2004

In the sense of the clock needles from the top left: Facebook, originally called TheFacebook, is launched by Mark Zuckerberg; the transit of Venus of 2004, the first of this type since 1882; NASA lands Opportunity in Mars; the 2004 Olympic Games were held in Athens; 11-M hits in Madrid, killing 193 people; the European Union expands with 10 new member states;

2004 (MMIV) was a leap year beginning on Thursday according to the Gregorian calendar of the years 2000.

• The International Year of Rice was designated by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
• The Year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese horoscope.

Events

January

• 1 January:
  • In Switzerland, Joseph Deiss is appointed president.
  • The Republic of Ireland takes over the presidency of the EU of Italy.
• 2 January: Colombian guerrilla Simon Trinidad, commander of the FARC-EP Caribbean Block, is captured in Quito (Ecuador) by the local authorities and deported to his country, Colombia, to respond for the crimes of rebellion, kidnapping, murder, extortion and also for charges of drug trafficking. It would be extradited to the United States on 31 December for the abduction of three U.S. contractors in February 2003.
• January 3: On the Red Sea the Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes, the 148 occupants die.
• January 11: in Buenos Aires (Argentina) the high school student Fernando Sanz creates the Taringa website. Start spreading on April 14.
• January 12: The RMS Queen Mary 2 of the cunard line was launched.
• January 14: In Guatemala, Óscar Berger assumes the presidency.
• January 25:In Portugal, player Miklos Feher died in the Benfica match against the Vitoria de Guimaraes
• January 29: In Mexico, the Bital Bank and its branch network are renamed with the initials of its majority shareholder, the English Bank The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation HSBC Mexico.

February

• 1 February:
  • A team of Russian and U.S. scientists reveal the acquisition of two new chemical elements, nihonio (Nh, atomic n. 113), and moscovio (Mc, atomic n. 115).
  • In Iran, a hundred reformist deputies present their resignation in protest at the refusal of the Guardian Council to the aperturistic candidates.
• 2 February:
  • In Barcelona, Spain, a team of scientists from the CSIC (Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Barcelona), led by Jordi Rius, discovers the atomic structure of the aerinite.
  • The World Wetlands Day is celebrated, commemorating the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar (Iran) on 2 February 1971.
  • On Lake Alberto (Uganda) a ferry shipwreck; 42 people die.
  • In Colombia, the Canal Señal Colombia Institucional began broadcasting, replacing the former Canal A public-commercial channel.
• 3 February:
  • In New York, United States, the UN announced the urgent need to regulate Antarctic commercial exploitation.
  • In Brazil, the heavy rains have left 84 dead since last December.
  • In Haiti, several student movements call for the resignation of President Aristide.
• 4 February:
  • In the United States, Spanish President José María Aznar defends armed intervention in Iraq before the U.S. Congress.
  • On the northwest coast of England, 19 Chinese mariscadores die.
  • At Harvard University (United States), Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook (then called Thefacebook), as a university project.
  • In Dominican Republic, after 42 years the magazine [A]hora is last published.
• 5 February:
  • In Nayaf (Irak), Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the leader of the Shiite community, comes off from an attack.
  • In Beijing, 37 people die from a bridge when they participated in the traditional Fiesta de las Linternas.
• 6 February:
  • In Russia, a suicide attack on the Moscow subway kills 40 people and hurts another 129. Chechen separatist groups are blamed for the facts.
  • In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder resigns as president of the SPD.
  • In Spain, the Ministry of Health prohibits the sale of 197 medicinal plants for their toxicity.
  • In Seville, Spain, a group of archaeologists find four hundred graves of the centuryXVIII on the floor of the Baroque church of the Saviour. Archaeologists were looking for the remains of an old mosque.
• 7 February:
  • The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) investigates the involvement of Spanish companies in the black market for nuclear weapons.
  • In Gaza, Pakistan, the Israeli Army kills the military leader of the Islamic Jihad.
  • In Haiti the police murder 14 people during the riots against President Aristide.
  • On the northeast coast of Madagascar, a cyclone leaves 43 dead and dozens disappeared.
• 9 February:
  • The Cassini probe sent to Saturn by NASA, in collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), performs photographs of the planet at 69.4 million kilometers away.
  • Finland becomes the eleventh member of the ESO (European Southern Observatory).
  • In Russia, the Kremlin remains silent about the disappearance of Iván Ribkin, a candidate from Liberal Russia to the presidential elections.
  • The magazine Nature Genetics announces the discovery of a gene called FLAP, which duplicates the risk of myocardial infarction.
  • In Oxirrinco—now El Bahnasa (Egypt)—a group of Spanish egyptologists finds two stone sarcophages with mummies of the Saita period, from the first half of the sixth century a. C.
• 10 February:
  • To the north of Bordeaux, the French police arrest two responsible for ETA's "logistic apparatus."
  • In the United Arab Emirates, 35 people die in an air accident.
• 11 February:
  • In Diwaniya (Irak) five Spanish military personnel involved in the U.S. invasion were injured in an explosive attack by Iraqi nationalists.
  • In a street in Cali, Colombia, Colombian footballer Albeiro Usuriaga is killed by a motorized hitman.
  • In Gaza, Pakistan, the Israeli army killed 15 Palestinian civilians.
• February 12: Mattel toy company announces the breakup of Barbie and Ken, after 43 years of relationships.
• 13 February:
  • In Spain, the electronic ID (national identity document) is launched.
  • Manuel Elices Calafat, Director of Material Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, becomes the first Spanish to enter the NAE (National Academy of Engineering) of the United States.
  • In Catar, a Chechen independence leader is killed.
• 14 February:
  • The Day of Energy is celebrated in the world.
  • In a Moscow aquatic park 28 people die in an accident.
    • Tunisia's national team gets the title of football African Cup champion for the first time in its history.
• 15 February:
  • In China, two fires cause the death of a hundred people.
  • In the UK, the film The return of the King, the third part of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings, led by Peter Jackson, gets the Bafta award to the best film, awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television.
• 16 February:
  • Thanks to a combination of observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and the giant Keck Observatory (of Hawaii) the most distant galaxy (13 billion light years) is discovered. Two weeks later another will be discovered farther.
  • In Navarra, Spain, a judge grants two lesbians the shared parental authority of the biological daughters of one of the women.
  • In Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian first admitted the possibility of reunification with China.
  • In Sydney, Australia, the death of a young aboriginal triggers violent racial disturbances.
• February 17: Mexican former president José López Portillo died.
• 18 February:
  • Near Neyshabur (Iran), more than 295 people die, including about 200 rescuers, when a train carrying sulfur, oil and fertilizers burns and explodes.
  • Schröder, Chirac and Blair, meeting at the Berlin summit, propose the creation of a European economic vice president.
  • A Russian nuclear missile self-destructs during manoeuvres.
  • India and Pakistan agree on a negotiating agenda to resolve the Kashmir conflict.
• 21 February:
  • The first exclusive European political party is created: the greens of Europe.
  • In Iraq, two Red Cross members visit the former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, for the first time since his arrest.
  • The movie The barbaric invasions, from the Canadian Denys Arcand, is the winner of the 29th edition of the Caesar Awards, hoarding the main prizes.
• 22 February:
  • In Haiti, the rebels led by the insurrect commander Guy Phillipe, take Cabo Haitiano, the second city of the country.
  • In Colombia, the clashes between Army soldiers, paramilitaries and guerrillas in several parts of the country cost the lives of half a hundred people.
• 23 February:
  • Colombian writer Laura Restrepo wins Novela's Alfaguara Award with her novel Delirium.
  • In Sriharikota, India, an explosion causes six deaths at the Indian Space Research Centre.
• February 24: In Iraq, a group of archaeologists announces that water leaks from an artificial channel built by Saddam Hussein endanger the ancient ruins of ancient Babylon.
• 24 February: in the Moroccan city of Alhucemas an earthquake of 6.3 leaves more than 600 dead, 900 wounded and more than 15000 homeless.

