Year by year · 21st century
2004
2004 in world history: 12 events, 11 deaths and 1 work. 187 recorded states existed that year.
Events
NASA's Stardust probe flies through the tail of comet Wild 2
Stardust passed within about 240 km of comet Wild 2's nucleus, collecting dust in blocks of aerogel. The samples, returned to Earth in 2006, were the first material ever brought back from a comet.
NASA's Spirit rover lands in Mars's Gusev Crater
Cushioned by airbags, Spirit bounced to a halt on Mars on the evening of 3 January, US time. Planned to last 90 days, it explored for over six years and found evidence of past water.
Mark Zuckerberg launches 'TheFacebook' at Harvard
The Harvard student launched a social network for fellow students. Opened to the public in 2006, Facebook grew to billions of users and transformed how people share news and personal life.
Event
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a powerful Atlantic hurricane that struck the Caribbean and the United States in September 2004.
Event
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics were held in Athens from 13 to 29 August 2004, bringing the Games back to the city of the first modern Olympics of 1896.
In the profiles
Republic of LithuaniaLithuania joins NATO and the European Union
Republic of EstoniaEstonia joins NATO and the European Union
Republic of LatviaLatvia joins NATO and the European Union
United Arab EmiratesZayed dies and is succeeded by Khalifa bin Zayed
Republic of YemenThe first of six wars against the Houthi movement begins in Saada
IndonesiaFirst direct presidential election; the Indian Ocean tsunami devastates Aceh
Died in 2004 11
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan1918–2004
Hussein Badreddin al-Houthid. 2004
Ronald Reagan1911–2004- John Howland Rowe1918–2004
José López Portillo1920–2004
Juliana of the Netherlands1909–2004
P. V. Narasimha Rao1921–2004- David Oates1927–2004
- Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara1920–2004
- Theo van Gogh (film director)1957–2004
- Yasser Arafat1929–2004
Works 1
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). 2004. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2004
- MLA
- “2004.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2004. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “2004.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2004.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘2004’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2004 (Accessed: ).