2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, [1] and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). NASA made history by landing its first rover on Mars, and Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Understanding the Context

2004 was also the year that Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, and Kanye West debuted his groundbreaking album, “The College Dropout.” 2004: Facts & Events That Happened in This Year - The Fact Site In 2004, Shrek 2 was the biggest film of the year in the US. 2. While Spider-Man 2 and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were the second and fourth highest-grossing films of the year. 3....

Key Insights

Search the largest and most accurate independent site for today in history. What happened and who was famous in 2004? Browse important and historic events, world leaders, famous birthdays and notable deaths from the year 2004. The next era of web technology starts in 2004 — when Flickr and Gmail launch, blogging plus RSS becomes the new social software, Google IPOs, and the first Web 2.0 Conference happens. Relive the full Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens (Greece) that took place in the Olympic Stadium in Marousi!

Final Thoughts

The guiding themes of this epic Opening Ceremon...more. See... 23rd October » A powerful 2004 Chūetsu earthquake named earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata prefecture, northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.