George W Bush is inaugurated as US president
The Netherlands becomes the first nation to legalize same-sex marrige
Al-Qaeda terrorists hijack and crash 4 planes in the US
The US and NATO invades Afghanistan
The first iPod model is released
Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates upon re-entry to Earth
A US-led coalition invades Iraq
The Second Congo War (the deadliest conflict since World War II) officially ends
An 9.3 magnitude earthquake strikes the Indian Ocean, creating devastating tsunami waves
A series of bombings kill 56 people in London
North Korea conducts its first nuclear test
A $700bn bailout (the largest in US history) is approved by congress
The World Health Organization declares the H1N1 outbreak as a pandemic
A 7 magnitude earthquake hits Haiti
An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig results in a major oil spill
Hosni Mubarak resigns as president of Egypt
Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Libya
UN estimate for when the world's population reached 7 billion