Where did the time go? Here is a [quick] recap:
2000: Terrorists attack the USS Cole. The presidential election recount drags on more than a month until Vice President Gore concedes to George W. Bush.
2001: The dot-com tech bubble bursts. Nearly 3,000 people are killed in the 9/11 attacks. The anthrax mailings kill five people and sicken 17. American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in New York, killing 265. U.S. troops invade Afghanistan. FBI agent Robert Hanssen pleads guilty to espionage and is sentenced to life in prison. Enron files for bankruptcy amid reports of accounting fraud. The iPod is released.
2002: Ten people are killed and three seriously injured by the "Beltway Sniper" in the Washington, D.C., area.
2003: U.S. troops invade Iraq. The space shuttle Columbia disintegrates during re-entry to Earth, killing its crew of seven. MySpace starts up.
2004: The Abu Ghraib, Iraq, prisoner abuse scandal unfolds. The Boston Red Sox win the World Series. Bush is re-elected over John Kerry. Facebook launches.
2005: Hurricane Katrina ravages the Gulf Coast. Baseball's steroid scandal brings Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and other stars before Congress. Pope John Paul II dies. YouTube is founded.
2006: D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff, accused of defrauding Indian tribes and corruption, pleads guilty to fraud and conspiracy. Ex-Enron chief Kenneth Lay is convicted of securities fraud but dies before sentencing. Twitter debuts.
2007: The housing bubble bursts. A mass shooting at Virginia Tech University leaves 32 dead, plus the gunman. Nine are killed and two critically wounded in shootings at an Omaha shopping mall. A Minneapolis interstate highway bridge collapses, killing 13 and injuring 145. Amazon.com releases the Kindle. A recession begins. The iPhone is introduced
2008: Barack Obama becomes the first African-American elected president. The video website Hulu launches.
2009: Investment adviser Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to defrauding investors of billions and gets 150 years in prison. The unemployment rate tops 10%. General Motors and Chrysler file for bankruptcy. A massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, kills 13; Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan is charged. Tiger Woods, amid revelations of extramarital affairs, takes a break from the pro golf tour.
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