March

• 1 March:
  • In Iraq, the Provisional Government Council agrees on a State Administration Act during the Transitory Period.
  • Spanish scientists show that the oxidation that causes ecstasy (MDMA) in the neuronal membrane molecules is the cause of brain damage that originates in addicts.
  • A team of French and Swiss astronomers locates, with the European VTL telescopes, the most distant galaxy known: the Abell 1835 IR1916, which is 13 230 million light years old.
  • The magazine National Geographic publishes the end of the works of the first unified map of the seismic dangers of Europe and the Mediterranean.
  • In the United States, the National Science Foundation reports on the discovery of fossilized remains of two unknown species so far from dinosaurs, one carnivore and another herbivore, in Antarctica.
• 2 March: In Venezuela, the National Electoral Council announces the final result of the review of the signatures to call the Referendum to Hugo Chávez, in which after verification only 1,800,000 rubrics were accepted and announces that it will send to reparo to be able to request the Referendum Revocation
• March 3: In the United States, John Kerry becomes the Democratic candidate for presidential elections.
• March 9: In Ireland, Bryan McFadden leaves the Westlife band.
• 11 March: in Madrid (Spain) the attacks of 11-M occur. Attempted against four trains from the network of Cercanías de Madrid carried out by jihadist terrorists. 191 people lose their lives and many others are injured.
• 13 March: In Navarre, Angel Berroeta was murdered.
• 14 March: in Spain, the PSOE wins the general elections.

• March 21: in El Salvador, Elías Antonio Saca, presidential candidate of the official party, ARENA, defeats with 57.7 % of the votes in the presidential elections held on that same day to Schafik Handal, presidential candidate of the FMLN opposition party.
• 22 March:
  • The Spanish police arrest four new suspects for their alleged involvement in the 11-M attacks.
  • World Water Day is celebrated, according to UN Resolution No. 47. The theme chosen for this year is "Water and Disasters".
• March 24: the president of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner, orders to lower the cadres of the dictators Jorge Rafael Videla and Reynaldo Bignone at the Military College of the Nation.

April

• 1 April:
  • The magazine National Geographic announces the end of the Spanish geological study ("Project Magna") with the elaboration of more than 1000 maps.
  • Spanish writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte gets the González-Ruano Journalism Award.
  • A joint operation of several European police officers concludes with the arrest of fifty people related to the extreme left-wing Turkish group FRPLP (Revolutionary Front of the People's Liberation Party).
  • The British Beverly Hughes, Minister of Immigration of the Government of Tony Blair, resigns as a result of the scandal caused by the granting of thousands of visas in the Bucharest consulate.
  • The Spanish painter, sculptor and engraver Pablo Palazuelo receives the Velázquez Award for plastic arts.
  • In Buenos Aires, more than 150,000 people show solidarity and rejection for the murder of young Axel Blumberg, in the largest Argentine demonstration since the recovery of democracy in 1983.
  • The companies Brothers Peñalver and Comellas Vins, local distributors of drinks and food in Sabadell, join and create Disnova, a leading company in the hospitality sector in the Western Vallés.
• 2 April:
  • Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania associate themselves with NATO as full members.
  • In Ciudad Real (Spain) an attack on an AVE train fails thanks to a RENFE worker.
  • In Las Landas, France, the police arrest three members of the leadership of the ETA terrorist gang.
  • In Spain, during the inaugural day of the eighth legislature, the socialist Manuel Marín is appointed president of the Congress of Deputies and, also socialist, Javier Rojo, president of the Senate.
• April 3: in Leganés, Spain, a policeman and seven suspected 11-M terrorists die when they commit suicide (Masacre del Piso de Leganés).
• April 4: On the island of Malta Eddie Fenech Adami is elected President of the Republic.
• April 5: It is 10 years after the death of Kurt Cobain, the vocalist of Nirvana.
• 7 April:
  • World Health Day is celebrated with the motto "For road safety", to raise awareness of the impact on the health of traffic accidents.
  • In Faluya (Irak), U.S. troops bomb a mosque and cause the death of dozens of civilians (according to Iraqi sources).
  • In Marseilles, France, researchers from the Department of Underwater Archaeology confirm that the remains found in the sea, 20 km south of Marseilles, belong to the plane of the French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exuperý (1900-1944).
• April 16: Carlos Castaño Gil is murdered by his brother Vicente as a result of an account adjustment.
• 17 April: in Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero swears as 5th president of the government, after 8 years hegemony of the PP.
• April 22: in Ryongchůn (North Korea) two fuel-loaded trains are colliding, killing more than 150 people and wounding 1300 (Ryongchon Train).
• April 28: in Bogotá, Colombia, an asphalt waste picker falls on a school bus: 21 children and an adult die. (Tragedy on Suba Avenue).

