The 21st century is the current century of the Anno Domini era or the Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1 2001 and will end on December 31 2100.1 So far 10 years of this century has transpired hence those years from 2001 to 2010 are part of history meanwhile 2011 to 2100 are subjected to futurology and projections. Millennium: 3rd millennium Centuries: 20th century  21st century  22nd century Decades: 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s 2060s 2070s 2080s 2090s Categories: Births Deaths Establishments Disestablishments

Contents 1 Early 21st century (2001present) 2 Pronunciation 3 Transitions & Change 4 Politics & Wars 4.1 New countries 5 Science and technology 5.1 Space exploration 5.2 Medicine 5.3 Technology 5.4 Other 6 Society 6.1 Conflicts 6.2 Worldwide deaths from war and terrorist attacks 6.3 Civil Unrest 7 Disasters 7.1 Natural disasters 7.2 Man-made disasters 8 Popular Expectations 9 Sports 9.1 International Tournaments 9.2 Domestic 10 Economics & Industry 11 Entertainment 11.1 Film 11.2 Music 11.3 Sports 11.4 Social Networking 12 Issues and concerns 13 Astronomical events (passed or to come) in the 21st century 13.1 List of the long total solar eclipses 13.2 Other phenomena 14 Fiction Theology & Philosophy 15 Decades and years 16 References 17 External links Early 21st century (2001present)

In contemporary history the 21st century began with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union. As the Cold War was over and terrorism on the rise exemplified by the September 11 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City; the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia; followed by the 2001 anthrax attacks that commenced as letters containing anthrax spores were mailed from Princeton New Jersey to several news media firms; the United States and its allies turned their attention to the Middle East.

Digital technology in its early stages of mainstream use in the 1980s and 1990s became widely accepted by most of the world though concerns about stress and antisociality from the overuse of mobile phones the Internet and related technologies remains controversial.2

In 2009 4.6 billion people globally 67% of the world's population used cell phones3 and currently about 2 billion people (about 28% of the world's population) use the Internet.4 Pronunciation

Regarding pronunciation of 21st-century years academics suggested that since former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five the year 2005 should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five".5 A less common variation would have been "twenty nought-five". Generally the early years of 21st-century were pronounced as "two-thousand and five" with a change taking place in 2010 where pronunciations often shift between the early-year standard of "two-thousand and ten" and the common approach used in the late 20th-century of "twenty-ten".

The Vancouver Olympics taking place in 2010 is being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten olympics" while 20115 and 2013 are popular as well. The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at 2020.5

According to The Stanley Kubrick archives in the press release for his film 2001: A Space Odyssey film director Stanley Kubrick included specific instructions for journalists to refer to the movie as "two thousand and one" instead of the commonplace pronunciation of "twenty-oh-one". Kubrick said he did this in the hope that if the film became popular it would influence the pronunciation of that year.5 Transitions & Change The Digital Revolution continues into the early 21st century

Revolutions of the early 21st century thus far include the Environmental Revolution and the Revolutions of 2011 that began in Arab countries and are in the name of fairer government. The Digital Revolution which began around the 1980s also continues into the present. the world population begun the century at 6.1 billion and grew to about 7 billion within a decade. Generation Z & A are so far the only true 21st century generations. Politics & Wars Politics in this century have so far been divisive in the United States and to a lesser degree the whole Western World between the ideologies of liberalism and conservatism; more precisely the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Genocide still remains a problem in the century with the concern of the situation in Darfur . Low estimates on the deaths in Darfur stand around 200000 deaths with 2.5 million in displacement there has been much outcry against the perpetrators the Sudanese government and the very weak international response. Also controversies from past genocides remain commonplace in the minds of victims and average people alike. 19982002 The Second Congo War continued into the early 21st century. A 1999 ceasefire quickly broke down and a UN peacekeeping mission MONUC was unable to control the fighting. Troops from Rwanda and Uganda continued to support rebel groups against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rifts also grew between Rwanda and Uganda as they accused each other of supporting rival rebel groups as well. Laurent Kabila president of the DRC was assassinated in January 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila took power. Throughout 2002 steps were made towards peace and Rwanda and Uganda both removed their troops from the country. On December 17 2002 a massive treaty officially ended the war. However the DRC only holds power in less than half of the country with most of the eastern and northern portions still controlled by rebel groups where there is still significant infighting. In addition Rwanda still supports anti-DRC rebels and anti-Rwandan rebels continue to operate from the DRC. The war killed an estimated 3.9 million people displaced nearly 5.5 million and led to a widespread and ongoing famine that continues to result in deaths. Severe human rights violations continue to be reported. 