January 1, 2006
Russia Cuts Off Gas to Ukraine
January 3, 2006
Forty-fifth anniversary of the severance of U.S.-Cuba diplomatic ties
January 3, 2006
Iran Says It Will Resume Nuclear Research
January 4, 2006
Insurgents Launch Several Attacks in Iraq (Jan. 4 et seq.): More than 50 people are killed in central Iraq by suicide bombers and car bombs. About 30 Shiites die in an attack on a funeral in Miqdadiya. (Jan. 5): Suicide bombers kill about 130 Shiite pilgrims in Karbala. Another 50 men, who were lined up to apply for jobs with the police force, die in Ramadi. (Jan. 9): Two suicide bombers carrying police badges blow themselves up near a celebration at the Police Academy in Baghdad, killing nearly 20 police officers. Al-Qaeda in Iraq takes responsibility.
January 10, 2006
Following the abduction of two of its soldiers by an extremist Lebanese organization, Israel attacked infrastructure in Lebanon including roads, bridges, and airports.
January 19, 2006
Bin Laden Warns U.S. (Jan. 19): After a year of silence, Osama bin Laden says al-Qaeda is planning to attack the United States. He also extends a truce, but does not provide any details of its terms.
January 19, 2006
Bush Calls for Expansion of Armed Forces (Dec. 19): President says military is strained and needs to increase the number of ground troops.
January 26, 2006
Former President Ford Dies (Dec. 26): Gerald Ford, the 38th president, dies at age 93. He was the oldest living president. Ford was appointed by vice president, after Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973, and president, after President Nixon resigned in 1974.
January 31, 2006
Bush Addresses the Nation (Jan. 31): In his fifth State of the Union speech, the president denounces Iran, calling it a country <em>"held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people."</em> He also attacks Democrats for questioning the war in Iraq and urges Americans to end their "addiction" to oil, calling on the country to replace 75% of oil imports from the Middle East with ethanol and other energy sources.
February 4, 2006
Atomic Energy Board to Report Iran to the UN (Feb. 4): At an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, board members vote to refer Iran to the Security Council, citing its continued nuclear activity. (Feb. 6): Iran formally tells the IAEA that it will not be allowed to inspect Iran's facilities and that Iran will resume enrichment of uranium.
February 6, 2006
Bush Releases Budget Proposal (Feb. 6): Plan, costing $2.77 trillion, calls for increasing defense and homeland security budgets by 6.9% and 1.3%, respectively, and cutting several domestic programs, including education, Medicare, and farming.
February 15, 2006
House Releases Critical Report on Katrina Response (Feb. 15): The 520-page document, titled "A Failure of Initiative," finds that the reaction to the disaster was inept at every level of government. "Our report is a litany of mistakes, misjudgments, lapses, and absurdities all cascading together," the report says.
March 16, 2006
U.S. Launches Large Assault in Iraq (March 16): Troops target insurgents near Sunni-dominated Samarra. It is the largest air attack since the beginning of the war.
March 22, 2006
General Motors to Offer Buyouts to Union Employees (March 22): In a deal with United Auto Workers, auto-industry giant will present buyout and early-retirement packages to each of its 113,000 unionized employees.
March 26, 2006
Meissner soars to world skating title; Cohen third
March 31, 2006
Major League Baseball to Investigate Steroid Use (March 31): Commissioner Bud Selig asks former U.S. senator George Mitchell, who is on the board of the Boston Red Sox, to head an inquiry into steroid use by players.
March 31, 2006
The Departed wins the Academy Award for Best Picture.
April 6, 2006
Scientists Discover Important Fossil (April 6): A group of scientists report finding the fossil of a 375-million-year-old fish that has early signs of limbs. The fossil suggests the missing link between fish and land animals.
April 20, 2006
Iraq Sees Progress in Formation of a Government (April 20): Facing pressure from the U.S. and the leaders of Iraq's political groups, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari ends his fight to remain in power. (April 21): Leaders of the Shiite alliance select Nuri al-Maliki to be prime minister. (April 22): Parliament votes to retain President Jalal Talabani.
April 30, 2006
Peace Agreement Reached in Sudan (April 30): The Sudan government accepts terms of peace agreement to end the violence in Darfur, but two of the three rebel groups reject the plan. All parties, however, agree to extend the deadline for a resolution.
April 31, 2006
March, by Geraldine Brooks, wins the Pulitzer Prize for Novels
May 15, 2006
Hussein Charged with Crimes Against Humanity (May 15): Panel of judges indicts former Iraqi president Hussein on charges of crimes against humanity. Ruling is part of his trial that focuses on the execution of about 150 Shiites in Dujail in 1982.
May 18, 2006
House Votes to End Incentives to Oil Companies (May 18): Votes, 252-165, in favor of renegotiating contracts with oil and gas producers that allow them to avoid paying about $7 billion annually in royalties to the government when they drill in public waters.
June 28, 2006
Mid-Atlantic Region Endures Worst Flooding in Decades (June 28): After days of drenching rain, rivers overflow their banks from Virginia to central New York. About 200,000 residents are evacuated from the Wilkes-Barre, Pa., area, and thousands more elsewhere in the region.
July 12, 2006
Russia and China Agree with West on Iran (July 12): Countries say they will join the United States and Europe in seeking a Security Council resolution against Iran if it does not respond to an offer of financial incentives if it halts its nuclear activities. Both countries had previously resisted such a move.
July 18, 2006
Hundreds Die in Tsunami (July 18): More than 800 people die when an undersea earthquake hits off the coast of Java, Indonesia.
August 7, 2006
U.S. Oil Field Is Shut Down (Aug. 7): BP is forced to close its operations in Prudhoe Bay, the country's largest oil field, when corrosion is discovered in a pipeline. The field normally produces about 400,000 barrels of oil a day. Gas prices increase as much as 5 cents a gallon.
August 13, 2006
North Korea enters Nuclear Age
August 24, 2006
Pluto Is Demoted (Aug. 24): The International Astronomical Union votes to redefine the solar system, and Pluto loses its status as a planet. It is reclassified as a dwarf planet.
September 9, 2006
Shuttle Lifts Off (Sept. 9): Atlantis takes off after several postponements caused by bad weather and mechanical issues. Crew of six will work on the International Space Station. (Sept. 21): Shuttle lands at Cape Canaveral, Fla., after a successful 12-day mission
October 31, 2006
NASA Approves Mission to Repair Hubble Telescope (Oct. 31): Astronauts will fix and upgrade the telescope during a 11-day mission in 2008.
October 31, 2006
Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank win the Nobel Peace Prize
November 8, 2006
Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary (Nov. 8): A day after a majority of American voters voiced their opposition to the war in Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld announces his resignation as U.S. Secretary of Defense. President Bush nominates Robert Gates, the former chief of the CIA, as his successor.
December 31, 2006
The average cost of a gallon of gas was $2.59
December 31, 2006
The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series.