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The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era
Common Era

Common Era, abbreviated as CE, is a designation for the calendar system most commonly used in the Western world, and also internationally, for numbering the year part of the calendar date....
 in accordance with the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas....
. It began on January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2100.

the 21st century. ]] The 21st century began with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
, with several other states, such as China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and the European Union
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
, becoming potential superpowers
Potential superpowers

File:Superpower.svgA number of states have been speculated to be in the process of turning into superpowers at some point of the ongoing 21st century....
.

The debate over what should be done about global warming
Global warming

Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
, fossil fuel
Fossil fuel

Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source fuels, that is, carbon or hydrocarbons found in the earth?s Crust .Fossil fuel range from volatile materials with low carbon:hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquid petroleum to nonvolatile materials composed of almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal....
 pollution
Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
 and alternative energy
Alternative energy

Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
 raged in the new century after most of the 20th century was marked by industrial expansion.






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Encyclopedia


The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era
Common Era

Common Era, abbreviated as CE, is a designation for the calendar system most commonly used in the Western world, and also internationally, for numbering the year part of the calendar date....
 in accordance with the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas....
. It began on January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2100.

Turn of the 21st century (2001–present)

for the 21st century. ]] The 21st century began with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
, with several other states, such as China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and the European Union
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
, becoming potential superpowers
Potential superpowers

File:Superpower.svgA number of states have been speculated to be in the process of turning into superpowers at some point of the ongoing 21st century....
.

The debate over what should be done about global warming
Global warming

Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
, fossil fuel
Fossil fuel

Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source fuels, that is, carbon or hydrocarbons found in the earth?s Crust .Fossil fuel range from volatile materials with low carbon:hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquid petroleum to nonvolatile materials composed of almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal....
 pollution
Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
 and alternative energy
Alternative energy

Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
 raged in the new century after most of the 20th century was marked by industrial expansion. As the Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
 was over and Islamic fundamentalist-related terrorism
Terrorism

Terrorism, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is the systematic use of terror, "violent or destructive acts committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands." At present, there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism....
 on the rise, the United States and its allies turned their attention to the Middle East.

Digital technology, in its early stages of mainstream use in the 1980s and 1990s, became widely accepted by most of the world, though concerns about stress
Stress

Stress may refer to:...
 and antisociality from the overuse of mobile phone
Mobile phone

A mobile phone is a long-range, electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialized base stations known as cell sites....
s, the Internet
Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
 and related technologies remains controversial.

In 2008, 3.3 billion people globally, or nearly half the world's population used cell phones, and in 2005, over a billion people worldwide used the Internet
Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
.

Pronunciation

Regarding pronunciation of 21st century years, academics suggest that since former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five, the year 2005 should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five". A less common variation would have been "twenty nought-five". Many experts agree that majority usage of "two thousand (and) X" is a result of influences from the Y2K hype, as well as the way "2001" was pronounced in the influential 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Many people, ranging from linguistic
Linguistic

Linguistic may mean:*pertaining to language**specifically, pertaining to natural language*pertaining to the field of linguistics...
 and academic experts to Internet blog
Blog

A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video....
gers, predict that the "twenty X" pronunciation method will eventually prevail, but a time frame as to when this change will occur often differs. The year 2010 is suggested by many, and the Vancouver Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler, British Columbia nearby....
, taking place in 2010, is being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten olympics", while 2011 and 2013 are popular as well. The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at 2020.

Significant events


Politics and war

  • 1998 - 2002 – The Second Congo War
    Second Congo War

    The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power ....
     continued into the early 21st century. A 1999 ceasefire quickly broke down and a UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC, was unable to control the fighting. Troops from Rwanda
    Rwanda

    The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania....
     and Uganda
    Uganda

    The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania....
     continued to support rebel groups against the DRC
    Democratic Republic of the Congo

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
     and rifts also grew between Rwanda and Uganda as they accused each other of supporting rival rebel groups as well. Laurent Kabila, president of the DRC, was assassinated in January 2002 and his son, Joseph Kabila
    Joseph Kabila

    Joseph Kabila Kabange , is the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . He took office in 2001#January, ten days after the murder of his father and DRC president Laurent-D?sir? Kabila....
    , took power. Throughout 2002 steps were made towards peace and Rwanda and Uganda both removed their troops from the country. On December 17, 2002, a massive treaty officially ended the war. However, the DRC only holds power in less than half of the country, with most of the eastern and northern portions still controlled by rebel groups, where there is still significant infighting. In addition, Rwanda still supports anti-DRC rebels and anti-Rwandan rebels continue to operate from the DRC. The war killed an estimated 3.9 million people, displaced nearly 5.5 million, and led to a widespread and ongoing famine that continues to result in deaths. Severe human rights violations continue to be reported.
  • 2001 – Al-Qaeda
    Al-Qaeda

    Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is an international Sunni Islam Islamist Extremism movement founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989/early 1990....
     terrorists hijacked 4 commercial airliners and crashed 3 of them into the World Trade Center
    World trade center

    The World Trade Centers Association founded in 1970, is a not-for-profit, non-political association dedicated to the establishment and effective operation of World Trade Centers as instruments for trade expansion representing 316 members in 91 countries....
     and Pentagon
    Pentagon

    In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The internal angles in a simple pentagon total 540?....
     in the United States on September 11, killing nearly 3,000 people. The United States subsequently declared a War on Terrorism
    War on Terrorism

    The War on Terrorism or War on Terror are the common terms for the military, political, legal and ideological conflict against Islamic terrorism and Muslim militants, and specifically used in reference to operations by the United States, since the September 11 attacks....
    .
  • 2001 - present – The U.S. and NATO invaded Afghanistan
    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
     on October 7, 2001 and overthrew the Al-Qaeda-supportive Taliban government. Troops remained to install a democratic government, fight a slowly escalating insurgency, and to hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
    Osama bin Laden

    Osama bin Laden is a member of the prominent Saudi Arabia bin Laden family and the founder of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, best known for the September 11 attacks on the United States....
    .
  • 2002 – The International Criminal Court
    International Criminal Court

    The International Criminal Court , Cour p?nale internationale in french language, is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crime against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression ....
     (ICC) was established on July 1.
  • 2002 – A series of bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 202 people at the resort of Kuta
    Kuta

    Kuta is a town in southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist development, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations....
    , Bali
    Bali

    Bali is an Indonesian island located at , the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 Provinces of Indonesia with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island....
    , Indonesia
    Indonesia

    The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
     on October 12.
  • 2003 - present – In February 2003, a conflict in Darfur
    Darfur

    Darfur is a region in Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by History of the Anglo-Egyptian co-dominium....
    , Sudan
    Sudan

    Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
     began and soon escalated into full-scale war. It is soon considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. By 2008 it is believed that up to 400,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million displaced. In 2005, the ICC decided that Darfur war criminals would be tried, and on July 14, 2008, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir
    Omar al-Bashir

    Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir is the current List of Presidents of Sudan of Sudan and the head of the National Congress . He came to power in 1989 when, as a colonel in the Military of Sudan, he led a group of officers in a bloodless coup d'?tat that ousted the government of Prime Minister of Sudan Sadiq al-Mahdi....
     was charged with genocide, although the ICC currently has no power to enforce these charges.
  • 2003 - present – The U.S.-led coalition
    Multinational force in Iraq

    The Multi-National Force - Iraq is a military command , led by the United States, that is fighting the Iraq War against Iraqi insurgency. Multi-National Force - Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on May 15, 2004....
     invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003 and overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein
    Saddam Hussein

    Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the President of Iraq of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.A leading member of the revolutionary Ba'ath Party, which espoused secular pan-Arabism, economic modernization, and Arab socialism, Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to long-term power....
     (who was executed by the Iraqi government on December 30, 2006). Coalition troops remain in the country to install a democratic government and fight an escalating insurgency. In addition to an insurgency against the American presence, Iraq also suffered from a civil war for several years. The war was soon seen as the central front of the War on Terror by many governments, despite growing international dissatisfaction with the war. The total death toll has been estimated at near 150,000 but these estimations are highly disputed. After the U.S.-led coalition initiated a troop surge in 2007, casualty numbers have decreased significantly.
  • 2003 - 2005 – A series of nonviolent
    Nonviolence

    Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of physical violence. As such, nonviolence is an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it....
     revolutions known as the colour revolutions overthrew governments in Georgia
    Georgia (country)

    Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
    , Ukraine
    Ukraine

    Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
    , Kyrgyzstan
    Kyrgyzstan

    Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and People's Republic of China to the east....
    , and Lebanon
    Lebanon

    Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
    .
  • 2004 – The European Union
    European Union

    The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
     expanded
    Enlargement of the European Union

    Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union through the accession of new Member State of the European Union....
     by 10 countries, including 8 former communist countries, plus Malta
    Malta

    Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
     and Cyprus
    Cyprus

    Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
    .
  • 2004 – On March 11, bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 191 people on the commuter rail system of Madrid
    Madrid

    Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
    , Spain.
  • 2005 – A series of bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 56 people in London on July 7.
  • 2005 – Israel
    Israel

    Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
     withdrew
    Israel's unilateral disengagement plan

    Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza pull-out plan", and "Hitnatkut") was a proposal by Prime Ministers of Israel Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four Israeli settlements in the northern West...
     from the Gaza Strip
    Gaza Strip

    The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
     on September 11.
  • 2006 - 2008 – The dismantling of former Yugoslavia
    Yugoslavia

    File:LocationYugoslavia2.pngYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century....
     continues after Montenegro
    Montenegro

    Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....
     gained independence on June 3, 2006 and Kosovo
    Kosovo

    Kosovo is a disputed region in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo . Serbia does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija that was re-created by Slobodan M...
     declared independence on February 17, 2008. However, Kosovo's independence is disputed by Russia and many of its allies and is currently only partially recognized.
  • 2006 – On July 12, Hezbollah
    Hezbollah

    Hezbollah is a Shi'a Islamic political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon. It is a significant force in Politics of Lebanon, providing social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites....
     militants crossed the border of Lebanon
    Lebanon

    Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
     and captured two Israeli troops. Israel responded by sending troops across the border and bombing Hezbollah strongholds, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese civilians. A ceasefire was signed on August 14, after which Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon. Many believed that it was a victory for Hezbollah, since Israel failed to destroy them and emerged with stronger political clout within Lebanon.
  • 2006 – On July 11, bombs planted on the train system in Mumbai
    Mumbai

    Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
     exploded, killing 209 people.
  • 2006 – North Korea
    North Korea

    North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
     conducted its first nuclear test
    2006 North Korean nuclear test

    The 2006 North Korean nuclear test was the nuclear testing of a Nuclear weapon conducted on October 9, 2006 by North Korea.North Korea announced its intention to conduct a test on October 3, six days prior, and in doing so became the first nation to give warning of its first nuclear test....
     on October 9. This was preceded by years of political wrangling with the U.S. over the status of their nuclear program. On February 13, 2007 North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and has so far adhered to its promises.
  • 2007 – A civil war
    Fatah-Hamas conflict

    The Fatah-Hamas conflict , also referred to as the Palestinian Civil War , and the Conflict of Brothers , began in 2006 and has continued, in one form or another, into 2009....
     escalated in the Gaza Strip
    Gaza Strip

    The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
     throughout June, which resulted in Hamas
    Hamas

    Hamas is an Islamic Palestine socio-political organization which includes a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Since June 2007, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip portion of the Palestinian Territories....
     eventually driving most Fatah
    Fatah

    Fata? is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the center-left of the spectrum....
    -loyal forces from the Strip. In reaction, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas
    Mahmoud Abbas

    Mahmoud Abbas , also known by the Kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian Authority of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket....
     dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and dissolved the Hamas-ruled parliament. Scattered conflict continues.
  • 2008 – Russia invaded
    2008 South Ossetia war

    The 2008 South Ossetia War, also known as August War, Five-Day War, Georgia-Russia Conflict or Russia-Georgia War, was an war between Georgia on the one side, and Russian Federation together with Separatism in South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
     Georgia
    Georgia (country)

    Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
     as a response to a Georgian large-scale military attack on South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali on August 7 and recognized its independence as well as that of another breakaway province, Abkhazia
    Abkhazia

    Abkhazia is a disputed region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian?Abkhaz conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of Abkhazia....
    . The international community has widely condemned the actions of Russia.
  • 2008 – Barack Obama
    Barack Obama

    Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
     wins the 2008 American presidential election
    United States presidential election, 2008

    The United States presidential election of 2008 was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. It was the 56th consecutive wikt:quadrennial United States United States presidential election....
     and becomes the first African American
    African American

    African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
     President
    President of the United States

    The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
     in the history of the United States
    History of the United States

    The first known inhabitants of modern-day United States territory are believed to have arrived over a period of several thousand years beginning sometime prior to 15,000 - 50,000 years ago by crossing Beringia into Alaska....
    .
  • 2008 – Israel
    Israel

    Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
     launches Operation Cast Lead in response to recent attacks by Hamas
    Hamas

    Hamas is an Islamic Palestine socio-political organization which includes a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Since June 2007, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip portion of the Palestinian Territories....
    , from the Gaza Strip
    Gaza Strip

    The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
    .
  • 2009 January 1 Czech republic president Václav Klaus
    Václav Klaus

    V?clav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic . An economist by trade, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the major Czech right-wing party....
     runs EU for 6 months term
  • 2009 January 20 – Barack Obama
    Barack Obama

    Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
     sworn in as the first African American
    African American

    African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
     President of the United States
    President of the United States

    The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
    .