May

• 1 May: the European Union Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Poland are members of the European Union.
• 6 May: in New York (United States) the television series ends (with more than 65.9 million viewers) FriendsAfter 10 seasons.
• 9 May: in Barcelona the Universal Forum of Cultures is inaugurated 2004.
• 12 May: the Semifinal of the Eurovision Song Festival 2004 is held for the first time
• 15 May: Ruslana, representative of Ukraine, is proclaimed winner of the Eurovision 2004 Song Festival with the theme Wild dances.
• May 16: In the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna is elected president of the Republic with 57.11 % of the votes.
• May 18: Ends the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic 2002-2004, with 8,096 contagions, and 700 deaths.
• 21 May: the centenary of FIFA is celebrated.
• May 22: The Prince of Asturias, Don Felipe, is housed in Madrid with the journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.
• May 23: Horst Köhler is elected President of Germany.
• May 26: FC Porto won the UEFA Champions League with Jose Mourinho.
• in Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez denounces the existence of an alleged plan known as Operation Daktari.

June

• 1 June:
  • Elías Antonio Saca, democratically elected president, takes office in El Salvador.
  • In Quito (Ecuador) is crowned Miss Universe the Australian model Jennifer Hawkins.
• June 4th: TNA Wrestling issues its first television program, TNA Impact!.
• June 5: Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan died.
• June 6: Argentine Gaston Gaudio is proclaimed champion of the Roland Garros Tournament and gets the first Grand Slam title of his career.
• 12 June: inauguration of the Euro 2004 in Portugal.
• June 13: Pumas Closing Champion 2004 in Penalties.
• June 15: A vaccine against cocaine addiction is successfully tested in the United States in humans.
• June 17: In Baghdad there is a Terrorist Atentate for a car bomb leaving 35 dead and 130 wounded.
• 27 June:
  • In Uruguay, ten political parties hold internal elections between 19 pre-candidates.
  • In Mexico a disastrous by Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
  • In Colombia the Independent Medellin wins the National Atlético the only final disputed between two teams of Antioquia.

July

• 1 July: Eleven Caldas is proclaimed champion of the Copa Libertadores de América after an exciting round of criminal shootings against the current champion Boca Juniors.
• 3 July: in Spain, the secretary general of the PSOE, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is re-elected with 95% of delegates at the federal congress of his party.
• 4 July:
  • Greece football champion in Europe, at the end of the 2004 Euro Cup, wins 1-0 to Portugal.
  • In Mexico, Amalia García won the elections for governor of the state of Zacatecas, the first woman to win that position during the period 2004-2010.
• July 6: The 41st edition of Copa América 2004 in Peru
• 25 July: in Lima (Peru) Ends the Cup America 2004 held in Peru and the Selection of Brazil is proclaimed champion of Copa America for the seventh time after winning the Argentina 4-2 National Team for criminals after packing in the 90 minutes 2 to 2 (Argentina was 21 seconds away from winning the title but Adriano tied in the last minute)
• 27 July:
  • In San José, Costa Rica, a security guard took the Chilean embassy, gunned down three Chilean officials and committed suicide.
  • In Peru, Antero Flores Aráoz, of the National Unity Alliance, became president of the Congress of the Republic of Peru, being the only president of opposition to the government of Alejandro Toledo for the period 2004-2005.

August

Opening of the Olympic Games in Athens.

• 1 August:
  • In Asunción del Paraguay, about 400 dead and more than 500 injured when the Ycuá Bolaños supermarket was set on fire. The owners and the security guards, who closed the doors to avoid looting, are charged.
  • They begin their broadcasts in Latin America, the Jetix children's and youth channel, replacing Fox Kids.
• August 3: In the United States, the ship Messenger part of Cabo Cañaveral with the mission of studying the planet Mercury. The target date for reaching the orbit of the planet closest to the sun is March 2011.
• 13 August: the Athens Olympic Games will be opened in Athens 2004.
• August 15: In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez remains president in the presidential referendum, with a final result of 58 % rejection of the revocation.
• August 16: In the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna is sworn for the second time as President of the Republic. He did it for the first time for the period 1996 to 2000.
• August 17: César Costa is appointed the first ambassador of UNICEF for Mexico in history.
• August 22: In the framework of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Nicolás Massú and Fernando González won the first gold medal for Chile. In doubles they won the highest medal, while Massú also won gold in singles and González won bronze in the same tournament.
• August 28: Shaukat Aziz is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan.
• 29 August:
  • Athens 2004 Olympic Games: the Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, gets a historic double when winning the gold medal at the 5000 m test. He had previously achieved the title at 1500 m. Since the Finnish Paavo Nurmi did it in Paris 1924, no other athlete had won 1500 and 5000 m at the same Olympic Games.
  • The Athens 2004 Olympic Games are over.
• 31 August: an Iraqi armed group murders twelve Nepalese who were abducted, and shows on the Internet a video of the massacre.

