The year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year of the Gregorian Calendar and began on a Thursday and ended on a Friday.

During the year, a number of international political developments occurred. Pervez Musharraf won a vote of confidence to remain the president of Pakistan until 2007, while Vladimir Putin was elected to a second term as President of Russia and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain christened the largest passenger ship ever, the RMS Queen Mary 2, prior to her maiden voyage.

Meanwhile, the United States lifted a 23-year trade ban with Libya. TheCIA admitted that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was touted as the primary reason for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/06/iraq.wmd.report/ George W. Bush, President oft the United States since 2000, beat John Kerry of the Democratic Party to be elected to a second term as President of the United States. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, died in June of 2004.http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/reagan.health/

Enormously popular Social networking website Facebook was founded in February of 2004, while the third and final film of the Lord of the Rings series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, won a record-equaling 11 Academy Awards.http://movies.about.com/cs/miscellanous/a/oscars012704.htm

In sports, American Lance Armstrong won his 6th Tour de France Cycling Championship, and the Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, which marked a historic return to the originating country of the ancient Olympics.http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Lance-Armstrong-2004-Tour-de-France-Six-Time-Tour-de-France-Winner-Posters_i986037_.htm

On December 26, one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent history occurred after a tsunami struck Asia, killing an estimated 225,000 people.

• January 5: Former Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose publicly admits to gambling on baseball during his career.
• January 14: Enron finance chief Andrew Fastow pleads guilty to conspiracy charges and is sentenced to 10 years in prison.

• February 1: During the Super Bowl halftime show, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson were involved in a "wardrobe malfunction" where Jackson's breast was exposed. The incident sparked outrage and a record fine was handed out by the FCC.

• March 2: Coordinated blasts kill 181 religious pilgrims in Karbala and Baghdad Iraq.

• March 11: The commuter rail network in Madrid, Spain was bombed, killing 191 people and wounding more than 2,000 in an attack linked to Al Qaeda.

• April 28: The first images from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal were shown to the public on 60 Minutes.
• April 29: The 9-11 Commission meets with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in a closed door meeting.
• April 30: Former Pop music star Michael Jackson pleads "not guilty" in court on charges of child molestation, he was later acquitted

• May 18: Massachusetts became the first state to legalize Gay Marriage in the United States.
• May 28: Ayad Allawi was chose by the The Iraqi Governing Council as Iraq's interim Prime Minister.

• June 9: The FCC agreed to a record $1.75 million settlement with Clear Channel to resolve indecency complaints against Howard Stern and other radio personalities.
• June 18: European Union leaders agreed on their first constitution.

• July 4: The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid at the World Trade Center site.
• July 7: Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay was indicted on criminal charges related to the energy company's collapse.
• July 8: John Rigas founder of Adelphia was convicted for deceiving investors.
• July 9: The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's planned barrier in the West Bank barrier violated international law.
• July 9: A Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the CIA had provided unfounded assessments relied upon by the Bush administration to justify going to war with Iraq.
• July 16: Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison for her role in insider trading.
• July 28: The Democratic National Convention in Boston nominated Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for president.

• September 1: The Beslan school hostage crisis begins when a group of men demanding the end to the Second Chechen War take 1,100 people hostage inside a school in North Ossetia-Alania
• September 3: The Beslan School Hostage Crisis ends in Beslan, Russia with the grim result of 344 deaths.
• September 18: Pop singer Britney Spears marries dancer Kevin Federline in his backyard in Studio City, California. The couple would later divorce in 2007.
• September 23: Hurricane Jeanne hits Haiti killing over 1,000 people.
• September 30: Pharmaceutical giant Merck pulled the arthritis drug Vioxx off the market after a study found that it increases the chance of heart attack and Strokes

• October 6: Top United States weapons inspector Charles Duelfer releases a report which concluded that there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein and Iraq had no Weapons of Mass Destruction, and none had been produced any since 1991.
• October 19: CARE International director Margaret Hassan was abducted in Iraq and later killed.
• October 20: U.S. Army staff sergeant Ivan Frederick pleads guilty for his role in the Abu Ghraib Prison abuse scandal. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
• October 26: The Israel parliament approve Ariel Sharon's plan of withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and The West Bank.
• October 29: European Union leaders sign their first constitution

• November 2: George W. Bush re-elected for a 2nd term as President of the United States by defeating John Kerry in the 2004 General Elections.
• November 3: Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election.
• November 19: Ron Artest and other members of the Indiana Pacers jump into the crowd in Detroit and begin a brawl with fans and members of the Detroit Pistons.
• November 22: Supporters of Victor Yushchenko jammed into the streets of Kiev,

• December 1: The Tom Brokaw era of the NBC Nightly News comes to an end after 22 years. Brian Williams takes over the next day.

• April 27 - Apple Martin
• June 13 - Coco Arquette

• Apr. 22: Pat Tillman - U.S. Army Ranger
• Jun. 05: Ronald Reagan - Frm. USA President
• Jul. 01: Marlon Brando - On The Waterfront
• Oct. 05: Rodney Dangerfield - Caddyshack
• Nov. 11: Yasser Arafat
• Nov. 13: Ol' Dirty Bastard - Musician

• Jan. 03: OutKast - Hey Ya!
• Feb. 14: OutKast - The Way You Move
• Feb. 21: Twista - Slow Jamz
• Feb. 28: Usher - Yeah!
• May 22: Usher - Burn
• Jul. 10: Fantasia - I Believe
• Jul. 17: Usher - Burn
• Jul. 24: Usher - Confessions Part II
• Aug. 07: Juvenile - Slow Motion
• Aug. 21: Terror Squad - Lean Back
• Sep. 11: Ciara - Goodies
• Oct. 30: Usher / Alicia Keys - My Boo
• Dec. 11: Snoop Dogg - Drop it Like its Hot Billboard: Historical Billboard Charts

1. Shrek 2
2. Spider-Man 2
3. The Passion of the Christ
4. Meet The Fockers
5. The Incredibles
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
7. The Day After Tomorrow
8. The Bourne Supremacy
9. National Treasure
10. The Polar Express Box Office Mojo: Top Grossing Films of 2004

• Presented: February 27, 2005
• Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby
• Lead Actor: Jamie Foxx in Ray
• Lead Actress: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
• Best Director: Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby
• Best Documentary: Born into Brothels

• Stanley Cup - NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning
• World Series - MLB: Boston Red Sox
• Super Bowl - NFL: New England Patriots
• NBA Finals - NBA: Detroit Pistons

• NHL MVP - Martin St. Louis, TB
• NFL MVP - Peyton Manning, IND
• NBA MVP - Kevin Garnett, MIN
• MLB AL MVP - Vladimir Guerrero, LAA
• MLB NL MVP - Barry Bonds, SF

• Peace: Wangari Muta Maathai
• Physics: Gross, Politzer, Wilczek
• Chemistry: Ciechanover, Hershko, Rose
• Medicine: Richard Axel, Linda Buck
• Literature: Elfriede Jelinek
• Economics: Kydland, PrescottNobelPrize.org: 2004 Nobel Prize Winners