Science and technology


Space exploration
  • 2001 - Dennis Tito
    Dennis Tito

    Dennis Anthony Tito is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourism to pay for his own ticket, although he himself opposes being called "tourist" and asks to be called an "independent researcher" since he performed several scientific experiments in orbit....
     becomes the first space tourist
    Space tourism

    Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of Tourism paying for Human spaceflight into space pioneered by Russia.As of 2009, orbital space tourism opportunities are limited and expensive, with only the Russian Space Agency providing transport....
     by paying $20 million to board the International Space Station
    International Space Station

    The International Space Station is a research facility Assembly of the International Space Station in outer space. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998, and is scheduled to be complete by 2011, with operations continuing until around 2015....
    .
  • 2002 - Mars Odyssey arrives in orbit around Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    .
  • 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
    Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

    The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107....
     February 1.
  • 2003 - The Chinese space program launches its first manned space flight, Shenzhou 5
    Shenzhou 5

    Shenzhou 5 ? was the first human spaceflight mission of the People's Republic of China , launched on October 15, 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F rocket booster....
     on October 15.
  • 2004 - Mars Exploration Rover
    Mars Exploration Rover

    NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission is an ongoing robotic space mission mission of exploring Mars , that began in 2003 with the sending of two rover s ? Spirit rover and Opportunity rover ? to explore the Martian surface and geology....
    s land on Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    ; Opportunity discovers evidence that an area of Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
     was once covered in water.
  • 2004 - The Cassini-Huygens
    Cassini-Huygens

    Cassini?Huygens is a joint NASA/European Space Agency robotic spacecraft mission currently studying the planet Saturn and Saturn's natural satellites....
     probe arrives at Saturn
    Saturn

    Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant....
    .
  • 2004 - SpaceShipOne makes the first privately-funded human spaceflight
    Human spaceflight

    A human spaceflight is a spaceflight with a Astronaut, and possibly passengers. This makes it unlike Robotic spacecraft space probes or remotely-controlled satellites....
    , June 21
  • 2005 - The Huygens
    Huygens probe

    The Huygens probe, supplied by the European Space Agency and named after the Dutch 17th century astronomer Christiaan Huygens, was an atmospheric entry probe carried to Saturn 's moon Titan as part of the Cassini-Huygens mission....
     probe lands on Titan
    Titan (moon)

    Titan or Saturn VI is the largest natural satellite of Saturn, the only moon known to have a dense celestial body atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
    , the largest of Saturn's moons, January 14.
  • 2005 - The Deep Impact
    Deep Impact (space mission)

    Deep Impact is an ongoing NASA space probe launched on 12 January 2005 that was designed to study the composition of the interior of the comet 9P/Tempel by colliding a section of the spacecraft into the comet....
     probe impacts Comet Tempel 1, July 4.
  • 2006 - New Horizons
    New Horizons

    New Horizons is a NASA robotic spacecraft mission currently en route to the dwarf planet Pluto. It is expected to be the first spacecraft to fly by and study Pluto and its moons, Charon , Nix , and Hydra ....
     is launched on a 9 year voyage to Pluto
    Pluto

    Pluto , Minor planet names Pluto, is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-largest body observed directly orbiting the Sun....
    , January 19.
  • 2006 - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
    Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

    NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit.When MRO entered orbit there were five other spacecraft in orbit of or on Mars: Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Express Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, and two Mars Exploration Rovers; a then record for mo...
     arrives at Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    .
  • 2006 - Pluto
    Pluto

    Pluto , Minor planet names Pluto, is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-largest body observed directly orbiting the Sun....
     is reclassified from a planet
    Planet

    A planet , as 2006 definition of planet by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting a star or Stellar evolution#Stellar remnants that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared the neighbourhood of planetesimals....
     to a dwarf planet
    Dwarf planet

    A dwarf planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but has not Clearing the neighbourhood of planetesimals and is not a natural satellite....
    , leaving the solar system with eight planets.
  • 2008 - NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
    's MESSENGER
    Messenger

    A messenger is a person employed in business to convey messages, official dispatches, telegrams, letters, or parcels, and go on special errands as part of their duties....
     flies by Mercury, becoming the first spacecraft to do so in 33 years.
  • 2008 - Phoenix Lander successfully arrives at Mars; later tests conducted by the spacecraft reveal evidence of ice on Mars.
  • 2008 - Chinese space program launches its third manned space flight carrying its first three-person crew and conducts its first spacewalk that makes China the third nation after Russia and USA to do that, Shenzhou 7
    Shenzhou 7

    Shenzhou 7 was the third human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program. The mission, which included an extra-vehicular activity carried out by crewmembers Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming , marked the commencement of the second phase of the Chinese government's Chinese space program#Manned spaceflight programs....
     on September 25 -


Medicine
  • 2003 - Completion of the Human Genome Project
    Human Genome Project

    The Human Genome Project was an international scientific research project with a primary goal to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA and to identify and map the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint...
  • 2003 - Dolly the cloned sheep
    Dolly the Sheep

    Dolly was a Domestic sheep , remarkable in being the first mammal to be cloning from an adult somatic cell cell , using the process of nuclear transfer....
     dies prematurely February 14.
  • 2003 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome
    Severe acute respiratory syndrome

    Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . There has been one near pandemic to date, between November 2002 and July 2003, with 8,096 known infected cases and 774 deaths worldwide being listed in the World Health Organization's 21 April 2004 concluding report....
     (SARS) spreads around the globe.
  • 2005 - The first successful partial face transplant
    Face transplant

    A face transplant is a still-experimental procedure to replace all or part of a person's face....
     is performed in France.
  • 2006 - Australian of the Year
    Australian of the Year

    The Australian of the Year Awards commenced in 1960. From nominations received, Australia Day Committees in each state and territory select several finalists and recipients for their respective state and territory Australian of the Year Awards....
     Dr Ian Frazer
    Ian Frazer

    Ian Hector Frazer is an Australian immunologist, best known for his work on the deavelopment of a cervical cancer HPV vaccine, which works by protecting women from Human papillomavirus....
     develops a vaccine
    Vaccine

    A vaccine is a biological preparation that establishes or improves immunity to a particular disease.Vaccines can be prophylaxis , or Medication ....
     for cervical cancer
    Cervical cancer

    Cervical cancer is malignant cancer of the cervix uteri or cervical area. It may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in its advanced stages....
    .


Personal technology
X31 T43 Laptop
* Mobile phone
Mobile phone

A mobile phone is a long-range, electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialized base stations known as cell sites....
 usage approaches 100% in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.
  • Digital audio players are widely used in developed nations.
  • Digital cameras are making traditional film
    Photographic film

    Photographic film is a sheet of plastic coated with an emulsion containing light-sensitive silver halide salts with variable crystal sizes that determine the sensitivity, contrast and of the film....
     cameras obsolete.
  • Wireless technologies are beginning to play a greater role in people's lives.


Other
  • 2003 - Discovery of an old dwarf human species, Homo floresiensis
    Homo floresiensis

    Homo floresiensis is a possible species in the genus Homo , remarkable for its small body and brain and for its survival until relatively recent times....
     by modern humans (published in October, 2004).
  • 2004 - The first ever recorded hurricane in the South Atlantic forms.
  • Discovery of four chemical element
    Chemical element

    A chemical element is a type of atom that is distinguished by its atomic number; that is, by the number of protons in its atomic nucleus. The term is also used to refer to a pure chemical Chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons....
    s, of atomic number
    Atomic number

    In chemistry and physics, the atomic number is the number of protons found in the atomic nucleus of an atom. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z....
     113
    Ununtrium

    Ununtrium is the temporary name of a synthetic element in the periodic table that has the temporary symbol Uut and has the atomic number 113....
    , 115
    Ununpentium

    Ununpentium is the temporary name of a synthetic element superheavy element in the periodic table that has the temporary symbol Uup and has the atomic number 115....
    , 116
    Ununhexium

    Ununhexium is the temporary name of a synthetic element superheavy element in the periodic table that has the temporary symbol Uuh and has the atomic number 116....
     and 118
    Ununoctium

    Ununoctium , also known as Mendeleev's predicted elements or element 118, is the temporary International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry systematic element name for the transactinide element having the atomic number 118 and temporary chemical symbol Uuo....
    .


Conflicts and civil unrest


  • Colombian Armed Conflict
    Colombian Armed Conflict

    The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current Asymmetric warfare low intensity conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, which was when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and later the National Liberation Army were founded and subsequently...
     (1964-present)
  • Sri Lankan Civil War
    Sri Lankan civil war

    The Sri Lankan Civil War is the name given to the ongoing conflict on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since 23 July 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a Separatism armed organization which fights for the creation of an Independence state named...
     (1983-present)
  • September 11, 2001 attacks on USA
  • War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
    War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

    The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. military operation Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched by the United States with the United Kingdom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks....
  • 12 October 2002 Bali bombing
  • Moscow theatre hostage crisis October 2002
  • Iraq War
    Iraq War

    The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing conflicts military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a Multinational force in Iraq now led by and composed almost entirely of troops from the United States and United King...
     (20 March 2003-present)
  • Darfur conflict
    Darfur conflict

    The War in Darfur is a conflict that is in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Unlike the Second Sudanese Civil War, the current lines of conflict are seen by some reporters to be ethnic and tribal, rather than religious....
     (2003-present)
  • 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings
  • September 2004 Beslan hostage crisis
  • 7 July 2005 London bombings
  • 2005 civil unrest in France
    2005 civil unrest in France

    The 2005 civil disorder in France of October and November was a series of riots and violent clashes, involving mainly the Arson of automobile and Public property at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois....
  • 2006 East Timor crisis
    2006 East Timor crisis

    The 2006 East Timorese crisis began as a conflict between elements of the military of East Timor over discrimination within the military, and expanded to general violence throughout the East Timor, centred in the capital Dili....
  • 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings
  • 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
    2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

    The 2006 Lebanon War, known in Lebanon as the July War and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day war in Lebanon and northern Israel....
  • War in Chad (2005-present)
  • War in Somalia (2006–present)
    War in Somalia (2006–present)

    The War in Somalia has been an armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somalia Transitional Federal Parliament forces and Somali troops from Puntland versus the Somali Islamist Umbrella organization, the Islamic Court Union , and other affiliated militias for control of the country....
  • War on Terrorism
    War on Terrorism

    The War on Terrorism or War on Terror are the common terms for the military, political, legal and ideological conflict against Islamic terrorism and Muslim militants, and specifically used in reference to operations by the United States, since the September 11 attacks....
     (2001-present)
  • 2006 Fijian coup d'état
    2006 Fijian coup d'état

    The Fijian coup d'?tat of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'?tat and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis....
  • Russian-Georgian War
    2008 South Ossetia war

    The 2008 South Ossetia War, also known as August War, Five-Day War, Georgia-Russia Conflict or Russia-Georgia War, was an war between Georgia on the one side, and Russian Federation together with Separatism in South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
     (08.08.2008-)
  • 2008 civil unrest in Greece
    2008 civil unrest in Greece

    The 2008 civil unrest in Greece started on 6 December 2008, when Alexandros Grigoropoulos , a 15-year-old student, was gunshot wound by Epaminondas Korkoneas, a policeman....
     (06.12.2008-)
  • 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict
    2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict

    The 2008?2009 Israel?Gaza conflict, part of the ongoing Israeli?Palestinian conflict, started when Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip on December 27 2008, codenamed Operation Cast Lead ....