2001 George W. Bush became the second president of the United States to be the son of a former president when he was inaugurated on January 20 2001. 2001 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked 4 commercial airliners and crashed 3 of them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States on September 11 killing nearly 3000 people. The United States subsequently declared a War on Terrorism. 2001present The U.S. and NATO invaded Afghanistan on October 7 2001 and overthrew the Al-Qaeda-supportive Taliban government. Troops remained to install a democratic government fight a slowly escalating insurgency and to hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden who was shot dead by U.S Troops after more than 10 years on the 1st May 2011. 2002 The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established on July 1. 2002 A series of bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 202 people at the resort of Kuta Bali Indonesia on October 12. 2003present In February 2003 a conflict in Darfur Sudan began and soon escalated into full-scale war. It is soon considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. By 2008 it is believed that up to 400000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million displaced. In 2005 the ICC decided that Darfur war criminals would be tried and on July 14 2008 Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was charged with 5 accounts of crimes against humaninty and 2 accounts of war crimes although the ICC currently has no power to enforce these charges. 20032010 The U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq on March 20 2003 and overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein (who was executed by the Iraqi government on December 30 2006). Coalition troops remain in the country to install a democratic government and fight an escalating insurgency. In addition to an insurgency against the American presence Iraq also suffered from a civil war for several years. The war was soon seen as the central front of the War on Terror by many governments despite growing international dissatisfaction with the war. The total death toll has been estimated at near 150000 but these estimations are highly disputed some guessing even over 1 million.6 After the U.S.-led coalition initiated a troop surge in 2007 casualty numbers have decreased significantly. Combat ended at least officially in August 2010. 20032005 A series of nonviolent revolutions known as the colour revolutions overthrew governments in Georgia Ukraine Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon. 2004 The European Union expanded by 10 countries including 8 former communist countries plus Malta and Cyprus. 2004 On March 11 bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 191 people on the commuter rail system of Madrid Spain. 2005 A series of bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 56 people in London on July 7. 2005 Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip on September 11. 20062008 The dismantling of former Yugoslavia continued after Montenegro gained independence on June 3 2006 and Kosovo declared independence on February 17 2008. However Kosovo's independence was disputed by Russia and many of its allies and is currently only partially recognized. 2006 On July 12 Hezbollah militants crossed the border of Lebanon and captured two Israeli troops. Israel responded by sending troops across the border and bombing Hezbollah strongholds while Hezbollah fired missiles on towns in northern Israel approximately 6 each day. At the end of the war 300450 Lebanese civilians 600 Hezbolla troops 44 Israeli civilians and 121 Israeli soldiers died. A ceasefire was signed on August 14 after which Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon. Many military sources in Israel have warned about the danger of a new Israeli-Lebanese conflict back in the year 2000 when Israel has withdrawn from Lebanon. 2006 On July 11 bombs planted on the train system in Mumbai exploded killing 209 people. 2006 North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on October 9.7 This was preceded by years of political wrangling with the U.S. over the status of their nuclear program. 2007 A civil war escalated in the Gaza Strip throughout June which resulted in Hamas eventually driving most Fatah-loyal forces from the Strip. In reaction Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and dissolved the Hamas-ruled parliament. Scattered conflict continues. 2008 Armed conflict broke out in August 2008 between Georgia on one side and the Russian Federation together with Ossetians and Abkhazians on the other. Russia officially recognized independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 20082009 Israel launched a military campaign on the Gaza Strip due to continuous rocket launching on south Israeli cities by radical elements of the Hamas. 2009 Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States 2009 North Korea tests a second nuclear device. 2010 Polish president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others died in an air disaster in western Russia while en route to a ceremony commemorating the genocide of Polish officers at Katyn in 1940. Investigations into the accident are still ongoing. 