win gold medals at 6 different Olympics, gold 24 years apart, and 1st person to win 2 or more medals in 5 different Games
Did You Know?
Kenyan Wangari Maathai is the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace"
Millie Bobby Brown
Charli D'Amelio
Peyton Elizabeth LeeMore People Born in 2004
Fun Fact About 2004
Shrek the sheep from Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand, is finally shorn live on TV after 6 years avoidance; the fleece weighed 27 kg (60 lb)
Michael King
Estée Lauder
Francis Crick
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Yasser Arafat
Susan Sontag
Jack Paar
Ronald Reagan
Marlon Brando
Janet Leigh
Rodney Dangerfield
Christopher Reeve
Ray Charles
Rick James
Fred Ebb
Johnny Ramone
Vaughn Meader
Keith Miller
Reggie WhiteMore 2004 Deaths
Famous Weddings in 2004
- Jan 1 American Singer Lou Rawls (71) weds flight attendant Nina Malek Inman (33) at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 3 American pop singer Britney Spears (22) weds childhood pal and future stalker Jason Allen Alexander (22) at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada; annulled 55 HOURS later
- Jan 12 Two-time Oscar-winning Polish cinematographer Janusz Kamiński (44) weds second wife Canadian producer Rebecca Rankin (34) in Los Angeles, California; divorce in 2010
Famous Divorces in 2004
- Jan 4 Britney Spears has her surprise marriage annulled less than 55 hours after tying the knot with childhood friend Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas
- Mar 30 "Alias" actress Jennifer Garner (30) divorces actor Scott Foley (30) due to irreconcilable differences after nearly 4 years of marriage
- Apr 26 Model-actress Deborah Falconer (38) divorces actor Robert Downey Jr (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 12 years of marriage
More 2004 Weddings
Hilary Swank
Jamie Foxx
Michael Schumacher
George W. Bush
Hu Jintao
Manmohan Singh
Tony Blair
Vladimir Putin