September

• 1 September:
  • Diego Fernández de Cevallos holds office as president of the board of directors of the Senate of the Republic and Manlio Fabio Beltrones as president of the board of directors of the Chamber of Deputies.
  • In Panama, Martin Torrijos assumes the presidency, after his election on May 2, 2004.
  • TCM television channel launched in Latin America.
  • The Universal Channel channel is launched in Latin America to replace the USA Network channel.
• September 1-3: In North Ossetia (Russia) mass abduction in a school in Beslan that has more than 300 deaths.
• 2 September: In the Caribbean Sea the hurricane Iván.ñd
• 3 September:
  • In Russia 335 killed in the hostage-free operation of a Beslan school by Russian agents.
  • In Florida, hurricane Frances landed. After killing two people in the Bahamas, hurricane Frances kills 10 people in Florida, two in Georgia and one in South Carolina.
• September 7: Hurricane Ivan passes directly over Granada, killing 37 people. It passes through the Caribbean islands in the next two days, killing 5 people in Venezuela, 4 in the Dominican Republic, 1 in Tobago and 20 in Jamaica.
• September 8: NASA's Genesis space probe crashes on the ground after its parachute fails to open.
• 9 September: the Songda typhoon hits western Japan, killing 45 people and wounding another 1,352.
• September 11: Patriarch Petros VII and his companions, near Mount Athos, Greece, die in a helicopter accident yet without explaining.
• September 15: South Africa recognizes the Arab Democratic Saharan Republic (RASD).
• September 16: Hurricane Iván hit Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, killing 25 people in Alabama and Florida, becoming the third most costly hurricane in U.S. history (now the fourth, after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
• September 17: Hurricane Jeanne causes mud races in Haiti, killing 3,06 people.
• September 20: Wikipedia reaches 1 million articles in 100 languages.
• 21 September: In the old wall of Fuenterrabía (Coastland), Jokin Ceberio, a 14-year-old man commits suicide due to verbal and physical harassment of several of his colleagues lasts one year.
• 23 September:
  • In the United States, the Santa Helena volcano is again active.
  • The tropical storm Ivan, having returned and transformed into the Gulf of Mexico, makes a final takeover near Cameron (Luisiana), with few consequences. In total, the storm kills 92 people.
• September 25: Hurricane Jeanne takes land near Port Saint Lucie, Florida, near where Hurricane Frances hit two weeks earlier. Jeanne kills more than 3,030 people, mostly in Haiti.
• September 28: In Carmen de Patagones, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the police incident known as the school massacre of Carmen de Patagones, in which three students died and five were injured of varying degrees.

October

• 1 October: the Asian Olympic Council approves Antidoping Regulation which will apply for Asian Games and any other Asian sporting event.
• October 17: Fire of Central Park, a fire consumed almost a third of the East Tower of the Central Park Complex in Caracas, Venezuela.
• October 20: initial launch of the Ubuntu operating system.
• October 23: the Chuetsu earthquake causes great damage to Nagaoka and its surroundings.
• 29 October:
  • In Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoní is crowned king.
  • In Rome, the heads of government of the European Union signed the Treaty of Rome, which established a Constitution for Europe.
• October 31: In Uruguay, the left wins the elections for the first time.

November

• 1-30 November: III International Congress of the Spanish Language, held in the city of Rosario, Argentina.
• 2 November:
  • George W. Bush is re-elected and continues to assume the presidency of the United States until the end of 2008.
  • Hannibal S. Acevedo Vila is elected governor of Puerto Rico by a narrow margin of 3,566 votes the second most closed elections in Puerto Rico with 963,303 v0tos versus 959,737 by Pedro J. Rossello González.

• 10 November: In Scotland (United Kingdom), Chief Minister Jack McConnell announces to the Scottish Parliament the executive's intention to introduce the Anti-Tabaco Act for that country.
• 11 November: Palestinian President Yasser Arafat died — allegedly poisoned.
• November 18: The Loncomilla Bridge, a structure that is less than 10 years old, collapses in the Maule region (Chile). The event provoked a political crisis that would culminate in the resignation of the Minister of Public Works, Javier Etcheberry.
• 20 November:
  • The Spanish singer María Isabel López wins the Festival of the song of Eurovisión Junior 2004 with the theme Before dead that simple being is the second edition of the annual contest.
• 21 November: In the Caribbean Sea, there is a 6.5 earthquake that leaves 1 dead, 13 wounded and 40 homeless people, as well as a small non-destructive tsunami.
• 22 November:
  • In Ukraine, massive protests against the government-produced electoral fraud lead to the Orange Revolution led by the Proceedings Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Timoshenko.
  • In Plano (United States), a woman named Dena Schlosser (35) cuts her arms off to her daughter Margaret (11 months) as an offering to the Lord God. The girl died hours later in a hospital.
• 24 November: in Spain, Plaza María Agustina (Castellón) ceases to be the only square in Europe that turns backwards in a country where it leads on the right.

December

An earthquake in the Indian Ocean causes a devastating tidal chain that affects eight countries in Southeast Asia, causing the death of thousands.