Worldwide deaths from war and terrorist attacks

  • Second Congo War
    Second Congo War

    The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power ....
    , approximately 1.8 million deaths (3.8 million since 1998)
  • Iraq War
    Iraq War

    The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing conflicts military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a Multinational force in Iraq now led by and composed almost entirely of troops from the United States and United King...
    , a wide variation in the number of casualties quoted, ranging from the tens of thousands, up to approximately 1 million deaths, Iraq Body Count, ORB survey of casualties of the Iraq War.
  • Darfur conflict
    Darfur conflict

    The War in Darfur is a conflict that is in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Unlike the Second Sudanese Civil War, the current lines of conflict are seen by some reporters to be ethnic and tribal, rather than religious....
    , approximately 400,000 deaths
  • Civil War in Côte d'Ivoire
    Côte d'Ivoire

    , formerly Ivory Coast, officially the , is a country in West Africa. The government officially discourages the use of the name Ivory Coast in English, preferring the French name to be used in all languages ....
    , 3,000 deaths
  • September 11, 2001 19 members of al-Qaeda
    Al-Qaeda

    Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is an international Sunni Islam Islamist Extremism movement founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989/early 1990....
     hijacked four commercial airliners, intentionally crashing two of them into The World Trade Centers in New York City, and one into the Pentagon
    The Pentagon

    The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, Virginia. As a symbol of the Military of the United States, "the Pentagon" is often used Metonymy to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself....
     in Arlington,VA. 2,997 people from 90 different countries died. It remains the worst terrorist attack in world history.
  • December 13, 2001 attacks, Terrorist attack on Indian Parliament, terrorists storm the Indian Parliament Building in New Delhi and kill six police officers.
  • October 12, 2002 Bali terrorist bombings kill 202 people.
  • March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks shake several train stations on Spain's capital Madrid
    Madrid

    Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
    , killing 191 people and injuring 1,247.
  • July 7, 2005 suicide terrorist attacks shake London transport system killing 52 people and injuring 700.
  • 29 October 2005 Delhi Bombings, terrorists attack various markets in New Delhi, killing 61 people and injuring 188 more, right before the start of the festival season in India.
  • July 11, 2006 six bombs explode in train stations in Mumbai
    Mumbai

    Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
    , killing 190.
  • November 2008 Mumbai attacks, a series of ten coordinated terrorist attacks across Mumbai, India, killing 195 people and injuring 290 more.


Natural disasters

2004 Tsunami
  • Approximately 30,000 people are believed to have died across Western Europe, particularly in France, due to a prolonged heat wave during the summer of 2003. Shortages of medical and nursing staff are believed to have contributed to the disaster.
  • An earthquake
    Bam, Iran

    Bam is a city in Kerman Province of Iran. The city is the center of Bam County. The modern Iranian city of Bam surrounds the Arg-? Bam. Before the 2003 earthquake the official population count of the city was roughly 43,000....
     in Bam
    Bam

    Bam is commonly used as a onomatopoeia for a sound, mostly that of an impact or collision.Bam or BAM may also refer to:Places:...
    , Iran
    Iran

    Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
     on December 27, 2003 killed more than 26,000.
  • On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake
    2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

    The was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 Coordinated Universal Time on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia....
     in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra
    Sumatra

    Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the list of islands by area in the world ....
     created a large tsunami
    Tsunami

    A is a series of ocean surface wave that is created when a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. The Japanese term is literally translated into " harbor wave."...
    , which impacted the entire Indian Ocean rim with heights of over 30 feet (10 meters) and killed at least 230,000 people, and likely more, in Indonesia
    Indonesia

    The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
    , Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
    , India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
    , Thailand
    Thailand

    The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
    , and other countries.
  • Over 3,000 people are killed by Hurricane Jeanne
    Hurricane Jeanne

    Hurricane Jeanne was the tenth named tropical cyclone, the seventh tropical cyclone, and the fifth major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season....
     in Haiti
    Haiti

    Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Haitian Creole language- and French language-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago....
     in September 2004.
  • Hurricane Katrina
    Hurricane Katrina

    Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States....
     killed at least 1,836 people after making landfall near New Orleans, United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     on August 29, 2005. The city, which lies below sea level, was left underwater for weeks, and it was the costliest disaster in U.S. history, causing over $75 billion in direct damage.
  • An earthquake in Kashmir
    2005 Kashmir earthquake

    The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake was a major earthquake epicenter in Azad Kashmir and in North West Frontier Province near the city of Muzaffarabad....
     on October 8, 2005, killed at least 74,500 in India and Pakistan
    Pakistan

    Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
  • Cyclone Nargis
    Cyclone Nargis

    Cyclone Nargis , was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma . The cyclone made landfall in the country on May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 146,000 fatalities with thousands more people still missing....
     made landfall in Myanmar
    Myanmar

    Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
     on April 27, 2008 and moved across the country's heavily-population lowlands, leaving approximately 134,000 people dead or missing and 2.5 million people homeless.
  • An earthquake
    2008 Sichuan earthquake

    The List_of_deadliest_natural_disasters#Earthquakes, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake , or "Great Sichuan Earthquake", which measured at 8.0 Surface wave magnitude     in Sichuan
    Sichuan

    is a Province in western China proper with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, ?? , is an abbreviation of ??? , or "Four circuit #Circuits in East Asia of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from ???? , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Song...
    , China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
     killed 69,227 people, left 374,643 injured and 17,923 missing on May 12, 2008. This was the 19th deadliest earthquake of all time
    List of natural disasters by death toll

    A death toll is the number of fatalities as a result of any cause of death, such as violence , an accident, a natural disaster, extreme weather, infectious disease, etc....
    .


New Countries


Some territories have gained independence during the 21st century. This is a list of sovereign states that have gained independence in the twenty first century and have been recognized by foreign governments.

Montenegro
Montenegro

Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....


Kosovo
Kosovo

Kosovo is a disputed region in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo . Serbia does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija that was re-created by Slobodan M...


Timor-Leste

Greenland
Greenland

Greenland is a member country of the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago....
 *

  • yet to be confirmed as a new nation.


Sports

  • 2001- Barry Bonds
    Barry Bonds

    Barry Lamar Bonds is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He is the son of former major league Major League Baseball All-Star Game Bobby Bonds, Godparent of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Willie Mays, nephew of 1964 Summer Olympics Rosie Bonds, and a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson....
    , of the San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants

    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in , that currently play in the National League West. One of the oldest of the MLB teams, the Giants hold the distinction of having won the most games of any team in the history of organized sports....
    , sets the single season home run record of 73 home runs, surpassing the previous record of 70, set just a few years earlier by Mark McGwire
    Mark McGwire

    Mark David McGwire is a former Major League Baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the Oakland Athletics before finishing his career with the St....
    .
  • 2001- Tiger Woods
    Tiger Woods

    Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time....
    , American golfer
    Professional golfer

    In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who plays for money even once usually loses his or her amateur status permanently and is banned from all amateur tournaments....
    , completes the Tiger Slam, winning four golf majors in a row.
  • 2001- NASCAR
    NASCAR

    The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
     (American stock car) driver Dale Earnhardt
    Dale Earnhardt

    Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's Winston Cup. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt....
     dies after hitting the wall on the last lap of the Daytona 500
    Daytona 500

    The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida....
    . Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., claimed a tearful victory in the next race held at Daytona, less than four months later.
  • 2001- Rugby League
    Rugby league

    Rugby league football is a competitive Full-contact sport team sport played with a spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field....
     Widnes Vikings
    Widnes Vikings

    Widnes Vikings RLFC is a professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They play in the Co-Operative Championship, which is the second tier of European Rugby League....
     gain their first entrance to the Super League
    Super League (Europe)

    Super League is Europe's top-level professional rugby league club competition. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League....
    .
  • 2002- Phil Taylor
    Phil Taylor

    Philip Douglas Taylor is a 14 time world champion English darts player whose nickname is The Power. In addition to his 14 world titles, Taylor has accumulated over 75 other major tournament wins which makes him the most successful darts player in the history of the sport....
     becomes the first player to win the World Darts Championship 10 times [PDC], following a 7-0 whitewash of Peter Manley
    Peter Manley

    Peter David Manley is a darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is List of darts players nicknames One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart....
    .
  • 2002- In the 2002 FIFA World Cup
    2002 FIFA World Cup

    The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. The two countries were chosen as FIFA World Cup hosts#2002 FIFA World Cup by FIFA in May 1996 and was the first tournament in its history to be hosted by two countries....
     held in South Korea and Japan, Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
     won the Football World Cup becoming the first team to win the trophy 5 times.
  • 2002- The San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants

    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in , that currently play in the National League West. One of the oldest of the MLB teams, the Giants hold the distinction of having won the most games of any team in the history of organized sports....
     play the Anaheim Angels
    Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

    The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the American League West of Major League Baseball's American League....
     in the MLB World Series. This is the first time two wild card teams had ever played each other in world series history.
  • 2002- Michael Schumacher
    Michael Schumacher

    Michael Schumacher is a former Formula One driver, seven-time world champion, and current advisor and occasional test driver for Scuderia Ferrari....
     wins his fifth Formula One World Drivers Championship
    List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions

    The Formula One World Drivers' Championship is awarded by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile to the most successful Formula One Auto racing over a season, as determined by a List of Formula One World Championship pointscoring systems based on Grand Prix results....
    , becoming only the second driver after Juan Manuel Fangio
    Juan Manuel Fangio

    Juan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed "El Chueco" or "El Maestro" , was a race car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing....
     to do so.
  • 2002- 2002 Winter Olympics
    2002 Winter Olympics

    The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States....
     held in Salt Lake City
    Salt Lake City, Utah

    Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC....
    , Utah
    Utah

    The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
    , United States.
  • 2003- Michael Schumacher
    Michael Schumacher

    Michael Schumacher is a former Formula One driver, seven-time world champion, and current advisor and occasional test driver for Scuderia Ferrari....
     wins his record-breaking sixth Formula One World Drivers Championship
    List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions

    The Formula One World Drivers' Championship is awarded by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile to the most successful Formula One Auto racing over a season, as determined by a List of Formula One World Championship pointscoring systems based on Grand Prix results....
     title.
  • 2003- Roy Jones Jr.
    Roy Jones Jr.

