2015 Event After a credit rating downgrade to 'junk' by Standard & Poor's, Brazil implements a $17 billion austerity package that will eliminate ten government ministries, cut public spending, and halt both hiring and salary increases in the public sector 2015 Event Puerto Rico fails to make a $58 billion debt payment on bonds issued by the Public Finance Corporation; Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla warned creditors in June that debt restructuring will be needed to keep the government afloat 2015 Event NASA's New Horizons probe reestablishes contact to transmit the first close photos of Pluto and its moons; the probe launched in 2006 and has traveled over 3 billion miles; it will continue transmitting data for the next 16 months 2015 Event Greece and its creditors agree to a bailout of up to 86 billion euros in exchange for economic reforms to include changes to the pension system and tax laws; the Greek Parliament must still approve the deal 2015 Event Health insurance company Aetna announces that it will pay $37 billion for Humana in a combination of stock and cash; the new company will be better positioned to compete against larger rivals such as Anthem 2015 Event British Petroleum (BP) reaches a settlement with U.S. federal, state and local government entities regarding damages from its Deepwater Horizon rig explosion five years ago; BP will pay USD $18 billion through the year 2030 2015 Event Debt rating company Moody's downgrades Greece to a Caa3 rating after the country misses its $1.6 billion payment to the IMF; Greek citizens will vote July 5th on whether to accept austerity conditions in exchange for bailout funds 2015 Event Greece misses its $1.8 billion debt payment to the IMF after a bailout extension request was denied; Greek leaders had rejected making reforms in exchange for the funds, but Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is now willing to negotiate 2015 Event The Greek Parliament votes in favor of holding a referendum on July 5th regarding whether the country should accept reforms in exchange for continued bailouts; current bailouts expire on June 30th, the day that a $1.8 billion debt payment is due 2015 Event CVS Health will pay $1.6 billion to take over the pharmacy and clinic business of Target; CVS will continue existing operations within the Target stores 2015 Event Nokia announces that it will purchase Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 billion, creating the second-largest manufacturer of mobile communication products behind Ericsson 2014 Event American pet supply retailer PetSmart agrees to be purchased by private equity firm BC Partners for $8.7 billion 2014 Event NASA awakens its New Horizons craft from hibernation for the last time; the vessel was launched 9 years ago to travel over 3 billion miles to Pluto and will be within range to begin data collection on the planet in January 2015 2014 Event Several nations have pledged financial support to rebuild Gaza after destruction resulting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the summer; commitments include an immediate $212 million U.S. donation and a $1 billion pledge from Qatar 2014 Event The Buffalo Bills are being sold to businessman Terry Pegula for $1.4 billion, the highest price paid in history for an NFL team; previously owner Ralph Wilson, now deceased, paid $25,000 in 1959 2014 Event Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange; its pre-IPO market valuation of almost $168 billion exceeds that of American e-commerce giant Amazon by over $17 billion 2014 Event NASA outsources its role in space travel by awarding a $4.2 billion contract to Boeing and a $2.6 billion contract to Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to shuttle astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station 2014 Event Microsoft Corp. is planning to buy Mojang, the company that created the video game Minecraft; the purchase price would likely exceed $2 billion 2014 Event Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announces second-quarter earnings of over $1.1 billion , more than twice the combined income of U.S e-commerce giants Amazon and Ebay; Alibaba will issue its U.S. IPO in mid-September 2014 Event Burger King Worldwide Inc. will purchase Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons Inc. and move its headquarters to Canada; Burger King will pay a little over $11 billion in U.S. dollars, and the merger will create the third-largest global fast food company 2014 Event Over 1.2 billion security credentials have been stolen in a Russian-led hacking ring; data was stolen from over 420,000 websites, but the websites and victim names have not yet been disclosed 2014 Event Portuguese officials move to rescue Banco Espirito Santo from collapse by offering $6.6 billion ($4.9 billion euros) in funding 2014 Event Bank of America must pay $1.3 billion in a civil lawsuit over fraud committed by lending unit Countrywide Financial, which operated a scheme nicknamed 'Hustle' that resulted in large numbers of unsubstantiated mortgages during 2007-2008 2014 Event Real estate website company Zillow will buy rival Trulia for $3.5 billion in stock; the company will dominate the market for online searches of real estate 2014 Event Discount store Dollar Tree will buy rival Family Dollar for $8.5 