The 2000s

2001 25 years ago

American singer Aaliyah (pictured) and several members of her record company were killed when their overloaded…

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contempo…

American singer Aaliyah (pictured) and several members of her record company were killed when their overloaded…

2000

Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board

Air Philippines Flight 541 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Air Philippines from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila to Francisco Bangoy International Air…

Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board

2000

Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwi

Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public …

Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwi

2000

President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military

William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previou…

President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military

2000

The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet

Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and …

The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet

2000

Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London (an office separate from that of the Lord Mayor of London)

Kenneth Robert Livingstone is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as the first…

Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London (an office separate from that of the Lord Mayor of London)

2000

Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. P…

Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia

2000

Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia

The Second Chechen War took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus…

Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia

2000

A fireworks storage depot explodes in a residential neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injurin

The Enschede fireworks disaster was a catastrophic fireworks explosion on 13 May 2000 in Enschede, Netherlands. The explosion killed 23 people, including four firefighters, and inj…

A fireworks storage depot explodes in a residential neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injurin

2000

Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation

Southern Lebanon is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The …

Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation

2000

Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen

The Arsenal Football Club is an English professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. …

Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen

2000

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-101 to resupply the International Space Station

Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Atlantis was manufacture…

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-101 to resupply the International Space Station

2000

Nineteen people are killed in a plane crash in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

On May 21, 2000, a British Aerospace BAe-3101 Jetstream 3101 operated by East Coast Aviation Services crashed into mountainous terrain in Bear Creek Township, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl…

Nineteen people are killed in a plane crash in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

2000

In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of …

In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna

2000

Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa

Resistance and Liberation Day is a Lebanese holiday celebrated on May 25.

Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa

2000

The United Nations defines the Blue Line as the border between Israel and Lebanon

The United Nations (UN) is a global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the articulated mission of maintaining internat…

The United Nations defines the Blue Line as the border between Israel and Lebanon

2000

President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea meets Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, for the beginning of the first ever inte

Kim Dae-jung was a South Korean politician, activist, and statesman who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003.

President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea meets Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, for the beginning of the first ever inte

2000

The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire…

The Russian Navy is the naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Na…

The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire…

2000

Chloe Kim, American snowboarder

Chloe Kim is an American professional snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold…

Chloe Kim, American snowboarder

2000

The Six-Day War in Kisangani begins in Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Ugandan and Rwandan f

The Six-Day War was a series of armed confrontations between Ugandan and Rwandan forces around the city of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 5 to 10 June 2000.…

The Six-Day War in Kisangani begins in Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Ugandan and Rwandan f

2000

Italy pardons Mehmet Ali Ağca, the Turkish gunman who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981

Mehmet Ali Ağca is a Turkish former hitman for Grey Wolves. On 1 February 1979, he murdered journalist Abdi İpekçi, known for his leftist views, and was imprisoned, but escaped. He…

Italy pardons Mehmet Ali Ağca, the Turkish gunman who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981

2000

The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22

United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, adopted on 19 March 1978, five days after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in the context of Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon …

The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22

2000

Section 28 (of the Local Government Act 1988), outlawing the 'promotion' of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, is repe

Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or p…

Section 28 (of the Local Government Act 1988), outlawing the 'promotion' of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, is repe

2000

Wuhan Airlines Flight 343 is struck by lightning and crashes into Wuhan's Hanyang District, killing 49 people

Wuhan Airlines Flight 343 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight between Enshi Airport and Wuhan Wangjiadun Airport, both in Hubei province, Central China. On 22 June 2000, the …

Wuhan Airlines Flight 343 is struck by lightning and crashes into Wuhan's Hanyang District, killing 49 people