    Roy Jones, Jr. is an United States boxer. Jones was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America. As a professional he captured IBF championships in the middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions....
     becomes the first former World Middleweight Boxing Champion in 106 years to win a portion of the World Heavyweight title, following his twelve-round unanimous decision over then-WBA champion John Ruiz
    John Ruiz

    John ?The Quiet Man" Ruiz , currently residing in Las Vegas metropolitan area is a professional Puerto Rico-United States Boxing and former two-time WBA World Heavyweight champion.....
    .
  • 2003- England
    England national rugby union team

    The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France national rugby union team, Ireland national rugby union team, Scotland national rugby union team, Italy national rugby union team, and Wales national rugby union team....
     wins the 2003 Rugby World Cup
    2003 Rugby World Cup

    The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth rugby union Rugby World Cup and was won by England national rugby union team. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup Limited....
    , becoming the first team from the northern hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere

    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
     to win the cup.
  • 2004- Arsenal win the English Premier League without losing a single game, having the longest unbeaten league run of 49 games from May 2003 to October 2004.
  • 2004- Greece win the European Football Championship for the first time.
  • 2004- 2004 Summer Olympics
    2004 Summer Olympics

    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
     held in Athens, Greece.
  • 2004- The Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox

    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in . The Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball?s American League East. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park....
     defeat the Saint Louis Cardinals in the World Series
    World Series

    The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
    , for their first win in 86 years. The Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit in the penultimate series against their rival, the New York Yankees
    New York Yankees

    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball based in the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of the American League East of Major League Baseball's American League....
    .
  • 2004- NASCAR
    NASCAR

    The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
     Kurt Busch
    Kurt Busch

    Kurt Thomas Busch is a professional United States race car driver. He drives the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series....
     wins the first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship with the Chase points system.
  • 2005- Liverpool FC win the European Cup for the fifth time in their history, enabling them to keep the trophy permanently. In a dramatic final, they come from 3-0 down at half time to win 3-2 on penalties against AC Milan.
  • 2005- American cyclist Lance Armstrong
    Lance Armstrong

    Lance Armstrong is an United States professional Road bicycle racing who rides for UCI ProTeam Team Astana. He won the Tour de France a record-breaking seven consecutive years, from 1999 Tour de France to 2005 Tour de France....
     wins his seventh consecutive Tour de France
    Tour de France

    The Tour de France is a bicycle racing over more than . It is held every year. It is held in France and visits a bordering country every year. It usually lasts 23 days....
    .
  • 2005- In cricket
    Cricket

    Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
    , England wins The Ashes
    The Ashes

    The Ashes is a Test cricket series, played between England cricket team and Australia national cricket team. It is one of international cricket's most celebrated sports rivalry and dates back to 1882....
     defeating Australia 2-1. This win is the first for England in 18 years.
  • 2005- Chicago White Sox
    Chicago White Sox

    The Chicago White Sox are a Major North American professional sports teams baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox presently play in the American League's American League Central in Major League Baseball....
     win the World Series
    World Series

    The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
     (4-0) over the Houston Astros
    Houston Astros

    The Houston Astros are a professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are a member of the National League Central of Major League Baseball's National League....
    . It was their first World Series win in 88 years.
  • 2005- Fernando Alonso
    Fernando Alonso

    Fernando Alonso D?az is a Spain Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion.On September 25, 2005 he won the List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, thus breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record of being the youngest World Drivers' Champion ....
     became the youngest Formula One
    Formula One

    Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and currently officially referred as the FIA Formula One World Championship is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile ....
     champion ever, grabbing 133 points to clinch the title.
  • 2006- NBA
    National Basketball Association

    The National Basketball Association is North America's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of thirty teams: twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada....
     star Kobe Bryant
    Kobe Bryant

    Kobe Bean Bryant is an United States National Basketball Association All-Star Game shooting guard who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association....
     scores 81 points in a Lakers
    Los Angeles Lakers

    The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their fellow NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association....
     game on January 22.
  • 2006- 2006 Winter Olympics
    2006 Winter Olympics

    The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006....
     held in Torino, Italy.
  • 2006- Miami Heat
    Miami Heat

    The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association ....
     win the NBA Finals against Dallas Mavericks
    Dallas Mavericks

    The Dallas Mavericks are the professional basketball team of the National Basketball Association based in Dallas, Texas.Founded in 1980, the Dallas Mavericks have won two division titles and one conference championship....
     4 games to 2; after losing the first two games, and winning the last four straight.
  • 2006- Floyd Landis
    Floyd Landis

    Floyd Landis is an United States road bicycle racer, from California. He is an all-around rider, with special skills in climbing and time-trialing, and is extremely good on the descent....
     wins the Tour de France
    Tour de France

    The Tour de France is a bicycle racing over more than . It is held every year. It is held in France and visits a bordering country every year. It usually lasts 23 days....
    , but not without controversy
    Floyd Landis

    Floyd Landis is an United States road bicycle racer, from California. He is an all-around rider, with special skills in climbing and time-trialing, and is extremely good on the descent....
    .
  • 2006- NASCAR
    NASCAR

    The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
     driver Jimmie Johnson
    Jimmie Johnson

    Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver who drives the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Impala Super Sport co-owned by Rick Hendrick and his teammate Jeff Gordon and operated by Hendrick Motorsports....
     wins his first Nascar championship.
  • 2006- Italy wins the FIFA World Cup, beating France.
  • 2006- Michael Schumacher
    Michael Schumacher

    Michael Schumacher is a former Formula One driver, seven-time world champion, and current advisor and occasional test driver for Scuderia Ferrari....
     retires from Formula One
    Formula One

    Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and currently officially referred as the FIA Formula One World Championship is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile ....
     racing after a record-breaking career, in which he broke 31 records in any racing class, including the record for most wins at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway

    The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 race.It has existed since 1909, and is the original "Speedway," the first racing facility historically to incorporate the word....
    .
  • 2007- Indianapolis Colts
    Indianapolis Colts

    The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team is part of the American Football Conference South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
     defeat the Chicago Bears
    Chicago Bears

    The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the NFC North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
    , 29-17, to claim the team's first Super Bowl in 36 years.
  • 2007- Thierry Henry
    Thierry Henry

    Thierry Daniel Henry is a French association football striker who plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona and the France national football team....
     leaves Arsenal FC to join FC Barcelona
    FC Barcelona

    Futbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Bar?a , is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
     and is greeted by a record 30,000 fans (10,000 more than Ronaldinho
    Ronaldinho

    Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Ga?cho, is a Brazilian association football who plays forItalian Serie A side AC Milan and the Brazil national football team....
    ) at the Camp Nou
    Camp Nou

    The Camp Nou is a football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. The stadium has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957. It is a UEFA Stadia List, and has hosted numerous international matches at senior level, and UEFA Champions League finals, the most recent being in 1999 UEFA Champions League Final....
     
  • 2007- Barry Bonds
    Barry Bonds

    Barry Lamar Bonds is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He is the son of former major league Major League Baseball All-Star Game Bobby Bonds, Godparent of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Willie Mays, nephew of 1964 Summer Olympics Rosie Bonds, and a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson....
     of the San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants

    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in , that currently play in the National League West. One of the oldest of the MLB teams, the Giants hold the distinction of having won the most games of any team in the history of organized sports....
     breaks the all time career home run record with 756 career HR, the previous was 755 career HR held by Hank Aaron. Later in the year, Bonds is indicted for alleged perjury
    Perjury

    Category:Limited geographic scopeCategory:USA-centricPerjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or Affirmation in law to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding....
    , for lying about whether he had ever taken steroids.
  • 2007- George J. Mitchell
    George J. Mitchell

    George John Mitchell, Order of the British Empire is the United States of America special envoy to the Middle East for the Presidency of Barack Obama....
     issues a report detailing the usage of steroids in Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball

    Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
    , implicating several players, including Roger Clemens
    Roger Clemens

    William Roger Clemens is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, two more than any other pitcher.Clemens debuted in the majors with the Boston Red Sox in ....
    .
  • 2007- The Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox

    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in . The Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball?s American League East. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park....
     defeated the Colorado Rockies
    Colorado Rockies

    The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, Colorado. Established in 1993 Colorado Rockies season, the Rockies play in the National League West of the National League....
     to win the World Series
    World Series

    The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
     Championship, becoming the first team in the 21st century to win more than one championship. They also are 8-0 in World Series
    World Series

    The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
     games this century.
  • 2007- The New England Patriots
    New England Patriots

    The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats" by sports writers and fans, are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
     finish the NFL regular season 16-0, the first team to go undefeated in a sixteen-game season. The Patriots would go on to beat the Jaguars and Chargers in the playoffs. Despite being heavily favored to win the Super Bowl and complete a 19-0 Season, the Patriots would lose to the New York Giants
    New York Giants

    The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The team plays its home games at Giants Stadium, which also serves as its headquarters, and trains at an adjacent practice facility within the Meadowlands Sports Complex....
    , 17-14. Eli Manning
    Eli Manning

    Elisha Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of Peyton Manning and Cooper Manning and the son of Archie Manning and Olivia Manning....
     threw a game winning touchdown to Plaxico Burress
    Plaxico Burress

    Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was originally selected eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2000 NFL Draft....
     with 35 seconds left.
  • 2007- India win the first ICC World Twenty20
    ICC World Twenty20

    The ICC World Twenty20 is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council ....
     by defeating Pakistan
    Pakistan

    Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
     in the finals.
  • 2008- The IEP de Grenoble
    Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble

    The Institut d'?tudes politiques de Grenoble , also known as Sciences Po Grenoble, is a political science grande ?cole located in the campus of the University of Grenoble in Saint-Martin d'H?res, France....
     wins the Critérium in Toulouse.
  • 2008- Spain wins the Euro 2008 Football Championship, beating Germany.
  • 2008- World No.3 Novak Djokovic
    Novak Djokovic

    He won his first Grand Slam singles title at the 2008 Australian Open. After beating World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals, Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, becoming the first player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the sem...
     of Serbia Defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the Australian open.
  • 2008- World No.2 Rafael Nadal
    Rafael Nadal

    Rafael Nadal Parera is a Spain professional tennis player who has been ATP Entry Ranking List of ATP number 1 ranked players since August 18, 2008....
     of Spain Defeated Five time Wimbledon
    The Championships, Wimbledon

    The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered the most prestigious....
     Champion and World No.1 Roger Federer
    Roger Federer

    Roger Federer is a Switzerland professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 2. He was the List of ATP number 1 ranked players ranked player for a ATP Tour records#Ranking, from February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008....
     in a thrilling match that lasted for around 5 hours in the Wimbledon
    The Championships, Wimbledon

    The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered the most prestigious....
     Final
  • 2008- The 2008 Summer Olympics commence in Beijing on August 8, 2008 at 8:08:08 PM GMT
    Greenwich Mean Time

    Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to solar time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in Greenwich, London. It is regularly used to refer to Coordinated Universal Time when this is viewed as a time zone, especially by bodies connected with the United Kingdom, such as the BBC World Service, the Royal Navy, the Met Office an...
    +8.
  • 2008- Usain Bolt
    Usain Bolt

    Usain Bolt Order of Distinction is a Jamaican Sprint . Bolt holds the Olympic Games and World records in athletics for the 100 metres at 9.69 seconds, the 200 metres at 19.30 seconds and, along with his teammates, the 4 x 100 metres relay at 37.10 seconds, all set at the 2008 Summer Olympics....
     sets a new world record for the Men's 100m & 200m sprint, lowering the new times to 9.69 seconds & 19.30 seconds respectively, both in the Beijing Olympics.
  • 2008- Michael Phelps
    Michael Phelps

    Michael Fred Phelps is an United States swimming. He has won 14 career Olympic Games gold medals, the most by any Olympian. As of 2008, Phelps holds seven List of world records in swimming....
     breaks Mark Spitz
    Mark Spitz

    Mark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer, best known for winning Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement surpassed only when Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the 2008 Summer Olympics....
    's record for most gold medals in a single Olympics with 8.
  • 2008- World No.2 and Four time U.S. Open Champion Roger Federer
    Roger Federer

    Roger Federer is a Switzerland professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 2. He was the List of ATP number 1 ranked players ranked player for a ATP Tour records#Ranking, from February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008....
     defeated Andy Murray of UK to claim his fifth consecutive U.S. Open Men's Singles crown
  • 2008- The Philadelphia Phillies
    Philadelphia Phillies

    The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and are the reigning 2008 World Series champions....
     defeat the Tampa Bay Rays
    Tampa Bay Rays

    The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Florida, and the reigning 2008 American League Championship Series....
     to win their first World Series
    World Series

    The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
     since 1980, this is the Rays first trip to the World Series
    World Series

    The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
     in franchise history
  • 2008- Lewis Hamilton
    Lewis Hamilton

    Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team and is the youngest ever Formula One World Champion....
     became the youngest Formula One
    Formula One

    Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and currently officially referred as the FIA Formula One World Championship is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile ....
     champion ever, winning by just one point.
  • 2009 The Pittsburgh Steelers
    Pittsburgh Steelers

    The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the AFC North of the American Football Conference in the National Football League) ....
     defeat the Arizona Cardinals
    Arizona Cardinals

    The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American Football team based in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals are members of the NFC West of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
     to win their record sixth Super Bowl
    Super Bowl

    In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League . The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday....
     title as a franchise, the first team to do so.
  • 2009 Matt Kenseth
    Matt Kenseth

    Matthew Roy Kenseth is an American stock car racing driver. Matt currently drives the #17 DeWalt Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing....
     wins the Daytona 500
    Daytona 500

    The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida....
     and becomes the first Jack Roush
    Jack Roush

    Jack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John W. Henry of Roush Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
     driver to do so.


