2006 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century – 21st century – 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s – 2000s – 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	2003 2004 2005 – 2006 – 2007 2008 2009

2006 (also known as MMVI in Roman numerals) was a common year that started on a Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. In the Chinese calendar, 2006 was known as the Year of the Dog, with Chinese New Year falling on January 29.

Major Events of 2006

January: A New Start

January 1 – Sydney, Australia, had its hottest day ever recorded, reaching 45 °C (113 °F).
January 1 – Russia stopped sending natural gas to Ukraine because of a disagreement over prices.
January 4 – Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, transferred his powers to his deputy, Ehud Olmert, after Sharon had a serious stroke.
January 15 – NASA's Stardust spacecraft successfully finished its mission. It was the first mission to bring back dust from a comet.
January 23 – Stephen Harper won the election in Canada, becoming the new Prime Minister.
January 27 – People around the world celebrated the 250th birthday of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
January 31 – Samuel Alito became a new justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.

February: Winter Olympics and Disasters

February 3 – An Egyptian passenger ferry with over 1,400 people sank in the Red Sea.
February 4 – A terrible crowd crush at an event in the Philippines killed 74 people and injured 600.
February 10–26 – The 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy, where athletes from all over the world competed.
February 17 – A huge mudslide happened in the Philippines, killing more than 1,100 people.
February 22 – A bomb badly damaged the Al-Askari mosque, a very important holy site in Iraq.
February 22 – Over £53.1 million was stolen in the Securitas depot robbery in the United Kingdom, which was the biggest cash robbery ever there.

March: Space Discoveries and Peace Hopes

March 9 – NASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft found geysers shooting liquid from Saturn's moon Enceladus. This suggested that water might be present there.
March 10 – NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully entered orbit around Mars.
March 15–26 – The 2006 Commonwealth Games took place in Melbourne, Australia, bringing together athletes from Commonwealth nations.
March 22 – The group ETA declared a permanent ceasefire in their fight for independence in Basque Country, Spain.
March 30 – Marcos Pontes became the first Brazilian astronaut to go into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

April: Global Events and Space Missions

April 5 – The first case of Avian Flu was found in the United Kingdom in a swan in Scotland.
April 11 – The European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft entered Venus' orbit.
April 16 – Albert II, Prince of Monaco, reached the North Pole, becoming the first ruling monarch to do so.
April 24 – Three explosions in a tourist area of Dahab, Egypt, killed 30 people and injured over 115.

May: Earthquakes and Music

May 1 – Bolivian President Evo Morales took control of his nation's gas fields for the government.
May 20 – The band Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the first time Finland won, and the first time a hard rock song won the contest.
May 27 – A strong earthquake hit central Java in Indonesia, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving many homeless.

June: World Cup and Major Arrests

June 3 – Montenegro declared its independence, and the union with Serbia was dissolved.
June 3 – Seventeen men were arrested in Canada for a suspected terrorist plot.
June 9 – July 9 – The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in Germany, bringing together football teams from around the world.
June 25 – Warren Buffett donated over US$30 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest charitable donations ever.

July: Space and Conflicts

July 1 – The Qinghai–Tibet railway began operating, connecting China and Tibet by train for the first time.
July 4 – The Space Shuttle Discovery was launched to the International Space Station, marking another step in space exploration after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
July 5 – North Korea test fired several missiles.
July 6 – The Nathula Pass between India and China reopened for trade after 44 years.
July 11 – A series of bomb attacks hit commuter trains in Mumbai, India, during the evening rush hour.
July 12 – The 2006 Lebanon War began when Israeli troops entered Lebanon.

August: Pluto's New Status

August 11 – The United Nations Security Council agreed on a plan to end the 2006 Lebanon War.
August 24 – The International Astronomical Union officially changed the definition of a 'planet'. This meant Pluto was no longer considered a planet and was instead called a 'dwarf planet'.

September: Protests and Coups

September 4 – The famous Australian environmentalist and TV personality Steve Irwin died.
September 12 – Pope Benedict XVI gave a lecture in Germany that caused protests in some areas.
September 13 – The largest dwarf planet in our Solar System, previously known as 2003 UB313, was officially named "Eris".
September 19 – A coup d'état (when the military takes control of the government) happened in Thailand, removing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power.

October: Nuclear Tests and Tech Giants

North Korean nuclear test

October 9 – North Korea announced that it had conducted its first-ever nuclear test.
October 10 – Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion.
October 12 – A sudden snowstorm hit Buffalo, New York, leaving many without power and causing deaths.
October 13 – South Korean Ban Ki-moon was chosen as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations.
October 16 – A strong earthquake shook Hawaii, causing damage and power outages.

November: Major Sentences and New Consoles

November 5 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein and two of his allies were sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against humanity.
November 15 – Al Jazeera launched its English language news channel, Al Jazeera English.
November 17 – The PlayStation 3 video game console was released in North America.
November 19 – The Wii video game console was released in North America.
November 30 – Typhoon Durian caused a huge mudslide in the Philippines, killing at least 720 people.

December: Political Changes and Tragedies

December 1 – Felipe Calderón became the new President of Mexico.
December 5 – The military took power in Fiji in a coup d'état.
December 10 – The Space Shuttle Discovery launched at night, the first night launch since the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
December 13 – The Chinese river dolphin (Baiji) was declared extinct.
December 15 – Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter jet successfully flew for the first time.
December 15 – King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan stepped down from his throne.
December 21 – The death of Saparmurat Niyazov, the President of Turkmenistan, caused concerns about the country's future.
December 26 – An earthquake in Taiwan damaged buildings and undersea cables, affecting Internet and phone services in Asia.
December 30 – Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, was executed in Baghdad.
December 31 – Several bombs went off in Bangkok, Thailand, just hours before the new year.