2011 The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton 2011 The Leader of Al Qaeada Osama Bin Laden who was responsible for the development of the plans for the September 11th attacks is killed in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad Pakistan by Seal Team 6 of U.S military Special Forces on the evening of May 1 2011. New countries Some territories have gained independence during the 21st century. This is a list of sovereign states that have gained independence in the 21st century and have been recognized by a majority of foreign governments. East Timor (Timor-Leste)8 on May 20 2002 Montenegro on June 3 2006 Serbia on June 5 2006 Republic of South Sudan on July 9 2011 Three countries have declared independence but they have been recognised by a minority of UN states Kosovo on February 17 2008 South Ossetia on August 26 2008 Abkhazia on August 26 2008 Science and technology The Peoples Republic of China completed two major milestones in space exploration during the 21st century so far with a manned space launch and EVA. Space exploration 2001 Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist by paying $19 million to board the International Space Station. 2002 Mars Odyssey arrives in orbit around Mars. 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster February 1. 2003 The Chinese space program launches its first manned space flight Shenzhou 5 on October 15. This made China the third country in the world to have indigenous manned space capability. 2004 Mars Exploration Rovers land on Mars; Opportunity discovers evidence that an area of Mars was once covered in water. 2004 The CassiniHuygens probe arrives at Saturn. 2004 SpaceShipOne makes the first privately funded human spaceflight June 21 2005 The Huygens probe lands on Titan the largest of Saturn's moons January 14. 2005 The Deep Impact probe impacts Comet Tempel 1 July 4. 2005 - The Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-114 on July 26 the first "Return to Flight" mission following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. The mission marks the beginning of the end of the current Space Shuttle Program (shuttles Endeavour Atlantis and Discovery) 2006 New Horizons is launched on a 9 year voyage to Pluto January 19. 2006 The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars. 2006 - The Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-121 the second "Return to Flight" mission following the Columbia accident July 4. 2006 - NASA resumes construction of the International Space Station following the Columbia accident with the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-115 on September 9. 2006 Pluto is reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet leaving the solar system with eight planets. 2007 - China launches its first lunar mission with the Chang'e 1 on October 24. 2008 NASA's MESSENGER flies by Mercury becoming the first spacecraft to do so in 33 years. 2008 Phoenix Lander successfully arrives at Mars; later tests conducted by the spacecraft reveal evidence of ice on Mars. 2008 Chinese space program launches its third manned space flight carrying its first three-person crew and conducts its first spacewalk that makes China the third nation after Russia and USA to do that Shenzhou 7 on September 25. 2008 The Indian Space Research Organisation's Chandrayaan-1 is launched on October 22. India becomes the fourth nation to reach the moon. 2009 - NASA launches the Kepler Space Observatory on a three year mission to search the sky in the Cygnus Lyra and Draco constellations for Earth-like planets March 6. 2009 The Space Shuttle Atlantis rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope on STS-125 to give the Hubble much needed repairs. This mission will enable Hubble to last for approximately 5 to 10 years. 2009 - NASA conducts the Ares I-X test flight. The 6-minute suborbital flight was the only flight of the Constellation program that was supposed to replace the Space Shuttle fleet in the next decade. 2009 - The Indian Space Research Organisation discovers water on the Moon. Medicine 2003 Completion of the Human Genome Project 2003 Dolly the cloned sheep dies prematurely February 14. 2003 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spreads around the globe. 2003 Rick Simpson cures his skin cancer using an oil extract of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) an active chemical in the cannabis (commonly known as marijuana) plant. 2005 The first successful partial face transplant is performed in France. 2006 Australian of the Year Dr Ian Frazer develops a vaccine for cervical cancer. 2008 Japanese scientists create a form of artificial DNA. 2009 The mouse genome is fully sequenced. 2009 Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 spreads around the globe. 2009 - The horse genome is fully sequenced. Technology Mobile phone usage approaches nearly 100% in Europe.9 Digital audio players are widely used in developed nations. Personal digital cameras are making traditional home film cameras virtually obsolete. Wireless technologies are beginning to play a greater role in people's lives. Social Networking becomes popular globally during the noughties and into the tens with websites such as Facebook Twitter and You Tube. Other 2003 Discovery of an old dwarf human species Homo floresiensis by modern humans (published October 2004). 2004 The first ever recorded hurricane in the South Atlantic forms. 2007 The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) releases its Fourth Assessment Report. 