• December 3: it is extradited to the United States Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, one of the biggest drug lords.
• 4 December: in Sanya (People's Republic of China) the Peruvian Maria Julia Mantilla is crowned as Miss World.
• December 6: New elections in Ukraine win Víktor Yúshchenko
• 8 December:
  • The South American Community of Nations is created in the city of Cusco (Peru).
  • In Columbus, Ohio there is a Tragedy in a Concert at the Night Club Alrosa Villa where Damageplan was presented leaving 4 dead including Pantera Dimebag Darrell's Guitarist and other Club wounded.
• 9 December: in Venezuela the Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television is enacted and sanctioned.
• December 12: In Nayarit, Mexico, there is a car accident that charges the lives of 10 pilgrims. [1]
• December 13: In Venezuela, Rodrigo Granda, the "chancellor" of the FARC, was arrested.
• December 14: Venezuela and Cuba founded ALBA.
• 16 December: Zaragoza (Spain) is elected headquarters of the 2008 International Exhibition (Expo Zaragoza 2008). The theme chosen is “Water and sustainable development”. The exhibition will take place from Saturday 14 June to Saturday 13 September 2008.
• December 24: An 8.1 earthquake shakes the Tasmanian sea by generating a small tsunami.
• 26 December:
  • In the Indonesian island of Sumatra there is a strong 9.3 earthquake that causes a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean that affects 14 countries in Southeast Asia, leaving a balance of 230,000 people dead and more than 40,000 disappeared.
  • In Ukraine, a third electoral round is held that ratifies the triumph of pro-western Víktor Yushchenko over Viktor Yanukóvich.
• December 27: the strongest explosion in history is recorded in a Magnetar at 50 000 light years in the constellation of Sagittarius.
• 30 December:
  • In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a fire in the discotheque República Cromañón kills 194 people and leaves another 800 injured.
  • In the Basque Country, the parliament approved by an absolute majority of 39 votes to 35 the "New Political Status Project for the Euskadi Community", better known as Plan Ibarretxe.
• December 31: the Colombian government extradited Simon Trinidad, one of the main leaders of the FARC, to the United States, accused of drug trafficking, Trinidad had been captured in Quito (Ecuador) by the local authorities.
  • Finish the technical support of Windows NT 4.0.

Births

January

• January 1st: Amit Elor, American fighter.
• January 1: Giovani Henrique Amorim da Silva, Brazilian footballer.
• January 3: Nicolás Vallejo, Argentine soccer player.
• January 6: Fanor Esteban Castellanos Alvaran, actor and Colombian singer.
• January 10: Kaitlyn Maher, American actress and singer.
• January 12: Ahn Seo-hyun, South Korean actress.
• January 14: Devon Higgs, British actor.
• January 21: Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, the first daughter of Princes Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway and the second granddaughter of Kings Harald V and Sonia of Norway.
• January 23: Julio Enciso, Paraguayan soccer player.
• January 25: Rohan Chand, American actor.
• January 26: Addison Riecke, American actress.
• January 27: Sianyf Agüero, Costa Rican footballer

February

• February 3: Rei, Japanese rapper, member of Ive.
• February 5: Paula Gallego, Spanish actress and model.
• February 6: Luisa of Belgium, the firstborn of the princes Lorenzo and Clara, the princess occupies the thirteenth place in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.
• February 6: Lee Jae-in, South Korean actress.
• February 18: Kylie Rogers, American actress.
• February 19: Millie Bobby Brown, British actress and model.

March

• March 3: Ander Astralaga, Spanish footballer.
• March 5: Kennedy Brice, American actress.
• March 5: Choi Soo-in, South Korean actress.
• March 8: Kit Connor, English actor.
• March 9: Yoo Eun-mi, South Korean actress.
• March 10: Mace Colonel, American actor.
• March 13: Cori Gauff, American tennis player.
• March 21: Nicolas Casimiro of Orange-Nassau, the second son of Prince Constantine Cristóbal of the Netherlands and Princess Lorenza, the only grandson of Princess Beatrice of the Netherlands, and of his late husband, Claus and nephew of the current kings of the Netherlands, William Alexander and Maxima.
• March 22: Andrey Salmerón, Costa Rican footballer.
• March 27: Amira Willighagen, a Dutch singer.
• March 28: Anna Shcherbakova, an art skater on Russian ice.
• March 29: Juan Esteban Aponte, Colombian actor.
• March 30: Manar Maged, a child born in Egypt affected by a very rare parasitic twin case: the craniopagus parasiticus (f. 2006).

April

• April 2: Abraham Madriz, Costa Rican-Canadian footballer
• April 6: Casey Simpson, American actor.
• April 9: Kim Su-jung, South Korean actress.
• April 14: Anastasy Tarakánova, an art skater on Russian ice.
• April 16: Cameron Johnson Cruz, U.S.-C. footballer
• April 16: Ilias Akhomach, Spanish footballer.
• April 25: Álex Valle, Spanish footballer.

May

• 1 May: Charli D'Amelio, dancer and influencer American.
• May 3: Mel Maia, Brazilian actress.
• May 8: Arnaud Dony, Belgian footballer.
• May 22: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, American actress.
• May 25: Pedro Acosta Sánchez, Spanish bike rider, Moto3 champion.
• May 27: You Young, South Korean ice skater.

June

• June 1st: Krisia Todorova, Bulgarian singer.
• June 1st: Andreas Schjelderup, Norwegian footballer.
• June 4: Mackenzie Ziegler, actress, dancer, singer and American model.
• June 8: Francesca Capaldi, American actress.
• June 9: Loreto Peralta, American actress.
• June 15: Sterling Jerins, American actress.
• June 23: Aleksandra Trúsova, an art skater on Russian ice.

July

• 1 July: Alejandro Garnacho, Argentine soccer player.
• July 2: Caitlin Carmichael, American actress.
• July 7: Josimar Alcócer, Costa Rican footballer.
• July 16: Ruby Barnhill, British actress.
• July 21: Brandon Calderón, Costa Rican footballer.
• July 27: Juan José Mina, Colombian footballer.

August

• August 5: Gavi, Spanish footballer.
• August 14: Marsai Martin, American actress and singer.
• August 31: Jang Won-young, South Korean idol

September

• September 10: Gabriel Bateman, American actor.
• September 17: Odysseas Kimon of Greece, the fourth son of the crown princes of Greece, Paul and Marie-Chantal of Greece.
• September 19: Lizi Japaridze, actress, singer, dancer and Georgian model.
• September 25: Seiran Kobayashi, Japanese actress.
• September 25: Julia Benedetti, skater Spanish.