billion; the merged company is expected to generate revenue in line with competitor Dollar General 2014 Event Tobacco company R. J. Reynolds must pay over $23 billion in resolution of a lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who died from lung cancer at age 36; the suit accused the company of hiding the health risks and habit-forming nature of cigarettes 2014 Event Time Warner, Inc. may be offered $75 billion by Twenty-First Century Fox in a proposed merger deal that would create the world's largest media company; Time Warner rejected an earlier proposal by Fox 2014 Event The Obama administration requests $3.7 billion to address a flood of children crossing the U.S. border unaccompanied by adults; the children are to be returned to their home countries 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama requests $2 billion for emergency measures to address illegal immigration and enhance security at the border with Mexico; thousands of children have been caught in the last 8 months crossing the border without adults 2014 Event Online travel reservation company Priceline has purchased online restaurant reservation company OpenTable, offering market expansion opportunities for both companies; Priceline paid $2.6 billion for the acquisition 2014 Event Donald Sterling, the owner of the L.A. Clippers who was banned from the NBA after racist remarks, has changed his mind on allowing sale of the team to Microsoft ex-CEO Steve Balmer; instead, Sterling has revived his $1 billion lawsuit agains the NBA 2014 Event Spain will increase spending in an $8.2 billion program aimed to stimulate economic growth; the country has been working to overcome an unemployment rate of 25%, but recent reports have shown an encouraging decline in jobless claims 2014 Event Shelly Sterling, Donald Sterling's wife and co-owner of the L.A. Clippers, plans to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion; the sale depends on approval from the NBA and Donald 2014 Event Music curator and headphone maker Beats Electronics will become the latest acquisition of Apple, Inc.; Apple will pay $3 billion for the music company, started by music producer Jimmy Iovine and rap artist Dr. Dre 2014 Event Bayer strengthens its position in consumer healthcare after winning Merck's consumer-focused business unit at auction for $14.2 billion 2014 Event Drug maker Pfizer, Inc. has raised its offer to buy AstraZeneca Plc; the current offer of over 63 billion pounds was made after AstraZeneca rejected Pfizer's offer of 58.8 billion pounds in January 2014 Event Greece returns to the bond market today with 5-year bonds at a coupon rate of 4.75 percent; international sales of 3 billion euros exceeded the nation's expectations 2014 Event Bill Gates is named the world's richest person in the 'Forbes' annual ranking, with a total net worth of $76 billion; he outranked last year's wealthiest person, Carlos Slim, by $4 billion 2014 Event The Brazilian government plans to cut its spending by almost $19 billion this year in an effort to reduce the country's debt and inflation growth; economists have revised current year GDP and next year's growth forecast downward in recent weeks 2014 Event As part of its increasing move into mobile presence, Facebook announces that it will purchase WhatsApp for $19 billion; younger users seem to prefer communicating with mobile apps, which allow them to avoid cell phone texting charges 2014 Event Coca Cola Company announces that it plans to reduce its costs by $1 billion over the next few years in an effort to counteract slowing demand 2014 Event The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, now the world's largest solar energy plant, opens in the Mojave Desert; the $2.2 billion plant, owned by Google, NRG Energy, and BrightSource energy, spans five square miles and can provide power to 140,000 homes 2014 Event Scientists from Australian National University observe the oldest star in the universe for the first time. The star, located 6,000 light years from Earth, serves as a fingerprint of the first stars in the universe; it is believed to be 13.7 billion years old 2014 Event The U.S. Congress will as for $4.5 billion for additional missile defense spending over the next five years; the funds would partially pay for new radar in Alaska, indicating safety concerns regarding missiles from Iran and North Korea 2014 Event A bill to restore jobless benefits for the unemployed fails in the U.S. Senate; the benefits, a 3-month extension for 1.3 million unemployed will cost $6 billion; Democrats did not satisfy Republican request for a solid plan on how to pay for it 2014 Event Strong quarterly earnings cause Facebook stock to rise 16 percent; the company boasts 755 million active users, and its ad revenue increased by 76 percent year over year to $2.34 billion 2014 Event Google sells Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion after purchasing it three years ago for $12.5 billion, and selling off it's cable-box division for $2.4 billion 2014 Event The U.S House of Representatives and Senate finalized a long-delayed farm bill designed to cut $19 billion in farm subsidies, and reduce the $8 billion spent on food stamps over the next ten years 2014 Event Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announces plans to raise the price of gas to 17 cents