2009 Details of Darwinius a vital missing link in human evolution dated to 47 million years ago are published. 2010 - A team of scientists including DNA researcher Craig Venter create the first synthetic lifeform. Society Conflicts The World Trade Center after being struck by an aircraft during the September 11th attacks. Colombian armed conflict (1964present) Sri Lankan Civil War (19832009) September 11 2001 attacks on USA War in Afghanistan (2001present) 12 October 2002 Bali bombing Moscow theater hostage crisis October 2002 Iraq War (20 March 200319 August 2010) Darfur conflict (2003present) 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings War in North-West Pakistan (2004present) September 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis 7 July 2005 London bombings 2006 East Timorese crisis 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict Civil war in Chad (2005present) War in Somalia (20062009) War on Terrorism (2001present) Russian-Georgian War (08/07/200808/16/2008) 26/11 - 2008 Mumbai attacks 20082009 IsraelGaza conflict War in Somalia (2009-present) 2011 Libya uprising Worldwide deaths from war and terrorist attacks Second Congo War approximately 1.8 million deaths (3.8 million since 1998) Iraq War a wide variation in the number of casualties quoted ranging from the tens of thousands up to approximately 1 million deaths10 Iraq Body Count project ORB survey of Iraq War casualties. Darfur conflict approximately 400000 deaths Civil War in Cte d'Ivoire 3000 deaths September 11 2001 19 members of al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners intentionally crashing two of them into The World Trade Centers in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia. The fourth plane's intended target was either the White House or Capitol Building but passengers aboard the plane resisted the initiatives of the hijackers and crashed the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. 2997 people from 90 different countries died. December 13 2001 attacks Terrorist attack on Indian Parliament terrorists storm the Indian Parliament Building in New Delhi and kill six police officers. October 12 2002 Bali terrorist bombings kill 202 people. March 11 2004 terrorist attacks shake several train stations on Spain's capital Madrid killing 191 people and injuring 1247. 7 July 2005 London bombings Suicide terrorist attacks shake London transport system killing 52 people and injuring 700. 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings terrorists attack various markets in New Delhi killing 61 people and injuring 188 more right before the start of the festival season in India. July 11 2006 six bombs explode in train stations in Mumbai killing 190. November 2008 Mumbai attacks a series of ten coordinated terrorist attacks across Mumbai India killing 195 people and injuring 290 more. Civil Unrest 2000s 2001 riots in Argentina 2005 civil unrest in France 2005 Cronulla riots 2006 Muhammad cartoons controversy 2006 Hungarian riots 2007 Danish riots 2007 Bronze Soldier riots in Estonia 2007 Burmese anti-government protests 2007 Georgian demonstrations 2008 Tibetan unrest 2008 Greek riots 2009 Moldova civil unrest 2009 Riga riot 2009 Iranian election protests 2010s 2010 Kyrgyzstan riots 2010 Thailand riots 2010 Jamaica Unrest 2010 France university riots 2010 England tuition fee riots Arab Spring Disasters Natural disasters The tsunami striking Ao Nang in Thailand on December 26 2004. 2000s 2001 Gujarat Earthquake - An earthquake in GujaratIndia on January 26 2001 killed approximately 20000. 2001 El Salvador Earthquake - 7.9 earthquake in El Salvador shook the whole country Jan. 13 2001 causing a major devastating landslide hundred dead thousands injured and many homeless. A month later Feb. 13 2001 the country suffered a second earthquake - 6.7 2003 European heat wave - Approximately 30000 people were killed across Europe in a summer long heat wave. 2003 Bam earthquake - An earthquake in Bam Iran on December 27 2003 killed more than 26000. 2004 Hurricane Jeanne - Over 3000 people are killed by Hurricane Jeanne in Haiti in September 2004. 2004 Asian Tsunami - On December 26 2004 a massive undersea earthquake resulted in a massive tsunami striking southeast Asia killing approximately 230000. 2005 Hurricane Katrina - The hurricane killed 1836 in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi (mostly in New Orleans). A significant portion of the city most of which sits below sea level was submerged. 2005 Kashmir earthquake An earthquake in Kashmir on October 8 2005 killed at least 74500 in India and Pakistan 2008 Cyclone Nagris - lead to catastrophic storm surge leading to a death toll in excess of 100000 and making millions homeless. 2008 Sichuan earthquake - An earthquake between 7.9 and 8.0-magnitude struck Sichuan China on May 12 2008 killing 68712 17921 missing. 2009 L'Aquila earthquake - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila (Italy) on April 6 2009 one of the worst in Italian history. 308 were pronounced dead and 65000+ were homeless. 2009 flu pandemic - A worldwide outbreak of Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 spread around the world forming a pandemic by June 2009. 2010s 2010 Haiti earthquake - At least 230000 are killed in Haiti after a massive earthquake on January 12 2010. As of late February 2010 the death toll is expected to rise. Three million people were made homeless. 2010 Chile earthquake - A massive earthquake magnitude 8.8 strikes the central Chilean coast on February 27 2010. 2010 Yushu earthquake - A large 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Yushu region of China in Qinghai near Tibet on April 14 2010 killing over 2200 people. 