October

• October 3: Noah Schnapp, American actor.
• October 10: Zain Al Rafeea, Syrian actor.
• October 12: Darci Lynne Farmer, American Ventrilocua.

November

• November 1st: Jayden Bartels, American actress.
• 20 November: Seeiso Maseeiso, member of the Royal Family of Lesoto.
• November 27: Jet Jurgensmeyer, American actor.
• November 30: Bella Ramsey, British actress.

December

• December 8: Damian Rivera, U.S. footballer-costarricense-guatemalteco
• December 22: Stephen Gogolev, Canadian ice skater.
• December 27: Patricia Arbués, Spanish actress.
• December 27: Hugo Arbués, Spanish actor

Deaths

Art and literature

• January 6: Antonio Soler gets the Nadal Award for his novel The Way of the English.
• Arturo Pérez-Reverte: Corporal Trafalgar.

Science and technology

• 22 April: the president of the Board of Extremadura, Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels, the European Prize for Regional Innovation in its form of Information Society, granted by the European Commission in the framework of the European Program of Innovation Actions, by the GNU/LinEx
• October 20: The Canonical Company launches the first version of Ubuntu

Astronautics

• April 20: satellite launch Gravity Probe B to check certain predictions of Albert Einstein's general relativity theory.
• July 15: launch of the American Earth Observation Satellite Aura.
• 2 January: Wild 2 comet is discovered with Stardust space probe.

Consoles and video games

• April 22: SNK Playmore and Yuki Enterprise launch Samurai Shodown V Special as well as being the latest official game for the Arcade Neo Geo system.
• June 17: Sega, Sonic Team and Dimps launch the third and last installment of the "Sonic Advance" series for the Game Boy Advance, Sonic Advance 3.
• September 14: Electronic Arts, in association with Maxis, launch their famous video game The Sims 2.
• September 28: Vivendi Universal and Traveller's Tales Oxford release Crash Twinsanity video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
• October 12: The PlayStation 1 console ends its lifetime with the latest FIFA 2005 video game
• October 26: Rockstar Games released the GTA San Andreas video game for PS2 in North America.
• October 29: Sony's PlayStation 2 Slim console is on sale.
• November 2: Sonic Team Launches Sonic Mega Collection Plus for PS2 and Xbox.
• November 9: Naughty Dog and Sony launch the Jak 3 video game for PlayStation 2, being the latest project of the developer where Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin worked together. However years later Gavin would return to work at Naughty Dog.

• Microsoft, in partnership with Bungie, premiere Halo 2 for Xbox.
• 16 November: Valve launches its famous Half-Life 2 game for sale.
• November 18: Nintendo and Hudson Soft launch the video game Mario Party 6.
• November 21st: Nintendo takes out the Nintendo DS portable console for sale.
• December 12: in Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment the PlayStation Portable Console (PSP).

Sports

Olympic Games

• 13 August: Official Opening of the Athens Olympic Games 2004.

Motor Racing

• Formula 1: Michael Schumacher gets his seventh and last title of world champion.
• World Rally Championship: Sébastien Loeb, champion.

• Nascar: Kurt Busch becomes the first champion of the Nextel Cup, and the first in the format of the Chase For The Nextel.

Basketball

• NBA: Detroit Pistons, champ. Kevin Garnett is elected Best Player of the championship.
• Euroliga: Maccabi Tel Aviv, champion.
• League ACB: Barcelona, champion.
• Copa del Rey: the TAU Baskonia, champion at the end of Seville to the DKV Joventut of Badalona (81-77).
• National Basketball League from Argentina: Boca Juniors, champion.
• Dimayor of Chile: Provincial Osorno, champion.

Handball

• European Cup: Celje Pivovarna Lasko (Slovenia), champion.
• Coup Europe: Portland San Antonio (Spain), champion.
• EHF Cup: THW Kiel, champion.
• ASOBAL League (Spain): Balonmano Ciudad Real, champion.

Baseball

• Championship American League: Boston Red Sox, champion. David Ortiz, MVP of the championship.
• World Series: Boston Red Sox, champion. Manny Ramirez, MVP Series.
• Venezuelan Professional Baseball League : the Tigers of Aragua achieve their fourth championship.

Cycling

• Tour de France: Lance Armstrong achieves his sixth win at the Tour, becoming the first cyclist to get it but retired in 2012.
• Cycling return to Spain: Roberto Heras is a winner of the 59th edition of the Round to Spain, adding three wins and matching Tony Rominger's record.
• Giro de Italia: Damiano Cunego, Italian, amazing winner.

• World Cycling Championship: Óscar Freire achieves its third title of World Cycling Champion in route. With this championship he becomes the cyclist with more world titles together with Alfredo Binda, Eddy Merckx and Rik Van Steenbergen.

