2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama proposes vast expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine Reserve, increasing the protected ocean area to over 780,000 square miles within nautical boundaries of U.S. Pacific territories 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 Dubai International Airport beat London Heathrow Airport in the first quarter of this year as the world's busiest international airport; Dubai Airport hopes to retain this position after a series of expansion projects are completed 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 2011 Event The Nobel Prize for Physics is awarded to Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam Riess, for their work on the accelerating expansion of the universe 1997 Event Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays expansion draft 1997 Event Major League Soccer announces Miami and Chicago expansion 1995 Event 1st meeting of NBA expansion teams, Raptors beat Grizzlies 93-81 1993 Event NFL announces new expansion team, Carolina Panthers in Charlotte 1993 Event New expansion NHL team, owned by Disney, is named the Mighty Ducks 1992 Event Blue Jay Nigel Wilson is 1st pick of Marlins in expansion draft 1992 Event Tampa Bay Lightning become 1st NHL expansion team to win opener (7-2) 1990 Event NL releases short list of teams for 1993 NL expansion 1990 Event NL announces Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Washington D.C. as 6 finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami and Denver win) 1988 Event Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat begin their NBA expansion draft 1987 Event NBA announces expansion to Charlotte North Carolina and Miami Florida in 1988 and Minneapolis Minnesota and Orlando Florida in 1989 1969 Event Expansion teams Royals, Expos, Padres and Pilots win their 1st games 1968 Event AL expansion draft, Kansas City pick Roger Nelson and Pilots pick Don Mincher 1st 1968 Event In NL expansion draft, Expos and Padres choose 30 players each 1968 Event NL owners approve expansion for 2 new teams 1967 Event Pacific Northwest Sports awarded AL expansion franchise (Seattle) 1967 Event Seattle awarded one of the 2 AL expansion franchise teams 1967 Event NL owners OK AL expansion to Seattle and Kansas City 1966 Event Wisc State Circuit Court Judge Elmer W. Roller rules either the Braves stay in Milwaukee or NL must promise Wisconsin an expansion team for 1966 1965 Event AFL awards its 1st expansion franchise (Miami Dolphins) 1961 Event Expansion draft to stock Houston Astros and New York Mets 1961 Event Expansion Washington Senators are 30-30, latest date an expansion team will be at .500, Washington will lose their next 10 games 1960 Event Expansion LA Angels sign a 4 year lease to use Dodger Stadium 1960 Event Charlie Finley, makes a bid to purchase expansion LA Angels 1942 Event Battle of Coral Sea ends stopping Japanese expansion 1941 Event U.S. president Roosevelt signs Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act