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajkull - A massive ash cloud is formed by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajkull on April 14 2010 grounding flights across northwest Europe. Scientists began recording volcanic activity there in 2009 which increased through March 2010 culminating in the second phase eruption in April. 2010 Pakistan floods - Began in July 2010 after record heavy monsoon rains. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan was worst affected. At least 1600 people were killed thousands were rendered homeless and more than thirteen million people were affected.1112131415 Estimates from rescue service officials suggest the death toll may reach 3000 victims.16 2011 Queensland floods - Began in December 2010 primarily in Queensland. The flood cause thousands of people to evacuate. At least 200000 people were affected by the flood. The flood continued throughout January 2011 in Queensland and the estimated reduction in Australia's GDP is about A$30 billion. 2011 Christchurch earthquake - New Zealand's prime minister says 181 people have died after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch on February 22 2011 making it New Zealand's second-deadliest natural disaster after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. 2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami - On March 11 2011 a catastrophic undersea earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred offshore of eastern Japan the greatest in the country's history and created a massive tsunami which killed over 15000; it also triggered the Fukushima I nuclear accidents. The overall cost for the earthquake tsunami and nuclear accidents could reach $300 billion making it the costliest natural disaster on record. April 2528 2011 tornado outbreak - Regarded as one of the deadliest ever recorded and dubbed the 2011 Super Outbreak a catastrophic tornado outbreak from April 25 to the 28th affected the Southern United States and killed over 330 people most coming from Alabama. Damages are expected to be near or over $10 billion. Man-made disasters On July 27 2002 a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes at an air show in Ukraine killing 85 and injuring more than 100 making it the worst air show disaster in history. On February 1 2003 at the conclusion of the STS-107 mission the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry over Texas killing all seven astronauts onboard. The Black Saturday bushfires - the deadliest bushfires in Australian history took place across the Australian state of Victoria on February 7 2009 during extreme bushfire-weather conditions resulting in 173 people killed and more than 500 injured and around 7500 homeless. The fires came after Melbourne recorded the highest-ever temperature (46.4C 115F) of any capital city in Australia. The majority of the fires were ignited by either fallen or clashing power lines or deliberately lit. On April 10 2010 Polish President Lech Kaczyski his wife and 95 other people including dozens of government officials are killed in a plane crash. On April 20 2010 an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig operating in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana left eleven crewmen dead and resulted in a fire that sank the rig and caused a massive-scale oil spill 17 that may become one of the worst environmental disasters in United States history.18 On June 18 2010 oceanographer John Kessler said that the crude gushing from the well contains 40 percent methane compared to about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits. Methane is a natural gas that could potentially suffocate marine life and create "dead zones" where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives. "This is the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history" Kessler said.19 On June 20 an internal BP document was released by Congress revealing that BP estimated the flow could be as much as 100000 barrels (4200000 US gallons; 16000 cubic metres) per day under the circumstances that existed since the April 20 blowout.2021 Popular Expectations Technological Singularity (est. 2020s-2050s) Manned Lunar Return Missions (2020s) First manned missions to Mars (2030s) Rise of Cyborgs (2040s-2070s) Space Colonization (Mid Century) Scientific revolutions in brain/consciousness theories (21st Century) Continuing emergence of a Type I civilization (21st into 22nd century) e.g's of this can be seen in the continuing rise of internet communication modern youth culture and the continuing increasing abilities of technology. Sports At the turn of the 21st century sports were the most popular form of entertainment worldwide. The IOC's Modern Olympic Games was the most popular of all sporting events and was hence the supposed greatest show on Earth. The Beijing Olympics of 2008 remains the most costly and extraordinary games/show of the 21st century so far. Soccer was the most popular sport in the early 21st century and of all the soccer competitions the FIFA World Cup was the greatest event overall but for club soccer the English FA Premier League was the greatest league. Other sports such as Rugby American football Basketball Tennis and Golf were popular globally. The passion for sport throughout the second and third world seen the rise of extraordinary athletes whom grew up in poverty such as Lionel Messi of Argentina whom was described as the greatest soccer player of all time and Usain Bolt of Jamaica whom became the worlds fastest