Business & Industry

  • Music Industry
    Music industry in the 21st century

    Various technological and social changes in the 21st century have impacted the music industry, including advents in digital technology, the wide-scale acceptance of broadband and the ever decreasing cost of hard drive space....
    : The early 21st century has had a profound impact on the condition of music distribution. Recent advents in digital technology have fundamentally altered industry practices and players in unusual rapidity.


Issues and concerns

There are several points-of-view pertaining to the following items, all of which should be considered accordingly.

Issues that have been frequently discussed and debated so far in this century include:
  • Globalization
    Globalization

    Globalization in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together....
    .     Advances in telecommunications and transportation, the expansion of capitalism
    Capitalism

    Capitalism is an economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are private property and controlled rather than commonly, publicly, or state-owned and controlled....
     and democracy
    Democratization

    Democratization is the transition to a more democratic political regime. It may be the transition from an authoritarianism regime to a full democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic political system....
    , and free trade
    Free trade

    Free trade is a type of trade policy that allows traders to act and transact without coercive interference from government. Thus, the policy permits trading partners mutual gains from trade, with goods and services produced according to the law of comparative advantage....
     agreements have resulted in unprecedented global economic and cultural integration. This has caused (and is continuing to cause) economic and cultural shifts which have been the subject of considerable controversy.
  • Overpopulation
    Overpopulation

    Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the world population and its environment , the Earth....
    .     The United Nations
    United Nations

    The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
      that world population
    World population

    The world population is the total number of living humans on Earth at a given time. As of March 2009, the world's population is estimated to be about 6.76 1,000,000,000 ....
     will reach 9.2 billion by mid-century. Such growth raises questions of ecological sustainability
    Sustainability

    Sustainability, in a broad sense, is the ability to maintain a certain process or state. It is now most frequently used in connection with biological and human systems....
     and creates many economic and political disruptions. In response, many countries have adopted policies which either force or encourage their citizens to have fewer children, and others have limited immigration
    Immigration

    While the movement of people has thought throughout history at various levels, modern immigration tourism are considered non-immigrants . Immigration that violates the immigration laws of the destination country is termed illegal immigration or undocumented immigration....
    . Considerable debate exists over what the ultimate carrying capacity of the planet may be; whether or not population growth containment policies are necessary; to what degree growth can safely occur thanks to increased economic and ecological efficiency; and how markets should accommodate demographic shifts. Evidence suggests that developed countries (such as Japan) suffer population implosion, and the population debate is strongly tied with poverty.
  • Authoritarianism
    Authoritarianism

    Authoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of the state in a republic or union. It is a political system controlled by nonelected rulers who usually permit some degree of individual freedom....
    .     Some currently democratic states, such as The United Kingdom, are felt by some to be moving quickly in the direction of a police state
    Police state

    The term police state describes a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population....
    , with biometric identity cards, continuous surveillance
    Mass surveillance

    Mass surveillance is the pervasive surveillance of an entire population, or a substantial fraction thereof. Mass surveillance is used in varying contexts, and in some cases may occur regardless of whether or not consent of those under surveillance is given, and may or may not serve the interests of those whom are monitored....
     and long term detainment without trial
    Detention of suspects

    Detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing....
     all having been introduced by the government. A good indicator of authoritarianism being a serious concern for the 21st century are the recent anti-authoritarian protests staged around the world. Examples include the 1999 Carnival Against Capitalism
    Carnival Against Capitalism

    The Global Carnival Against Capital took place on Friday, June 18, 1999. It was an international day of protest timed to coincide with the 25th G8 Summit in Cologne, Germany....
    , the protest activities surrounding the 2001 Genova G8 Summit
    27th G8 summit

    The 27th G8 summit took place in Genoa, Italy, in July 2001.The G7 was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada since 1976....
     and the 2007 Heiligendamm G8 Summit
    33rd G8 summit

    The 33rd G8 summit took place at Kempinski Grand Hotel Heiligendamm in Heiligendamm in the old Duchy of Mecklenburg in the Northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the Baltic Coast....
    , as well as the 2008 civil unrest in Greece
    2008 civil unrest in Greece

    The 2008 civil unrest in Greece started on 6 December 2008, when Alexandros Grigoropoulos , a 15-year-old student, was gunshot wound by Epaminondas Korkoneas, a policeman....
    , all with strong anarchistic
    Anarchism

    Anarchism is a political philosophy encompassing anarchist schools of thought which consider the state to be unnecessary, harmful, and/or undesirable....
     and thus anti-authoritarian character.
  • Abortion
    Abortion

    An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death....
    .     Debates between "Pro-choice
    Pro-choice

    Pro-choice describes the politics and ethics view that a woman should have complete control over her fertility and the choice to continue or terminate a pregnancy....
    " and "Pro-life
    Pro-life

    Pro-life is a term representing a variety of perspectives and activist movements in medical ethics. It is most commonly used, especially in the media and popular discourse, to refer to opposition to abortion....
    " factions on the controversial procedure continue. The approximate number of induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million.
  • Dysgenics
    Dysgenics

    Dysgenics is the study of factors producing the accumulation and perpetuation of defective or disadvantageous genes and traits in offspring in a particular population or species....
    .     Due to the negative correlation between intelligence and fertility, human genetic integrity may be deteriorating, lowering the intellectual capacity of the average human.
  • Poverty
    Poverty

    Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
    .     Poverty remains the root cause of many of the world's other ills, including famine
    Famine

    A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any faunal species, which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased death....
    , disease
    Disease

    A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
    , and insufficient education
    Education

    File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
    . Poverty contains many self-reinforcing elements (for instance, poverty can make education an unaffordable luxury, which tends to result in continuing poverty) that various aid groups hope to rectify in this century. Microcredit
    Microcredit

    Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty. These individuals lack collateral , steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit ....
     lending has also started to gain a profile as a useful anti-poverty tool.
  • Disease
    Disease

    A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
    .     AIDS
    AIDS

    Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
    , tuberculosis
    Tuberculosis

    Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacterium, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal system, bones, joints, and even the...
     and malaria
    Malaria

    Malaria is a Vector -borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in Tropics and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa....
     each kill over a million people annually. HIV
    HIV

    Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
     remains without a cure or vaccine, and is growing rapidly in India and much of the African continent. Antibiotic resistance
    Antibiotic resistance

    Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of antibiotics. It is a specific type of drug resistance. Antibiotic resistance evolves via natural selection acting upon random mutation, but it can also be engineered by applying an evolutionary stress on a population....
     is a growing concern for organisms such as tuberculosis
    Tuberculosis

    Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacterium, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal system, bones, joints, and even the...
    . Other diseases, such as SARS
    SARs

    SARs may refer to:*Special Administrative Regions*Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome *South African Revenue Service ...
    , ebola
    Ebola

    Ebola is the common term for a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus , family Filoviridae, and for the disease that they cause, Ebola viral hemorrhagic fever....
    , and flu variations, are also causes for concern. The World Health Organization
    World Health Organization

    The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health....
     has of a possible coming flu pandemic
    Pandemic

    A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide....
     resulting from bird flu mutation
    Mutation

    In biology, mutations are changes to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, by exposure to ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, or virus , or can be induced by the organism, itself, by cellular processes such as s...
    s.
  • War
    War

    ...
     and terrorism
    Terrorism

    Terrorism, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is the systematic use of terror, "violent or destructive acts committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands." At present, there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism....
    .     Active conflicts
    Ongoing wars

    File:Ongoing conflicts.svgThis is a list of ongoing conflicts that are happening around the world, which continue to result in violent deaths. This list is for the sole purpose of identifying present-day conflicts and the death toll associated with each conflict....
     continue around the world, including civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Democratic Republic of the Congo

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
     (the largest war since World War II
    World War II

    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
    ), Chechnya
    Chechnya

    The Chechen Republic , or, informally, Chechnya , sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , Chechnia, Chechenia or Nox?iyn, is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia....
    , Côte d'Ivoire
    Côte d'Ivoire

    , formerly Ivory Coast, officially the , is a country in West Africa. The government officially discourages the use of the name Ivory Coast in English, preferring the French name to be used in all languages ....
    , Somalia
    Somalia

    Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa....
    , Senegal
    Senegal

    Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the S?n?gal River in West Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south....
    , Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
    , and Sudan
    Sudan

    Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
     (mainly in Darfur
    Darfur

    Darfur is a region in Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by History of the Anglo-Egyptian co-dominium....
    ). The 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered invasions of Afghanistan
    War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

    The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. military operation Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched by the United States with the United Kingdom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks....
     and partially and controversially Iraq
    2003 invasion of Iraq

    The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1, 2003, was spearheaded by the United States, backed by United Kingdom forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Spain, Poland and Denmark....
    . The War on Terrorism
    War on Terrorism

    The War on Terrorism or War on Terror are the common terms for the military, political, legal and ideological conflict against Islamic terrorism and Muslim militants, and specifically used in reference to operations by the United States, since the September 11 attacks....
     has seen controversies over civil liberties
    Civil liberties

    Civil liberties are Freedom that protect the individual from the government. Civil liberties set limits for government so that it cannot abuse its Political power and interfere with the lives of its citizens....
    , accusations of torture
    Torture

    Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:In addition to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may be motivated to inflict torture on others for similar reasons to those of a state; however, the motive for torture can also be for the sadism gratification of the torturer, as was the case in the Moors M...
    , continued terrorist attacks and ongoing instability, violence, and military occupation. Violence continues in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Considerable concern remains about nuclear proliferation
    Nuclear proliferation

    Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "nuclear weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or NPT....
    , especially in Iran
    Iran

    Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
     and North Korea
    North Korea

    North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
    , and the availability of weapons of mass destruction
    Weapons of mass destruction

    A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general....
     to rogue groups.
  • Global warming
    Global warming

    Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
    .     Climate scientists concur that the earth is currently undergoing significant anthropogenic
    Anthropogenic

    Anthropogenic effects, processes or materials are those that are derived from human activities, as opposed to those occurring in natural environments without human influence....
     (human-induced) global warming
    Global warming

    Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
    . The resulting economic and ecological costs are hard to predict. Some scientists argue that human-induced global warming risks considerable losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services unless considerable sociopolitical changes are introduced, particularly in patterns of mass consumption. On the other hand, climate change has already begun to wreak havoc on the fringes of the developing world.
  • Power in international relations
    Power in international relations

    Power in international relations is defined in several different ways. Political science, historians, and practitioners of international relations have used the following concepts of political power:...
    .     Issues surrounding the cultural, economic, and military dominance of the United States and its role in the world community have become even more pointed given its recent military activities, problematic relations with the United Nations
    United Nations

