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2006
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Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
The year 2006 was designated:
January - January 1 - Sydney, Australia, has its hottest day on record, when the city reaches 45°C (113°F).
- January 1 - Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
- January 2 - The Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof in Germany collapses after heavy snowfall in the Bavarian Alps, killing 15.
- January 3 - Twelve dead coal miners and one survivor are discovered in the Sago Mine Disaster near Buckhannon, West Virginia, U.S.
- January 4 - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his deputy, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after Sharon suffers a massive hemorrhagic stroke.
- January 5 - A hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia collapses, killing 76 pilgrims visiting to perform hajj.
- 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.
- January 7 - UK Liberal Democratic leader Charles Kennedy resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.
- January 8 - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake centered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin.
- January 9 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 11,000 (11,011.90) for the first time since June 7, 2001.
- January 11 - The 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 pilgrims.
- January 14 - A natural gas explosion in a coal mine kills eight in Romania.
- January 15 - NASA's Stardust mission successfully ends, the first to return dust from a comet.
- January 19 - A suicide bomber in Tel Aviv, Israel injures 20, one of them seriously.
- January 23 - Stephen Harper wins the federal election in Canada, forming a minority government.
- January 25 - Hamas wins the majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections.
- January 25 - Deus Caritas Est, the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, is promulgated.
- January 27 - Celebrations are held in Salzburg and around the world for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
- January 28 - A trade hall roof collapses in Katowice, Poland, killing 65 people.
- January 31 - Samuel Alito is sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
December - December 1 - Felipe Calderón is sworn in as the President of Mexico by the Congress in Mexico.
- December 1 - The 15th Asian Games start in Doha, Qatar; the closing ceremony takes place on December 15.
- December 2 - In Rome, about two million people, led by opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, demonstrate against Romano Prodi's government.
- December 2 - Stephane Dion is elected the new Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, on the fourth ballot.
- December 3 - Ed Stelmach is elected the new Leader of the Progressive Conservatives, Alberta, after the second ballot results, and second choice votes for Ted Morton have been added up. Ed becomes the Premier-designate of Alberta.
- December 3 - Hugo Chávez is re-elected President of Venezuela.
- December 3 - Explosive demolition of Germany's tallest chimney at former Westerholt Power Station.
- December 5 - The military seizes power in Fiji by means of a coup d'état led by Commodore Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama.
- December 7 - Smoking is banned in all Ohio bars, restaurants, workplaces, and other public places.
- December 9 - A fire at a hospital in Moscow kills 45 people.
- December 10 - Space Shuttle Mission STS-116 : Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on the first night launch since the 2003 loss of Columbia.
- December 10 - Christer Fuglesang becomes the first Swede in space.
- December 11 - The Holocaust conference is opened in Tehran, Iran by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
- December 12 - Peugeot produce their last car at the Ryton Plant signalling the end of mass car production in a city that was once a major centre of the British motor industry; Coventry.
- December 13 - The Chinese River Dolphin or Baiji becomes extinct.
- December 13 - U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) suffers a stroke during a radio interview.
- December 14 - U.S. Spy Satellite USA 193, also known as NRO Launch 21 (NROL-21 or simply L-21) is launched and malfunctions soon after.
- December 15 - Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter successfully flies for the first time.
- December 15 - An alleged assassination attempt on Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh sparks inter-Palestinian clashes.
- December 15 - Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, abdicates in favour of his son Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck a year earlier than expected.
- December 15 - The Japanese government passes a bill to upgrade the Japan Defense Agency to a Ministry.
- December 19 - Murder investigation when the bodies of five murdered prostitutes were discovered at different locations near Ipswich in Suffolk, England.
- December 19 - A Libyan court sentences five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
- December 20 - Somalia: Islamic Courts Union fighters begin attacking the government-held town of Baidoa.
- December 21 - Saparmurat Niyazov, the dictator of Turkmenistan dies unexpectedly, sparking world concern over a possible power vacuum and instability in this energy-rich country.
- December 22 - The Space Shuttle Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center, concluding a two-week mission to the International Space Station.
