The 2000s

2006 20 years ago

The 7.7 Mw Pangandaran tsunami earthquake severely affects the Indonesian island of Java, killing 668 people, and…

An earthquake occurred on July 17, 2006, at 15:19:27 local time along a subduction zone off the coast of west and central Java, a large and densely populated island in the Indonesi…

The 7.7 Mw Pangandaran tsunami earthquake severely affects the Indonesian island of Java, killing 668 people, and…

2006 20 years ago

The world's longest running music show Top of the Pops is broadcast for the last time on BBC Two. The show had aired…

Top of the Pops (TOTP) is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1 January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's l…

The world's longest running music show Top of the Pops is broadcast for the last time on BBC Two. The show had aired…

2006 20 years ago

An Israeli airstrike kills 28 Lebanese civilians, including 16 children.

The 2006 Qana airstrike was an airstrike carried out by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on a three-story building in the small community of al-Khuraybah near the South Lebanese village…

An Israeli airstrike kills 28 Lebanese civilians, including 16 children.

2006 20 years ago

Fidel Castro hands over power to his brother, Raúl.

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a Cuban communist revolutionary and statesman who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2011. He served as prime minister from 1959 to 1976, president …

Fidel Castro hands over power to his brother, Raúl.

2006 20 years ago

Kimi Antonelli, Italian racing driver

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is an Italian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Mercedes. Antonelli has won six Formula One Grands Prix since his debut in 2025.

Kimi Antonelli, Italian racing driver

2006 20 years ago

Kang Ju-hyeok, South Korean footballer

Kang Ju-hyeok is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for K League 1 club FC Seoul. He made his debut professional appearance in the 2024 K League 1 season…

Kang Ju-hyeok, South Korean footballer

2006 20 years ago

Prince Hisahito of Akishino, Japanese prince

Prince Hisahito of Akishino is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. He is the youngest child and only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, and the nephew of E…

Prince Hisahito of Akishino, Japanese prince

2006 20 years ago

Ian Chen, American actor

Ian Chen is a Taiwanese-American actor. He is known for his roles as Evan Huang in the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020) and Eugene Choi in the DC Extended Universe films S…

Ian Chen, American actor

2006 20 years ago

A massacre is carried out by Sri Lankan government forces, killing 17 employees of the French INGO Action Against…

The Muttur Massacre was an incident that occurred on 4 August 2006 in Muttur, Sri Lanka, in the district of Trincomalee, during the Sri Lankan civil war. Seventeen local employees …

A massacre is carried out by Sri Lankan government forces, killing 17 employees of the French INGO Action Against…

2006 20 years ago

At least 21 suspected terrorists are arrested in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot that happened in the United…

The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives, carried aboard airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada…

At least 21 suspected terrorists are arrested in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot that happened in the United…

2006 20 years ago

The oil tanker MT Solar 1 sinks off the coast of Guimaras and Negros Islands in the Philippines, causing the country's…

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and produ…

The oil tanker MT Solar 1 sinks off the coast of Guimaras and Negros Islands in the Philippines, causing the country's…

2006 20 years ago

Lebanon War: A ceasefire takes effect three days after the United Nations Security Council's approval of United…

The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006 and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceas…

Lebanon War: A ceasefire takes effect three days after the United Nations Security Council's approval of United…

2006 20 years ago

Sri Lankan Civil War: Sixty-one schoolgirls killed in Chencholai bombing by Sri Lanka Air Force air strike.

The Sri Lankan civil war was fought in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. Beginning on 23 July 1983, it was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of …

Sri Lankan Civil War: Sixty-one schoolgirls killed in Chencholai bombing by Sri Lanka Air Force air strike.

2006 20 years ago

Oliver Peake, Australian cricketer

Oliver John Peake is a professional Australian cricketer who has represented Australia in One Day International cricket, and plays Australian domestic cricket for Victoria and the …

Oliver Peake, Australian cricketer

2006 20 years ago

Alisha Palmowski, British female racing driver

Alisha Palmowski is a British racing driver who competes in F1 Academy for Campos Racing as part of the Red Bull Academy Programme.

Alisha Palmowski, British female racing driver

2006 20 years ago

Priah Ferguson, American actress

Priah Nicole Ferguson is an American actress from Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known for her role as Erica Sinclair on the Netflix series Stranger Things. Ferguson began acting at…

Priah Ferguson, American actress

2006 20 years ago

Jacob Tremblay, Canadian actor

Jacob Tremblay is a Canadian actor. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 2010s, he expanded to voice acting in mainstream animated media and mature roles in independent fil…

Jacob Tremblay, Canadian actor

2006 20 years ago

Yoon Do-young, South Korean footballer

Yoon Do-young is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a winger for 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Magdeburg, on loan from Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. He ma…

Yoon Do-young, South Korean footballer

2006 20 years ago

Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former MP S. Sivamaharajah is shot dead at his home in…

The Sri Lankan civil war was fought in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. Beginning on 23 July 1983, it was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of …

Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former MP S. Sivamaharajah is shot dead at his home in…

2006 20 years ago

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612 crashes near the Russian border over eastern Ukraine, killing all 170 people on…

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by Saint Petersburg–based airline Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise, flying from Anapa Airport to Pulkovo…

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612 crashes near the Russian border over eastern Ukraine, killing all 170 people on…

2006 20 years ago

Grigori Perelman is awarded the Fields Medal for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture in mathematics but refuses to…

Grigori Yakovlevich Perelman is a Russian mathematician and geometer who is known for his contributions to the fields of geometric analysis, Riemannian geometry, and geometric topo…

Grigori Perelman is awarded the Fields Medal for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture in mathematics but refuses to…

2006 20 years ago

Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten, escapes from her captor Wolfgang Přiklopil, after eight…

Natascha Maria Kampusch is an Austrian author and former talk show host. At the age of 10, on 2 March 1998, she was abducted and held in a secret cellar by her kidnapper, Wolfgang …

Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten, escapes from her captor Wolfgang Přiklopil, after eight…

2006 20 years ago

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.

The International Astronomical Union is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronom…

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.

2006 20 years ago

Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Hartsfield–Jackson…

Comair Flight 5191 was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia. On the morning of August 27, 2006, at around 06:07 EDT, th…

Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Hartsfield–Jackson…