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(20th century - 21st century - 22nd century - other centuries)
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Definition
In calendars based on the Christian Era or Common Era, such as the Gregorian calendar, the 21st century is the current century, as of this writing, lasting from 2000-2099. The 21st century is the first century of the 3rd millennium (2000 - 2999).
Important developments, events, achievements
Politics
2001 First Inauguration of George W. Bush to the USA presidency
2004 EU Enlargement: 10 countries join
Final draft of the European Constitution is accepted, 2004
2005 Second Inauguration of George W. Bush to the USA presidency
Science and technology
2002 Mars Odyssey arrives in orbit around Mars.
2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster February 1
2003 Dolly the sheep dies prematurely February 14
2003 Chinese space program launches its first manned space flight, Shenzhou 5 October 15.
2003 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spreads around the globe.
2004 Mars rovers discover evidence of likely flowing water on Mars.
2004 Cassini-Huygens probe arrives at Saturn.
2004 SpaceShipOne makes first privately-funded human spaceflight, June 21
2005 Huygens probe lands on Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons.
Wars, battles, and terrorism
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
12 October 2002 Bali bombing
2003 Invasion of Iraq
11 March 2004 Madrid attacks
September 2004, Beslan hostage crisis
Five overall largest mass killings of the 21st century as of 2005
Second Congo War, approx. 1.8 million deaths (3.8 million since 1998)
2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, approx. 230,000 deaths. A number that may increase over time.
Darfur conflict, 70,000 deaths.
U.S. Invasion in Iraq, most estimates claim 15,000 - 30,000 Iraqi and 1,600 coalition deaths. The Lancet recently estimated 100,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the invasion.
Civil War in Ivory Coast, 3,000 deaths.
September 11, 2001 attacks, 2,749 - 2,752 deaths.
The regime of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is believed to have caused many deaths, but the exact number is unknown.
Furthermore, there are several wars and dictatorships continuing from the 20th century. Mostly the number of deaths they caused during the 21st century is unknown.
Influential people in politics as of 2005
(in alphabetical order)
Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President
Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, de facto government leader
Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations
Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister
Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda leader
Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
George W. Bush, President of the United States of America
Jacques Chirac, President of France
John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia
Mohammad Khatami, President of Iran
Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China
Saddam Hussein, deposed President of Iraq, currently held by US forces
Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan
Colin Powell, United States Secretary of State
Pervez Musharraf Pakistani President.
Dr. Manmohan Singh Indian Prime Minister
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation
Gerhard Schröder, German Bundeskanzler (chancellor)
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel
Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine
Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands
Jan-Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Influential people in technology as of 2005
Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corporation
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation
Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel
Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer
Influential people in science as of 2005
Stephen Hawking
Brian Greene
Influential people in mathematics as of 2005
Laurent Lafforgue
Grigori Perelman
Influential people in popular entertainment as of 2005
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
Michael Jackson, singer
Eminem, rapper
Charlize Theron, actress
Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress
Tom Cruise, actor
Brad Pitt, actor
Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
Coldplay, alternative band
See also: Timeline of the future in forecasts
Astronomical events
Tuesday, June 8, 2004 - Transit of Venus occurs after 122 years
full eclipse of moon during World Series, 2004
Natural Disasters
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, whose resulting tsunami-caused floods killed thousands (approximately 238,000 as of January 24, 2005, however this number is expected to rise) in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and other countries ringing the ocean.
Earthquake in Bam, Iran on December 27, 2003 killed more than 26,000 people.
Astronomical predictions
Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - Transit of Venus to occur 2nd time this century
August 21, 2017 - First total solar eclipse of the 21st century for the United States, and the first visible in the continental US since February 26, 1979.
2024 (plus or minus 5 years): next predicted return of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.
Friday, April 13, 2029 - The asteroid 2004 MN4 will pass within 30,000 km (18,600 mi) of the Earth.
2061: next return of Comet Halley.
Friday, November 10, 2084 - Transit of Earth as seen from Mars
Decades and years
External links
Category:Centuries
Category:3rd millennium
Category:Postmodernism
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