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2006

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Years :	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2006 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec
Arts
Architecture - Art - Literature Music (Country, UK) - Film - Television - Home video
Politics
Elections - Int'l leaders - Politics - State leaders
Science and technology
Archaeology - Aviation - Birding/Ornithology Meteorology - Railroads - Science
Sports
Sport - Tennis - Motor Racing Ice Hockey - Football (Soccer) - Baseball
By place
Africa - Australia - Canada - India - Iraq - Ireland Malaysia - Mexico - New Zealand - Philippines - South Africa - Wales
Other topics
Deaths - Awards - Gay rights - Games - Law - Religious leaders - Video gaming

2006 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar	2006
Ab urbe condita	2759
Chinese calendar	4702 – 4703
Hebrew calendar	5765 – 5766
Hindu calendars - Vikram Samvat - Shaka Samvat - Kali Yuga	2061 – 2062 1928 – 1929 5107 – 5108
Iranian calendar	1384 – 1385
Islamic calendar	1427 – 1428
Runic calendar	2256

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is also the current year.

It has been designated:

The year of Aquarius, the Water Bearer in Western astrology. The next year for Aquarius will be in the year 2018.

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Events

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January

January 1 - Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
January 2 - Fifteen are killed when the Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof in Germany collapses after heavy snowfall in the Bavarian Alps.
January 3 - Twelve deceased coal miners and one survivor are discovered in the Sago Mine Disaster near Buckhannon, West Virginia in the United States.
January 4 - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his deputy, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, after Sharon suffers a massive hemorrhagic stroke.
January 5 - A hotel in Makkah, Saudi Arabia collapses killing 76 pilgrims visiting to perform hajj.

New Horizons, the world's first probe to Pluto, is launched on January 19

January 6 - The record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially draws to a close as Tropical Storm Zeta dissipates.
January 7 - Embroiled in multiple scandals, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay announces he will not seek to reassume his former post. U.K. Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.
January 8 - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 earthquake epicentered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin. No injuries or significant damage are reported.
January 9 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 11,000 for the first time since June 7, 2001 closing at 11,011.90.
January 10 - At the Macworld Conference & Expo, Apple Computer introduces the first Macs with Intel processors: the iMac (Core Duo) and the MacBook Pro.
January 11 - Augustine Volcano in Alaska erupts twice, marking its first major eruption since 1986.
January 12 - A stampede during the Stoning of the devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills 362 Muslim pilgrims.
January 14 - A natural gas explosion in a coal mine kills eight in Romania.
January 15 - NASA's Stardust mission successfully ends with the return of the first comet
January 19 - Terrorist commits suicide in Tel Aviv, killing only himself but injuring 19 people.
January 23 - Stephen Harper wins the election in Canada forming a minority government.
January 27 - Worldwide celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Mozart.
January 28 - A trade hall roof collapses in Katowice, Poland, killing 65 people.

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February

February 5 - The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL by a score of 21-10.
February 6 - Stephen Harper is sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada.

The logo of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy

February 10 - The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Torino, Italy. The closing ceremony occurs on February 26. The next 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Whistler, Vancouver, Canada.
February 16 - Kobe Airport, a controversial offshore airport in Kobe, Japan, opens for airline service.
February 17 - As many as eighteen hundred people die when a mudslide occurs on the island of Leyte in the Philippines.
February 19 - Sixty-five miners become trapped underground after an explosion in Nueva Rosita, Mexico during the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster. There are no survivors.
February 20-February 21 - Solidarity conference in Bil'in in the Palestinian West Bank.
February 22 - A blast heavily damages the Al Askari Mosque, a Shiite holy site in Samarra, Iraq, causing a wave of protests and counterattacks across Iraq.
February 22 - Over £53.1 million is stolen during the Securitas depot robbery, the largest ever cash robbery in the United Kingdom.
February 22 - The one billionth song is purchased from Apple iTunes.
February 23 - A roof collapses on a Moscow Market, killing 56 people.
February 24 - A state of emergency is declared in the Philippines after an alleged coup d'etat against President Gloria Arroyo is foiled.
February 25 - Six police officers, seven protesters, and a journalist receive head wounds when a protest prior to the Love Ulster parade turns into a major riot.
February 25 - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni wins 2nd re-election, sparking riots in Kampala by opposition supporters.
February 26 - Khojaly Massacre remembrance day in Azerbaijan, were more then 600 Azeris were killed by Armenian forces.
February 26 - The world population reaches 6.5 billion at 0016 UTC according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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March