from 6 cents; the country's annual gas subsidy's cost $12 billion, too much to bear when facing 50 percent inflation and dwindled cash reserves 2014 Event Expansion plans for the Panama Canal are paused so Grupo Unidos por el Canal, the group behind the project, can seek more funding for the $3.2 billion project 2014 Event The U.S. Senate votes to renew jobless benefits for 1.3 million Americans; the bill,calling for a three-month extension, will not be approved unless House Democrats agree to deal to cover $6 billion dollar cost without adding to the federal debt 2014 Event According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the net worth of the 300 richest people in the world collectively increased by $524 billion; the group has an aggregate net worth of $3.7 trillion 2013 Event Saudi Arabia's government agrees to give Lebanon $3 billion to strengthen Lebanon's army and purchase weapons from France 2013 Event Six banks are fined $2.3 billion after the European Commission determines they rigged interest rates 2013 Event A $3.4 billion takeover bid by American global food-processing giant Archer Daniels Midland for GrainCorp, an Australian agribusiness, is rejected by Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey 2013 Event The USS Gerald R. Ford is christened by the U.S. Navy; the aircraft carrier cost $15.5 billion and technically the most advanced ship ever built 2013 Event A private collection of 1,500 works of art plundered by the Nazi's and discovered in a Munich apartment in 2012, has an estimated worth of $1 billion; lost works include paintings by Matisse, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall and Picasso 2013 Event JPMorgan Chase tentatively settles on paying $13 billion to the U.S. Department of Justice for its role in selling bad mortgage loans to investors, which added to the Suprime mortgage crisis 2013 Event As part of a strategy to focus on growth products, thrombosis drug brands manufactured by the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company is sold to Aspen Pharmacare for $1.13 billion 2013 Event Concerned over weakening growth in the economy, the U.S. Federal Reserve announces plans to continue its stimulus program, which injects $85 billion a month into the the U.S. economy 2013 Event The mobile division of Nokia is purchased by Microsoft for $7.2 billion 2013 Event Detroit, Michigan files the largest municipal bankruptcy in history; the city of Detroit seeks CHapter 9 bankruptcy protection and is $18.5 billion in debt 2013 Event Despite concerns that Greece's government is reforming too slowly, European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF gives Greece an additional 6.2 billion euros 2013 Event The biggest version of Boeing's Dreamliner plane, the 787-10, debuts at the Paris Air show; over 100 orders, worth over $30 billion, are placed 2013 Event Shuanghui, a Chinese meat processing company, buys Smithfield Foods for $4.72 billion; Smithfield was the world's largest meat processing company 2013 Event The U.S. launches ta $6 billion money laundering prosecution against Liberty Reserve, a Costa Rican currency-transfer and payment-processing company 2013 Event The oldest water ever found is discovered in a Canadian mine; the water dates back 2.6 billion years 2013 Event The largest-ever non-bank bond offering is initiated by Apple, Inc., for $17 billion 2013 Event As part of its effort to protect America from an attack by North Korea, the U.S. invests $1 billion in ground-based missile interceptors on the West Coast 2013 Event With a personal fortune of $73 billion dollars, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim, tops the list of the 'Forbes' list of wealthiest people 2013 Event Founder Michael Dell leads a consortium that announced plans to take Dell private with a $24.4 billion leveraged buyout deal - the largest buyout seen since the recession 2013 Event In a major effort to reduce dependency on Russian gas imports, the government of Ukraine signs a $10 billion shale gas deal with Royal Dutch Shell 2013 Event The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimates at least 17 billion planets exist that are comparable to the size of the Earth and the Milky Way 2012 Event Toyota Motor Corporation agrees to pay $1 billion to settle over a dozen lawsuits related to sudden acceleration 2012 Event UBS becomes the second bank after Barclays, to be fined for attempting to manipulate the Libor interbank lending rate; the company is fined $1.5 billion 2012 Event George Lucas sells Lucasfilm Ltd. to the Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion; the sale includes the rights to the 'Indiana Jones' and 'Star Wars' franchises 2012 Event A report from the European Commission on the need for increased safety at Europe's 134 power station nuclear reactors will cost 10 to 25 billion euros 2012 Event A California state jury rules that Samsung electronics owes Apple Inc. over $1 billion for patent infringement 2012 Event President of France, Francois Holland finalizes a deal with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara to forgive $4.7 billion dollars in debt incurred by the Ivory Coast when it was a French Colonial Power 2012 Event The Philippines lends $1 billion to the International Monetary Fund 2012 Event Spain confirms its receipt of