2004 in the United States explained
Events from the year 2004 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
Events
January
February
March
April
May
- May – Emergence of cicada Brood X (Brood 10) begins in the eastern United States.
- May 4 – A WNBC helicopter crashes in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. This event is covered by rival station WABC-TV.
- May 6 – The final episode of Friends airs on NBC, drawing an estimated 66 million viewers in North America. Advertisers pay $2 million for 30 second ads.
- May 8 – Would-be "Saudi Princess" Antoinette Millard surfaces in New York City, claiming that muggers had stolen jewels worth of $262,000 from her (she later proves to be an impostor).
- May 12 – An American civilian contractor in Iraq, Nick Berg, is shown being decapitated by a group allegedly linked to al-Qaeda on an Internet-distributed video. They state it is retaliation for the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison.
- May 13 – The final episode of Frasier airs on NBC. The episode was viewed by 33.7 million people, being the 11th most-watched series finale and the 7th most watched from NBC.[2] [3]
- May 14 – Lynn Turner is convicted of the 1995 murder of her husband Glenn Turner by poisoning him with anti-freeze. She is also accused of the murder of her second husband, Randy Thompson.[4]
- May 17 – Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage in compliance with a ruling from the state's Supreme Court ruling in the case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
- May 29 – Dedication of the National World War II Memorial takes place in Washington, D.C.
June
- June 3 – Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet tenders his resignation, citing "personal reasons". John E. McLaughlin, CIA Deputy Director, becomes the acting director until a permanent director is chosen and confirmed by Congress.
- June 4 – Marvin Heemeyer destroys many local buildings with a home-made tank in Granby, Colorado.
- June 5 – Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, dies at his home in Bel-Air, California, at the age of 93. A six-day state funeral follows after his death.
- June 8–9 – The G8 Summit takes place on Sea Island, in Georgia, United States.
- June 11
- June 16 – The 9/11 Commission issues an initial report of its findings.
- June 21 – In Mojave, California, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
- June 28
- June 30 – Spider-Man 2 is released in theaters.
July
August
- August 3
- August 12 – New Jersey Governor James McGreevey announces that he is "a gay American" and will resign effective November 15, 2004.
- August 13 – Hurricane Charley kills 27 people in Florida, after killing four in Cuba and one in Jamaica. Charley makes landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. Charley is the most intense hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
- August 13–29 – The United States compete at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and win 36 gold, 39 silver, and 27 bronze medals.
- August 19 – Google becomes a publicly traded company via initial public offering.
- August 29 – Around 200,000 protesters demonstrate in New York City against President George W. Bush and his government, ahead of the Republican National Convention.
- August 30–September 2 – U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are re-nominated at the Republican National Convention in New York City.
- August – Shadowville Productions business is founded in Brooklyn, New York.[7]
September
- September 3 – Hurricane Frances makes landfall in Florida. After killing two people in the Bahamas, Hurricane Frances kills 10 people in Florida, two in Georgia and one in South Carolina.
- September 4 - Thomas & Friends comes to PBS KIDS as a stand-alone program with Michael Brandon taking over as the narrator.
- September 8 – In the "Rathergate" affair, the first Internet posts appear pointing out that documents claimed by CBS News to be typewritten memos from the early 1970s appear instead to have been produced using modern word processing systems.
- September 13 – The U.S. Federal Assault Weapons Ban expires.
- September 16 – Hurricane Ivan strikes Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, killing 25 in Alabama and Florida, becoming the third-costliest hurricane in American history at the time.
- September 23
- September 24 – Major League Baseball announces that the Montreal Expos will move to Washington, D.C., in 2005.
- September 25 – Hurricane Jeanne makes landfall near Port Saint Lucie, Florida, near the location Hurricane Frances hit two weeks earlier. Jeanne kills over 3,030, mostly in Haiti.
- September 28 – A redesigned $50 bill is released, containing many of the same security features as its recently released $20 counterpart.
- September 29 – In Mojave, California, the first Ansari X-Prize flight takes place of SpaceShipOne, which is competing with a number of spacecraft (including Canada's Da Vinci Project, claimed to be its closest rival) and goes on to win the prize on October 4.
- September 30 – First debate of the 2004 United States presidential election.
October
- October 5 – Vice presidential debate between candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
- October 8 – Second presidential debate.
- October 11 - PBS Kids debuts a programming block targeted at children aged 6–10 entitled PBS Kids Go!, with new shows Maya & Miguel and an Arthur spinoff, Postcards from Buster, debuting on this day with Cyberchase and Arthur moving to PBS Kids Go! from PBS Kids.
- October 13 – Third presidential debate.
- October 16 – The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox by a score of 19–8 in Game 3 of Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series. The game, which pushes the Yankees to a 3–0 series lead, sets a record for longest nine-inning major league game. The Red Sox, however, rally to win the series in seven games.
- October 18 - Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley Starling founds Fandom, Inc.
- October 25 – Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
- October 27 – The Boston Red Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1918, breaking the Curse of the Bambino.
- October 29 – A videotape of Osama bin Laden speaking airs on Arabic TV, in which he threatens terrorist attacks on the United States and taunts President George W. Bush over the September 11 terrorist attacks.
November
December
- December 2 – Brian Williams replaces Tom Brokaw as weeknight anchor for NBC Nightly News.
- December 3 – The Colombian government extradites Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, one of the most powerful drug dealers in the world, arrested in 1995 and 2003, to the United States.
- December 6 – Terrorists attack the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing several people.
-
- Former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott is murdered on stage by gunman Nathan Gale in Columbus, Ohio. Gale kills three others before being shot dead by police.
- December 16 – Twenty-three-year-old pregnant woman Bobbie Jo Stinnett is found murdered in her home in Skidmore, Missouri. Her unborn baby has been cut out of her womb and is missing.[8]
- December 21 – Iraqi insurgents attack a U.S. military base in the city of Mosul, killing 22 people.
- December 23 – Second Battle of Fallujah: US-UK-Iraqi forces defeat the remaining Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah.
- December 26
- December 29 – U.S. President George W. Bush speaks out publicly about the deaths caused by the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Indian Ocean and answers questions at the Prairie Chapel Ranch.[10]
- December 31
- U.S. President George W. Bush announces his committing of $350 million to support relief efforts for the "disaster around the Indian Ocean".[11]
- Simón Trinidad, high-profile FARC leader, is extradited to the United States.
Ongoing
Undated
- "55% of adult internet users have broadband at home or work."[12]
Births
January
February
- February 1 – Ashley Gerasimovich, actress
- February 3 - Gia Pergolini, Paralympic swimmer
- February 8 – Max Andrews, soccer player
- February 10 - CJ Fodrey, soccer player
- February 12 - Lauren Lee, taekwondo practitioner
- February 13 - Yekeson Subah, soccer player
- February 14 – Austin Brummett, soccer player
- February 17 – Amari Bailey, basketball player
- February 18 – Kylie Rogers, actress
- February 25 - Britton Fischer, soccer player
- February 26 – The Hanselman sextuplets, notable multiple birth
- February 27 - Owen Walz, soccer player
- February 29 - Lydia Jacoby, swimmer
March
- March 1 – Izabella Alvarez, actress
- March 3 – Chris Brady, soccer player
- March 4 - Efrain Morales, soccer player
- March 7 – Ciena Alipio, gymnast
- March 8 – Wyatt Borso, soccer player
- March 12 - Audrey Shin, figure skater
- March 13
- March 16 - Kenan Hot, soccer player
- March 20 - Christopher Jaime, soccer player
- March 21 - Forrest Wheeler, actor
- March 25 - Jenna Hutchins, long-distance runner
- March 27 - Quinn Sullivan, soccer player
April
May
- May 1 - Charli D'Amelio, social media personality
- May 2 - Anastasia Pagonis, Paralympic swimmer
- May 3 - Nare Avetian, soccer player
- May 5 - Olivia Greaves, gymnast
- May 13 - Oliver Bell, actor
- May 15 - Gabriel Slonina, soccer player
- May 16 - Salvador Ramos, mass murderer (d. 2022)
- May 17 - Victoria Lee, mixed martial artist (d. 2023)
- May 21 - Jeff Dewsnup, soccer player
- May 22 - Peyton Elizabeth Lee, actress[14]
- May 27 - Allan Rodriguez, soccer player
June
July
August
September
October
- October 3 – Noah Schnapp, actor[18]
- October 5 – Reese Brantmeier, tennis player
- October 6 - Bronny James, basketball player and son of LeBron James
- October 9 - Katarina Wolfkostin, ice dancer
- October 12 - Darci Lynne, ventriloquist, singer, and actress
- October 15 - Marilena Kitromilis, figure skater
- October 17 - Javier Mariona, soccer player
- October 18 - Erik Dueñas, soccer player
- October 26 - Pearse O'Brien, soccer player
- October 30 - Elisha Henig, actor
November
December
- December 2 - Ilia Malinin, figure skater
- December 5 – Jules LeBlanc, internet personality and actress
- December 13
- December 18 - Isabella Crovetti, child actress (Shimmer and Shine, Vampirina)
- December 19 - Brendan Lambe, soccer player
- December 20 - Rafael Jauregui, soccer player
- December 22
- December 24 - Cherish Perrywinkle, murder victim (d. 2013)
- December 28 – Miles Brown, actor, dancer and rapper
- December 30 – Owen Wolff, Filipino footballer
Deaths
January
- January 1 – Elma Lewis, arts educator (b. 1921)
- January 2 – Lynn Cartwright, actress (b. 1927)
- January 3 – David Lipschultz, journalist (b. 1970)
- January 5 – Tug McGraw, baseball player (b. 1944)
- January 6 – Francesco Scavullo, photographer (b. 1921)
- January 8 – John A. Gambling, radio host (b. 1930)
- January 9 – Yinka Dare, basketball player (b. 1972)[21]
- – Spalding Gray, actor and screenwriter (b. 1941)[22]
- January 12 – Randy VanWarmer, singer-songwriter (b. 1955)
- January 19 – Harry E. Claiborne, lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
- January 22 – Ann Miller, American dancer and actress (b. 1923)
- January 23 – Bob Keeshan, actor, clown and television producer (b. 1927)
- January 27 – Jack Paar, comedian and television host (b. 1918)
- January 28
- January 29 – Ed Sciaky, Philadelphia broadcaster and disk jockey. (b. 1948)
- January 30 – Scott Walker, professional boxer (b. 1969)
February
- February 3
- February 4 – Johnny Leartice Robinson, murderer (b. 1952)
- February 5 – Thomas Hinman Moorer, navy admiral (b. 1912)
- February 10 – Paul Ilyinsky, politician (b. 1928)
- February 11 – Tony Pope, voice actor (b. 1947)
- February 13 – Ted Tappe, baseball player (b. 1931)
- February 15 – Jan Miner, actress (b. 1917)
- February 16 – Doris Troy, singer (b. 1937)
- February 23 – Carl Anderson, singer and actor (b. 1945)
- February 22 – Andy Seminick, baseball player, coach and manager (b. 1920)
- February 24
- February 27 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and editor (b. 1910)
- February 28 – Daniel J. Boorstin, historian and Librarian of Congress (b. 1914)
March
- March 2
- March 3 – Cecily Adams, American actress (b. 1958)
- March 7 – Paul Winfield, American actor (b. 1939)
- March 8
- March 11 – Philip Arthur Fisher, American stock investor (b. 1907)
- March 16 – Brian Bianchini, American model (b. 1978)
- March 17 – J. J. Jackson, radio and television personality (b. 1941)
- March 18 – Gene Bearden, American baseball player (b. 1920)
- March 21 – Robert Snyder, American documentary filmmaker (b. 1916)
- March 25 – Jan Berry, American musician (b. 1941)
- March 27 – Adán Sánchez, American singer (b. 1984)
- March 28 – Art James, American game-show host (b. 1929)
- March 30 - Alistair Cooke, British-born American journalist (b. 1908)
April
- April 1
- April 2 – Harold A. Fidler, American Associate Director of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (b. 1910)
- April 4 – George Bamberger, American baseball player and manager (b. 1923)
- April 9 – Harry Babbitt, American singer (b. 1913)
- April 11 – Hy Gotkin, American basketball player (b. 1922)
- April 16 – Wilmot N. Hess, American physicist (b. 1926)
- April 19 – Jim Cantalupo, American businessman (b. 1943)
- April 20 – Al Stiller, American cyclist (b. 1923)
- April 22
- April 24 – Estée Lauder, businesswoman (b. 1906)
- April 26 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American writer (b. 1928)
May
- May 1 – Nelson Gidding, American screenwriter (b. 1919)
- May 2 – Moe Burtschy, American baseball player (b. 1922)
- May 7 – Nicholas Berg, American businessman (b. 1978)[25]
- May 9 – Alan King, American comedian and actor (b. 1927)
- May 12 – Alexander Skutch, American naturalist and writer (b. 1904)
- May 15 – William H. Hinton, American farmer and writer (b. 1919)
- May 16
- May 17 – Tony Randall, American actor, comedian, producer, and director (b. 1920)
- May 18 – Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (b. 1927)
- May 19 – Jack Eckerd, American businessman (b. 1913)
- May 21 – Gene Wood, American television personality (b. 1925)
- May 22 – Richard Biggs, American actor (b. 1960)
- May 23 – Trudy Marshall, American actress (b. 1920)
- May 28 – Irene Manning, American actress and singer (b. 1912)
- May 29 – Archibald Cox, 31st United States Solicitor General from 1961 till 1965. (b. 1912)
June
- June 1 – William Manchester, American historian (b. 1922)[26]
- June 3 – Morris Schappes, American educator, writer, political activist, historian, and magazine editor (b. 1907)
- June 4 – Steve Lacy, American jazz soprano saxophonist (b. 1934)
- June 5 – Ronald Reagan, American politician and actor, 40th president of the United States (b. 1911)[27]
- June 6 – Riley Fox, murder victim (b. 2001)
- June 7 – Joseph L. Doob, American mathematician (b. 1910)
- June 9 – Rosey Brown, American football player (b. 1932)
- June 10 – Ray Charles, American singer and musician (b. 1930)[28]
- June 13
- June 16 – Herman Goldstine, American mathematician and computer scientist (b. 1913)
- June 22
- June 27 – George Patton IV, U.S. Army General (b. 1923)
- June 30 – Chris Alcaide, American actor (b. 1922)
July
August
September
October
- October 1 – Richard Avedon, American photographer (b. 1923)
- October 3 – Janet Leigh, American actress (b. 1927)
- October 4 – Gordon Cooper, aeronautical engineer, test pilot and astronaut (b. 1927)
- October 5 – Rodney Dangerfield, American comedian and actor (b. 1921)
- October 10 – Christopher Reeve, American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, writer and activist (b. 1952)
- October 16 – Pierre Salinger, American politician, and television journalist, died in Cavaillon, France (b. 1925)
- October 17 – Julius Harris, American actor (b. 1923)
- October 23 – Robert Merrill, American opera singer and actor (b. 1917)
- October 26 – Helen Elsie Austin, American attorney (b. 1908)
- October 29 – Vaughn Meader, American comedian, musician, and impressionist (b. 1936)
November
December
- December 4 – Ron Williamson, American baseball player wrongly convicted of rape and murder (b. 1953)[29]
- December 8 – Darrell Lance Abbott, American musician, songwriter and murder victim (b. 1966)
- December 18 – Srully Blotnick, American author and journalist (b. 1941)
- December 19 – Herbert C. Brown, English-born Nobel chemist (b. 1912)
- December 24 – Johnny Oates, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
- December 26 – Reggie White, American football player (b. 1961)
- December 28
- Jerry Orbach, American actor and singer (b. 1935)
- Susan Sontag, American writer and activist (b. 1933)
- December 29 – Julius Axelrod, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
- December 30 – Artie Shaw, American musician (b. 1910)
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Oei. Lily. 2003-06-11. PBS loads up on 'Boohbah'. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200902211253/https://variety.com/2003/tv/news/pbs-loads-up-on-boohbah-1117887761/ . 2020-09-02 . 2020-08-10. Variety. en.
- News: The most watched TV episode of the decade was . . . the series finale of 'Friends' . New York Daily News. 2009-12-03. 2012-05-23 . Cristina . Kinon.
