The Night Mars Came Closer Than Ever
On August 27, 2003, Mars swung closer to Earth than it had in nearly 60,000 years — and millions of people stayed up to watch the red planet blaze.
Tagged: 2000s
Midnight in Amsterdam: The World's First Same-Sex Weddings
At midnight on April 1, 2001, Amsterdam's mayor married four same-sex couples as the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
Roses Topple a President
On November 23, 2003, Georgia's Eduard Shevardnadze resigned after three weeks of peaceful protests, ending the bloodless Rose Revolution.
When the Lights Went Out for 50 Million People
On August 14, 2003, sagging power lines and a failed alarm in Ohio triggered a cascade that blacked out 50 million people across the Northeast and Ontario.
21 Hours That Made China a Space Power
On October 15, 2003, Yang Liwei rode Shenzhou 5 into orbit, making China the third nation to launch a human into space.
The Night the Olympics Came Home
On August 13, 2004, Athens opened the Summer Olympics with a spectacular ceremony tracing Greek history before 72,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium.
"While I Strongly Disagree, I Accept It"
On December 13, 2000 — 36 days after the election — Al Gore conceded the presidency to George W. Bush, a day after the Supreme Court's 5–4 decision in Bush v. Gore ended the Florida recount.
Reading the Book of Life: The Genome Decoded
On April 14, 2003, an international consortium announced it had finished sequencing the 3 billion DNA letters of the human genome — the instruction book of every one of us.
The President Who Vanished on Leap Day
On February 29, 2004, Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide left the country aboard a U.S. military plane — a disputed departure that ended his presidency and reshaped Haiti's fate.
The Morning a Giant Fell: General Motors Goes Bankrupt
On June 1, 2009, General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York, the largest manufacturing collapse in American history.