March 2 - The U.S. Federal Reserve releases the redesigned $10 bill into circulation.
March 3 - The first World Baseball Classic opens in Tokyo, Japan.
March 4 - The central Papeete power station is damaged by a fire, resulting in limited power for some areas of Tahiti for a couple of weeks.
March 4 - A new species of shark is discovered in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, bringing the types of Mustelus shark found in the eastern North Pacific to five.
March 4 - The Deep Space Network tries one final contact attempt to Pioneer 10.
March 4 - The 28th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held in Australia.
March 5 - Crash wins Best Picture, Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) wins Best Director, Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) wins Best Actress, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) wins Best Actor during the 78th Academy Awards.
March 7 - Fifteen people die and many others are injured in three blasts throughout Varanasi, India.
March 9 - Microsoft unveils the Ultra-Mobile PC, formerly code-named "Origami Project".
March 9 - NASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft discovers geysers of water shooting from Saturn's moon Enceladus, signaling a possible presence of water.

Tropical Cyclone Larry, considered the worst tropical cyclone to hit Queensland, off the Australian coast on March 18

March 10 - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters Mars orbit.
March 11 - Slobodan Milošević, former Yugoslav president, dies of a heart attack in his prison cell in The Hague, Netherlands.
March 11 - Michelle Bachelet is sworn in as the first female President of Chile.
March 12 - Springfield, Illinois is hit with its biggest storm in over fifty years as a tornado outbreak sequence causes dozens of tornadoes to occur in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois over a five-day period.
March 15-March 26 - The 2006 Commonwealth Games take place in Melbourne, Australia.
March 16 - The New Kitakyushu Airport opens in Japan.
March 20 - Tropical Cyclone Larry makes landfall in Queensland, Australia as what is considered to be the worst cyclone to hit the region since 1931.
March 22 - Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) declares a permanent ceasefire in their campaign for Basque independence from Spain.
March 23 - The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ceases publication of the M3 monetary aggregate.
March 25 - An estimated 500,000 people take to the streets in downtown Los Angeles in protest of a proposed federal crackdown on illegal immigration.
March 25 - A revolutionary scramjet jet engine Hyshot III designed to fly at seven times the speed of sound is successfully tested at Woomera, South Australia.
March 26 - The ban on smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants comes into effect in Scotland.
March 28 - Andrew Card, chief of staff to President George W. Bush resigns; President Bush nominates Josh Bolten as his replacement.
March 29 - Total solar eclipse (Brazil, Greece, Mid Atlantic ocean, Sahara, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia).
March 30 - The first Brazilian astronaut, Marcos Pontes, goes to space in a Russian spaceship, Soyuz TMA-8, at 2:29:00 CET.
March 30 - The al-Dana capsizes off the coast of Bahrain killing at least forty-eight people.

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April

April 5 - A swan with Avian Flu is discovered in Cellardyke in Fife, Scotland the first case in the United Kingdom.
April 8 - The bodies of eight murdered men are found in Shedden, Ontario (see Shedden massacre).

A jury in April deliberated over the sentence of convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and later recommended life in prison without parole on May 3

April 8 - Bristol, United Kingdom celebrates the 200th birthday of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (actually April 9) by relighting the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
April 9 - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is taken out of office after four months in a coma.
April 10 - The St. Louis Cardinals' new Busch Stadium officially opens.
April 10 - Romano Prodi narrowly defeats Silvio Berlusconi in Italian parlimentary elections.
April 11 - ESA's Venus Express spaceprobe enters Venus's orbit.
April 11 - President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirms that Iran had successfully produced low-grade enriched uranium.
April 12 - Jurors in the trial of terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui hear cockpit recordings of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
April 16 - HSH Albert II, Prince of Monaco, reaches the North Pole, becoming the first reigning monarch ever to do so.
April 17 - Suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad in Tel Aviv kills nine people, injures dozens.
April 17 - Raloxifene is found to be as effective as Tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer, but with fewer side effects.
April 18 - A record seven Venezuelan pitchers started games in Major League Baseball.
April 19 - Han Myung-sook became South Korea's first female Prime Minister.
April 20 - Russia and Iran reach a uranium enrichment deal, setting up a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil.
April 22 - Four Canadian soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of Kandahar, Afghanistan by a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants, the worst one-day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War.
April 22-June 1 - 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs.
April 24 - Three explosions in a touristy section of Dahab, Egypt kill 30 and injure over 115.
April 24 - Co-founder Scott McNealy steps down as chairman of Sun Microsystems.
April 29 - Massive anti-war demonstrations and a march down Broadway in New York City mark the third year of war in Iraq. Also, the Global Night Commute takes place in over 130 cities around the world to promote the visibility of the Invisible Children in Uganda.