- December 24 - Ethiopia admits its troops have intervened in Somalia.
- December 26 - An oil pipeline explodes in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, killing at least 200 people.
- December 26 - The Hengchun earthquake in Taiwan kills two people, damaged about 15 historical buildings and several undersea cables, disrupting Internet and IDD telecommunication services in Asia.
- December 29 - War in Somalia: Ethiopian and Transitional government troops capture Mogadishu without resistance.
- December 30 - Saddam Hussein, former Iraq president, is executed in Baghdad.
- December 30 - The M/V Senopati Nusantara sinks in Indonesia, causing several hundred casualties.
- December 30 - The Free State Project completes its "First 1,000" pledge.
- December 30 - The Spanish terrorist group ETA set off a bomb in Madrid Barajas International Airport, killing two Ecuadorians.
- December 31 - At least eleven bombs go off in Bangkok hours before the new year.
- December 31 - The Met Office announces that England has experienced its warmest year since records began in 1659, with an average temperature of .
Major religious holidays - January 6 - Feast of Epiphany or Día de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Magi Kings) or La Fête des Rois (Feast of the Kings).
- January 7 - Christmas in the Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic and other Eastern Christian church calendars.
- January 10 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 12).
- January 11 - Vaikunta Ekadashi is observed by Hindus.
- 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, 4703, begins. Chinese/Asian New Year.
- January 31 - Muslim New Year.
- February 1 - Imbolc Cross-quarter day (Celebrated on February 2 in some places).
- 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.
- March 30 - Hindu New Year.
- April 5 - Qingming Festival.
- April 11 - Birth anniversary of Muhammad.
- 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.
- May 1 - Beltane Cross-quarter day.
- June 1 - Jewish holiday of Shavuot begins at sunset.
- August 1 - Lammas Cross-quarter day.
- August 2 - Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av begins at sundown; it extends until the night of August 3.
- 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 21 - Hindu festival of Diwali.
- October 23 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
- October 31 - Samhain Cross-quarter day.
- December 15 - Hannukah.
- December 21 - Wiccans celebrate the festival of Yule.
- December 25 - Christmas in the Western Church Calendar.
- December 31 - Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha begins (ends on January 2, 2007).
Ongoing
Deaths
February
- February 1 - Dick Brooks, American auto racer (b. 1942)
- February 1 - Bryce Harland, New Zealand diplomat (b. 1931)
- February 3 - Al Lewis, American actor (b. 1923)
- February 4 - Betty Friedan, American feminist, activist, and writer (b.1921)
- February 5 - Franklin Cover, American actor (b. 1928)
- February 8 - Ron Greenwood, English football manager (b. 1921)
- February 8 - Akira Ifukube, Japanese classical music/film composer (b. 1914)
- February 9 - Sir Freddie Laker, British airline entrepreneur (b. 1922)
- February 10 - J Dilla, American music producer (b. 1974)
- February 12 - Ken Hart, American composer, journalist, and playwright (b. 1917)
- February 13 - Andreas Katsulas, Greek-American actor (b. 1946)
- February 13 - P. F. Strawson, English philosopher (b. 1919)
- February 14 - Shoshana Damari, Israeli singer and actress (b. 1923)
- February 15 - Sun Yun-suan, Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1913)
- February 16 - Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (b. 1925)
- February 20 - Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist, writer and traveler (b. 1920)
- February 22 - Anthony Burger, American musician and singer (b. 1961)
- February 22 - Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, Singapore politician (b. 1925)
- February 23 - Mauri Favén, Finnish painter (b. 1920)
- February 23 - Zarra, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)