    The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
    , disagreement over several international treaties, and its economic policies with regard to globalization. Integration of the European Union
    European Union

    The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
     and the African Union
    African Union

    The African Union is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 53 African states. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity ....
     have proceeded.
  • Intellectual property
    Intellectual property

    Intellectual property are law property over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phra...
    .     The increasing popularity of digital formats for entertainment media such as movies and music, and the ease of copying and distributing it via the Internet
    Internet

    The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
     and peer-to-peer
    Peer-to-peer

    A peer-to-peer computer network uses diverse connectivity between participants in a network and the cumulative bandwidth of network participants rather than conventional centralized resources where a relatively low number of Server s provide the core value to a service or application....
     networks, has raised concerns in the media industry about copyright infringement
    Copyright infringement

    Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of material that is covered by copyright law, in a manner that violates one of the copyright owner's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works....
    . Much debate is proceeding about the proper bounds between protection of copyright
    Copyright

    Copyright is a form of intellectual property which gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation; after which time the work is said to enter the public domain....
    , trademark
    TradeMark

    TradeMark is a tall, primarily residential, skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was completed in 2007 and has 28 floors. There are 200 hundred residential units....
     and patent
    Patent

    A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a term of patent in exchange for a disclosure of an invention....
     rights versus fair use
    Fair use

    Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as use for scholarship or review....
     and the public domain
    Public domain

    File:PD-icon.svgThe public domain is a range of abstract materials?commonly referred to as intellectual property?which are not owned or controlled by anyone....
    , where some argue that such laws have shifted greatly towards intellectual property owners and away from the interests of the general public in recent years, while others say that such legal change is needed to deal with the threat of new technologies against the rights of authors and artists (or, as others put it, against the outmoded business models of the current entertainment industry). Domain name
    Domain name

    The term domain name has multiple related meanings:* A hostname that identifies a computer or computers on the Internet. These names appear as a component of a Web site's Uniform Resource Locator, e.g....
     "cybersquatting" and access to patented drugs to combat epidemics in third-world countries are other IP concerns.
  • Technology
    Technology

    Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its Natural environment....
     developments show no sign of ending. Communications and control
    Cybernetics

    Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to control theory and systems theory....
     technology continues to augment the intelligence of individual humans, collections of humans, and machines. Cultures are forced into the position of sharply defining humanity and determining boundaries on desire, thought, communication, behavior, and manufacturing. Some, notably Ray Kurzweil have predicted that by the middle of the century there will be a Technological Singularity
    Technological singularity

    The technological singularity is a theoretical future point of unprecedented technological progress?typically associated with advancements in computer hardware or the ability of machines to improve themselves using artificial intelligence....
     if artificial intelligence
    Artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science which aims to create it. Major AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents,"...
     that outsmart humans is created. If these AIs then create even smarter AI's technological change will accelerate in ways that are impossible for us to foresee. (However, gradual and simultaneous use of AI technology to increase our own intelligence might prevent this from ever occurring.)
  • Fossil fuel
    Fossil fuel

    Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source fuels, that is, carbon or hydrocarbons found in the earth?s Crust .Fossil fuel range from volatile materials with low carbon:hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquid petroleum to nonvolatile materials composed of almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal....
    s     are becoming scarce and more expensive, due to the escalating demand
    Demand (economics)

    In economics, Demand is the desire to own something and the ability to pay for it.See Supply and demand.Demand-The term demand signifies the ability or the willingness to buy a particular commodity at a given point of time ....
     for petroleum
    Petroleum

    Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds....
     ("oil") and oil-based products such as gasoline
    Gasoline

    File:GasCan.jpgGasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture, primarily used as fuel in internal combustion engines.It consists mostly of aliphatic hydrocarbons, enhanced with iso-octane or the aromatic hydrocarbons toluene and benzene to increase its octane rating....
     and kerosene
    Kerosene

    Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid....
    , unmatched by production. Discovery of new oil fields has not been sufficient to sustain current levels of production, and some fear that the earth may be running out of economically viable oil.
  • NATO-Russian Relations have become strained as the "Western Alliance" and NATO square off with Russia and other nations over international policy and the future of the ex-Soviet sphere. An Eastern Europe Missile Defense Shield, military and social conflicts in the Caucasus (particularly Georgia and Chechnya), and the future of nuclear arsenals are among the topics that have strained the relations between the two sides with eerie reminders reminiscent of the Cold War.


The United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
 lists global issues on its and lists a set of (MDG
Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that 192 United Nations United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015....
s) to attempt to address some of these issues.

Astronomical events


List of the long total solar eclipses

  • July 22, 2009: Solar eclipse, saros
    Saros

    Saros or S?ros may refer to:*Saros cycle, a method for predicting solar eclipses*SS Saros, a shipwreck off the southeast coast of Australia...
     136. The longest of the century.
  • August 2, 2027: Solar eclipse
    Solar eclipse

    A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is wholly or partially obscured. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth....
    , of 6 min 23 s, saros 136.
  • August 12, 2045: Solar eclipse, of 6 min 06 s, saros 136.
  • August 24, 2063: Solar eclipse, of 5 min 49 s, .
  • May 11, 2078: Solar eclipse, of 5 min 40 s, saros 139.
  • May 22, 2096: Solar eclipse, of 6 min 07 s, .


Other phenomena

  • Tuesday, June 8, 2004: First transit of Venus
    Transit of Venus

    A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, obscuring a small portion of the solar disk....
     for 122 years.
  • November 8, 2006: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • December 23, 2007: grand conjunction a galactic conjunction which happens every 26,000 years.
  • 2009: Triple conjunction
    Triple conjunction

    A triple conjunction is an astronomy event, where two planets or a planet and a star meet each other three times in a short period either in Astronomical opposition or at the time of inferior conjunction, if an inferior planet is involved....
     Jupiter
    Jupiter

    Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the Solar system by size planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined....
    -Neptune
    NEPTUNE

    =Overview=The project, along with sister project, VENUS, offers a unique approach to ocean science. Traditionally, ocean scientists have relied on infrequent ship cruises or space-based satellites to carry out their research....
    .
  • 2010/2011: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus
    Uranus

    Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third-largest and fourth most massive planet in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus the father of Kronos and grandfather of Zeus ....
    .
  • July 12, 2011: Neptune completes its first orbit since its discovery in 1846.
  • Wednesday, June 6, 2012: Transit of Venus
    Venus

    Venus is the second-closest planet to the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus , the Roman mythology goddess of love....
     to occur a second time (and last time) this century.
  • May 9, 2016: Transit of Mercury
    Mercury (planet)

    Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 88 days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest Orbital eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt....
    .
  • Monday, August 21, 2017 : First total solar eclipse
    Solar eclipse

    A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is wholly or partially obscured. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth....
     of the 21st century for the United States, and the first visible in the continental US since February 26, 1979 .
  • November 11, 2019: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • 2024 (plus or minus 5 years): Next predicted return of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
    12P/Pons-Brooks

    12P/Pons-Brooks is the designation for a periodic comet with a period of 71 years. The comet was suggested by Carl Sagan as the spectacular comet seen by the Chinese in 1486 BCE which, according to historical researcher Graham Phillips, might have inspired the rise of a number of monotheistic religions around the world....
    .
  • 2025/2026: Triple conjunction Saturn
    Saturn

    Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant....
    -Neptune.
  • Friday, April 13, 2029: The asteroid
    Asteroid

    Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets or planetoids, are small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun, smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids....
     99942 Apophis
    99942 Apophis

    99942 Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a significant probability that it would strike the Earth in 2029....
     (previously better known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) will pass within 30,000 km (18,600 mi) of the Earth.
  • November 13, 2032: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • 2037/2038: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • November 7, 2039: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • 2041/2042: Triple conjunction Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    -Uranus.
  • October 1, 2044: Occultation
    Occultation

    An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy and can also be used in a general sense to describe when an object in the foreground occults objects in the background....
     of Regulus
    Regulus

    Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and list of brightest stars in the nighttime sky, and lies approximately 77.5 light years from Earth....
     by Venus. The last was on July 7, 1959. After 2044 the next occultation of Regulus by Venus will occur on October 21, 3187, although some sources claim it will occur again on October 6, 2271.
  • 2047/2048: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune.
  • May 7, 2049: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • November 9, 2052: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • July 2061: Next return of Halley's Comet.
  • 2063: Triple conjunction Mars-Uranus.
  • November 11, 2065: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • November 22, 2065: At 12:45 UTC, Venus will occult Jupiter. This event will be the first occultation
    Occultation

    An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy and can also be used in a general sense to describe when an object in the foreground occults objects in the background....
     of a planet by another since January 3, 1818. This event will be very difficult to observe, because the elongation of Venus and Jupiter from the Sun on that date will be only 7 degrees.
  • 2066: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • July 15, 2067: At 11:56 UTC, Mercury will occult Neptune. This rare event will be very difficult to observe, because of the constant low elongation of Mercury from the Sun, and the magnitude of Neptune always under the limit of visibility with the naked eye.
  • 2071/2072: Triple conjunction Mars-Neptune.
  • November 14, 2078: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • 2079: Triple conjunction Saturn-Uranus.
  • August 11, 2079: At 01:30 UTC, Mercury will occult Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    .
  • Friday, November 10, 2084: Transit of Earth
    Transit of Earth from Mars

    A astronomical transit of Earth across the Sun as seen from Mars takes place when the planet Earth passes directly between the Sun and Mars, obscuring a small part of the Sun's disc for an observer on Mars....
     as seen from Mars, the first and the only one in this century.
  • November 7, 2085: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • 2085/2086: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune.
  • October 27, 2088: At 13:43 UTC, Mercury will occult Jupiter.
  • 2088/2089: Triple conjunction Mars-Neptune.
  • 2093: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • April 7, 2094: At 10:48 UTC, Mercury will occult Jupiter.
  • May 8, 2095: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .
  • November 10, 2098: Transit of Mercury
    Transit of Mercury

    A astronomical transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
    .


Pop cultural references to the remaining years of the 21st century


Television and film

  • The new series of Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     which began in 2005 depicts many fictional events that take place in the 21st century.
  • The television series seaQuest DSV
    SeaQuest DSV

    seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996....
     takes place between the years 2018 and 2032.
  • In the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey
    2001: A Space Odyssey (film)

    2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 in film science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, ambiguous and of...
    , a joint American-Soviet space expedition is sent to Jupiter in 2010.
  • The popular adult swim
    Adult Swim

    Adult Swim is an adult-oriented cable television network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network in the United States and broadcasting in countries such as Australia and Japan....
     series Sealab 2021
    Sealab 2021

    Sealab 2021 was an United States animated television series shown on Cartoon Network's adult-oriented programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on December 21, 2000 and the final episode aired on April 25, 2005....
     takes place in the year 2021.
  • The events of Stargate SG-1
    Stargate SG-1

    Stargate SG-1 is an United States-Canadian science fiction television series, part of the Stargate. Its story begins one year after the events of the 1994 science fiction film Stargate ....
     continue into the early 21st century.
  • Stargate Atlantis
    Stargate Atlantis

    Stargate Atlantis is an United States-Canada science fiction television program, part of the Stargate owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Developed by producers Brad Wright and Robert C....
     is set in the early 21st century.
  • The Transformers: The Movie
    The Transformers: The Movie

    The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the Transformers . It was released in North America on August 8, 1986....
    : is set in the year 2005. The subsequent third season of the Transformers series
    The Transformers (TV series)