Football

• Euro: 4 July: Greece is proclaimed champion at the 2004 Euro Cup in Portugal.
• Copa America: July 25: Brazil is proclaimed champion of the American Cup held in Peru by winning the selection of Argentina in the prisons.
• OFC Nations Cup: Australia gets its fourth and final title in the ocean competition.
• Olympic Games: the Argentina Selection gets the gold medal defeating at the end of the tournament to the selection of Paraguay for 1-0.
• Intercontinental Cup: FC Porto, champion at the end of Yokohama.
• Champions League: FC Porto, champion, defeating Monaco for 3-0 at the end.
• Copa Libertadores de América: the Eleven Caldas champion by defeating the Boca Juniors in the final.
• UEFA Cup: Valencia CF champion.
• Recopa Sudamericana: September 7: The Science of Peru is proclaimed champion of the South American Recoup by winning Boca Juniors for criminals.
• South American Cup: December: Boca Juniors of Argentina is champion. He beats Bolivar of Bolivia at the end.
• First Spanish division: May 9: Valencia CF is proclaimed champion.
• Premier League: Arsenal FC, champion.
• Italian League: AC Milan, champion.
• German League: Werder Bremen, champion.
• Mexican League: the team of the National Autonomous University of Mexico crowns two champions, crowning in the tournaments Closure and Openingin addition to Champion of Champions and winning the Trophy Santiago Bernabéu by imposing on Real Madrid with a score of 1-0 with the goal of Israel Castro.
• Professional Colombian Football:
  • Opening Tournament: Medellín.
  • Finalization Tournament: Junior.
• 17 March: Real Zaragoza wins the Copa del Rey by imposing 2 goals to 3 to Real Madrid in the final contested at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.
• European Gold Ball: Ukrainian player Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan), appointed best European football player by France Football.
• African footballer of the year, African Golden Ball: Cameroonian player Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona), best-designed African football player.
• The River Plate of Argentina is the champion of the First Argentine division, after winning the Closing Tour. Meanwhile, Newell's Old Boys Club gets the Open Tournament.
• First Chilean Division: Universidad de Chile achieves the title by winning the Opening Championship. The Closing Championship was won by Cobreloa.
• Ecuadorian Football Championship: Deportivo Cuenca, champion in the final hexagonal.
• Peruvian Football League: the Lima Alliance is crowned Champion by defeating Sporting Cristal in definition by criminal.
• It creates New Zealand Football Championship.

Golfing

• Masters of Augusta: Phil Mickelson, champion.
• United States Open Golf: Retief Goosen, champion.
• Open British Golf: Todd Hamilton, champion.
• PGA Championship: Vijay Singh, champion.

Motorcycling

• Motorcycle World Championship:
  • MotoGP: Valentino Rossi, champion.
  • 250 cc: Dani Pedrosa is proclaimed World Champion. It thus becomes the youngest pilot to get it. It also becomes the youngest pilot to achieve the 125 and 250 cc championships in two consecutive years.
  • 125 cc: Andrea Dovizioso, champion.

• Paris-Dakar Rally: Nani Roma becomes the first Spanish to win the rally in the motorcycle category.

Tennis

• Olympic Games: Chile dominated the Olympic medallero, after the victory of Nicolás Massú in individual and Fernando González and Nicolás Massú in doubles, obtaining 2 gold medals and 1 bronze medal.

• Open from Australia: Men: Roger Federer beats Marat Safin. Women: Justine Henin-Hardenne beats Kim Clijsters.
• Roland Garros: Men: Gaston Gaudio beats Guillermo Coria. Women: Anastasiya Mýskina beats Elena Dementieva.
• Wimbledon: Men: Roger Federer beats Andy Roddick. Women: María Sharápova beats Serena Williams.
• US Open: Men: Roger Federer beats Lleyton Hewitt. Women: Svetlana Kuznetsova beats Elena Dementieva.

• Masters Cup: Roger Federer (men) and María Sharápova (women), champions.
• Davis Cup: Spain, champion of the Davis Cup in the final held on December 7, Seville, to the United States.
• Copa: Russia, champion.
• World Cup for Teams: Chile is the world champion of tennis for the second consecutive time thanks to the team composed by Nicolás Massú, Adrián García and Fernando González in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Chilean Rodeo

• National Rodeo Championship: from 2 to 4 April. Gabriel Orphanopoulos and Mariano Torres, champions of Chile.

Other sports

• Barcelona, champion of the European Hockey Cup on skates, defeating FC Porto for 3-0, on May 16.
• Juan Martín Díaz and Fernando Belasteguín win the world of paddle celebrated in Argentina in the open. Argentina is proclaimed world champion by male and female selections.
• The Spanish football team wins the FIFA World Championship against Italy with the result of 2-1.
• Tito Santana is included in the WWE Fame Hall.
• Wrestlemania XX is held at Madison Square Garden.
• Between 17 and 28 September 2004, the XII Paralympic Games were held in Athens.