- February 24 - Don Knotts, American actor (b. 1924)
- February 24 - Dennis Weaver, American actor (b. 1924)
- February 25 - Darren McGavin, American actor (b. 1922)
- February 25 - Florian ZaBach, American musician and TV personality (b. 1931)
- February 27 - Linda Smith, English comedian (b. 1958)
- February 28 - Ron Cyrus, American politician, father of Billy Ray Cyrus (b. 1935)
March
- March 1 - Harry Browne, American Libertarian Presidential candidate (b. 1933)
- March 1 - Peter Osgood, English footballer (b. 1947)
- March 1 - Peter Snow, New Zealand doctor
- March 2 - Jack Wild, English actor (b. 1952)
- March 3 - William Herskovic, Hungarian Holocaust hero and philanthropist (b. 1914)
- March 4 - Dave Rose, American artist (b. 1910)
- March 4 - Edgar Valter, Estonian illustrator and cartoonist (b. 1929)
- March 4 - John Reynolds Gardiner, American author and engineer (b. 1944)
- March 6 - Dana Reeve, American actress, wife of Christopher Reeve (b. 1961)
- March 6 - Kirby Puckett, U.S. baseball player (b. 1960)
- March 6 - King Floyd, American singer (b. 1945)
- March 8 - Brian Barratt-Boyes, New Zealand heart surgeon (b. 1924)
- March 9 - Hanka Bielicka, Polish actress (b. 1915)
- March 9 - John Profumo, British politician (b. 1915)
- March 11 - Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian hockey player (b. 1931)
- March 11 - Slobodan Miloševic, President of Serbia (b. 1941)
- March 13 - Maureen Stapleton, American actress (b. 1925)
- March 13 - Peter Tomarken, American game show host (b. 1942)
- March 14 - Lennart Meri, President of Estonia (b. 1929)
- March 15 - George Mackey, American mathematician (b. 1916)
- March 23 - Cindy Walker, American songwriter (b. 1918)
- March 24 - Lynne Perrie, English actress (b. 1931)
- March 25 - Rocio Durcal, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
- March 25 - Buck Owens, American musician (b. 1929)
- March 26 - Paul Dana, American race car driver (b. 1975)
- March 27 - Stanislaw Lem, Polish writer (b. 1921)
- March 28 - Caspar Weinberger, United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1917)
May
- May 2 - Louis Rukeyser, American television host (b. 1933)
- May 3 - Karel Appel, Dutch painter (b. 1921)
- May 3 - Pramod Mahajan, Indian Bharatiya Janata Party politician and strategist (b. 1949)
- May 3 - Earl Woods, American athlete and father of Tiger Woods (b. 1932)
- May 6 - Lillian Asplund, last American survivor of the Titanic disaster (b. 1906)
- May 6 - Shigeru Kayano, Japanese activist (b. 1926)
- May 7 - Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (b. 1943)
- May 7 - Steve Bender, German musician (b. 1946)
- May 8 - Iain Macmillan, British photographer (b. 1938)
- May 10 - Val Guest, British film director (b. 1911)
- May 10 - Soraya, Colombian-born singer and musician (b. 1969)
- May 11 - Yossi Banai, Israeli singer and actor (b. 1932)
- May 11 - Floyd Patterson, American boxer (b. 1935)
- May 13 - Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian (b. 1923)
- May 13 - Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American R&B singer (b. 1949)
- May 16 - Jorge Porcel, Argentine actor (b. 1936)
- May 19 - Freddie Garrity, English singer (b. 1940)
- May 21 - Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and songwriter (b. 1909)
- May 22 - Lee Jong-wook, Korean Director-General of the World Health Organisation (b. 1945)
- May 23 - Lloyd Bentsen, American politician (b. 1921)
- May 24 - Anderson Mazoka, Zambian politician (b. 1943)
- May 24 - Michal Zyczkowski, Polish technician (b. 1930)
- May 25 - Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer and songwriter (b. 1941)
- May 25 - Tobías Lasser, Venezuelan botanist (b. 1911)
- May 25 - Kari S. Tikka, Finnish professor (b. 1944)
- May 26 - Édouard Michelin, French businessman (b. 1963)
- May 27 - Alex Toth, American comic book artist and cartoonist (b. 1928)
- May 29 - Masumi Okada, Japanese actor (b. 1935)
- May 30 - Shohei Imamura, Japanese film director (b. 1926)
- May 30 - David Lloyd, New Zealand biologist (b. 1938)
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