    The Transformers is an United States animated television series depicting a war between giant robots who could transform into vehicles, animals, and other objects....
     takes place after the events of the movie.
  • The Japanese anime show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
    The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

    is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a small love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
     spans the years 1999 to 2012 (its final episode takes place in January of 2012, and a direct to video epilogue featurette takes place in September 2012). Its prequel and sequels take place in 2008 (Macross Zero
    Macross Zero

    is an anime prequel Original Video Animation to The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. It was directed by Shoji Kawamori and produced by Satelight....
    ), 2040 (Macross Plus
    Macross Plus

    is a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the The Super Dimension Fortress Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original The Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series that took place in the official timeline ....
    ), 2045-2046 (Macross 7
    Macross 7

    is an anime television series. It is a sequel to the show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross that takes place many years after the events of the first series following a cast of mostly new characters....
    ) and 2059 (Macross Frontier
    Macross Frontier

    is a Japanese animated science fiction space drama that aired in Japan on Mainichi Broadcasting System from April 3, 2008 to September 25, 2008. It is the most recent Japanese anime television series set in the Macross universe....
    ). A dramatized historical fiction movie about the First Space War, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
    The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

    is a 1984 anime Film based around the The Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series.The movie is a condensed version of the events in the original Macross series, with new animation....
    , premieres in 2031.
  • The American cartoon show Robotech
    Robotech

    Robotech is a science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different anime television series. Within the combined and edited story, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific island....
    , composed from the footage of three unrelated anime series (including Macross
    The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

    is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a small love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
    , above) spans the years 1999 to 2015, 2030-2031 and 2044-2045.
  • Part of the sequel Back to the Future Part II
    Back to the Future Part II

    Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 in film and a sequel to the 1985 in film Back to the Future. Like the previous film, it was directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale....
     is set in 2015.
  • The Japanese anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion is also set in 2015.
  • The modern classic film Blade Runner
    Blade Runner

    Blade Runner is a 1982 in film Cinema of the United States science fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young....
     takes place in November, 2019.
  • The cult series Dark Angel
    Dark Angel (TV series)

    Dark Angel is an United States biopunk/cyberpunk science fiction television program created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee. Dark Angel premiered in the United States and Canada on the Fox Broadcasting Company network on October 3, 2000, but was cancellation after two seasons....
     is set in 2019.
  • The film The Running Man
    The Running Man

    The Running Man is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books....
     starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Arnold Schwarzenegger

    Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and Politics of the United States, currently serving as the List of Governors of California Governor of California of the state of California....
     is set in 2019.
  • Both parts of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry?s Star Trek universe, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by CBS Paramount Television....
     episode "Past Tense
    Past Tense (DS9 episode)

    "Past Tense" is a two-part episode from the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.Quick Overview: The crew of the USS Defiant is thrown back in time to 2024 on Earth....
    " take place in 2024.
  • The dystopic sci-fi novel and film Metropolis
    Metropolis (film)

    Metropolis is a silent film science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou. Lang and von Harbou, who were married, wrote the screenplay in , and the story was novelized by von Harbou in 1926 in literature....
     takes place in 2027.
  • The film Children of Men
    Children of Men

    Children of Men is a 2006 in film Utopian and dystopian fiction science fiction film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuar?n. The Strike Entertainment production was loosely adapted from P....
     is set in 2027.
  • The anime
    Anime

    is animation in Japan and considered to be "Japanese animation" in the rest of the world. Anime dates from about 1917.Anime, in addition to manga , is extremely popular in Japan and well known throughout the world....
     universe of Ghost in the Shell
    Ghost in the Shell

    is a Japanese people cyberpunk manga created by Masamune Shirow, and first published in 1989 in Young Magazine. A collected edition was released in 1991; a sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface, was released in 2002; and a serialized manga, Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, was released in 2003, which contain...
    , its sequel Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, and anime television series based on the same premise (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

    is a Japanese anime television series based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell . It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama and produced by Production I.G, airing on Animax from 1 October 2002 to 25 March 2003 with a total of 26 episodes....
     and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GiG), are centered somewhere around 2029.
  • The Terminator
    The Terminator

    The Terminator is a 1984 in film Science fiction film/action film directed and co-written by James Cameron. It features Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn....
     is set up during the early years of the 21st century in terms of the wars between humans & Skynet. Some of the intervening years are dealt with by the two sequels, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
    Terminator 2: Judgment Day

    Terminator 2: Judgment Day, commonly abbreviated as T2, is a action film-science fiction film directed, co-written and co-produced by James Cameron....
     and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
    Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

    Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, commonly abbreviated as T3, is a 2003 in film science fiction/action film film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken....
    , with the whole franchise
    Media franchise

    A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the fictional character, fictional universe, and trademarks of an original work of News media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, or a video game....
     building to a conclusion of the War in 2029.
  • The 2002 version of The Time Machine
    The Time Machine

    The Time Machine is a novella by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895 and later directly adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations....
     has scenes that take place in the 2030s.
  • The Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     story The Enemy of the World
    The Enemy of the World

    The Enemy of the World is a list of Doctor Who serials in the United Kingdom science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from December 23 1967 to January 27, 1968....
     is set in Australia in 2030.
  • The anime OAV series Bubblegum Crisis
    Bubblegum Crisis

    is a cyberpunk-style anime set in a future, post-disaster Tokyo, called "Megatokyo". The series has a manga adaptation....
     (2032-33), its sequel Bubblegum Crash
    Bubblegum Crash

    is a three-part original video animation sequel Bubblegum Crisis.After the split between Artmic and Youmex, Youmex proceeded to make a sequel on their own, Bubblegum Crash, which ran three OVA episodes and is conjectured that it was a shortened version of how Crisis was to end....
     (2034), and its TV-series re-imagining Bubblegum Crisis 2040 (2040).
  • Demolition Man
    Demolition Man (film)

    Demolition Man is a 1993 in film Cinema of the United States dystopian action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne and Denis Leary....
     is set in 2032.
  • I, Robot
    I, Robot

    I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies....
     was set in 2035.
  • Deep space vessel Event Horizon
    Event Horizon (film)

    Event Horizon is a 1997 in film science fiction horror film. The screenplay was written by Philip Eisner and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson....
     was sent to test an artificial wormhole (black hole
    Black hole

    In general relativity, a black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, including electromagnetic radiation , can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon....
    ) in deep space in the year 2040. The lost ship is found 7 years later by a rescue team on board the ship Lewis and Clark on low orbit around the planet Neptune
    NEPTUNE

    =Overview=The project, along with sister project, VENUS, offers a unique approach to ocean science. Traditionally, ocean scientists have relied on infrequent ship cruises or space-based satellites to carry out their research....
    .
  • The Outward Urge
    The Outward Urge

    The Outward Urge is a science fiction novel by John Wyndham . It was originally published with four chapters in 1959. A fifth chapter was included in later versions, it was originally published in 1961 as a separate short story The Emptiness of Space....
     has a major nuclear war in 2044 and the first manned landing on Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
     in 2094.
  • Bollywood
    Bollywood

    Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry in India. The term is often used to refer to the whole of Cinema of India....
     movie Love Story 2050
    Love Story 2050

    Love Story 2050 is a futuristic/sci-fi Bollywood Cinema of India starring producer Pammi Baweja and director Harry Baweja's son Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra....
     was partly set in 2050.
  • Minority Report
    Minority Report

    The Minority Report is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick first published in Fantastic Universe January 1956. It is about a future society where murders are prevented through the efforts of three mutants who can see the future....
     was set in 2054.
  • World War III ends in 2053 according to Star Trek: First Contact
    Star Trek: First Contact

    Star Trek: First Contact is a 1996 in film science fiction film and the Star Trek#Feature films based in the Star Trek. In the film, the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation encounter their adversaries the Borg , who attempt to conquer the Earth through the use of time travel....
    , with 600,000,000 dead and most major cities destroyed.
  • The 1998 remake of Lost in Space
    Lost in Space

    Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, produced by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS....
     was set in 2058.
  • Most of Star Trek: First Contact
    Star Trek: First Contact

    Star Trek: First Contact is a 1996 in film science fiction film and the Star Trek#Feature films based in the Star Trek. In the film, the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation encounter their adversaries the Borg , who attempt to conquer the Earth through the use of time travel....
     takes place in 2063. In Star Trek canon, the human Zefram Cochrane
    Zefram Cochrane

    Zefram Cochrane is a fictional character in the Star Trek fictional universe. Created by writer Gene L. Coon, the character first appeared in the 1967 Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Metamorphosis ", in which he was played by Glenn Corbett....
     develops faster-than-light travel and makes first contact with an alien race
    Vulcan (Star Trek)

    Vulcans are a humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek fictional universe who hail from the planet Vulcan , and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion....
     during this year.
  • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

    Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a computer animated science fiction film by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing game....
     is set in 2065.
  • The Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     story The Moonbase
    The Moonbase

    The Moonbase is a List of Doctor Who serials in the United Kingdom science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from February 11 to March 3, 1967....
     is set in 2070.
  • The Japanese anime show Cowboy Bebop
    Cowboy Bebop

    is a Japanese Anime Television program. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and written by Keiko Nobumoto, Cowboy Bebop was produced by Sunrise . Consisting of 26 episodes, the series follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters, or "cowboys", traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop, in the year 2071....
     is set in 2071.
  • The Nickelodeon show My Life as a Teenage Robot
    My Life as a Teenage Robot

    My Life as a Teenage Robot is an United States animated television series, produced by Frederator Studios for the Nickelodeon cable channel....
     and the downloadable Shanka and Holdbp
    Starsky and Hutch

    Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s United States television series that consisted of a 90-minute television pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30 1975 and May 15 1979 on the American Broadcasting Company network; distributed by Sony P...
     DVD series is set in 2072.
  • Equilibrium is set in 2072.
  • The Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     story Day of the Daleks
    Day of the Daleks

    Day of the Daleks is a List of Doctor Who serials in the United Kingdom science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 1 to January 22, 1972....
     is set in 2073, albeit in an alternative timeline
    Alternate history (fiction)

    Alternate history or alternative history is a Genre of speculative fiction and historical fiction that is set in a world in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world....
    .
  • The film Total Recall, and the Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     story Warriors of the Deep
    Warriors of the Deep

    Warriors of the Deep is a List of Doctor Who serials in the United Kingdom science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from January 5 to January 13, 1984....
     is set in 2084.
  • In Star Trek: Insurrection
    Star Trek: Insurrection

    Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 in film science fiction feature film, the ninth based on the Star Trek television series. It is the third film to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the second to not feature the original series' cast....
    , it is discovered that the Ba'ku moved to the Briar Patch at some point in this century.
  • The Jetsons
    The Jetsons

    The Jetsons is a prime-time animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The original incarnation of the series aired on Sunday nights on American Broadcasting Company from September 23, 1962 to March 3, 1963....
     is supposed to take place in the late 21st century.
  • Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
    Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (film)

    Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie, starring Kirsten Storms in the titular role. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson and based on the Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century written by Roger Bollen and Marilyn Sadler....
     and its sequels takes place in the years 2049-2054.
  • The final episode of The X-Files
    The X-Files

    The X-Files is a Peabody Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning American cult following science fiction television series, created by Chris Carter , which first aired in 1993 and ended in 2002....
     sets December 22, 2012 as the date for alien colonization.
  • The CGI animated series Cubix: Robots for Everyone
    Cubix: Robots for Everyone

    Cubix: Robots for Everyone is a South Korean CGI animated series created by Cinepix.Cubix takes place in the year 2040 in Bubble Town where robots outnumber humans....
     takes place in 2040.
  • The Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     story The Seeds of Death
    The Seeds of Death

    The Seeds of Death is a list of Doctor Who serials in the United Kingdom science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from January 25 to March 1, 1969....
     is set in 2090.
  • The Doctor Who
    Doctor Who

    Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
     story Nightmare of Eden
    Nightmare of Eden

    Nightmare of Eden is a list of Doctor Who serials in the United Kingdom science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from November 24 to December 15 1979....
     is set in 2096.
  • The events of Leprechaun 4: In Space
    Leprechaun 4: In Space

    Leprechaun 4: In Space is a 1997 direct-to-video horror film science fiction film comedy film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. It is the fourth film in the series, which began with the 1992 film Leprechaun ....
     takes place in 2096.
  • The 2008 Disney Channel
    Disney Channel

    Disney Channel is a cable television television channel specializing in television programming for children through original series and movies as well as third party programming....
     movie Minutemen
    Minutemen (film)

    Minutemen is a 2008 romantic film-comedy film-science fiction film Disney Channel Original Movie. It stars Jason Dolley from Disney Channel Original Series Cory in the House....
     is based between the dates September 3 2005 and September 8 2008.
  • The tagline of Torchwood
    Torchwood

    Torchwood is a United Kingdom science fiction on television drama television programme, created by Russell T Davies and starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles....
     series one is: "The 21st century is when everything changes. And we have to be ready." In series two, the second sentence changes to: "And Torchwood is ready."
  • The 2008 film Repo! The Genetic Opera
    Repo! The Genetic Opera

    Repo! The Genetic Opera is a 2008 in film Cinema of the United States rock opera-musical film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. The film is based on a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich....
     is set in the year 2056. Plastic surgery and a fictional pain-killing drug known as Zydrate are commonplace as fashion statements and addictions.