over 100 billion euros in loans to help manage the needs of its struggling banks 2012 Event Yahoo! sells off its stake in Alibaba Group for $7.1 billion 2012 Event U.S. company Google, Inc., announces its 2012 first quarter earnings rose by more than 24%, and net profits increased to $8.14 billion 2012 Event The American company Apple, Inc. announces it is worth over $600 billion dollars, making the technology company the largest in the world by market capitalization 2012 Event Facebook purchases Instagram, a photo sharing application, for $1 billion 2012 Event The U.S. Census Bureau reports the world now has 7 billion people 2012 Event Procter & Gamble sells Pringles to the Kellogg Company for $2.7 billion 2012 Event Apple, Inc. reports over 37 million iPhones and over 15 million iPads were sold during the 2011 fourth quarter; the company generated over $127 billion in revenue 2011 Event Consumers spend over $30 billion on online holiday shopping in the U.S., a 15 percent increase over last year 2011 Event According to the U.N. Population Division, the world population has reached seven billion people 2011 Event Japan's government announces they require a $157 billion additional budged to cover costs for recovering from the tsunami and earthquake in March 2011 2011 Event The El Paso natural gas exploration and pipeline company is purchased by Kinder Morgan for $21.1 billion in cash and stock 2011 Event The Bank of England pumps an additional 75 billion pounds into the British economy via quantitative easing 2011 Event Sprint Nextel reportedly pays $20 billion for the exclusive rights to Apple's next mobile cell phone 2011 Event Following the turmoil of the Arab Spring G8 nations pledge $40 billion to help Arab countries reconstruct and implement democracy 2011 Event Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway announces it will invest $5 billion in Bank of America 2011 Event The world's potentially oldest fossils, thought to be 3.4 billion years old, are found in the Strelley Pool rock formation in Western Australia's outback 2011 Event The European Union approves a $110.8 billion (78 billion euro) bailout package for Portugal 2011 Event April exports for the People's Republic of China reach an all-time monthly hight of $155.69 billion 2011 Event Microsoft announces it plans to purchase Skype, an Internet phone service, for $8.5 billion 2011 Event The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) states it could save $5.5 billion in 30 years if dollar bills are replaced with coins 2011 Event China reports its trade surplus for January is $6.5 billion; the figure is less than expected 2011 Event A $28 billion merger between Comcast and NBC Universal is approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission 2011 Event With news that Facebook received investments of $500 million, analysts estimate the value of the company at $50 billion 2010 Event Italy's plan to ban plastic bags goes into effect; the country was using 20 billion plastic bags a year - about 300 per person 2010 Event Lawyers for Allen Stanford, a man charged with running a $7 billion ponzi scheme, seek to postpone his trial for two years 2010 Event Ireland presents its 15 billion euro austerity package to secure a financial bailout from European Union and the International Monetary Fund 2010 Event A substantially large oil field that is estimated to contain between 8 and 15 billion barrels, is discovered off the coast of Brazil 2010 Event Japan's government approves a $60 billion economic stimulus package 2010 Event In response to the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, BP agrees to finance a $20 billion fund to compensate those whose livelihood has been damaged 2010 Event The European Union and International Monetary Fund present Greece with 120 billion Euro bailout package to help rid them of their sovereign debt 2010 Event Germany and the European Union deny planning a 20 - 25 billion euro financial aid plan for Greece 2010 Event The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced foreign direct investment into China has risen for the sixth consecutive month, up $8.3 billion year-on-year 2009 Event Cuban and Venezuelan leaders sign over $3.2 billion worth of trade and cooperation agreements 2009 Death Norman Borlaug, humanitarian, agronomist, discoveries saved one billion lives worldwide, winner, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing contributions to world peace for methods to increase food supply, awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, dies 2008 Event President George W. Bush signs the 700 billion dollar TARP program into law 2006 Event Google buys YouTube.com for $1.6 billion 2006 Event Warren Buffett donates $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2004 Event Hurricane Frances hits Florida, causing $40 billion in damage. 