- News: Frasier: Goodnight Seattle... . BBC. 2003-01-24. 2012-05-23 . Caroline . Frost.
- Web site: CNN.com - Wife found guilty of killing husband with antifreeze - May 14, 2004. edition.cnn.com.
- News: Dunlap . David W. . 2004-06-20 . A 20-Ton Cornerstone for Freedom Tower . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-03-24 . 0362-4331.
- Web site: UFOetry – A Magical, Mystical, Musical Adventure for the UFO Age!. www.ufoetry.com.
- http://www.nlhiphop.nl/news.php?id=1398 The Partysquad reageert op beschuldiging plagiaat
- Web site: CNN.com - Baby found alive; woman arrested - Dec 18, 2004. edition.cnn.com.
- Web site: Statement on Bay of Bengal Earthquake and Tsunami. georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
- Web site: President Discusses Support for Earthquake and Tsunami Victims. georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
- Web site: President Commits $350 Million for Tsunami Relief Efforts. georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
- [Pew Research Center]
- Web site: Cori 'Coco' Gauff, only 15, is the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon. CNN. 1 July 2019. 27 June 2019.
- Web site: Disney Channel - Andi Mack - Show Bios (Peyton Elizabeth Lee). Disney ABC Press. July 15, 2017. September 20, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195936/https://www.disneyabcpress.com/disneychannel/shows/andi-mack/bios/. dead.
- Web site: CLAIRE CURZAN . https://web.archive.org/web/20210720133621/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-swimming/athletes/Claire-Curzan . dead . July 20, 2021 . teamusa.org . 20 July 2021.
- Web site: Iam Tongi: Biography, Music & News . 2024-03-10 . Billboard . en-US.
- Web site: Gabriel Bateman - American Gothic Cast Member. CBS. July 23, 2020.
- Web site: Celeb birthdays for the week of Oct. 1-7. Ottawa Citizen. October 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171025020936/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/celeb+birthdays+week/14852076/story.html. October 25, 2017. dead.
- Web site: Oakes Fegley Young Allentown actor lands starring role in Disney's 'Pete's Dragon' feature film Whitehall-Coplay Press. whitehallcoplay.thelehighvalleypress.com. November 11, 2019. December 31, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161231004433/http://whitehallcoplay.thelehighvalleypress.com/2016/08/12/oakes-fegley-young-allentown-actor-lands-starring-role-disney%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98pete%E2%80%99s-dragon%E2%80%99-feature. dead.
- Web site: Hudson. Shawna. 2018-02-12. Fun Facts You Need to Know About Actor and Musician Jet Jurgensmeyer. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125214657/https://www.sweetyhigh.com/read/jet-jurgensmeyer-facts-mcm-021218 . 2021-01-25 . 2020-11-02. Sweety High. en-US.
- News: January 13, 2004 . Ex-GW Star Dare Dies at Age 32 . October 31, 2023 . Washington Post.
- News: Dewan. Shaila K.. McKinley. Jesse. 2004-03-09. Body of Spalding Gray Found; Monologuist and Actor Was 62 (Published 2004). en-US. The New York Times. 2021-02-16. 0362-4331.
- News: . Mercedes McCambridge, 87, Actress Known for Strong Roles . 24 October 2021 . The New York Times . 18 March 2004 . subscription.
- News: Barney Kessel, 80, a Guitarist With Legends of Jazz, Dies . Peter . Keepnews . . May 8, 2004.
- News: Video Shows Beheading of U.S. Hostage As Violence Continues in Iraq.
- News: Severo . Richard . William Manchester, Whose Biographies Detailed Power in the 20th Century, Dies at 82 . June 2, 2004 . .
- News: Neuman. Johanna. June 6, 2004. Former President Reagan Dies at 93. Los Angeles Times. live. July 9, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131027024205/https://latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-reagan,0,2289200.story. October 27, 2013.
- Web site: D'Angelo, Joe. mtv.com. Ray Charles Dead at 73. https://web.archive.org/web/20121106204850/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1488316/ray-charles-dead-at-73.jhtml. dead. November 6, 2012. January 1, 2012.
- Web site: Profiles - Ron Williamson | Burden Of Innocence | FRONTLINE | PBS. www.pbs.org.