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May

May 1 - Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalizes his nation's gas fields.
May 1 - The Great American Boycott takes place across the US nation as marchers protest for immigration rights.
May 4 - A new coalition government takes office in Israel, with four political parties, which together hold 67 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.
May 5 - After dissapointing results in the English local elections, British Prime Minister Tony Blair holds major reshuffle of his cabinet, due also to political crises of some high ranking members.
May 5 - NASA astronomers announce the discovery of a similar storm system in the Jovian atmosphere dubbed the Red Spot Junior, which has a striking similar appearance to the famous Great Red Spot.
May 8 - Palestinian factions clash in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of two men of Fatah and one man of Hamas.
May 8 - Judgement is given in London for Apple Computer in Apple Corps v. Apple Computer, a trademark lawsuit brought by The Beatles' company, Apple Corps.
May 9 - After 14 days trapped underground after the Beaconsfield mine collapse, miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb are resuced in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia.
May 12 - Justin Gatlin of the USA runs the fastest ever 100 metres race in Doha, Qatar. He sets a time of 9.76 seconds, shaving a hundredth of a second from the previous world record of 9.77 set by Asafa Powell in 2005 but according to the IAAF, there was a timing error and his time was 9.766. Which means, by rule, it should be rounded to 9.77 meaning he is sharing the lead.
May 15 - The 2006 Pacific hurricane season officially begins in the eastern basin. The hurricane season for the central basin will officially begin on June 1.
May 17 - Captain Nichola Goddard of the 1st RCHA becomes Canada's first female casualty since World War II, and Canada's first female combat arms casualty.
May 20 - Finland's Lordi earns the most points ever given in the fifty-one times the Eurovision Song Contest has been held.
May 21 - Montenegro approves independence from its union with Serbia.
May 22 - Belfast City Airport is officially renamed the George Best Airport in memory of the football legend on what would have been his 60th birthday.
May 22 - Cedar Fair, L.P. buys the Paramount Parks chain of theme parks from CBS.

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Predicted and scheduled events

This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future events.

It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the event approaches and more information becomes available.

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May

May 25-May 28 - Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to Poland
Parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic
May 26-May 28 - Bingham Cup New York. Gay Rugby World Cup held by the International Gay Rugby Association and Board
May 26 - National Sorry Day National Day in Australia to remember the Stolen Generation, Indigenous children forcibily removed from their family.
May 27 - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest, opens its fifth runway.
Census in Canada - for the first time, the Canadian census will provide an online internet (web-based) service as an alternative to the usual mail-in forms.

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June

June 1 - 2006 Atlantic hurricane season begins.
June 8-June 22 - 2006 NBA Finals.
June 9 - Football World Cup 2006 Begins in Germany.
June 11 - Nintendo DS Lite is set to release in North America.
June 17 - Local government elections in Slovakia.
June 23 - Nintendo DS Lite is set to release in Europe.

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July

July 1 - Qinghai-Tibet Railway launches trial operation, connecting China proper and Tibet for the first time.
July 1 - Electronic equipment imported to or sold in the European Union will have to be lead free soldered, to comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive.
July 1 - Space Shuttle Discovery or STS-121 is scheduled to be launched as a second Return to Flight mission to the ISS.
July 2 - Presidential election in Mexico.
July 3-July 9 - Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic journey to Spain.
July 10 - United States will have consisted of 50 states for the same amount of time (17,125 days) as it consisted of 48 states. (February 14, 1912 (date of Arizona's admission to the US as its 48th state)-January 3, 1959 (date of Alaska's admission to the US as its 49th state); August 21, 1959 (date of Hawaii's admission to the US as its 50th state)-July 10, 2006).
July 11 - Microsoft will terminate support for Windows 98 SE and Windows Me.
July 13-July 22 - World Lacrosse Championship will be held in London, Ontario, Canada
July 23 - Microsoft was scheduled to release the Windows Vista Operating System to PC vendors, such as HP and Dell. However this release was delayed for several weeks, pushing the business editions of the operating system to November 2006, and the consumer desktop editions to January 2007.
July 28 - Alejandro Toledo concludes his term as President of Peru.
July 29-August 5 - World Congress of Esperanto in Florence, Italy.