1998 Event U.S. movie box office hits record $6.24 billion for year 1998 Event U.S. movie box office hits quickest $1 billion for year (51 days) 1998 Event CBS pays $4 billion to televise AFC games for 8-years 1997 Event For 1st time U.S. movie box office receipts pass $6 billion 1997 Event Ted Turner gives $1 billion to the United Nations 1997 Event Dow Corning provides $295 billion to settle breast implant suits 1995 Event Forbes Mag announces Bill Gates is the richest man in world, worth$12.9 billion dollars 1995 Event Population of People's Republic of China hits 1.2 billion 1995 Event Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (est 15 billion light years away) 1993 Event Mars Observer takes 1st photo of Mars, from 5 billion km 1992 Event Nor'easter storm hits NY, doing 1 billion dollars worth of damage 1992 Death John Myhers, director/actor (Billion Dollar Hobo), dies at 70 1991 Event 95 share in Madrid Spain $1.3 billion lottery (#47996) 1991 Event General Motors announces 9 month loss of $2.2 billion 1991 Event U.S. forgives $2 billion in loans to Poland 1990 Event Matsushita purchases MCA for $6.6 billion 1990 Event Cost of rescuing savings and loan failures is put at up to $130 billion 1989 Event Sony purchases Columbia Pictures for $3.4 billion cash 1989 Event U.S. bust Chinese ring, capture record 820 lbs heroin ($1 Billion street value) 1988 Event Phillip Morris announces $11 Billion tender offer for Kraft 1988 Event U.N. estimates Asia's population hits 3 billion 1988 Event FDIC bails out 1st Republic Bank, Dallas, with $4 billion 1988 Event Jordan cancels $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank 1988 Event 4 Billion tv-viewers watch Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute 1987 Event 15-years old boy hijacks KLM B737, demands $1 billion 1987 Event Chrysler Corp offered to buy American Motors Corp for $1 billion 1987 Event Japan 1st exceeds military spending cap of 1% of GNP ($23 billion) 1983 Event U.S. and U.S.S.R. sign $10 billion grain pact 1983 Event Washington Public Power Supply System defaulted $2.25 billion 1983 Event President Reagan signs $165 billion Social Security rescue 1982 Event IMF lends Mexico $3.8 billion due to threatened bankrupcy 1982 Event China announces its population at 1 billion people plus 1982 Event AT and T looses record $7 BILLION for fiscal year ending on this day 1981 Event U.S. furnish $1 billion in arms to Saudi-Arabia 1981 Event Iran accepts U.S. offer of $7.9 billion in frozen assets 1980 Event Iran requests $24 billion in U.S. guarantees to free hostages 1979 Event Federal government makes a $1.5 billion loan to Chrysler 1979 Event Sid Bernstein offers $ billion for a Beatle reunion 1976 Event Teton Dam in Idaho burst causing $1 billion damage, 14 die 1975 Event University of California reports galaxy 3C123 at 8 billion light years distance 1975 Event House of Representatives pass $21.3 billion anti-recession tax-cut bill 1971 Event South Africa national debt hits 5.45 billion 1965 Birthday Michael Dell, born in Houston, Texas, businessman, founder of Dell, Inc., philanthropist, named 'Inc.' magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year, worth over $12 billion 1964 Event IMF grants Great Britain credit of $1 billion 1964 Event Lyndon Baines Johnson signs anti-poverty measure totaling nearly $1 billion 1962 Event U.N. announces Earth population has hit 3 billion 1962 Event U.S. stock market drops $20.8 billion in 1 day 1961 Event Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion 1961 Event Largest check issued, National Bank of Chicago to Sears ($960.242 billion) 1957 Birthday Mukesh Ambani, born in Aden, Yemen, Indian business tycoon, largest shareholder and managing director of Reliance Industries, worth over $29 billion 1956 Birthday David Copperfield, born in Metuchen, New Jersey, illusionist, history's most successful commercial magician, sold over 40 million tickets, grossed over $1 billion 1955 Birthday Evan Bayh, born in Shirkieville, Indiana, politician, Democrat, U.S. Senator from Indiana, 46th Governor of Indiana, implemented a historic $1.6 billion tax cut for Indiana 1955 Event Hurricane Diane kills 200 and 1st billion $ damage storm (N.E. U.S.) 1955 Event Hurricane Diane, following hurricane Connie floods Connecticut River killing 190 and doing $1.8 billion damage 1955 Event Salk polio vaccine safe and effective; 4 billion dimes marched 1953 Birthday Paul Allen, born in Seattle, Washington, co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, worth $10 billion, 'Time' magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World 1952 Birthday Philip Green, born in Croyden, England, businessman, owns large retail stores including Arcadia Group, 9th richest person in Britain, worth over $4 billion 1951 Event Israel demands DM 6.2 billion compensation from Germany 1946 Event "Billion Dollar Baby" closes at Alvin Theater New York City after 219 performances 1945 Event "Billion Dollar Baby" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 219 performances 1945 Event Gould/Comden/Green's "Billion Dollar Baby," premieres in New York City 1938 Event German and Austrian Jewish suffer 1 billion Mark damage in nazi 1933 Event 2 billion board feet of lumber destroyed in Tillamook Oregon fire 1930 Event U.S. tobacco industry produced 123 billion cigarettes in 1930 1914 Birthday Norman Borlaug, born in Cresco, Iowa, humanitarian, agronomist, discoveries saved one billion lives worldwide, winner, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing contributions to world peace for methods to increase food supply, awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom 1910 Event U.S. tobacco industry produced 9 billion cigarettes in 1910 1891 Event 52nd Congress (1st to appropriate $1 billion) holds 1st session