man. American swimmer Michael Phelps won a record setting 8 Gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Beijing Birds Nest Stadium during the 2008 Summer Olympics. International Tournaments Modern Olympic Games 2000 Summer Olympics were held in Sydney Australia 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City United States 2004 Summer Olympics were held in Athens Greece 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Turin Italy 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing China 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver Canada 2010 Summer Youth Olympics were held in Singapore 2012 Summer Olympics Will be held in London United Kingdom 2014 Winter Olympics Will be held in Sochi Russia 2016 Summer Olympics Will be held in Rio de Janerio Brazil Association Football Euro 2000 is won by France 2002 FIFA World Cup is won by Brazil Euro 2004 is won by Greece 2006 FIFA World Cup is won by Italy Euro 2008 is won by Spain 2010 FIFA World Cup is won by Spain 2010 FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa - the first African nation to ever host this tournament Euro 2012 will be held in Poland and Ukraine 2014 FIFA World Cup will be held in Brazil Euro 2016 will be held in France 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia - the first Eastern European country to hold this tournament 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar - the first Middle Eastern country to hold this tournament Athletics Usain Bolt broke various world records including the 100 meter dash at the 2009 World Championships setting the record of 9.58 Seconds. United States won all Three Olympic Medal Tables for the Athletics. A record low amount of Athletes failing drug tests occurred in 2008 for Athletes with only one recordedly failing a drug test in the Women's Long Jump. Aquatics Michael Phelps won six gold medals in the 2004 Olympics and a record eight in the 2008 Olympics (some of those medals coming from split-second wins). Meanwhile back in the 2000 games Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson got a bronze medal each after they made a 1 in a million occurrence of finishing the race both at exactly the same time. Cricket 2003 Cricket World Cup - Won by the Australian cricket team 2007 Cricket World Cup - Won by the Australian cricket team 2011 Cricket World Cup - Won by the Indian cricket team Cycling 2001 Tour de France - started in France Dunkerque France (winner United States Lance Armstrong) 2002 Tour de France - started in Luxembourg (winner United States Lance Armstrong) 2003 Tour de France - started in France Paris France (winner United States Lance Armstrong) 2004 Tour de France - started in Belgium Lige Belgium (winner United States Lance Armstrong) 2005 Tour de France - started in France Vende France (winner United States Lance Armstrong) 2006 Tour de France - started in France Strasbourg France (winner Spain Oscar Pereiro) 2007 Tour de France - started in United Kingdom London United Kingdom (winner Spain Alberto Contador) 2008 Tour de France - started in France Brest France (winner Spain Carlos Sastre) 2009 Tour de France - started in Monaco Monaco (winner Spain Alberto Contador) 2010 Tour de France - started in Rotterdam Netherlands (winner Spain Alberto Contador) Rugby Union 2003 Rugby World Cup - host Australia (winner England defeated Australia) 2007 Rugby World Cup - host France (winner South Africa defeated England) 2011 Rugby World Cup - host New Zealand 2015 Rugby World Cup - host England 2019 Rugby World Cup - host Japan Tennis Roger Federer wins 16 grand slam titles (4 Australian Open titles 1 French Open title 6 Wimbledon titles and 5 U.S. Open titles) to beat Pete Sampras' record. Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal completed a Career Grand Slam winning the singles championships in the Australian Open French Open Wimbledon and US Open; Nadal also won the Olympics Singles gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics to complete a Golden Career Slam. Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer at the 2008 Wimbledon final with a score of 6-46-46-7(5)6-7(8)9-7. Peoplewho consider this match the greatest tennis match of all-time. The match lasted for 8 hours (with 2 rain delays). Roger Federer played Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon final for his 15th Grand Slam championship. Roddick won the first set 6-4 then after a 6-2 Roddick tiebreak lead Federer came back and won the 2nd set 7-6 and the 3rd set 7-6. Roddick then won the 4th set 6-3. Federer led Roddick 15-14 in the 5th set finally broke Roddick and won the 5th set 16-14. At the Wimbledon Championships 2010 John Isner and Nicolas Mahut completed the longest tennis match in history. Isner won 64 36 67(7) 76(3) 7068. Motorsport F1-Michael Schumacher wins World Championship for the third time at Suzuka Japan 2000 in a Ferrari F1-2000 Ferrari's first driver's championship in 21 years Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (Dale Earnhardt) passes away after a last-lap crash during the Daytona 500 in February 2001 Golf the 2002 Ryder Cup was won by Europe 15 and a half to USA's 12 and a half. the 2004 Ryder Cup was won by Europe 18 and a half to USA's 9 and a half. the 2006 Ryder Cup was won by Europe again 18 and a half to USA's 9 and a half the 2008 Ryder Cup and last this decade was won by USA 16 and a half to Europe's 11 and a half. the 2010 Ryder Cup was won by Europe 14 and a half to USA's 13 and a half. Domestic Association Football 2005 FIFA Club World Cup is won by So Paulo FC 2006 FIFA Club World Cup is won by SC