Computer and video games

  • The events of Metal Gear Solid
    Metal Gear Solid

    is a stealth game video game directed and written by Hideo Kojima. The game was video game developer by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first video game publisher by Konami in 1998 in video gaming for the PlayStation video game console....
     take place in 2005, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
    Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

    is a stealth game video game directed by Hideo Kojima, video game developer by Konami and video game publisher by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....
     takes places in the years 2007 (Tanker Chapter) and 2009 (Big Shell Chapter), and the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
    Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

    , commonly abbreviated to MGS4 is a third person Stealth game video game developed by Kojima Productions exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Guns of the Patriots is the latest addition to the Metal Gear series and was directed by Hideo Kojima, Shuyo Murata and Yoji Shinkawa....
     take place in 2014.
  • Duke Nukem 3D
    Duke Nukem 3D

    Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms and published by Apogee Software. It was released on January 29, 1996....
     is set in the early 21st century and contains evidence (such as calendars) that suggest it is more specifically set in October or December 2007
  • Uplink
    Uplink (computer game)

    Uplink is a video game released in 2001 by the British software company Introversion Software. On August 23, 2006, it was made available for purchase on Valve Corporation Steam service....
     is set on the internet of the year 2010.
  • Perfect Dark Zero
    Perfect Dark Zero

    Perfect Dark Zero is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console....
     is set in 2020 and Perfect Dark
    Perfect Dark

    Perfect Dark is a 2000 first-person shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 game console. The game was developed and published by Rare , creators of the multimillion-selling GoldenEye 007, an earlier first-person shooter with which Perfect Dark shares many gameplay features....
     is set in 2023.
  • The races in San Francisco Rush 2049
    San Francisco Rush 2049

    San Francisco Rush 2049 is a racing video game developed by Atari Games and published by Midway Games for the Arcade game, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, and for the Sega Dreamcast....
     take place in 2049.
  • The events of Deus Ex
    Deus Ex

    Deus Ex is a cyberpunk-themed action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in the year 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of computer role-playing game....
     take place in 2052.
  • The levels "Breaking and Entering" and "You Genius, U-Genix" in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect take place in 2052.
  • System Shock
    System Shock

    System Shock is an action role-playing game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Origin Systems. Released in 1994 in video gaming, the game is set aboard the fictional Citadel Station in a cyberpunk vision of 2072....
     is set in 2072.
  • Future Cop: LAPD
    Future Cop: LAPD

    Future Cop: LAPD is a third-person shooter published and developed by Electronic Arts and released first for the PlayStation, then Mac OS and Microsoft Windows....
     takes place in the year 2098.
  • The discovery of the Zohar in Xenosaga
    Xenosaga

    is primarily a series of science fiction video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco. Xenosaga's main story is in the form of a trilogy of PlayStation 2 video games....
     takes place in 20XX.
  • The Great War of the Fallout
    Fallout (computer game)

    Fallout is a computer role-playing game produced by Tim Cain, developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment in 1997....
     universe starts on October 23, 2077; nuclear bombs are launched, nobody knows who the aggressor was.
  • The events of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne occur in 20XX.
  • In Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
    Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

    Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is a third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published on January 11, 2005 by LucasArts....
    , the 2nd Korean War starts early in this century.
  • Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
    Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

    Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to 2005's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, and it was released in the United States on August 31, 2008 and in Europe on September 5, 2008....
    , will take place sometime around between 2008 and 2010.
  • The Mega Man Classic
    Mega Man Classic

    The original Mega Man series is the first series of Mega Man games from Capcom, which debuted in Japan on December 17 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System with the release of Mega Man ....
     series takes place sometime in the 21st century, represented as 20XX.
  • The MegaMan Battle Network
    MegaMan Battle Network

    Mega Man Battle Network may refer to:* Mega Man Battle Network , a Mega Man series separate from the main storyline* Mega Man Battle Network , the first game in the series...
     series takes place in 20XX.
  • The arcade game Robotron: 2084
    Robotron: 2084

    Robotron: 2084 is an Arcade game video game developed by Vid Kidz and released by WMS Industries in 1982. It is a Shoot 'em up that features 2D computer graphics....
     takes place in the year 2084.
  • One Must Fall: 2097
    One Must Fall

    One Must Fall is a fighting game series for the IBM PC compatible, programmed by Diversions Entertainment....
     takes place in 2097.
  • The Mr. Driller
    Mr. Driller

    Mr. Driller is a series of video games developed by Namco. Mr. Driller puts the player in the role of a driller moving down through screens of blocks, having to keep his air supply from running out while avoiding being squashed by falling blocks....
     series (and Dig Dug: Digging Strike
    Dig Dug: Digging Strike

    Dig Dug: Digging Strike is a Nintendo DS game developed by Namco....
    , a game in its related timeline) takes place in 20XX.
  • The events of Half-Life 2
    Half-Life 2

    Half-Life 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter Video game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life . It was developed by Valve Corporation and was released on November 16, 2004, following a protracted five-year, $40 million development cycle during which the game?s source code was leaked to the Internet....
     and its expansion pack
    Expansion pack

    An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game....
    s takes place around the early 2020s.
  • The video game and cartoon 20X6
    Homestar Runner

    Homestar Runner is a Flash animation Internet Animation. It mixes surreal humor with references to 1970s, '80s, and '90s pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music....
     of Homestar Runner
    Homestar Runner

    Homestar Runner is a Flash animation Internet Animation. It mixes surreal humor with references to 1970s, '80s, and '90s pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music....
     supposedly takes place in the seventh year of an unspecified decade in the 21st century.
  • The nuclear holocaust
    Nuclear holocaust

    Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of nearly complete annhilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is rendered uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
     of the AquaNox
    AquaNox

    AquaNox is a series of submarine-based First-person shooter/Vehicle simulation game video game set in distant future. The collection includes AquaNox, AquaNox 2: Revelation and the yet unrealeased AquaNox: The Angels Tears....
     universe takes place in mid-21st century, followed by the massive exodus of survivors underwater.
  • Trauma Center: Under the Knife
    Trauma Center: Under the Knife

    Trauma Center: Under the Knife, known in Japan as , is a surgery simulation game developed for the Nintendo DS and the first in the Trauma Center series....
     and Trauma Centre: Second Opinion take place in 2018, when AIDS and cancer supposedly have cures.
  • The events of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
    Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

    is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series, and the third installment of the series on the Game Boy Advance....
     takes place in this time; specifically 2035. The sequel, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
    Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

    is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's best-selling Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS....
     takes place one year later, in 2036. These are the only two Castlevania
    Castlevania

    Castlevania is a video game video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986 with the release of for the Famicom Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX platform on October 30....
     titles to have taken place beyond the early to mid 20th century thus far.
  • The events of Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift and Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2
    Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2

    Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT 2 is a racing simulator by Genki that was released in 2005. It is the third episode in the Kaido Battle series and it borrows heavily to the influential Shutokou Battle series created by the same company....
     take place during 20XX, when Japanese highways have supposedly been opened as racing circuits.
  • The events of Namco X Capcom
    Namco x Capcom

    is an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the Playstation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom....
     takes place during 20XX.
  • In the Command & Conquer: Tiberian series
    Command & Conquer: Tiberian series

    The Command & Conquer: Tiberian series is a sub-series of real-time strategy video games belonging to the extensive Command & Conquer by Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts....
    , the 2nd Tiberium War between the Global Defense Initiative
    Global Defense Initiative

    The United Nations' Global Defense Initiative is a fictional militarized branch of the United Nations which is featured prominently in the Command & Conquer: Tiberian series of Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer real-time strategy video games....
     and the Brotherhood of Nod begins in 2030. The 3rd Tiberium War takes place 17 years later in 2047, which also sees the arrival of the Scrin
    Scrin

    The Scrin are a fictional Extraterrestrial life in popular culture race of intelligent beings in the Command & Conquer universe. Despite being new as a playable side, their origins as a faction go back throughout the Command & Conquer: Tiberian series....
     to Earth.
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) takes place in 2014


Internet


  • Stinkoman 20X6, of Homestar Runner
    Homestar Runner

    Homestar Runner is a Flash animation Internet Animation. It mixes surreal humor with references to 1970s, '80s, and '90s pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music....
     fame, takes place in the sixth year of an unspecified decade in the 21st century.


Novels

  • Arthur C. Clarke
    Arthur C. Clarke

    Sri Lankabhimanya Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, Order of the British Empire was a British people science fiction author, inventor, and Futurology, most famous for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey , written in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, a collaboration which also produced the 2001: A Space Odyssey ; and as a host and comment...
    's 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two
    2010: Odyssey Two

    2010: Odyssey Two is a best-selling science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, which was released in January 1982. It is the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1983....
     and 2061: Odyssey Three
    2061: Odyssey Three

    2061: Odyssey Three is a science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke in 1987. It is the third book in the The Space Odyssey series series....
    .
  • Tad Williams
    Tad Williams

    Robert Paul "Tad" Williams is the author of several fantasy and science fiction novels, including Tailchaser's Song, the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, the Otherland series, and The War of the Flowers....
    ' Otherland
    Otherland

    Otherland is a series of four science fiction novels written by Tad Williams. The story is set in the mid-to-late 21st century where technology has advanced somewhat from the modern day....
     series is set at some undefined point in the 21st century
  • Neal Stephenson
    Neal Stephenson

    Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer, known for his speculative fiction works, which have been variously categorized science fiction, historical fiction, maximalism, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk....
    's The Diamond Age
    The Diamond Age

    The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer is a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. It is a bildungsroman focused on a young girl named Nell, and set in a world in which nanotechnology affects all aspects of life....
     is also set in the 21st century, after some disaster befell the centralized telephone network. This led people to build a decentralized network, which they used to transfer money, thus destroying normal methods of taxation and bringing down most large governments.
  • Red Mars of Kim Stanley Robinson
    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Kim Stanley Robinson is an United States science fiction writer, probably best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy.His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the 15 years of research and lifelong fascination with M...
    's Mars trilogy
    Mars trilogy

    The Mars trilogy is a series of award-winning science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, chronicling the settlement and Terraforming of Mars through the intensely personal and detailed viewpoints of a wide variety of characters spanning almost two centuries....
     begins in 2027.
  • Some books by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
    Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

    The two brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are Soviet Union Russian people science fiction authors who collaborated on their fiction....
     are set in 21st century
  • The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
    The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

    The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 science fiction novel by USA writer Robert A. Heinlein, about a Moon colony's revolt against rule from Earth....
     by Robert A. Heinlein
    Robert A. Heinlein

    Robert Anson Heinlein was an United States novelist and science fiction writer. Often called "the dean of science fiction writers", he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of the genre....
     takes place in 2075.
  • Turnabout
    Turnabout (novel)

    Turnabout is a novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix, set in the future. It was first published in 2002 by the Aladdin division of Simon & Schuster, Inc....
     by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is set in 2005-06, 2057, and mainly 2085.


Decades and years


External links

  • The story of the 21st century
  • Foundation to promote long-term thinking
  • Long-term cultural institution