January 1 Bulgaria joins the European Union January 1 Romania joins the European Union January 1 Slovenia begins using the Euro as it's currency January 3 Gerald Ford is buried in Grand Rapids, Michigan January 4 Nancy Pelosi is elected Speaker of the House, by a vote of 233-202 January 9 Apple Computer unveils the revolutionary iPhone January 11 Vietnam becomes the 150th member of the World Trade Organization January 30 Microsoft releases Windows Vista February 25 79th Academy Awards hosted by Ellen DeGeneres in Hollywood February 25 'The Departed' wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards March 6 Mega Millions has the highest lottery jackpot ever, $370 million dollars April 2 8.1 earthquake triggers tsunami in the Solomon Islands May 6 Nicolas Sarkozy wins the French presidential election June 8 Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-117, begins mission July 4 BBC journalist Alan Johnston is freed by Palestinian kidnappers July 8 Boeing launches it's newest aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner July 16 Earthquake in Japan damages nuclear power plan releasing 300 gallons of radioactive water August 14 Multiple suicide bombings kill over 550 people in Qahtaniya, Iraq August 15 8.0 Earthquake in Peru kills over 500 people, injures over 1,500 September 13 Burj Dubai becomes the world's largest structure October 8 Marion Jones gives up 5 Olympic medals after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs November 5 Writers Guild of American goes on strike November 14 7.7 Earthquake in northern Chile December 27 Benazir Bhutto is assassinated by a bomb blast in Rawalpindi, Pakistan
