Christian Dior introduces The “New Look” in women’s fashion. “Miracle on 34th Street” is first shown.

Daniel Boone goes through the Cumberland Gap and reaches Kentucky. Pitcairn Island in the Pacific Ocean is sighted.

Death toll 2,000 in Rwanda massacre. Jury finds O. J. Simpson not guilty of murder. Best Picture at the Oscars: Forrest Gump.

PlayStation 2 is released. Vladimir Putin is first elected as President of Russia.

Duke Ellington plays in Carnegie Hall for the first time. Rome is bombed by the Allies. The Battle of Kursk ends.

“The Day the Music Died” on February 3rd. Barbie doll debuts. Ceylon’s prime minister Bandaranaike assassinated.

Fidel Castro announces resignation. Cruise ship QE2 retired from service. An earthquake in Sichuan kills nearly 80,000 people.

French Bourbon reign restored. “Star Spangled Banner” published as poem. Cape of Good Hope ceded to British.

French Revolution begins with the fall of Bastille. George Washington proclaims first national Thanksgiving Day.

Gangster Al Capone sentenced to 11 years. Spain becomes a republic. The Empire State Building is completed.

Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule. Oscar for Best Picture: The English Patient. Princess Diana killed in car crash.

Edward VIII is king of the UK for less than a year. The Hoover Dam is completed. First edition of Life Magazine is published.

Ian Fleming publishes Casino Royale. Edmund Hillary reaches the summit of Mount Everest. Coronation of Elizabeth II.

Idi Amin becomes president of Uganda. “Fight of the Century”, Frazier defeats Ali. Greenpeace is founded.

Infrared radiation is discovered by William Herschel. Irish House of Commons abolished.

IRA calls cease-fire in Northern Ireland. Brazil defeats Italy 3-2 in a World Cup shootout. Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

Irish Free State officially proclaimed. James Joyce’s “Ulysses” published. Reader’s Digest debuts.

Louis XVI of France signs a law that handkerchiefs must be square. The dollar is chosen for the United States.

Mad cow disease alarms Europe. Best Picture at the Oscars: American Beauty. Concorde crash kills 113 near Paris.

Marie Tussaud opens her famous wax museum in London. Treaty of Amiens between France and United Kingdom.

Microsoft releases Windows 3.1. Disneyland Paris officially opens. Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series.

Olympic Games in London. Jack Johnson first black man to win heavyweight title. Taft retains U.S. presidency.

Outbreak of the H1N1 influenza strain. Michael Jackson dies. Treaty of Lisbon comes into force.

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom dies at age 81. The first Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm.

Russo-Japanese War begins. New York City subway opens. U.S. begins construction of the Panama Canal.

San Francisco rocked by earthquake. First motor-racing Grand Prix at Le Mans.

Sid Vicious is found dead of a heroin overdose, age 21. McDonald’s introduces the Happy Meal.

Spanish civil war begins. FDR is reelected in a landslide. Best Picture at the Oscars: Mutiny on the Bounty.

Summer Olympics are held in Helsinki. A “killer fog” descends on London. Television debuts in Canada.

Summer Olympics are held in London. Henry Ford produces his first Model T automobile.

Summer Olympics take place in Athens. Tsunami devastated Asia with 200,000 killed late December.

Terrorist bomb in Bali kills hundreds. “Spider-Man” was the year’s box-office blockbuster.

The Beatles release final album, “Let It Be”. Brazil defeats Italy to win World Cup. Jimi Hendrix dies in London.

The Godfather is released. Summer Olympics are held in Munich. Apollo 17 lands on the Moon.

The last recorded wolf in Ireland is killed. Mont Blanc is climbed for the first time.

The last wolf in Scotland is thought to have been shot in Killiecrankie. The Treaty of Worms is signed.

The Lone Ranger debuts on American radio. The first drive-in movie theater opens.

“The Sopranos” television series debuts on HBO. The last Checker taxi cab is retired in New York City.

Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Barack Obama wins the presidential election.

The tune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is published in France. George III and Queen Charlotte of the UK are crowned.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both die. Le Figaro begins publication in Paris.

Treaty of Versailles signed. Spanish Flu kills millions. Mexican rebel leader Zapata ambushed and killed.

U.S. Airways Flight 1549 is forced to land in the Hudson River. Best Picture at the Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire.

U.S. troops invade Cambodia. Rhodesia severs last tie with British Crown. Best Picture at the Oscars: Midnight Cowboy.

Winter Olympics held in Nagano, Japan. France beats Brazil 3-0 in World Cup final. Omagh bombing.

Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Iranian Embassy Siege in London. Polish government recognizes Solidarity.

Winter Olympics are held in Turin, Italy. Italy wins its fourth FIFA World Cup title. Twitter is launched.

The Panama Canal is officially opened. Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated. World War I begins.

William Wordsworth writes “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed Emperor of France.