Cinema

Premieres

• 7 January: The Secret of Vera Drake Mike Leigh.
• 3 January: Malabar Princess Gilles Legrand.
• 28 January: RRRrrrrr!!! Alain Chabat.
• 11 February: Blueberry Jan Kounen.
• 13 February: 50 first appointments Peter Segal.
• 25 February: The Passion of Christ Mel Gibson.
• 27 February: Dirty Dancing 2 Guy Ferland.
• 5 March
  • Oceans of fire Joe Johnston.
  • Samaritan girl Kim Ki-duk.
• 12 March
  • The secret window David Koepp.
  • Superager Cody Banks 2: Destination London Frankie Muniz.
• 17 March: The choir boys Christophe Barratier.
• 18 March: In search of the magic stone Lenard Fritz Krawinkel and Holger Tappe.
• 19 March: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry.
• 28 March: Dawn of the dead Zack Snyder.
• 31 March: Secret agents by Frédéric Schoendoerffer.
• 2 April
  • Hellboy by Guillermo del Toro.
  • Cowboys Will Finn and John Sanford.
• 8 April: My name is Bach. Dominique de Rivaz.
• 9 April
  • More false appearances Howard Deutch.
  • Zobies party Edgard Wright.
• 16 April
  • Kill Bill vol. 2 Quentin Tarantino.
  • The Punisher of Jonathan Hensleigh.
• 23 April
  • The dream of my life Gary Winick.
  • What do you know? by William Arntz, Betsy Chasse and Mark Vincent.
• 30 April: Bad girls Mark Waters.
• 6 May: The holy girl by Lucrecia Martel.
• 7 May
  • Super Size Me Morgan Spurlock.
  • Van Helsing Stephen Sommers.
• 14 May
  • Romasanta. The hunt of the beast Paco Plaza.
  • Troy Wolfgang Petersen.
• 19 May: Shrek 2 Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon.
• 26 May: Mrs. Beba by Jorge Gaggero.
• 28 May
  • The Day After Tomorrow by Roland Emmerich.
  • Saved! Brian Dannelly.
• 4 June: Harry Potter and Azkaban Prisoner of Alfonso Cuarón.
• 11 June
  • The Chronicles of Riddick David Twohy.
  • Perfect women Frank Oz.
• 16 June:
  • Round the world in 80 days Frank Coraci.
  • The return of the Yamakasi Julien Seri.
• 18 June: The terminal Steven Spielberg.
• 24 June: Tropical Malady of Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
• 25 June: Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Moore.
• 30 June: Spider-Man 2 Sam Raimi.
• 7 July: King Arthur by Antoine Fuqua.
• 9 July: The reporter Adam McKay.
• 16 July:
  • Mary full of grace Joshua Marston.
  • Me, robot. Alex Proyas.
• 1 July: Erreway 4 roads.
• 17 July: Steamboy Katsuhiro Ôtomo.
• 23 July
  • Catwoman Pitof.
  • A house at the end of the world Michael Mayer.
• 27 July: X-ray of a lieThaelman Urgelles.
• 28 July: Something in common Zach Braff.
• 29 July: Motorcycle Journals Walter Salles.
• 30 July: The forest M. Night Shyamalan.
• 6 August: Collateral Michael Mann.
• 11 August: Princess by surprise 2 Garry Marshall.
• 13 August: Alien against predator
• 20 August: Earth of angels Kay Pollak.
• 27 August
  • Anacondas Dwight H. Little.
  • Suspect zero of E. Elijah Merhige.
• 3 September
  • Beauty forbidden Richard Eyre.
  • Sea in of Alexander Amenábar.
  • Obsession Paul McGuigan.
  • Paparazzi Paul Abascal.
  • Keane from Lodge Kerrigan.
• 9 September: Shutter Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom.
• 17 September
  • Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow Kerry Conran.
  • Just a kiss. Ken Loach.
• 16 September: This is rhythm! by Thomas Grube and Enrique Sánchez Lansch.
• 29 September: 20046 Wong Kar-Wai.
• 30 September: All the good of the world of Alexander Agresti.
• 1 October
  • Brigade 49 Jay Russell.
  • The scarecrow Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman.
  • Rome by Adolfo Aristarain.
• 8 October: Around the Bend from Jordan Roberts.
• 13 October: Aaltra of Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern.
• 15 October
  • Iron 3 Kim Ki-duk.
  • Shall We Dance? Peter Chelsom.
• 21 October
  • The Cycle of Mary Victoria Menis.
  • Promised land from Amos Gitai.
• 22 October
  • Alfie Charles Shyer.
  • Crime ferspect of Alex of the Church.
  • Surviving Christmas Mike Mitchell.
  • Strange beings Takashi Shimizu.
• 24 October: The consequences of love by Paolo Sorrentino.
• 27 October: When the tide rises... by Gilles Porte and Yolande Moreau.
• 29 October
  • Ray. Taylor Hackford.
  • Reincarnation by Jonathan Glazer.
  • Saw James Wan.
• 30 October: The hidden blade from Yoji Yamada.
• 3 November
  • The stranger by Philippe Lioret.
  • The last day Rodolphe Marconi.
• 4 November
  • Lili's apron by Mariano Galperín.
  • Red average of Nicolás López.
• 5 November: The Unbelievable Brad Bird.
• 10 November
  • Blind trust from Étienne Chatiliez.
  • Polar Express Robert Zemeckis.
• 12 November: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Beeban Kidron.
• 18 November: Unfaithful women of Rodrigo Ortúzar Lynch.
• 19 November
  • The search Jon Turteltaub.
  • SpongeBob: The Film Stephen Hillenburg.
• 20 November: Howl no Ugoku Shiro of Hayao Miyazaki.
• 24 November
  • Alexander the Great Oliver Stone.
  • Outstanding matters Olivier Marchal.
• 26 November
  • The intruder Roger Michell.
  • Things that make life worth by Manuel Gómez Pereira.
• 8 December: Blade: Trinity David S. Goyer.
• 10 December: Ocean's Twelve Steven Soderbergh.
• 15 December: Other times André Téchiné.
• 17 December
  • Beyond the Sea Kevin Spacey.
  • The Machinist Brad Anderson.
  • Imaginary heroes Dan Harris.
  • Spanglish James L. Brooks.
  • A series of wild catastrophics by Brad Silberling's Lemony Snicket.
• 22 December: The ghost of the opera Joel Schumacher.
• 23 December: Kung Fu Sion Stephen Chow.
• 25 December
  • The aviator Martin Scorsese.
  • Risk Jack Ersgard.
• 29 December: The Murder of Richard Nixon Niels Mueller.
• Brett Ratner Superman Flyby

All dates belong to the official premieres of their countries of origin, unless otherwise indicated.

Music

Television

Nobel Prize

• Physics: David J. Gross, H. David Politzer and Frank Wilczek.
• Chemistry: Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko and Irwin Rose.
• Medicine: Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck.
• Literature: Elfriede Jelinek.
• Peace: Wangari Maathai.
• Economy: Finn E. Kydland and Edward C. Prescott.

Prince of Asturias Awards

• Arts: Paco de Lucía.
• Social Sciences: Paul Krugman.
• Communication and Humanities: Jean Daniel.
• Concordia: The Camino de Santiago.
• International cooperation: Erasmus Programme of the European Union.
• Sports: Hicham El Guerrouj.
• Scientific and Technical Research: Judah Folkman, Tony Hunter, Joan Massagué, Bert Vogelstein and Robert Weinberg.
• Letters: Claudio Magris.

Cervantes Award

• Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio