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Line 1: − '''2006''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MMVI]]''') was a [[common year starting on Sunday]] of the [[Gregorian calendar]].+ + − It was the ''Year of the [[dog (zodiac)|Dog]]'' in the [[Chinese calendar]]. The next year of the dog will begin in the year [[2018]].+ − It was designated the ''International Year of [[Desert]]s and [[Desertification]]'' by the [[United Nations General Assembly]]. <ref>http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=7589&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html]</ref>+ + + + + − + − <ref>http://dev.gentoo.org/~redhatter/iay/</ref>+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − + − + − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − + − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
1 revision(s)
{{Year nav|2006}}
{{C21YearInTopic}}
Year '''2006''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MMVI]]''') was a [[common year starting on Sunday]] of the [[Gregorian calendar]].
The year 2006 was designated:
* The Year of the [[dog (zodiac)|Dog]] In the [[Chinese calendar]], beginning on [[January 29]], 2006.
* International Year of [[Desert]]s and [[Desertification]] by the [[United Nations General Assembly]],<ref>http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=7589&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html]</ref>
* International [[Asperger]]'s Year,
* Year of Mozart, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]].
The International Asperger's Year, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr [[Hans Asperger]], discoverer of [[Asperger's Syndrome]]. <ref>http://www.aspires-relationships.com/Committee_for_International_Asperger's_Year.htm</ref>
== Events of 2006 ==
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=== January ===
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* [[January 1]] - [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], has its hottest day on record, when the city swelters in 45°C heat.
* [[January 1]] - [[Russia]] cuts [[natural gas]] to [[Ukraine]] over a [[Russia-Ukraine gas dispute|price dispute]].
* [[January 2]] - The [[Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof collapse|Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof]] in [[Germany]] collapses after heavy [[snowfall]] in the [[Bavarian Alps]], killing 15.
* [[January 3]] - Twelve dead coal miners and one survivor are discovered in the [[2006 Sago Mine disaster|Sago Mine Disaster]] near [[Buckhannon, West Virginia]], [[United States|U.S]].
* [[January 4]] - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] to his deputy, Vice Prime Minister [[Ehud Olmert]], after Sharon suffers a massive [[hemorrhagic stroke]].
* [[January 5]] - A hotel in [[Mecca]], [[Saudi Arabia]] collapses, killing 76 pilgrims visiting to perform [[hajj]].
* [[January 6]] - The record-breaking [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]] officially draws to a close as [[Tropical Storm Zeta]] dissipates.
* [[January 7]] - Embroiled in multiple scandals, former U.S. [[House Majority Leader]] [[Tom DeLay]] announces he will not seek to reassume his former post.
* [[January 7]] - [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|UK Liberal Democratic]] leader [[Charles Kennedy]] resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.
* [[January 8]] - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 [[earthquake]] centered off the coast of the [[Greek island]] of [[Kythera]] shakes much of [[Greece]] and is felt throughout the eastern [[Mediterranean]] basin.
* [[January 9]] - The [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]] closes above 11,000 for the first time since [[June 7]], [[2001]], closing at 11,011.90.
* [[January 11]] - The [[Augustine Volcano]] in [[Alaska]] erupts twice, marking its first major eruption since [[1986]].
* [[January 12]] - A stampede during the [[Stoning of the devil]] ritual on the last day at the [[Hajj]] in [[Mina, Saudi Arabia]], kills 362 [[pilgrim]]s.
* [[January 14]] - A [[natural gas]] explosion in a coal mine kills eight in [[Romania]].
* [[January 15]] - [[NASA]]'s [[Stardust (spacecraft)|Stardust]] mission successfully ends, the first to return dust from a [[comet]].
*[[January 19]] - Terrorist blows himself up in [[Tel Aviv]], killing only himself but injuring 20 people, one of them seriously.
* [[January 22]] - [[Kobe Bryant]] scored 81 points in regulation and is second only to the legendary 1960s center [[Wilt Chamberlain]], who had 100 points.
* [[January 23]] - [[Stephen Harper]] wins the [[Canadian federal election, 2006|federal election]] in [[Canada]], forming a minority government.
* [[January 24]] - [[Mario Lemieux]] announces his retirement from the [[National Hockey League]]
* [[January 25]] - [[Hamas]] wins the majority of seats in the [[Palestinian Legislative Council]] elections.
* [[January 25]] - [[Deus Caritas Est]], the first [[encyclical]] of [[Pope Benedict XVI]], is promulgated.
* [[January 27]] - Celebrations are held in [[Salzburg]] and around the world for the 250th anniversary of the birth of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]].
* [[January 28]] - A [[Katowice Trade Hall roof collapse|trade hall roof collapses]] in [[Katowice]], [[Poland]], killing 65 people.
* [[January 31]] - [[Samuel Alito]] is sworn in as an associate justice of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].
The Year of Mozart, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]].
=== February ===
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* [[February 1]] - [[UAL Corporation]], [[United Airlines]]' parent company, emerges from bankruptcy after being in that position since December 9, 2002, the longest such filing in history.
* [[February 4]] - The [[Wowowee]] stampede occurred at the [[PhilSports Arena stampede|PhilSports Arena]]. 61 killed.
* [[February 5]] - The [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] win [[Super Bowl XL]], defeating the [[Seattle Seahawks]] 21-10.
* [[February 7]] - An aging [[Egypt]]ian passenger ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sinks in the [[Red Sea]] off the Saudi coast.
* [[February 8]] - [[2006 East Timor crisis]]: 404 soldiers desert their barracks in [[East Timor]].
* [[February 10]] - The [[2006 Winter Olympics]] open in [[Turin]], [[Italy]]. The closing ceremony occurred on [[February 26]].
* [[February 11]] - [[U.S. Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] [[Dick Cheney hunting incident|accidentally shoots]] his friend and lawyer, [[Harry Whittington]], in the face with a shotgun on a south [[Texas]] ranch.
* [[February 16]] - [[Kobe Airport]], a controversial offshore airport in [[Kobe, Hyogo|Kobe]], [[Japan]], opens for airline service.
* [[February 17]] - As many as 1,800 people die when a mudslide occurs on [[Leyte Island]] in the [[Philippines]].
* [[February 19]] - [[Pasta de Conchos mine disaster]]: Sixty-five miners become trapped underground after an explosion in [[Nueva Rosita]], [[Mexico]]; all 65 die.
* [[February 22]] - A [[al-Askari Mosque bombing (2006)|bomb]] heavily damages the [[Al Askari Mosque]], a [[Shiite]] holy site in [[Samarra]], [[Iraq]].
* [[February 22]] - Over £53.1 million is stolen during the [[Securitas depot robbery]], the largest ever cash robbery in the [[United Kingdom]].
* [[February 22]] - The 1 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]]th song is purchased from the [[Apple Computer|Apple]] [[iTunes Store]].
* [[February 23]] - A roof collapses on a [[Moscow]] market, killing 56 people.
* [[February 24]] - A [[2006 state of emergency in the Philippines|state of emergency]] is declared in the [[Philippines]], after an alleged [[coup d'état]] against President [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]] is foiled.
* [[February 25]] - Police officers, and protesters injured when a protest prior to the [[Love Ulster]] parade turns into a [[2006 Dublin Republican riots|major riot]].
* [[February 25]] - [[Uganda]]'s President [[Yoweri Museveni]] wins his second re-election, sparking riots in [[Kampala]] by opposition supporters.
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[[UNESCO]] has formally recognized sixty-three anniversaries for 2006. <ref>http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001457/145755M.pdf</ref>
=== March ===
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* [[March 4]] - The final contact attempt with [[Pioneer 10]] receives no response.
* [[March 4]] - [[Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway]] was christened by Bishop [[Ole Christian Kvarme]] at the chapel inside The Royal Palace in [[Oslo]].
* [[March 5]] - The [[78th Academy Awards]], hosted by [[Jon Stewart]] are held at the [[Kodak Theatre]] in [[Hollywood, California]], with [[Crash (2004 film)|''Crash'']] winning [[Best Picture]].
* [[March 7]] - Fifteen people die and many others are injured in [[2006 Varanasi bombings|three blasts]] throughout [[Varanasi]], [[India]].
* [[March 9]] - [[NASA]]'s [[Cassini-Huygens]] spacecraft discovers [[geysers]] of a liquid substance shooting from [[Saturn]]'s moon [[Enceladus (moon)|Enceladus]], signaling a possible presence of water.
* [[March 10]] - NASA's [[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter]] enters Mars orbit.
* [[March 11]] - [[Michelle Bachelet]] is sworn in as the first female [[President of Chile]].
* [[March 11]] - [[Slobodan Milošević]] is found dead in his cell in the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia|UN war crimes tribunal]]'s detention centre, located in the [[Scheveningen]] section of The [[Hague]].
* [[March 12]] - Historic cricket match between Australia in South Africa, 5th ODI of the series.
* [[March 15]]-[[March 26]] - The [[2006 Commonwealth Games]] take place in [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]].
* [[March 17]] - The [[United States]] strikes its two remaining [[Iowa class battleship|''Iowa''-class]] [[battleship]]s from the [[Naval Vessel Register]], ending the age of the battleship.
* [[March 20]] - [[Tropical Cyclone Larry]] makes landfall in [[Queensland, Australia]].
* [[March 21]] - Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs [[Laila Freivalds]] resigns after over a year of criticism.
* [[March 22]] - [[ETA]] declares a permanent [[ceasefire]] in their campaign for [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque]] independence from [[Spain]].
* [[March 24]] - Disney Channel's original hit series [[Hannah Montana]] premieres, getting the most viewers for a Disney Channel premiere so far.
* [[March 25]] - An estimated 500,000 people take to the streets in downtown [[Los Angeles]] to protest a proposed federal crackdown on [[illegal immigration]].
* [[March 25]] - A revolutionary [[scramjet]] [[jet engine]], [[Hyshot III]], designed to fly at seven times the speed of sound, is successfully tested at [[Woomera, South Australia]].
* [[March 25]] - Seven people die in the [[Capitol Hill Massacre]] in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]].
* [[March 26]] - The [[Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005|ban on smoking in public places]] such as [[bars]] and [[restaurants]] comes into effect in [[Scotland]].
* [[March 30]] - The first [[Brazil]]ian [[astronaut]], [[Marcos Pontes]], goes to space in a [[Russia]]n [[Soyuz spacecraft]], ''[[Soyuz TMA-8]]'', at 2:29:00 CET.
* [[March 30]] - The [[2006 Bahrain ferry disaster|''al-Dana'' capsizes]] off the coast of [[Bahrain]], killing at least 48 people.
* [[March 30]] - The first [[World Baseball Classic]] ends in [[San Diego]], [[California]] with [[Japan]] beating [[Cuba]] in the Championship.
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==Climate==
=== April ===
*January 1 to June 30, 2006 was predicted to have tied [[1998]] as the warmest semi-year, for any year since the 1890s. Overall, forecasters and scientists predict 2006 to be the third warmest year on record, behind [[1998]], and [[2005]].
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* [[April 1]] - [[Apple Inc.]] celebrates its 30th birthday.
* [[April 2]] - [[Chicago, Illinois]] hosts [[WrestleMania 22]].
* [[April 5]] - A swan with [[Avian Flu]] is discovered in [[Cellardyke]] in [[Fife]], [[Scotland]] (the first case in the [[United Kingdom]]).
* [[April 6]] - Allegedly the day the [[Devil]] would rise from [[hell]]. {{Fact|date=December 2007}}
* [[April 8]] - [[Shedden massacre]]: The bodies of 8 murdered men are found in [[Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario]].
* [[April 8]] - [[Bristol]], [[United Kingdom]] celebrates the 200th birthday of [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] (actually April 9) by relighting the [[Clifton Suspension Bridge]].
* [[April 8]] - [[Numbersixvalverde]], ridden by [[Niall Madden]], wins the [[Grand National]] at [[Aintree Racecourse|Aintree]].
* [[April 8]] - [[Bloc 8406]] publishes their [[Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Viet Nam]] in [[Viet Nam]]; their name comes from this date.
* [[April 9]] - [[Israeli]] Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] is removed from office after four months in a [[coma]].
* [[April 9]] - [[Hungarian parliamentary election, 2006]]
* [[April 10]] - [[Romano Prodi]] narrowly defeats [[Silvio Berlusconi]] in the [[Italy|Italian]] parliamentary elections.
* [[April 11]] - The [[European Space Agency]]'s [[Venus Express]] spaceprobe enters [[Venus]]' orbit.
* [[April 11]] - [[President of Iran]] [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] confirms that Iran has successfully produced a few grams of low-grade [[enriched uranium]].
* [[April 16]] - [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco]], reaches the [[North Pole]], becoming the first reigning monarch ever to do so.
* [[April 16]] - [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] commemorates the 90th anniversary of the [[1916 Rising]] for the first time since [[1971]].
* [[April 17]] - A [[suicide bombing]] by [[Islamic Jihad]] in [[Tel Aviv]] kills nine people and injures dozens.
* [[April 18]] - Festivities and memorials across the [[Bay Area]] mark the 100th anniversary of the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire]].
* [[April 19]] - [[Han Myeong Sook]] becomes the first female [[Prime Minister of South Korea]].
* [[April 20]] - [[Iran]] announces a uranium enrichment deal with [[Russia]], involving a joint [[uranium enrichment]] firm on Russian soil; nine days later Iran announces that it will not move all activity to Russia, thus leading to a de-facto termination of the deal.
* [[April 22]] - [[War on Terror]]: Four [[Canadian]] soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of [[Kandahar]], [[Afghanistan]] by a roadside bomb – the worst one-day combat loss for the Canadian army since the [[Korean War]].
* [[April 22]] - [[Jalal Talabani]] re-elected for a second term as President of [[Iraq]].
* [[April 24]] - Three explosions in a tourist section of [[Dahab]], [[Egypt]] kill 30 and injure over 115.
* [[April 25]] - The [[Beaconsfield mine collapse]] occurs in [[Tasmania]], [[Australia]]
* [[April 28]] - Ground is broken for the $2.1 billion Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
* [[April 29]] - Massive anti-war demonstrations and a march down [[Broadway (New York City)|Broadway]] in [[New York City]] mark the third year of [[Iraq War|war in Iraq]].
* [[April 29]] - The [[Global Night Commute]] takes place in over 130 cities around the world to promote the visibility of the [[Invisible Children]] in [[Uganda]].
* [[April 30]] - In the [[Australian Football League]], a match between [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] and [[Fremantle Football Club|Fremantle]] [[AFL siren controversy, 2006|ends in controversial circumstances]] after St Kilda's [[Steven Baker]] was alleged to have kicked a behind after the final siren had gone. Following an investigation, the Saints were stripped of two competition points and the full win was handed to Fremantle.
==References==
=== May ===
<div class="references-small"><references /></div>
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* [[May 1]] - [[Bolivia]]n [[President of Bolivia|President]] [[Evo Morales]] nationalizes his nation's gas fields.
* [[May 1]] - The [[Great American Boycott]] takes place across the [[United States]] as marchers protest for immigration rights.
* [[May 4]] - A new [[coalition government]] takes office in [[Israel]]; its four political parties hold 67 of the 120 seats in the [[Knesset]].
* [[May 5]] - [[NASA]] [[astronomer]]s announce the discovery of a storm system in the [[Jovian (astronomy)|Jovian]] [[atmosphere]], dubbed the [[Red Spot Junior]].
* [[May 5]] - [[Fiat]] chairman [[Sergio Marchionne]] announces that the [[Alfa Romeo]] automobile brand will return to the United States in [[2008]], after a 13-year hiatus.
* [[May 9]] - [[Beaconsfield mine collapse]]: After 14 days trapped underground, miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb are rescued in [[Beaconsfield]], [[Tasmania]], [[Australia]].
* [[May 13]] - [[Liverpool F.C.]] defeat [[West Ham United F.C.]] on penalties in the [[2006 FA Cup Final]] following a 3-3 draw after extra time.
* [[May 17]] - [[FC Barcelona]] beat [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in the final of the [[UEFA Champions League]] played in Paris.
* [[May 20]] - [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] defeat [[Biarritz Olympique|Biarritz]] 23-19 to win their first [[Heineken Cup|Heineken European Cup]] in [[Cardiff]]'s [[Millennium Stadium]].
* [[May 20]] - [[Finland]]'s [[Lordi]] wins the [[2006 Eurovision Song Contest]] held in [[Athens]].
* [[May 21]] - The [[Dallas Mavericks]] beat the [[San Antonio Spurs]] in overtime to win the Western Conference semi-finals in the [[NBA Playoffs]].
* [[May 24]] - [[East Timor]]'s Foreign Minister [[José Ramos-Horta|Ramos-Horta]] officially requests military assistance from the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.
* [[May 27]] - A [[May 2006 Java earthquake|6.3 magnitude earthquake]] strikes central [[Java (island)|Java]] in [[Indonesia]], killing more than 6,000, injuring at least 36,000 and leaving some 1.5 million people homeless.
* [[May 27]] - The first demonstration for [[gay rights]] in [[Moscow]] is broken up by the police.
* [[May 28]] - President [[Alvaro Uribe Velez]] is re-elected in [[Colombia]] for a second term. He becomes the first president in over a century to serve consecutive terms.
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=== June ===
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* [[June 3]] - [[Montenegro]] declares independence after a [[May 21]] [[Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006|referendum]]. The state union of [[Serbia and Montenegro]] is dissolved on [[June 5]] leaving [[Serbia]] as the successor state.
* [[June 3]] - Seventeen men are arrested in the [[Greater Toronto Area]] for alleged ties to a [[2006 Toronto terrorism case|terrorist plot]] to blow up targets in the region.
* [[June 6]] - The [[Union of Islamic Courts]] gains control of [[Somalia]]'s capital [[Mogadishu]], ending warlord rule of the city.
* [[June 6]] - The [[6bone]] (testbed [[network]] for the [[IPv6]] [[network protocol]]) is phased out.
* [[June 7]] - [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]] leader [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]] and seven of his aides are killed in a U.S. air raid just north of the town of [[Baqouba]], [[Iraq]].
* [[June 9]] - An explosion kills eight Palestinian civilians on a [[Gaza]] beach. [[Israel]] denies responsibility for the blast.
* [[June 9]] - [[Thailand]] begins celebrations of the [[60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej]] to the throne.
* [[June 9]] - The [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] begins in [[Germany]].
* [[June 10]] - President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] sets [[July 26]] as the date for a national [[referendum]] in the [[Palestinian National Authority]].
* [[June 18]] - The first [[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]] space [[satellite]] "[[KazSat]]" is launched.
* [[June 19]] - The [[Carolina Hurricanes]] defeat the [[Edmonton Oilers]] 4 games-3 games to win the [[Stanley Cup]].
* [[June 20]] - The [[Miami Heat]] win the [[NBA Finals]] over the [[Dallas Mavericks]], 4-2.
* [[June 22]] - The [[Magen David Adom]] and [[Palestine Red Crescent Society]] are officially recognized by the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]].
* [[June 23]] - In [[Miami]], the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] arrests seven men, accusing them of planning to bomb the [[Sears Tower]] and other attacks in Miami.
* [[June 25]] - [[Warren Buffett]] donates over US$30 billion to the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]].
* [[June 28]] - [[Israel]] launches [[Operation Summer Rains]], an offensive against militants in [[Gaza]].
* [[June 29]] - The [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[cabinet]] [[Second Balkenende cabinet|Balkenende II]] resigns after the political party of [[Democrats 66|D'66]] drops its support.
* [[June 29]] - Women vote for the first time in elections for the [[National Assembly of Kuwait]].
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=== July ===
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* [[July 1]] - The [[Qinghai-Tibet Railway]] launches a trial operation, connecting [[China proper]] and [[Tibet]] for the first time.
* [[July 2]] - A [[Mexican general election, 2006|presidential election]] is held in [[Mexico]]. [[Felipe Calderón]] is confirmed as the winner on [[September 5]].
* [[July 4]] - ''[[STS-121]]'': Space Shuttle ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]'' is launched to the [[International Space Station]]. It returns safely on [[July 17]].
* [[July 5]] - [[North Korea]] [[North Korean missile test, 2006|test fires]] missiles, timed with the liftoff of Discovery, preceding the fireworks celebrations that night in [[United States|America]]. The long range [[Taepodong-2]] reportedly fails shortly after takeoff.
* [[July 6]] - The [[Nathula Pass]] between [[India]] and [[PRC|China]], sealed during the [[Sino-Indian War]], re-opens for trade after 44 years.
* [[July 9]] - [[S7 Airlines Flight 778]] crashes into a concrete barrier shortly after landing, killing at least 122 people and leaving many injured.
* [[July 9]] - [[Italy national football team|Italy]] wins the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] by beating [[France national football team|France]] 5-3 on [[Penalty shootout (football)|penalties]]. The score after [[extra time]] is 1-1.
* [[July 10]] - [[Pakistan International Airlines]] [[PIA Flight 688|Flight 688]] crashes in [[Multan]], [[Pakistan]] shortly after takeoff.
* [[July 11]] - A [[11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings|series of coordinated bomb attacks]] strikes several [[Mumbai Suburban Railway|commuter trains]] in [[Mumbai]], [[India]] during the evening rush hour.
* [[July 12]] - [[2006 Lebanon War]]: [[Israel]]i troops invade [[Lebanon]] in response to [[Hezbollah]] kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing 3. Hezbollah declares open war against [[Israel]] 2 days later.
* [[July 17]] - Space Shuttle ''[[Discovery]]'' returns to [[Earth]] from the [[International Space Station]], thirteen days after its launch.
* [[July 18]] - The [[SS Nomadic]], the last floating link to ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]'', returns home to a great reception in Belfast.
* [[July 21]] - [[St Louis]] is hit by two major [[derecho]]s (violent windstorms) in a span of three days.
* [[July 22]] - [[Canada]] defeats [[USA]] 15-11 in the [[2006 World Lacrosse Championship]]. This marked only the second time the USA had not won the gold medal, and only the second time Canada had won the gold. [[Geoff Snider]] was announced as MVP.
* [[July 23]] - [[Phonak]] team rider, American cyclist [[Floyd Landis]] wins the [[Tour de France]]; however, tour officials soon announce that he has failed a [[doping (sport)|doping]] test.
* [[July 28]] - [[Alejandro Toledo]] concludes his term as [[President of Peru]], and [[Alan Garcia]] becomes president.
* [[July 28]] - Actor [[Mel Gibson]] is arrested for drunk driving in California and [[Mel Gibson DUI incident|launches an anti-semitic tirade]].
* [[July 30]] - The world's longest running music show, ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', broadcasts for the last time on [[BBC Two]].
* [[July 31]] - [[Fidel Castro]], President of [[Cuba]], temporarily [[2006 Cuban transfer of presidential duties|relinquishes power]] to his brother [[Raúl Castro|Raúl]] before surgery.
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=== August ===
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* [[August 10]] - [[London Metropolitan Police]] make 21 arrests in connection to an apparent [[2006 transatlantic aircraft plot|terrorist plot]] that involved aircraft traveling from the [[United Kingdom]] to the [[United States]]. Liquids and gels are banned from checked and carryon baggage.
* [[August 11]] - A resolution to end the [[2006 Lebanon War]] is unanimously accepted by the [[United Nations Security Council]].
* [[August 14]] - A UN cease fire takes effect in the [[2006 Lebanon War]].
* [[August 22]] - [[Pulkovo Airlines Flight 612]] crashes near the Russian border in [[Ukraine]], killing 171 people, including 45 children.
* [[August 22]] - The [[International Congress of Mathematicians|ICM]] awards [[Grigori Perelman]] the [[Fields Medal]] for proving the [[Poincare conjecture]], one of seven [[Millennium Prize Problems]]. Perelman refuses the medal.
* [[August 23]] - In [[Austria]] [[Natascha Kampusch]] manages to escape after being kidnapped eight years ago by [[Wolfgang Priklopil]] who locked her up in his cellar. Priklopil commits suicide by throwing himself in front of a train.
* [[August 24]] - The [[International Astronomical Union]] [[2006 redefinition of planet|defines]] '[[planet]]' at its 26th [[General Assembly]], demoting [[Pluto]] to the status of '[[dwarf planet]]' more than 70 years after its discovery.
* [[August 27]] - [[Comair Flight 5191]], carrying 50 people, crashes shortly after take off from [[Blue Grass Airport]] in [[Lexington, Kentucky]].
* [[August 28]] - A [[Greyhound Lines]] bus from [[New York City]] to [[Montreal]], carrying 52 people, crashes at mile 115 on [[Interstate 87]] near [[Elizabethtown, New York|Elizabethtown]] killing 5 people including the driver and several are seriously injured.
* [[August 31]] - [[Edvard Munch]] paintings ''[[The Scream]]'' and ''[[Madonna (Edvard Munch)|Madonna]]'' are recovered in a police raid in [[Oslo, Norway]].
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=== September ===
{{Month3|9|4|0|align=right}}
* [[September 1]] - A fire kills 29 of 148 people aboard an [[Iran Air Tours]] [[Tu-154]]M aircraft after the plane lands in [[Mashhad]], [[Iran]].
* [[September 2]] - A [[Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod|Nimrod]] MR2 based at [[RAF Kinloss]], [[Scotland]], crashes in the [[Kandahar Province|Southern Province of Kandahar]], [[Afghanistan]], due to a technical fault. All 14 crew on board were killed.
* [[September 3]] - [[Spain]] wins the [[2006 FIBA World Championship]].
* [[September 3]] - [[Andre Agassi]] retires after his final tennis match against [[Benjamin Becker]] in the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]].
* [[September 4]] - [[Vladimir Putin]] issues a statement revealing that the [[Soviet Union]] will be re-established in the near future
* [[September 4]] - [[Steve Irwin]], Australian wildlife wrangler, dies at 44.
* [[September 7]] - Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in [[Taipei]] is renamed to [[Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport]].
* [[September 8]] - [[Peter Brock]], Australian Racecar Driver, dies in targa west rally
* [[September 9]] - ''[[STS-115]]'': Space Shuttle ''[[Atlantis]]'' is launched on a mission to build up the [[International Space Station]]. It returns safe and successful on [[September 21]].
* [[September 10]] - Seven-time [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Champion]] [[Michael Schumacher]] announces he will retire from [[Formula 1]] at the end of the year.
* [[September 12]] - A stampede at a rally in [[Yemen]] leaves 41 dead.
* [[September 12]] - Pope [[Benedict XVI]] gives a lecture in [[Germany]]; he quotes a criticism of the [[Islamic]] faith, sparking [[Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy|mass protest]].
* [[September 13]] - 10th anniversary of the death of American rapper [[Tupac Shakur]], aka 2Pac, is commemorated by the release of his sixth posthumous album, ''[[Pac's Life]]''(released [[November 21]]).
* [[September 13]] - The [[Dawson College Shooting]] occurs in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]], leaving one student dead and 19 others injured.
* [[September 13]] - The [[solar system]]'s largest [[dwarf planet]], designated until now as 2003 UB313, is officially named "[[136199 Eris|Eris]]"; its satellite is now known as "[[Dysnomia (moon)|Dysnomia]]".
* [[September 15]] - [[2006 United States E. coli outbreak|Spinach contaminated with E. coli]] kills one person and poisons over 100 others in 20 states of the United States.
* [[September 16]] - Five churches are attacked in Palestinian areas following the Pope's comments on Islam.
* [[September 17]] - The [[Alliance for Sweden]] claims victory in the [[Swedish general election, 2006]].
* [[September 17]] - The [[2006 protests in Hungary]] started near the [[Hungarian Parliament]].
* [[September 19]] - [[List of Prime Ministers of Thailand|Prime Minister]] [[Thaksin Shinawatra]] of [[Thailand]] declares a [[state of emergency]] in [[Bangkok]] as members of the Royal Thai Army stage a [[September 2006 Thailand coup|coup d'état]]. The army announces the removal of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power.
* [[September 19]] - A memorial service for recently deceased Australian personality [[Steve Irwin]] takes place at Australia Zoo, [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]. The service is broadcast across Australia and other parts of the world.
* [[September 20]] - [[The CW Television Network]] (a merger of [[The WB Television Network|The WB]] and [[UPN]]) officially begins operations.
* [[September 22]] - A [[Transrapid]] [[Maglev train]] [[2006 Lathen maglev train accident|crashes]] into a maintenance vehicle on a test track in [[Germany]], killing 23 and injuring 10; it is the first recorded fatal accident involving a Maglev.
* [[September 23]] - [[Toomas Hendrik Ilves]] is elected [[President of Estonia]].
* [[September 24]] - [[Europe]] win the [[Ryder Cup]] in [[Ireland]].
* [[September 24]] - [[Communist Party of China]] Central Political Bureau committee member, [[Shanghai]] Municipal Party Committee Secretary [[Chen Liangyu]] is dismissed for alleged corruption charges.
* [[September 25]] - The Louisiana [[Superdome]] in New Orleans re-opens 13 months after [[Hurricane Katrina]] with extensive repairs, including the largest re-roofing project in the United States.
* [[September 26]] - [[Diet of Japan]] elects [[Shinzo Abe]] as new [[Prime Minister of Japan]] succeeding [[Junichiro Koizumi]].
* [[September 27]] - An armed suspect [[Platte Canyon High School shooting|holds six female students as hostages]] in Platte Canyon High School located in [[Bailey, Colorado]]. One hostage is fatally wounded as the gunman kills himself.
* [[September 28]] - After 40 years of development, [[Suvarnabhumi Airport]], opens in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]] replacing [[Don Mueang International Airport]] as Bangkok's primary airport for commercial flights.
* [[September 29]] - [[Gol Flight 1907]], a [[Boeing 737-800]], collides with a business jet over the [[Amazon Rainforest]] killing all 154 onboard.
* [[September 29]] - U.S. Representative [[Mark Foley]] (R-FL) resigns after it is revealed that he sent explicit e-mails for several years to underage male pages.
* [[September 30]] - [[West Coast Eagles]] win the [[Australian Football League]] Grand Final at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]].
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=== October ===
{{Month3|10|6|0|align=right}}
* [[October 1]] - [[Vodafone Japan]], owned by [[SoftBank]], officially changes its name to Softbank Mobile Corporation.
* [[October 2]] - [[Charles Carl Roberts IV]], a 32-yr-old milk-truck driver, [[Amish school shooting|kills five female students]] at an [[Amish]] schoolhouse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania before shooting himself.
* [[October 2]] - [[Per Westerberg]] takes office as [[Speaker of the Riksdag]] in [[Sweden]].
* [[October 4]] - The Dow Industrial Average closes above 11,800 [[Closing milestones of the Dow Jones Industrial Average#The 2000s dot-com bust (2000-Present)|for the first time]] rising 123.27 points, or 1.05%, finishing at 11,850.61.
* [[October 6]] - Hazardous waste plant near [[Apex, North Carolina]] explodes releasing chlorine gas, resulting in the evacuation of thousands and the hospitalization of over 100 residents.
[[Image:2006 North Korean nuclear test.png|thumb|200px|North Korean nuclear test]]
* [[October 8]] - [[Mark Porter]], New Zealand racecar driver, dies in Bathurst 1000 support race
* [[October 9]] - [[North Korea]] claims to have conducted its first ever [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|nuclear test]].
* [[October 10]] - [[Google]] buys [[YouTube]] for [[USD]]$1.65 billion.
* [[October 11]] - [[New York Yankees]] pitcher [[Cory Lidle]] is killed, along with his flight instructor, when his plane crashes into a building in New York City's [[Upper East Side]].
* [[October 13]] - [[Ban Ki-moon]] (from [[South Korea]]) is elected as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations.
* [[October 15]] - The UN agrees to sanction [[North Korea]] over nuclear testing issue.
* [[October 15]] - [[Chief Justice of Japan]] [[Akira Machida]] retires upon reaching the age of 70.
* [[October 15]] - Declaration of the establishment of the [[Islamic State of Iraq]].
* [[October 16]] - The last [[MASH]] (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) was [[decommissioned]].
* [[October 17]] - The [[United States]] population reaches 300 million based on a [[United States Census Bureau]] projection.
* [[October 18]] - [[Microsoft]] publicly releases Windows [[Internet Explorer 7]].
* [[October 19]] - On the 19th anniversary of the [[Black Monday (1987)|1987 stock market crash]], the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]] closed above 12,000 [[Closing milestones of the Dow Jones Industrial Average|for the first time]] gaining 19.05 points, or 0.16%, to 12,011.73.
* [[October 23]] - [[Jeffrey Skilling]] is sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison on charges relating to the financial collapse of [[Enron]].
* [[October 25]] - The [[New Jersey Supreme Court]] unanimously rules in favor of marriage equality. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/26/MNGO5M02DV1.DTL]
* [[October 27]] - Last [[Ford Taurus]] rolls off [[Atlanta Assembly]] line.
* [[October 27]] - The [[St. Louis Cardinals]] win the [[2006 World Series]].
* [[October 29]] - [[Aviation Development Company Flight 53]] crashes shortly after take off in [[Nigeria]].
* [[October 29]] - [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]] is re-elected [[President of Brazil]].
* [[October 30]] - Former [[President of Chile]] [[Augusto Pinochet]] is placed under house arrest for crimes committed at the [[Villa Grimaldi]] detention centre.
* [[October 30]] - An [[Bajaur airstrike|airstrike]] on a [[madrasah]] in [[Bajaur]] kills dozens of suspected [[al-Qaeda]] and [[Taliban]] militants.
* [[October 30]] - The [[Esperanza Fire]] burns over 61 square miles of [[Cabazon, California]] mountain territory.
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=== November ===
{{Month3|11|2|0|align=right}}
* [[November 1]] - The [[Stardust Resort & Casino]] closes after 48 years of business in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]].
* [[November 3]] - [[Iran]] successfully test-fires 3 new models of sea missiles in a show of force to assert its military capacities in the Gulf.
* [[November 3]] - ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' predicts 90% of maritime life forms will be extinct by [[2048]].
* [[November 3]] - [[Ted Haggard]] resigns as president of the [[National Association of Evangelicals]], after allegations of methamphetamine use and sexual relations with a male prostitute.
* [[November 5]] - Former [[Iraq]]i [[President of Iraq|President]] [[Saddam Hussein]] and two of his senior allies are sentenced to death by hanging after an Iraqi court finds them guilty of crimes against humanity.
* [[November 7]] - [[United States midterm elections, 2006|U.S. Midterm elections]]: [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] win control of both houses of [[United States Congress|Congress]] for the first time since 1994.
* [[November 7]] - In the U.S. congressional elections, Minnesota Democrat [[Keith Ellison (politician)|Keith Ellison]] becomes the first Muslim elected to the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]].
* [[November 7]] - The [[Japan]]ese town of [[Saroma, Hokkaido]] is struck by a [[2006 Saroma tornado|tornado]], killing nine. It is the deadliest tornado in Japan since 1941.
* [[November 8]] - U.S. Defense Secretary [[Donald Rumsfeld]] resigns; [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush|Bush]] nominates [[Robert Gates]], a former [[Central Intelligence Agency]] director, as his replacement. Gates is then confirmed by the [[U.S. Senate]] and sworn in on [[December 18]].
* [[November 8]] - [[Margaret Chan]] is elected as the Director-General of the [[World Health Organization]].
* [[November 8]] - A [[transit of Mercury]] occurs.
* [[November 11]] - [[Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier]], [[Hong Kong]], completed the last journey of its 49-year operation.
* [[November 12]] - [[Gerald Ford]] surpasses [[Ronald Reagan]] as the longest lived [[President of the United States]].
* [[November 12]] - The former Soviet republic of [[South Ossetia]] holds a [[South Ossetian independence referendum, 2006|referendum]] on independence from [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].
* [[November 15]] - [[Al Jazeera]] launches its new English language news channel, [[Al Jazeera English]].
* [[November 15]] - Start of the ''Sales and Use Tax'' in [[Puerto Rico]]; a response to the [[2006 Puerto Rico budget crisis|Puerto Rico budget crisis]] of May 2006.
* [[November 15]] - The State of Hawaii bans smoking in all enclosed public places.
* [[November 16]] - Rioting in [[Nuku'alofa]], the capital of [[Tonga]], destroys approx. 80% of the CBD; 8 bodies found and foreign forces requested.
* [[November 17]] - U.S. comedian and actor [[Michael Richards]] launches a racially charged tirade at hecklers during a performance at the Laugh Factory in [[Los Angeles]].
* [[November 19]] - [[Nintendo]] releases its 7th generation console, the [[Wii]].
* [[November 20]] - [[Iran]] and [[Syria]] recognize the government of [[Iraq]], restore [[diplomatic relations]], and call for a [[peace conference]].
* [[November 20]] - [[Lee High School]] bus crash kills 4 students in Huntsville, Alabama.
* [[November 21]] - [[Pierre Amine Gemayel]], [[Lebanon]]'s Minister of Industry, is assassinated in [[Beirut]].
* [[November 21]] - [[Israel]]'s Supreme Court finds that Israel must recognize and register [[same-gender marriage]]s celebrated in other countries.
* [[November 21]] - A gas explosion in the coal mine ''Halemba'' in [[Ruda Slaska]], [[Poland]], kills 23 miners approximately 1,000 meters below ground.
* [[November 22]] - [[Dutch general election, 2006]]: The [[Christian Democratic Appeal]] wins a plurality of seats in [[The Netherlands]].
* [[November 22]] - A [[General Election]] is held for the [[House of Keys]] in the [[Isle of Man]].
* [[November 22]] - Ten people are trapped and killed in the [[Kolkata leather factory fire]] in [[India]].
* [[November 23]] - [[Alexander Litvinenko]], a former [[Russia]]n [[KGB]] agent, is killed by [[Polonium-210]] in a [[London]] [[sushi]] bar.
* [[November 23]] - A series of [[23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings|car bombs and mortar attacks]] in [[Sadr City]], [[Baghdad]], kill at least 215 people and injure 257 others.
* [[November 24]] - [[Michael Stone (loyalist paramilitary)|Michael Stone]] is arrested for breaking into the parliament buildings at [[Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland)|Stormont]] while armed. [[Bertie Ahern]] and [[Tony Blair]]'s deadline on [[Northern Ireland]] power-sharing.
* [[November 26]] - US Judge [[James Robertson (judge)|James Robertson]] orders the US Treasury to [[United States dollar#Suit by sightless over U.S. banknote design|change the dollar bill]].
* [[November 26]] - WWE Diva [[Amy Dumas]] AKA Lita retires from [[WWE]]
* [[November 30]] - [[South Africa]] becomes the fifth nation to legalize [[gay marriage]].
* [[November 30]] - [[2006 Pacific typhoon season#Typhoon Durian (Reming)|Typhoon Durian]] triggers a massive mudslide and kills hundreds of people in the [[Philippines]].
* [[November 30]] - [[Windows Vista]], the newest version of operating system from [[Microsoft]], released for volume license customers.
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=== December ===
{{Month3|12|4|0|align=right}}
* [[December 1]] - [[Felipe Calderón]] is sworn in as the [[President of Mexico]] by the [[Congress of Mexico|Congress]] in [[Mexico]].
* [[December 1]] - The [[2006 Asian Games|15th Asian Games]] start in [[Doha]], [[Qatar]]; the closing ceremony takes place on [[December 15]].
* [[December 1]] - [[Typhoon Durian]] kills at least 388 people in [[Albay]] province on the island of [[Luzon]] in the [[Philippines]].
* [[December 2]] - In [[Rome]], about two million people, led by opposition leader [[Silvio Berlusconi]], demonstrate against [[Romano Prodi]]'s government.
* [[December 2]] - [[Stephane Dion]] is elected the new Leader of the [[Liberal Party of Canada]], on the [[Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2006|fourth ballot]].
* [[December 3]] - [[Ed Stelmach]] is elected the new Leader of the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Progressive Conservatives]], [[Alberta]], after the second ballot results, and second choice votes for Ted Morton have been added up. Ed becomes the [[Premier of Alberta|Premier-designate of Alberta]].
* [[December 3]] - [[Hugo Chávez]] is [[Venezuelan presidential election, 2006|re-elected]] [[President of Venezuela]].
* [[December 3]] - Explosive demolition of [[Germany]]'s tallest chimney at former [[Power Station Westerholt|Westerholt Power Station]].
* [[December 5]] - The military seizes power in [[Fiji]] by means of a [[2006 Fijian coup d'état|coup d'état]] led by [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[Frank Bainimarama|Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama]].
* [[December 7]] - Smoking is banned in all [[Ohio]] bars, restaurants, workplaces, and other public places.
* [[December 8]] - The [[Wii]] is launched in the [[United Kingdom]].
* [[December 9]] - A [[Moscow hospital fire|fire at a hospital]] in [[Moscow]] kills 45 people.
* [[December 10]] - ''[[STS-116]]'': Space Shuttle ''[[Discovery]]'' lifts off from the [[Kennedy Space Center]] on the first night launch since the 2003 [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|loss of ''Columbia'']].
* [[December 10]] - [[Christer Fuglesang]] becomes the first [[Sweden|Swede]] in space.
* [[December 10]] - [[Chivas]] defeats [[Toluca]] in the final of the Mexican Soccer League.
* [[December 11]] - The [[Holocaust conference]] is opened in [[Tehran]], [[Iran]] by [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]].
* [[December 12]] - [[Peugeot]] produce their last car at the [[Ryton-on-Dunsmore|Ryton Plant]] signalling the end of mass car production in a city that was once a major centre of the [[British motor industry]]; [[Coventry]].
* [[December 13]] - The [[Chinese River Dolphin]] or Baiji becomes extinct.
* [[December 13]] - U.S. Senator [[Tim Johnson (politician)|Tim Johnson]] (D-SD) suffers a stroke during a radio interview.
* [[December 15]] - [[Lockheed Martin]]'s [[F-35 Lightning II]] Joint Strike Fighter successfully flies for the first time.
* [[December 15]] - An alleged assassination attempt on the Palestinian prime minister [[Ismail Haniyeh]] sparks [[2006 Palestinian civil skirmishes|inter-Palestinian clashes]].
* [[December 15]] - [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck]], the King of [[Bhutan]], abdicates in favour of his son [[Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck]] a year earlier than expected.
* [[December 15]] - The [[Japan]]ese government passes a bill to upgrade the [[Japan Defense Agency]] to a Ministry.
* [[December 19]] - Murder investigation when the bodies of five murdered prostitutes were [[2006 Ipswich murder investigation|discovered]] at different locations near Ipswich in Suffolk, England.
* [[December 19]] - A [[Libya]]n court [[HIV trial in Libya|sentences]] five [[Bulgaria]]n nurses and a [[Palestinian]] doctor to death for knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with [[HIV]].
* [[December 20]] - [[Somalia]]: [[Islamic Courts Union]] fighters begin [[Battle of Baidoa|attacking]] the government-held town of [[Baidoa]].
* [[December 21]] - [[Saparmurat Niyazov]], the dictator of [[Turkmenistan]] dies unexpectedly, sparking world concern over a possible power vacuum and instability in this energy-rich country.
* [[December 21]] - Australian cricketer [[Shane Warne]] announces his retirement from the sport.
* [[December 22]] - The [[Space Shuttle Discovery]] lands at the Kennedy Space Center, concluding a [[STS-116|two week mission]] to the [[International Space Station]].
* [[December 24]] - [[Ethiopia]] admits its troops have [[War in Somalia (2006-present)|intervened in Somalia]].
* [[December 26]] - An [[2006 Lagos pipeline explosion|oil pipeline explodes]] in [[Nigeria]]'s commercial capital, [[Lagos]] killing at least 200 people.
* [[December 26]] - The [[2006 Hengchun earthquake|Hengchun earthquake]] in Taiwan kills two people, damaged about 15 historical buildings and several [[undersea cable]]s, disrupting Internet and IDD telecommunication services in Asia.
* [[December 29]] - [[War in Somalia (2006-present)|War in Somalia]]: Ethiopian and Transitional government troops [[Fall of Mogadishu|capture Mogadishu]] without resistance.
* [[December 30]] - [[Saddam Hussein]], former [[Iraq]] president, is [[Execution of Saddam Hussein|executed]] in [[Baghdad]].
* [[December 30]] - The ''[[M/V Senopati Nusantara]]'' sinks in [[Indonesia]] with several hundred casualties.
* [[December 30]] - The [[Free State Project]] completes its "First 1,000" pledge.
* [[December 31]] - At least [[2006 Bangkok bombings|eleven bombs]] go off in [[Bangkok]] hours before the new year.
* [[December 31]] - The U.S. death toll in [[Iraq]] reaches 3,000.
* [[December 31]] - According to the [[Met Office]], England experienced its warmest year since records began in [[1659]] with an average temperature of 10.82°C.
== Major religious holidays ==
{{Year in other calendars}}
* [[January 6]] - Feast of [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]] or Día de los Reyes Magos (Day of the [[Magi]] Kings) or La Fête des Rois (Feast of the Kings).
* [[January 7]] - [[Christmas]] in the [[Russian Orthodox]], [[Serbian Orthodox]], [[Coptic Orthodox]], [[Ukrainian Catholic]] and other Eastern Christian church calendars.
* [[January 10]] - [[Islam]]ic festival of [[Eid ul-Adha]] begins (ends on [[January 12]]).
* [[January 11]] - Vaikunta [[Ekadashi]] is observed by [[Hindu]]s. This is the day when the Gates of Heaven open and remain open for the next ten days.
* [[January 14]] - [[Mahayana]] Buddhist New Year.
* [[January 14]] - [[Pongal]] Harvest Festival in [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[January 15]] - Maatu Pongal, Festival of [[Cows]] in [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[January 16]] - Uzhavar Tirunaal, [[Farmer]]'s Day in [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[January 29]] - [[Year of the Dog]], 4703, begins. Chinese/Asian New Year.
* [[January 31]] - [[Muslim New Year]].
* [[February 1]] - [[Imbolc]] [[Cross-quarter day]] (Celebrated on [[February 2]] in some places).
* [[February 9]] - Day of [[Ashurah]].
* [[February 13]] - [[Tu Bishvat]].
* [[February 28]] - [[Mardi Gras]].
* [[March 13]] - Jewish holiday of [[Purim]] begins at sunset.
* [[March 14]] - [[Sikh]] New Year.
* [[March 21]] - Iranian New Year's Day ([[Norouz]]).
* [[March 30]] - [[Hindu]] New Year.
* [[April 5]] - [[Qingming Festival]].
* [[April 11]] - Birth anniversary of [[Muhammad]].
* [[April 12]] - [[Pesach]] or [[Passover]] begins at sunset, continues for a week.
* [[April 13]] - Theravada Buddhist New Year.
* [[April 13]] - [[Punjabi]] New Year.
* [[April 14]] - [[Good Friday]] in the Western Church Calendar, [[Sikh]] Holiday of [[Vaisakhi]].
* [[April 14]] - Puththaandu [[Tamil people|Tamil]] New Year in the Tamil Calendar, observed by people in [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[April 16]] - [[Easter]] in the Western Church Calendar.
* [[April 21]] - [[Good Friday]] in the Eastern Church Calendar.
* [[April 23]] - [[Easter]] in the Eastern Church Calendar.
* [[May 1]] - [[Beltane]] [[Cross-quarter day]].
* [[June 1]] - Jewish holiday of [[Shavuot]] begins at sunset.
* [[August 1]] - [[Lammas]] [[Cross-quarter day]].
* [[August 2]] - Jewish fast of [[Tisha B'Av]] begins at sundown; it extends until the night of [[August 3]].
* [[September 22]] - Jewish holiday of [[Rosh Hashanah]] begins at sundown. Continues until nightfall of the 24th.
* [[September 23]] - First day of [[Ramadan]].
* [[October 1]] - Jewish holiday of [[Yom Kippur]] begins at sundown. Ends at nightfall of the [[October 2|2nd]].
* [[October 21]] - Hindu festival of [[Diwali]].
* [[October 23]] - Islamic festival of [[Eid ul-Fitr]].
* [[October 31]] - [[Samhain]] [[Cross-quarter day]].
* [[December 15]] - [[Hannukah]].
* [[December 21]] - [[Wiccans]] celebrate the festival of [[Yule]].
* [[December 25]] - [[Christmas]] in the Western Church Calendar.
* [[December 31]] - Islamic festival of [[Eid ul-Adha]] begins (ends on [[January 2]], [[2007]]).
== Ongoing ==
* [[War in Iraq]].
== Births ==
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* [[June 3]] - [[Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg]], daughter of [[Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands]] and [[Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands]].
* [[June 18]] - [[Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg]], daughter of [[Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau]] and [[Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau]].
* [[September 6]] - [[Prince Hisahito of Akishino]], son of [[Princess Akishino]] and [[Prince Akishino]], the prince is third in line to the throne of [[Japan]].
* [[October 24]] - World's youngest [[premature birth|premature baby]] (22 weeks in the womb)[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6384621.stm].
* [[October 25]] - [[Krista and Tatiana Hogan]], notable conjoined twins.
== Deaths ==
{{main|Deaths in 2006}}
=== January ===
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[[Image:Corettascottking.jpg|thumb|right|140px|[[Coretta Scott King]], wife of [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]]]]
* [[January 1]] - [[Charles Steen]], American geologist, The "Uranium King" (b. [[1919]])
* [[January 2]] - [[John Woodnutt]], British actor (b. [[1924]])
* [[January 3]] - [[Steve Rogers (rugby league footballer)|Steve Rogers]], Australian rugby player (b. [[1954]])
* [[January 3]] - [[Bill Skate]], [[Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea]] (b. [[1954]])
* [[January 4]] - Sheikh [[Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum]], [[Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates]] (b. [[1946]])
* [[January 4]] - [[Robert Howard White]], Mayor of [[Papatoetoe]], [[New Zealand]] (b. [[1914]])
* [[January 6]] - [[Lou Rawls]], American singer (b. [[1933]])
* [[January 8]] - [[Tony Banks, Baron Stratford]], British politician (b. [[1943]])
* [[January 9]] - [[Andy Caldecott]], [[off road]] [[motorcycle racer]] (b. [[1964]])
* [[January 14]] - [[Jim Gary]], American sculptor (b. [[1939]])
* [[January 14]] - [[Shelley Winters]], American actress (b. [[1920]])
* [[January 15]] - [[Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah]], [[Emir of Kuwait]] (b. [[1926]])
* [[January 19]] - [[Wilson Pickett]], American singer (b. [[1941]])
* [[January 19]] - [[Geoff Rabone]], New Zealand cricket player (b. [[1921]])
* [[January 21]] - [[Ibrahim Rugova]], first [[President of Kosovo]] (b. [[1944]])
* [[January 24]] - [[Chris Penn]], American actor (b. [[1965]])
* [[January 27]] - [[Johannes Rau]], [[President of Germany]] (b. [[1931]])
* [[January 28]] - [[Yitzchak Kadouri]], Iraqi-born rabbi (b. [[1900]])
* [[January 30]] - [[Coretta Scott King]], American civil rights activist and wife of [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] (b. [[1927]])
=== February ===
* [[February 1]] - [[Dick Brooks]], American auto racer (b. [[1942]])
* [[February 1]] - [[Bryce Harland]], New Zealand diplomat (b. [[1931]])
* [[February 3]] - [[Al Lewis]], American actor (b. [[1923]])
* [[February 4]] - [[Betty Friedan]], American feminist, activist, and writer (b.[[1921]])
* [[February 8]] - [[Ron Greenwood]], English football manager (b. [[1921]])
* [[February 8]] - [[Akira Ifukube]], Japanese classical music/film composer (b. [[1914]])
* [[February 9]] - Sir [[Freddie Laker]], British airline entrepreneur (b. [[1922]])
* [[February 10]] - [[J Dilla]], American music producer (b. [[1974]])
* [[February 12]] - [[Ken Hart]], American composer, journalist, and playwright (b. [[1917]])
* [[February 13]] - [[Andreas Katsulas]], Greek-American actor (b. [[1946]])
* [[February 13]] - [[P. F. Strawson]], English philosopher (b. [[1919]])
* [[February 14]] - [[Shoshana Damari]], Israeli singer and actress (b. [[1923]])
* [[February 15]] - [[Sun Yun-suan]], [[Premier of the Republic of China]] (b. [[1913]])
* [[February 16]] - [[Ernie Stautner]], German-born American football player (b. [[1925]])
* [[February 20]] - [[Lucjan Wolanowski]], Polish journalist, writer and traveler (b. [[1920]])
* [[February 22]] - [[Anthony Burger]], American musician and singer (b. [[1961]])
* [[February 22]] - [[Sinnathamby Rajaratnam]], Singapore politician (b. [[1925]])
* [[February 23]] - [[Mauri Favén]], Finnish painter (b. [[1920]])
* [[February 23]] - [[Zarra]], Spanish footballer (b. [[1921]])
* [[February 24]] - [[Don Knotts]], American actor (b. [[1924]])
* [[February 24]] - [[Dennis Weaver]], American actor (b. [[1924]])
* [[February 25]] - [[Darren McGavin]], American actor (b. [[1922]])
* [[February 25]] - [[Florian ZaBach]], American musician and TV personality (b. [[1931]])
* [[February 27]] - [[Linda Smith (comedian)|Linda Smith]], English comedian (b. [[1958]])
* [[February 28]] - [[Ron Cyrus]], American politician, father of [[Billy Ray Cyrus]] (b. [[1935]])
=== March ===
* [[March 1]] - [[Harry Browne]], American Libertarian Presidential candidate (b. [[1933]])
* [[March 1]] - [[Peter Osgood]], English footballer (b. [[1947]])
* [[March 1]] - [[Peter Snow (doctor)|Peter Snow]], New Zealand doctor
* [[March 2]] - [[Jack Wild]], English actor (b. [[1952]])
* [[March 3]] - [[William Herskovic]], Hungarian Holocaust hero and philanthropist (b. [[1914]])
* [[March 4]] - [[Dave Rose]], American artist (b. [[1910]])
* [[March 4]] - [[Edgar Valter]], Estonian illustrator and cartoonist (b. [[1929]])
* [[March 4]] - [[John Reynolds Gardiner]], American author and engineer (b. [[1944]])
* [[March 6]] - [[Dana Reeve]], American actress, wife of [[Christopher Reeve]] (b. [[1961]])
* [[March 6]] - [[Kirby Puckett]], U.S. baseball player (b. [[1960]])
[[Image:Milosevic-1.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Slobodan Milošević, died at [[The Hague]] while on trial for war crimes]]
* [[March 6]] - [[King Floyd]], American singer (b. [[1945]])
* [[March 8]] - [[Brian Barratt-Boyes]], New Zealand heart surgeon (b. [[1924]])
* [[March 9]] - [[Hanka Bielicka]], Polish actress (b. [[1915]])
* [[March 9]] - [[John Profumo]], British politician (b. [[1915]])
* [[March 11]] - [[Bernie Geoffrion]], Canadian hockey player (b. [[1931]])
* [[March 11]] - [[Slobodan Milošević]], [[President of Serbia]] (b. [[1941]])
* [[March 13]] - [[Maureen Stapleton]], American actress (b. [[1925]])
* [[March 13]] - [[Peter Tomarken]], American game show host (b. [[1942]])
* [[March 14]] - [[Lennart Meri]], [[President of Estonia]] (b. [[1929]])
* [[March 15]] - [[George Mackey]], American mathematician (b. [[1916]])
* [[March 23]] - [[Cindy Walker]], American songwriter (b. [[1918]])
* [[March 24]] - [[Lynne Perrie]], English actress (b. [[1931]])
* [[March 25]] - [[Rocio Durcal]], Spanish singer and actress (b. [[1944]])
* [[March 25]] - [[Buck Owens]], American musician (b. [[1929]])
* [[March 26]] - [[Paul Dana]], American race car driver (b. [[1975]])
* [[March 27]] - [[Stanislaw Lem]], Polish writer (b. [[1921]])
* [[March 28]] - [[Caspar Weinberger]], [[United States Secretary of Defense]] (b. [[1917]])
=== April ===
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* [[April 2]] - [[Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg|Nina Schenk von Stauffenberg]], German wife of soldier [[Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg]] (b. [[1913]])
* [[April 4]] - [[Denis Donaldson]], Irish Republican informer (b. [[1950]])
* [[April 5]] - [[Gene Pitney]], American singer (b. [[1941]])
* [[April 8]] - [[Gerard Reve]], Dutch author (b. [[1923]])
* [[April 11]] - [[Proof (rapper)|Proof]], American rapper ([[D12]]) (b. [[1973]])
* [[April 11]] - [[Les Foote]], Australian footballer (b. [[1924]])
* [[April 11]] - [[June Pointer]], American singer (b. [[1953]])
* [[April 12]] - [[Rajkumar]], Indian actor (b. [[1929]])
* [[April 12]] - [[William Sloane Coffin]], American university chaplain and activist (b. [[1924]])
* [[April 13]] - [[Muriel Spark]], Scottish novelist (b. [[1918]])
* [[April 15]] - [[Louise Smith]], American race car driver (b. [[1916]])
* [[April 17]] - [[Calum Kennedy]], Scottish singer (b. [[1928]])
* [[April 18]] - [[John Lyall]], British football player and manager (b. [[1940]])
* [[April 19]] - [[Scott Crossfield]], American pilot (b. [[1921]])
* [[April 20]] - [[Anna Svidersky]], American murder victim (b. [[1988]])
* [[April 21]] - [[Telê Santana]], Brazilian footballer and coach (b. [[1931]])
* [[April 23]] - [[Alida Valli]], Italian actress (b. [[1921]])
* [[April 23]] - [[Johnny Checketts]], New Zealand flying ace (b. [[1912]])
* [[April 24]] - [[Nasreen Huq]], Bangladeshi social worker and human rights activist (b. [[1958]])
* [[April 24]] - [[Brian Labone]], English footballer (b. [[1940]])
* [[April 24]] - [[Steve Stavro]], Canadian businessman and sports team owner (b. [[1927]])
* [[April 24]] - [[Moshe Teitelbaum]], Hungarian-born Hassidic rabbi (b. [[1914]])
* [[April 25]] - [[Jane Jacobs]], American-born writer and activist (b. [[1916]])
* [[April 25]] - [[Peter Law]], British politician (b. [[1948]])
* [[April 29]] - [[John Kenneth Galbraith]], Canadian economist (b. [[1908]])
=== May ===
* [[May 2]] - [[Louis Rukeyser]], American television host (b. [[1933]])
* [[May 3]] - [[Karel Appel]], Dutch painter (b. [[1921]])
* [[May 3]] - [[Pramod Mahajan]], [[India]]n [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] politician and strategist (b. [[1949]])
* [[May 3]] - [[Earl Woods]], American athlete and father of [[Tiger Woods]] (b. [[1932]])
* [[May 6]] - [[Lillian Asplund]], last American survivor of the [[RMS Titanic|Titanic]] disaster (b. [[1906]])
* [[May 6]] - [[Shigeru Kayano]], Japanese activist (b. [[1926]])
* [[May 7]] - [[Richard Carleton]], Australian journalist (b. [[1943]])
* [[May 7]] - [[Steve Bender]], German musician ([[Dschinghis Khan]]) (b. [[1946]])
* [[May 8]] - [[Iain MacMillan]], British photographer (b. [[1938]])
* [[May 10]] - [[Val Guest]], British film director (b. [[1911]])
* [[May 10]] - [[Soraya (musician)|Soraya]], Colombian-born singer and musician (b. [[1969]])
* [[May 11]] - [[Yossi Banai]], Israeli singer and actor (b. [[1932]])
* [[May 11]] - [[Floyd Patterson]], American boxer (b. [[1935]])
* [[May 13]] - [[Jaroslav Pelikan]], American historian (b. [[1923]])
* [[May 13]] - [[Johnnie Wilder, Jr.]], American R&B singer (b. [[1949]])
* [[May 16]] - [[Jorge Porcel]], Argentine actor (b. [[1936]])
* [[May 19]] - [[Freddie Garrity]], English singer ([[Freddie and the Dreamers]]) (b. [[1940]])
* [[May 21]] - [[Katherine Dunham]], American dancer, choreographer, and songwriter (b. [[1909]])
* [[May 22]] - [[Lee Jong-wook]], Korean Director-General of the World Health Organisation (b. [[1945]])
* [[May 23]] - [[Lloyd Bentsen]], American politician (b. [[1921]])
* [[May 24]] - [[Anderson Mazoka]], Zambian politician (b. [[1943]])
* [[May 24]] - [[Michał Życzkowski]], Polish technician (b. [[1930]])
* [[May 25]] - [[Desmond Dekker]], Jamaican singer and songwriter (b. [[1941]])
* [[May 25]] - [[Tobías Lasser]], Venezuelan botanist (b. [[1911]])
* [[May 25]] - [[Kari S. Tikka]], Finnish professor (b. [[1944]])
* [[May 26]] - [[Édouard Michelin (born 1963)|Édouard Michelin]], French businessman (b. [[1963]])
* [[May 27]] - [[Alex Toth]], American comic book artist and cartoonist (b. [[1928]])
* [[May 29]] - [[Masumi Okada]], Japanese actor (b. [[1935]])
* [[May 30]] - [[Shohei Imamura]], Japanese film director (b. [[1926]])
* [[May 30]] - [[David Lloyd (botanist)|David Lloyd]], New Zealand biologist (b. [[1938]])
=== June ===
* [[June 1]] - [[Rocio Jurado]], Spanish singer and actress (b. [[1944]])
* [[June 6]] - [[Arnold Newman]], American photographer (b. [[1918]])
* [[June 6]] - [[Billy Preston]], American artist and musician (b. [[1946]])
* [[June 6]] - [[Hilton Ruiz]], Puerto Rican jazz pianist (b. [[1952]])
* [[June 7]] - [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]], Jordanian militant (b. [[1966]])
* [[June 7]] - [[John Tenta]], Canadian professional wrestler (b. [[1963]])
* [[June 11]] - [[Neroli Fairhall]], New Zealand archer (b. [[1944]])
* [[June 12]] - [[Chakufwa Chihana]], Malawi politician (b. [[1939]])
* [[June 12]] - [[György Ligeti]], Hungarian composer (b. [[1923]])
* [[June 12]] - [[Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet|Kenneth Thomson]], Canadian businessman and art collector (b. [[1923]])
* [[June 13]] - [[Charles Haughey]], [[Prime Minister of Ireland]] (b. [[1925]])
* [[June 13]] - [[Hiroyuki Iwaki]], Japanese conductor and percussionist (b. [[1932]])
* [[June 14]] - [[Jean Roba]], Belgian comics author (b. [[1930]])
* [[June 15]] - [[Raymond Devos]], French humorist (b. [[1922]])
* [[June 17]] - [[Bussunda]], Brazilian comedian (b. [[1962]])
* [[June 18]] - [[Gica Petrescu]], Romanian musician (b. [[1915]])
* [[June 18]] - [[Chris and Cru Kahui]], infant twin brothers murdered in [[New Zealand]] (b. 2006)
* [[June 23]] - [[Aaron Spelling]], American television producer (b. [[1923]])
* [[June 24]] - [[Patsy Ramsey]], Mother of slain 6-year-old JonBenet (b. [[1956]])
* [[June 25]] - [[Arif Mardin]], Turkish-born music producer (b. [[1932]])
* [[June 25]] - [[Jaap Penraat]], Dutch architect and resistance fighter (b. [[1918]])
* [[June 30]] - Mohamed Haneef, Maldivian Politician and former Vice-President of [[Islamic Democratic Party]] of Maldives (b. [[1946]])
* [[June 30]] - [[Robert Gernhardt]], German satirist (b. [[1937]])
=== July ===
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* [[July 1]] - [[Ryutaro Hashimoto]], 53rd [[Prime Minister of Japan]] (b. [[1937]])
* [[July 1]] - [[Fred Trueman]], English cricketer (b. [[1931]])
* [[July 3]] - [[Joseph Goguen]], American computer scientist (b. [[1941]])
* [[July 5]] - [[Gert Fredriksson]], Swedish kayaker (b. [[1919]])
* [[July 5]] - [[Kenneth Lay]], American businessman (b. [[1942]])
* [[July 6]] - [[Kasey Rogers]], American actress, author, and biker (b. [[1925]])
* [[July 7]] - [[Tom Weir]], Scottish climber, author, and broadcaster (b. [[1914]])
* [[July 7]] - [[Rudi Carrell]], Dutch entertainer (b. [[1934]])
* [[July 7]] - [[Syd Barrett]], English singer, songwriter, and guitarist (b. [[1946]])
* [[July 7]] - [[John Money]], Sexologist (b. [[1921]])
* [[July 8]] - [[June Allyson]], American actress (b. [[1917]])
* [[July 8]] - [[Catherine Leroy]], French photographer (b. [[1945]])
* [[July 10]] - [[Shamil Basayev]], Chechen rebel (b. [[1965]])
* [[July 11]] - [[Ross M. Lence]], American political scientist (b. [[1943]])
* [[July 11]] - [[John Spencer]], British snooker player (b. [[1935]])
* [[July 13]] - [[Red Buttons]], American actor and comedian (b. [[1919]])
* [[July 16]] - [[Bob Orton]], American wrestler (b. [[1929]])
* [[July 17]] - [[Mickey Spillane]], American writer (b. [[1918]])
* [[July 18]] - [[Raul Cortez]], Brazilian actor (b. [[1931]])
* [[July 19]] - [[Jack Warden]], American actor (b. [[1920]])
* [[July 20]] - [[Lim Kim San]], Singapore politician (b. [[1916]])
* [[July 20]] - [[Ted Grant]], British politician (b. [[1913]])
* [[July 21]] - [[Ta Mok]], Cambodian military leader (b. [[1926]])
* [[July 21]] - [[Mako (actor)|Mako Iwamatsu]], Japanese-born actor (b. [[1933]])
* [[July 22]] - [[José Antonio Delgado]], Venezuelan mountain climber (b. [[1965]])
* [[July 22]] - [[Gianfrancesco Guarnieri]], Italian-born Brazilian actor and playwright (b.[[1934]])
* [[July 25]] - [[Hani Mohsin]], Malaysian actor (b. [[1965]])
* [[July 28]] - [[David Gemmell]], British author (b. [[1948]])
* [[July 30]] - [[Murray Bookchin]], American libertarian socialist (b. [[1921]])
=== August ===
* [[August 2]] - [[Luisel Ramos]], Uruguayan model (b. [[1984]])
* [[August 3]] - [[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf]], German-born soprano (b. [[1915]])
* [[August 3]] - [[Arthur Lee]], American musician (b. [[1945]])
* [[August 6]] - [[Hirotaka Suzuoki]], Japanese Seiyu (b. [[1950]])
* [[August 9]] - [[James van Allen]], American physicist (b. [[1914]])
* [[August 11]] - [[Mike Douglas]], American entertainer (b. [[1925]])
* [[August 13]] - [[Tony Jay]], English-born actor (b. [[1933]])
* [[August 13]] - [[Payao Poontarat]], Thai boxer (b. [[1957]])
* [[August 15]] - [[Te Atairangi Kaahu]], Maori queen (b. [[1931]])
* [[August 15]] - [[Faas Wilkes]], former Dutch football player(b. [[1923]])
* [[August 16]] - [[Alfredo Stroessner]], [[President of Paraguay]] (b. [[1912]])
* [[August 20]] - [[Joe Rosenthal]], American photographer (b. [[1911]])
* [[August 20]] - Cpl [[Bryan Budd]] [[VC]], British soldier (Afghanistan). (b. [[1977]])
* [[August 21]] - [[Bismillah Khan]], Indian musician (b. [[1916]])
* [[August 21]] - [[S. Yizhar]], Israeli writer (b. [[1916]])
* [[August 23]] - [[Maynard Ferguson]], Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (b. [[1928]])
* [[August 23]] - [[Wolfgang Priklopil]], Austrian kidnapper of Natascha Kampusch (b. [[1962]])
* [[August 26]] - [[Rainer Barzel]], German politician (b. [[1924]])
* [[August 26]] - [[Clyde Walcott]], Barbadian cricketer (b. [[1926]])
* [[August 27]] - [[Hrishikesh Mukherjee]], Indian filmmaker (b. [[1922]])
* [[August 30]] - [[Glenn Ford]], Canadian actor (b. [[1916]])
* [[August 30]] - [[Naguib Mahfouz]], Egyptian writer, [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1911]])
* [[August 30]] - [[Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon]], New Zealand jurist and member of the British House of Lords (b. [[1926]])
=== September ===
[[Image:Steve Irwin.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Crocodile Hunter]] [[Steve Irwin]]]]
* [[September 1]] - [[György Faludy]], Hungarian poet (b. [[1910]])
* [[September 2]] - [[Charlie Williams (comedian)|Charlie Williams]], British comedian (b. [[1927]])
* [[September 2]] - [[Bob Mathias]], American athlete (b. [[1930]])
* [[September 2]] - [[Willi Ninja]], American dancer and choreographer (b. [[1961]])
* [[September 4]] - [[Steve Irwin]], Australian environmentalist and television personality (b. [[1962]])
* [[September 4]] - [[Giacinto Facchetti]], Italian footballer (b. [[1942]])
* [[September 4]] - [[Colin Thiele]], Australian author and educator (b. [[1920]])
* [[September 7]] - [[Robert Earl Jones]], American stage and film actor (b. ([[1910]])
* [[September 8]] - [[Hilda Bernstein]], English-born author, artist, and activist (b. [[1915]])
* [[September 8]] - [[Peter Brock]], Australian race car driver (b. [[1945]])
* [[September 9]] - [[Richard Burmer]], American composer and electronic musician (b. [[1955]])
* [[September 9]] - [[William B. Ziff, Jr.]], American publishing executive (b. [[1930]])
* [[September 10]] - [[Taufa'ahau Tupou IV]], [[King of Tonga]] (b. [[1918]])
* [[September 11]] - [[Joachim Fest]], German historian and journalist (b. [[1926]])
* [[September 11]] - [[Johannes Bob van Benthem]], Dutch lawyer (b. [[1921]])
* [[September 13]] - [[Ann Richards]], Governor of Texas, USA (b. [[1933]])
* [[September 14]] - [[Elizabeth Choy]], Singapore World War II hero (b. [[1910]])
* [[September 14]] -[[Mickey Hargitay]], Hungarian-born actor and bodybuilder (b. [[1926]])
* [[September 15]] - [[Oriana Fallaci]], Italian journalist (b. [[1929]])
* [[September 15]] - [[Abe Saffron]], Australian nightclub owner and property developer (b. [[1920]])
* [[September 16]] - [[Rob Levin]], American computer programmer (b. [[1955]])
* [[September 17]] - [[Patricia Kennedy Lawford]], American socialite, sister of [[John F. Kennedy]] (b. [[1924]])
* [[September 17]] - [[Dorothy C. Stratton]], Director of the [[United States Coast Guard]] Women's Reserve (b. [[1899]])
* [[September 19]] - [[Roy Schuiten]], Dutch cyclist (b. [[1950]])
* [[September 19]] - [[Hugh Kawharu]], paramount chief of the Ngāti Whātua Māori tribe (b. [[1927]])
* [[September 20]] - [[Armin Jordan]], Swiss conductor (b. [[1932]])
* [[September 20]] - [[John W. Peterson]], American composer (b. [[1921]])
* [[September 23]] - [[Malcolm Arnold]], English composer (b. [[1921]])
* [[September 23]] - [[Aladár Pege]], Hungarian musician (b. [[1939]])
* [[September 24]] - [[Tetsuro Tamba]], Japanese actor (b. [[1922]])
* [[September 26]] - [[Byron Nelson]], American golfer (b. [[1912]])
* [[September 26]] - [[Iva Toguri D'Aquino]], American propagandist for Japan in World War II (b. [[1916]])
* [[September 29]] - [[Walter Hadlee]], New Zealand cricketer (b. [[1915]])
* [[September 29]] - [[Jan Werner Danielsen]], Norwegian musician (b. [[1976]])
=== October ===
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* [[October 6]] - [[Buck O'Neil]], American Negro League baseball player (b. [[1911]])
* [[October 6]] - [[Wilson Tucker]], American writer (b. [[1914]])
* [[October 7]] - [[Anna Politkovskaya]], American-born Russian journalist (b. [[1958]])
* [[October 8]] - [[Mark Porter]], New Zealand race car driver (racing accident) (b. [[1975]])
* [[October 9]] - [[Paul Hunter]], British snooker player (b. [[1978]])
* [[October 10]] - [[Michael John Rogers]], English ornithologist (b. [[1932]])
* [[October 11]] - [[Cory Lidle]], U.S. baseball player (b. [[1972]])
* [[October 14]] - [[Freddy Fender]], American singer (b. [[1937]])
* [[October 16]] - [[Lister Sinclair]], Canadian broadcaster and playwright (b. [[1921]])
* [[October 16]] - [[Valentín Paniagua]], [[President of Peru]] (b. [[1936]])
* [[October 18]] - [[Anna Russell]], British-born comedian and music satirist (b. [[1911]])
* [[October 21]] - [[Sandy West]], Drummer for the runaways (b. [[1959]])
* [[October 24]] - [[Enolia McMillan]], First female president of the NAACP (b. [[1904]])
* [[October 28]] - [[Red Auerbach]], American basketball coach and official (b. [[1917]])
* [[October 28]] - [[Trevor Berbick]], Jamaican boxer (b. [[1955]])
* [[October 30]] - [[Clifford Geertz]], American anthropologist (b. [[1926]])
* [[October 31]] - [[Pieter Willem Botha]], former [[State President of South Africa]] (b. [[1916]])
=== November ===
[[Image:Puskas Ferenc.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Ferenc Puskás, famous Hungarian footballer]]
* [[November 1]] - [[Adrienne Shelly]], American actress & director (b. [[1966]])
* [[November 1]] - [[William Styron]], American writer (b. [[1925]])
* [[November 2]] - [[Adrien Douady]], French mathematician (b. [[1935]])
* [[November 2]] - [[Wally Foreman]], Australian sports commentator (b. [[1948]])
* [[November 3]] - [[Paul Mauriat]], French musician (b. [[1925]])
* [[November 4]] - [[Frank Arthur Calder]], Canadian politician (b. [[1915]])
* [[November 4]] - [[Sergi López Segú]], Spanish footballer (b. [[1967]])
* [[November 5]] - [[Mustafa Bülent Ecevit]], Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist (b. [[1925]])
* [[November 5]] - [[Samuel Bowers]], American Ku Klux Klansman and convicted killer (b. [[1924]])
* [[November 7]] - [[Bryan Pata]], American college football player (b. [[1984]])
* [[November 8]] - [[Basil Poledouris]], American composer (b. [[1945]])
* [[November 9]] - [[Ed Bradley]], American journalist (b. [[1941]])
* [[November 10]] - [[Gerald Levert]], American singer (b. [[1966]])
* [[November 10]] - [[Jack Palance]], American actor (b. [[1919]])
* [[November 11]] - [[Belinda Emmett]], Australian actress and singer (b. [[1974]])
* [[November 15]] - [[Ana Carolina Reston]], Brazilian fashion model (b. [[1985]])
* [[November 16]] - [[Milton Friedman]], American economist, [[Nobel Prize in Economics|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1912]])
* [[November 17]] - [[Ferenc Puskás]], Hungarian footballer (b. [[1927]])
* [[November 17]] - [[Bo Schembechler]], American football coach (b. [[1929]])
* [[November 17]] - [[Ruth Brown]], American singer (b. [[1928]])
* [[November 20]] - [[Robert Altman]], American film director (b. [[1925]])
* [[November 20]] - [[Andre Waters]], American football player (b. [[1962]])
* [[November 21]] - [[Pierre Amine Gemayel]], Lebanese politician (b. [[1972]])
* [[November 22]] - [[John Allan Cameron]], Canadian musician (b. [[1938]])
* [[November 23]] - [[Alexander Litvinenko]], Russian-born spy (b. [[1962]])
* [[November 23]] - [[Philippe Noiret]], French actor (b. [[1930]])
* [[November 23]] - [[Anita O'Day]], American singer (b. [[1919]])
* [[November 23]] - [[Willie Pep]], American boxer (b. [[1922]])
* [[November 24]] - [[Walter Booker]], American jazz bassist (b. [[1933]])
* [[November 24]] - [[Juice Leskinen]], Finnish singer and songwriter (b. [[1950]])
* [[November 25]] - [[Leo Chiosso]], Italian poet (b. [[1920]])
* [[November 25]] - [[Valentin Elizalde]], Mexican singer (b. [[1979]])
* [[November 25]] - [[Phyllis Fraser|Phyllis Fraser Cerf Wagner]], American actress, journalist and publisher (b. [[1916]])
* [[November 26]] - [[Dave Cockrum]], American comic book artist (b. [[1943]])
* [[November 27]] - [[Alan Freeman]], Australian-born broadcaster and disc jockey (b. [[1927]])
=== December ===
[[Image:Gerald Ford.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States]]
* [[December 3]] - [[James Kim]], American television personality (b. [[1971]])
* [[December 3]] - [[Logan Whitehurst]], American comedy singer (b. [[1977]])
* [[December 3]] - [[Craig Hinton]], British novelist (b. [[1964]])
* [[December 5]] - [[David Bronstein]], Soviet Union chess grandmaster (b. [[1924]])
* [[December 6]] - [[John Feeney]], Documentary film-director (b. [[1922]])
* [[December 7]] - [[Jeane Kirkpatrick]], American political theorist and U.N. ambassador (b. [[1926]])
* [[December 7]] - [[J. B. Hunt]], American trucking magnate (b. [[1927]])
* [[December 8]] - [[Jose Uribe]], Dominican [[Major League Baseball]] player (b. [[1959]])
* [[December 10]] - [[Augusto Pinochet]], Chilean dictator (b. [[1915]])
* [[December 12]] - [[Paul Arizin]], American basketball player (b. [[1928]])
* [[December 12]] - [[Peter Boyle]], American actor (b. [[1935]])
* [[December 12]] - [[Raymond P. Shafer]], 38th [[Governor of Pennsylvania]] (b. [[1917]])
* [[December 13]] - [[Lamar Hunt]], American sports executive (b. [[1932]])
* [[December 13]] - [[Homesick James|"Homesick" James Williamson]], American [[blues]] musician (b. [[1910]])
* [[December 13]] - [[Federico Crescentini]], Sanmarinese football player (b. [[1982]])
* [[December 14]] - [[Ahmet Ertegün]], Turkish record executive (b. [[1923]])
* [[December 14]] - [[Michael Jonas Evans|Mike Evans]], American actor (b. [[1949]])
* [[December 15]] - [[Clay Regazzoni]], Swiss race car driver (b. [[1939]])
* [[December 16]] - [[Don Jardine]], Canadian professional wrestler (b. [[1940]])
* [[December 18]] - [[Joseph Barbera]], American animator (b. [[1911]])
* [[December 20]] - [[Ma Ji]], Chinese actor (b. [[1934]])
* [[December 21]] - [[Saparmurat Niyazov]], [[President of Turkmenistan]] (b. [[1940]])
* [[December 22]] - [[Elena Mukhina]], Russian gymnast (b. [[1960]])
* [[December 23]] - [[Robert Stafford]], American politician (b. [[1913]])
* [[December 23]] - [[Dutch Mason]], Canadian blues musician (b. [[1938]])
* [[December 23]] - [[Marilyn Waltz]], American actress, model & [[Playboy playmate]] (b. [[1931]])
* [[December 24]] - [[Braguinha (composer)|Braguinha]], Brazilian songwriter (b. [[1907]])
* [[December 24]] - [[Charlie Drake]], English comedian (b. [[1925]])
* [[December 24]] - [[Frank Stanton]], American television executive (b. [[1908]])
* [[December 24]] - [[Kenneth Sivertsen]], Norwegian musician, composer, poet and comedian (b. [[1961]])
* [[December 25]] - [[James Brown]], American singer (b. [[1933]])
* [[December 26]] - [[Gerald R. Ford]], 38th [[President of the United States]] (b. [[1913]])
* [[December 26]] - [[Chris Brown (baseball player)|Chris Brown]], U.S. baseball player (b. [[1961]])
* [[December 30]] - [[Saddam Hussein]], 5th [[President of Iraq]] (b. [[1937]])
* [[December 30]] - [[Antony Lambton|Antony Lambton, Viscount Lambton]], British politician (b. [[1922]])
== Nobel Prizes ==
* [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|Chemistry]] - [[Roger D. Kornberg]].
* [[Nobel Prize in Economics|Economics]] - [[Edmund Phelps]].
* [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Literature]] - [[Orhan Pamuk]].
* [[Nobel Prize for Peace|Peace]] - [[Muhammad Yunus]] and the [[Grameen Bank]].
* [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Physics]] - [[John C. Mather]], [[George F. Smoot]].
* [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Physiology or Medicine]] - [[Andrew Z. Fire]], [[Craig C. Mello]].
== See also ==
* [[21st century]].
== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
{{wikinewscat|2006}}
{{Events by month}}
{{Contents pages (footer box)}}
[[Category:2006| ]]
[[af:2006]]
[[als:2000er#2006]]
[[am:2006 እ.ኤ.አ.]]
[[ang:2006]]
[[ab:2006]]
[[ar:2006]]
[[an:2006]]
[[arc:2006]]
[[roa-rup:2006]]
[[frp:2006]]
[[ast:2006]]
[[gn:2006]]
[[av:2006]]
[[ay:2006]]
[[az:2006]]
[[bn:২০০৬]]
[[zh-min-nan:2006 nî]]
[[map-bms:2006]]
[[be:2006]]
[[be-x-old:2006]]
[[bh:२००६]]
[[bs:2006]]
[[br:2006]]
[[bg:2006]]
[[ca:2006]]
[[cv:2006]]
[[ceb:2006]]
[[cs:2006]]
[[co:2006]]
[[cy:2006]]
[[da:2006]]
[[pdc:2006]]
[[de:2006]]
[[dv:2006]]
[[et:2006]]
[[el:2006]]
[[es:2006]]
[[eo:2006]]
[[eu:2006]]
[[ee:2006]]
[[fa:۲۰۰۶ (میلادی)]]
[[fo:2006]]
[[fr:2006]]
[[fy:2006]]
[[fur:2006]]
[[ga:2006]]
[[gv:2006]]
[[gd:2006]]
[[gl:2006]]
[[glk:2006]]
[[got:2006]]
[[zh-classical:二〇〇六年]]
[[ko:2006년]]
[[haw:2006]]
[[hy:2006]]
[[hi:2006]]
[[hr:2006.]]
[[io:2006]]
[[ig:2006]]
[[ilo:2006]]
[[bpy:মারি ২০০৬]]
[[id:2006]]
[[ia:2006]]
[[ie:2006]]
[[os:2006]]
[[zu:2006]]
[[is:2006]]
[[it:2006]]
[[he:2006]]
[[jv:2006]]
[[pam:2006]]
[[kn:೨೦೦೬]]
[[ka:2006]]
[[csb:2006]]
[[kk:2006]]
[[kw:2006]]
[[ky:2006]]
[[sw:2006]]
[[ht:2006 (almanak gregoryen)]]
[[ku:2006]]
[[la:2006]]
[[lv:2006]]
[[lb:2006]]
[[lij:2006]]
[[lt:2006]]
[[li:2006]]
[[ln:2006]]
[[jbo:2006moi nanca]]
[[lmo:2006]]
[[hu:2006]]
[[mk:2006]]
[[mg:2006]]
[[ml:2006]]
[[mi:2006]]
[[mr:इ.स. २००६]]
[[ms:2006]]
[[nah:2006]]
[[na:2006]]
[[nl:2006]]
[[nds-nl:2006]]
[[cr:2006]]
[[new:२००६]]
[[ja:2006年]]
[[nap:2006]]
[[no:2006]]
[[nn:2006]]
[[nrm:2006]]
[[nov:2006]]
[[oc:2006]]
[[or:୨୦୦୬]]
[[uz:2006]]
[[pa:2006]]
[[pi:२००६]]
[[pag:2006]]
[[pap:2006]]
[[pms:2006]]
[[nds:2006]]
[[pl:2006]]
[[pt:2006]]
[[ty:2006]]
[[ksh:Joohr 2006]]
[[ro:2006]]
[[rmy:2006]]
[[qu:2006]]
[[ru:2006 год]]
[[se:2006]]
[[sa:2006]]
[[sc:2006]]
[[sco:2006]]
[[sq:2006]]
[[scn:2006]]
[[simple:2006]]
[[sd:2006]]
[[sk:2006]]
[[sl:2006]]
[[so:2006]]
[[sr:2006]]
[[sh:2006]]
[[su:2006]]
[[fi:2006]]
[[sv:2006]]
[[tl:2006]]
[[ta:2006]]
[[tt:2006]]
[[te:2006]]
[[th:พ.ศ. 2549]]
[[vi:2006]]
[[tg:2006]]
[[tpi:2006]]
[[chr:2006]]
[[tr:2006]]
[[tk:2006]]
[[udm:2006 ар]]
[[uk:2006]]
[[ur:2006ء]]
[[vec:2006]]
[[fiu-vro:2006]]
[[wa:2006]]
[[vls:2006]]
[[war:2006]]
[[yi:2006]]
[[zh-yue:2006年]]
[[cbk-zam:2006]]
[[bat-smg:2006]]
[[zh:2006年]]