Internacional 2007 FIFA Club World Cup is won by AC Milan 2008 FIFA Club World Cup is won by Manchester United 2009 FIFA Club World Cup is won by Barcelona 2010 FIFA Club World Cup is won by Inter Milan 2011 FIFA Club World Cup is won by Barcelona AFL (Australian Rules Football) 2000 AFL Grand Final - Essendon Bombers def. Melbourne Demons 2001 AFL Grand Final - Brisbane Lions def. Essendon Bombers 2002 AFL Grand Final - Brisbane Lions def. Collingwood Magpies 2003 AFL Grand Final - Brisbane Lions def. Collingwood Magpies 2004 AFL Grand Final - Port Adelaide Power def. Brisbane Lions 2005 AFL Grand Final - Sydney Swans def. West Coast Eagles 2006 AFL Grand Final - West Coast Eagles def. Sydney Swans 2007 AFL Grand Final - Geelong Cats def. Port Adelaide Power 2008 AFL Grand Final - Hawthorn Hawks def. Geelong Cats 2009 AFL Grand Final - Geelong Cats def. St. Kilda 2010 AFL Grand Final - Collingwood Magpies def. St. Kilda Basketball 2001 NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 2002 NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets 2003 NBA Finals - San Antonio Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets 2004 NBA Finals - Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 2005 NBA Finals - San Antonio Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons 2006 NBA Finals - Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 2007 NBA Finals - San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 2008 NBA Finals - Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 2009 NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 2010 NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics Major League Baseball 2000 World Series - New York Yankees def. New York Mets 2001 World Series - Arizona Diamondbacks def. New York Yankees 2002 World Series - Anaheim Angels def. San Francisco Giants 2003 World Series - Florida Marlins def. New York Yankees 2004 World Series - Boston Red Sox def. St. Louis Cardinals 2005 World Series - Chicago White Sox def. Houston Astros 2006 World Series - St. Louis Cardinals def. Detroit Tigers 2007 World Series - Boston Red Sox def. Colorado Rockies 2008 World Series - Philadelphia Phillies def. Tampa Bay Rays 2009 World Series - New York Yankees def. Philadelphia Phillies 2010 World Series - San Francisco Giants def. Texas Rangers NRL 2000 NRL season - Brisbane Broncos (14) def. (6) Sydney Roosters 2001 NRL season - Newcastle Knights (30) def. (24) Parramatta Eels 2002 NRL season - Sydney Roosters (30) def. (8) New Zealand Warriors 2003 NRL season - Penrith Panthers (18) def. (6) Sydney Roosters 2004 NRL season - Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (16) def. (13) Sydney Roosters 2005 NRL season - Wests Tigers (30) def. (16) North Queensland Cowboys 2006 NRL season - Brisbane Broncos (15) def. (8) Melbourne Storm 2007 NRL Season - Melbourne Storm (34) def. (8) Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2008 NRL Season - Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (40) def. (0) Melbourne Storm 2009 NRL Season - Melbourne Storm (23) def. (16) Parramatta Eels 2010 NRL season - St. George Illawarra Dragons (32) def. (8) Sydney Roosters On the 22nd April The Melbourne Storm were stripped of their 2007 & 2009 titles as well as their minor premierships from 07 08 and 09 for significant and deliberate salary cap breaches. American Football 2001 Super Bowl XXXV - Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants 2002 Super Bowl XXXVI - New England Patriots defeated the St Louis Rams 2003 Super Bowl XXXVII - Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII - New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 2005 Super Bowl XXXIX - New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 2006 Super Bowl XL - Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 2007 Super Bowl XLI - Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 2008 Super Bowl XLII - New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 2009 Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 2010 Super Bowl XLIV - New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 2011 Super Bowl XLV - Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers National Hockey League 2001 Stanley Cup - Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 2002 Stanley Cup - Detroit Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2003 Stanley Cup - New Jersey Devils defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2004 Stanley Cup - Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames 2005 Stanley Cup - Season cancelled due to labour dispute 2006 Stanley Cup - Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2007 Stanley Cup - Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators 2008 Stanley Cup - Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup - Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2010 Stanley Cup - Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers Economics & Industry The financial crisis of 20072010 continues to affect the worldwide economy. Many American auto brands have been phased out such as Plymouth by Chrysler in 2001 and Oldsmobile by General Motors in 2004. General Motors will also be phasing out Pontiac as well as Saturn by 2010. Ford has announced that Mercury will be phased by the end of 2010. Entertainment An example of a Facebook profile in 2011. Entertainment during the 21st century had evolved from the same types of entertainment which emerged around the middle of the 20th century. Sports films music TV series' and books remained popular into the early 21st century but new forms of entertainment including social networking & internet accessed videos became popular. The most popular mediums of entertainment in the first decade at least were via televisions the internet CDs DVDs and paper. Film 2000s - Release of Avatar which is currently the world's highest grossing film. 2010s - Increasing use of 3D Camera Technology. Music 2000s - The early 21st century has had a profound impact on the condition of music distribution. Recent advents in digital computing & storage technology have fundamentally altered industry and marketing practices as well as players in heretofore unusual rapidity. 