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2003
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| February 1, 2003 - A tragedy at NASA occurs when
the Space Shuttle Columbia explodes upon reentry over Texas.
All
seven astronauts inside are killed. March 19, 2003 - The War in Iraq begins with the bombing of Baghdad after additional measures and mandates from the United Nations and the United States coalition fail to gain concessions or the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The U.S. coalition, upon failure to extract authority from the U.N. for action due to the veto power of France, begin land operations one day later with participation from U.S., British, Australian, and Polish troops. April 9, 2003 - The U.S. coalition siezes control of Baghdad in the Iraq conflict. July 2, 2003 - The International Olympic Committee votes in Prague that the Winter Olympic Games are coming back to North America, selecting Vancouver, Canada as host of the XXI Olympic Games in 2010. December 13, 2003 - Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq, is captured in a small bunker in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. |
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2004
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| February 3, 2004 - The Central Intelligence
Agency admits that the imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction
was not present before the 2003 Iraq war began. March 2, 2004 - Mars rover MER-B (Opportunity) confirms to NASA that the area of their landing was once covered in water. July 4, 2004 - The groundbreaking ceremony for the Freedom Tower at Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center complex destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks, occurs in New York City. November 2, 2004 - President George W. Bush wins reelection over Democratic Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts. He wins 50.7% of the popular vote and 286 votes in the Electoral College. December 26, 2004 - The southeast Asian tsunami occurs following a 9.3 Richter scale earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Two hundred and ninety thousand people die from Sri Lanka to Indonesia, creating one ot the greatest humanitarian tragedies in history. A worldwide relief effort, led by the United States and many other nations, is mobilized to assist. |
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2005
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2006
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| February 22, 2006 - In a continuing shift of the
retail industry to new platforms, the one billionth song is downloaded
from the internet music store, Apple iTunes. This shift comes
at
the expense of many brick and mortar chains, including Tower Records. September 25, 2006 - In New Orleans, the Louisiana Superdome reopens after repairs caused by Hurrican Katrina damage. The repairs included the largest reroofing project in U.S. history and took thirteen months following the destruction to the Gulf Coast region. October 17, 2006 - The population of the United States reaches the milestone of three hundred million, taking only forty-two years to gain one hundred million people since the two hundredth million person was added in 1964. At the same time, a vibrant debate on immigration policy, particularly illegal immigration, ensues across the nation. November 7, 2006 - In the mid-term elections, both houses of Congress change back to Democratic hands for the first time since 1994. This is seen as a referendum by many on the Iraq policy of the Bush administration as well as personal Republican scandals among some House and Senate members. December 1, 2006 - United States manufacturing capacity and esteem wanes, signalled by the sale of the last shares of his General Motors stock by U.S. billionaire Kirk Kerkorian. |
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2007
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| January 4, 2007 - The first female speaker of the
U.S. House of Representatives, Representative Nancy Pelosi of San
Francisco, California, is sworn into office. January 10, 2007 - President George W. Bush announces a troop surge of 21,500 for the war in Iraq to stem the violence at the request of new commander General Petreus. This controversial policy begins to show positive signs once fully implemented during the summer months, with a reduction in violent attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. Progress on the political front within the Iraqi national government, however, does not keep pace with positive developments on the military front. June 2, 2007 - A terror plot to blow up JFK International Airport in New York City is thwarted when four terrorists are arrested and charged with its plan. July 4, 2007 - The fifty star flag of the United States of America becomes the longest flying flag in history after flying over forty-seven years. December 13, 2007 - The Mitchell Report on the Steroids Scandal in baseball is published. It recounted a year long investigation into the use and abuse of performance enhancing drugs over a two decade period, including steroids and human growth hormone. Nearly ninety players were named, and blame for the scandal was spread among players, the union, and the commissioner's office. Headed by former Senator George Mitchell, the report urged enhanced testing to stem the problem and a look forward attitude to restore the integrity of the game and its statistics. The report comes after a season when Barry Bonds broke the home run record of Hank Aaron amid suspicion of steroid use. |
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2008
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2009
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| January
20, 2009
- Barack Obama takes the oath of office for President of the United
States, becoming the first African-American president in the history of
the nation. The Democratic Senator from Illinois comes into
the
office on a message of Change. The city of Washington, D.C.
hosts
more than one million visitors to the inauguration, covering the
National Mall in a way reminiscent of the Civil Rights March of Martin
Luther King forty-six years earlier. April 15, 2009 - After a succession of big government spending projects beginning in the Bush administration and expanded under President Obama, 750 grass roots Tea Party protests spring up across the nation. More than one half million citizens concerned with increased deficits due to such actions such as the bailout of the banking industry, car industry, potential cap and trade legislation, and other administation projects that project a ten trillion dollar deficit over the next decade take part. June 1, 2009 - The H1N1 virus, named the Swine Flu, is deemed a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. This is the first such designation since the Hong Kong flu in 1967-1968. October 31, 2009 - The economic recession continues to deepen as jobless claims climb above 10.0%, reaching 10.2% with October's monthly figures. This occurs despite efforts by the Obama administration to ramp up massive government spending pushed by the $780 billion economic stimulus package passed earlier in the year. December 1, 2009 - President Obama announces a surge of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to stem increased efforts by the Taliban in the country. The surge, which was suggested by military officers, was not popular with the liberal base of the Democratic party which had put the President in power on a pledge to end both Middle Eastern wars. The war in Afghanistan, which started as a response to the terror attacks on 9/11/2001, and the war on terror in general, comes into focus again on December 25 when an airliner headed for Detroit is attacked by a Muslim extremist, 23-year-old Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, who attempts to detonate a bomb, but fails. |
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Historic Travel Tip
America's Best
History Historic Travel Tip
Much of America's best history takes in the beauty and nature of our national parks. From the first park in Yellowstone, from the coast of Maine to the shores of Hawaii Volcanoes, check out the history of the USA as made by our land.
U.S. Timeline
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Picture above: Jefferson Memorial. Picture Top of Page: World War II Memorial - The newest of the monuments in Washington, D.C.