Important Religious Holidays

2006 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar	2006 MMVI
Ab urbe condita	2759
Armenian calendar	1455 ԹՎ ՌՆԾԵ
Assyrian calendar	6756
Bahá'í calendar	162–163
Balinese saka calendar	1927–1928
Bengali calendar	1413
Berber calendar	2956
British Regnal year	54 Eliz. 2 – 55 Eliz. 2
Buddhist calendar	2550
Burmese calendar	1368
Byzantine calendar	7514–7515
Chinese calendar	乙酉年 (Wood Rooster) 4702 or 4642 — to — 丙戌年 (Fire Dog) 4703 or 4643
Coptic calendar	1722–1723
Discordian calendar	3172
Ethiopian calendar	1998–1999
Hebrew calendar	5766–5767
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	2062–2063
- Shaka Samvat	1927–1928
- Kali Yuga	5106–5107
Holocene calendar	12006
Igbo calendar	1006–1007
Iranian calendar	1384–1385
Islamic calendar	1426–1427
Japanese calendar	Heisei 18 (平成１８年)
Javanese calendar	1938–1939
Juche calendar	95
Julian calendar	Gregorian minus 13 days
Korean calendar	4339
Minguo calendar	ROC 95 民國95年
Nanakshahi calendar	538
Thai solar calendar	2549
Tibetan calendar	阴木鸡年 (female Wood-Rooster) 2132 or 1751 or 979 — to — 阳火狗年 (male Fire-Dog) 2133 or 1752 or 980
Unix time	1136073600 – 1167609599

January 6 – Epiphany (also called Day of the Magi Kings).
January 7 – Christmas for many Eastern Christian churches, like the Russian Orthodox Church.
January 10 – The Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha began.
January 29 – Lunar New Year.
January 31 – Muslim New Year.
February 28 – Mardi Gras.
March 13 – The Jewish holiday of Purim began.
March 21 – Iranian New Year's Day (Norouz).
April 12 – Pesach began for Jewish people.
April 14 – Good Friday for Western Christians.
April 16 – Easter for Western Christians.
April 23 – Easter for Eastern Christians.
June 1 – The Jewish holiday of Shavuot began.
September 22 – The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah began.
September 23 – The first day of Ramadan.
October 1 – The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur began.
October 21 – The Hindu festival of Diwali.
October 23 – The Islamic festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
December 15 – Hanukkah.
December 25 – Christmas for Western Christians.
December 31 – The Islamic festival of Eid ul-Adha began again.

Notable Births

September 6 – Prince Hisahito of Akishino, who is third in line to the throne of Japan.

Famous People Who Passed Away in 2006

January Deaths

Ibrahim Rugova

Coretta Scott King

January 6 – Lou Rawls, American singer.
January 15 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the leader of Kuwait.
January 19 – Wilson Pickett, American singer.
January 21 – Ibrahim Rugova, the first President of Kosovo.
January 24 – Chris Penn, American actor.
January 27 – Johannes Rau, former President of Germany.
January 30 – Coretta Scott King, American civil rights activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr..

February Deaths

Betty Friedan

February 3 – Al Lewis, American actor, known for his role in The Munsters.
February 4 – Betty Friedan, American feminist, activist, and writer.
February 10 – J Dilla, American music producer.
February 24 – Don Knotts, American actor, known for The Andy Griffith Show.
February 24 – Dennis Weaver, American actor.

March Deaths

Lennart Meri

Caspar Weinberger

March 6 – Dana Reeve, American actress and wife of Christopher Reeve.
March 6 – Kirby Puckett, U.S. baseball player.
March 11 – Slobodan Milošević, former President of Serbia.
March 13 – Maureen Stapleton, American actress.
March 14 – Lennart Meri, former President of Estonia.
March 25 – Buck Owens, American musician.
March 27 – Stanislaw Lem, Polish writer.
March 28 – Caspar Weinberger, former United States Secretary of Defense.

April Deaths

John Kenneth Galbraith

April 5 – Gene Pitney, American singer.
April 11 – Proof, American rapper from the group D12.
April 13 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist.
April 29 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist.

May Deaths

Floyd Patterson

Lloyd Bentsen

May 6 – Lillian Asplund, the last American survivor of the Titanic disaster.
May 11 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer.
May 23 – Lloyd Bentsen, American politician.
May 25 – Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer.

June Deaths

Billy Preston

June 6 – Billy Preston, American artist and musician.
June 7 – Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant leader.
June 12 – György Ligeti, Hungarian composer.
June 13 – Charles Haughey, former Prime Minister of Ireland.
June 23 – Aaron Spelling, American television producer.

July Deaths

Ryutaro Hashimoto

June Allyson

July 1 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, former Prime Minister of Japan.
July 7 – Syd Barrett, English singer and guitarist, a founding member of Pink Floyd.
July 8 – June Allyson, American actress.
July 13 – Red Buttons, American actor and comedian.
July 17 – Mickey Spillane, American writer.
July 19 – Jack Warden, American actor.

August Deaths

James van Allen

August 9 – James van Allen, American physicist, known for discovering the Van Allen radiation belts.
August 16 – Alfredo Stroessner, former President of Paraguay.
August 20 – Joe Rosenthal, American photographer, famous for the Iwo Jima flag-raising photo.
August 30 – Glenn Ford, Canadian actor.
August 30 – Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer and Nobel Prize winner.