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August

August 4-August 6 - DEF CON 14 at Riviera hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
August 7-August 11 - Apple Computer Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, California.
August 8 - Census in Australia.
August 13-August 18 - The XVI International AIDS Conference will be held in Toronto, Canada.
August 14-August 25 - The 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Prague, Czech Republic.
August - NASA is supposed to choose the contractor for the Crew Exploration Vehicle.
August - Crossfade expected to release new album

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September

September 5 - News Corporation -- parent company of Fox will launch a new broadcast television network called My Network TV.
September 11 - The 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
September 17 - Sweden general election, 2006: Sweden holds elections for the Riksdag.
September 18 - CBS Corporation and Time Warner will launch The CW Television Network -- following the shutdown of the WB and UPN television networks.
September 19-September 20 - 2006 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, Singapore
September 26 - Scheduled reopening date of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, LA after repairs to the Superdome from damages sustained during Hurricane Katrina.

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October

October 2 - Brazilian General Elections, 2006: Presidential election, Legislative: full renewal of the Chamber of Deputies and renewal of one third of the Federal Senate (one of each state's three seats); State sphere: Gubernatorial elections, renewal of the State Legislative body (State Assembly) in all states.
October 15 - Chief Justice of Japan Akira Machida will be forced to retire upon reaching the age of 70.
October 24 - NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft to Mercury makes the first of two Venus flybys.
Microsoft plans to release Windows Vista to OEMs

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November

November 7 - Midterm elections are held in the United States.
November 11 - Gerald Ford, if still living, becomes the longest lived President of the United States.
November 11 - The Playstation 3 video game system is released in Japan
November 17 - The PlayStation 3 video game system is released in the United States, Europe and Australia and rest of world
November 22 - A General Election will take place for the House of Keys in the Isle of Man.
November 23 - Nintendo Wii is released in the United States (estimated date)
November 24 - Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair's deadline on Northern Ireland power sharing.
November 28-November 29 - The NATO Summit 2006 takes place in Latvia.
November 30 - The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season and the 2006 Pacific hurricane season officially ends.
November - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to end aerobraking stage and begin a two-year long science phase mission.

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December

December 2-December 3 - The Liberal Party of Canada will hold its leadership convention
December 19 - The USA is expected to reach a population of 300 million on this date.

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Major religious holidays

January 6 - Feast of Epiphany or Dia de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Magi Kings).
January 7 - Christmas in the Russian Orthodox church calendar.
January 10 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 12)
January 11 - Vaikunta Ekadasi is observed by Hindus. This is the day when the Gates of Heaven open and remain open for the next ten days.
January 14 - Mahayana Buddhist New Year.
January 14 - Pongal Harvest Festival in Tamil Nadu.
January 15 - Maatu Pongal, Festival of Cows in Tamil Nadu.
January 16 - Uzhavar Tirunaal, Farmer's Day in Tamil Nadu.
January 29 - Year of the Dog, 4704, begins. Chinese/Asian New Year.
January 31 - Muslim New Year.
February 9 - Day of Ashurah.
February 13 - Tu Bishvat
February 28 - Mardi Gras
March 13 - Jewish holiday of Purim begins at sunset.
March 14 - Sikh New Year.
March 21 - Iranian New Year's Day (Norouz)
March 30 - Hindu New Year.
April 5 - Qingming Festival
April 12 - Pesach or Passover begins at sunset, continues for a week.
April 13 - Theravada Buddhist New Year.
April 13 - Punjabi New Year
April 14 - Good Friday in the Western Church Calendar, Sikh Holiday of Vaisakhi
April 14 - Puththaandu Tamil New Year in the Tamil Calendar, observed by people in Tamil Nadu.
April 16 - Easter in the Western Church Calendar.
April 21 - Good Friday in the Eastern Church Calendar.
April 23 - Easter in the Eastern Church Calendar.
September 22 - Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown. Continues until nightfall of the 24th.
September 23 - First day of Ramadan.
October 1 - Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur begins at sundown. Ends at nightfall of the 2nd.
October 24 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
October 26 - Hindu festival of Diwali.
December 25 - Christmas in the Western Church Calendar.
December 31 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 2, 2007)

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