2000s - Popularity of Britney Spears & Christina Aguilera 2000s - Increasing use of Autotune technology 20010s - Popularity of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and in increase of Party Music Sports 2000s - Increasing popularity for Soccer. Social Networking 2000s - My Space Facebook and You Tube emerge in the noughties when the very first social networks emerged. 2010s - My Space fades but Facebook & You Tube remain popular and new sites such as Twitter emerged. Issues and concerns This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008) There are several points-of-view pertaining to the following items all of which should be considered accordingly. Issues that have been frequently discussed and debated so far in this century include: Globalization. Advances in telecommunications and transportation the expansion of capitalism and democracy and free trade agreements have resulted in unprecedented global economic and cultural integration. This has caused (and is continuing to cause) economic and cultural shifts which have been the subject of considerable controversy. Overpopulation. The United Nations estimates that world population will reach 9.2 billion by mid-century. Such growth raises questions of ecological sustainability and creates many economic and political disruptions. In response many countries have adopted policies which either force or encourage their citizens to have fewer children and others have limited immigration. Considerable debate exists over what the ultimate carrying capacity of the planet may be; whether or not population growth containment policies are necessary; to what degree growth can safely occur thanks to increased economic and ecological efficiency; and how distribution mechanisms should accommodate demographic shifts. Evidence suggests that developed countries (such as Japan) suffer population implosion and the population debate is strongly tied with discussions about the distribution of wealth. Abortion. Debates between "Pro-choice" and "Pro-life" factions on the controversial procedure continue. The approximate number of induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million.22 Gay rights are a major political issue in many places with same sex marriage being legalized in several jurisdictions during the first decade of the century but outlawed by constitutional amendment in other places. Meanwhile some countries such as Uganda moved to toughen their laws against any sort of homosexual behavior. Political battles over pro- or anti-gay legislation provoked much activism in the streets and on the Internet. Dysgenics. Due to the negative correlation between fertility and intelligence human genetic integrity may be deteriorating lowering the intellectual capacity of the average human.2324 Poverty. Poverty remains the root cause of many of the world's other ills including famine disease and insufficient education. Poverty contains many self-reinforcing elements (for instance poverty can make education an unaffordable luxury which tends to result in continuing poverty) that various aid groups hope to rectify in this century. Microcredit lending has also started to gain a profile as a useful anti-poverty tool. Disease. AIDS tuberculosis and malaria each kill over a million people annually. HIV remains without a cure or vaccine and is growing rapidly in India and much of the African continent. Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern for organisms such as tuberculosis. Other diseases such as SARS ebola and flu variations are also causes for concern. The World Health Organization has warned of a possible coming flu pandemic resulting from bird flu mutations. In 2009 the outbreak of swine flu its country of origin is still unknown. War and terrorism. Active conflicts continue around the world including civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the largest war since World War II) Chechnya Cte d'Ivoire Somalia Senegal Colombia and Sudan (mainly in Darfur). The 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered invasions of Afghanistan and partially and controversially Iraq. The War on Terrorism has seen controversies over civil liberties accusations of torture continued terrorist attacks and ongoing instability violence and military occupation. Violence continues in the ArabIsraeli conflict. Considerable concern remains about nuclear proliferation especially in Iran and North Korea and the availability of weapons of mass destruction to rogue groups. Global warming. Climate scientists have postulated that the earth is currently undergoing significant anthropogenic (human-induced) global warming. 1 The resulting economic and ecological costs are hard to predict. Some scientists argue that human-induced global warming risks considerable losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services unless considerable sociopolitical changes are introduced particularly in patterns of mass consumption and transportation. Power in international relations. Issues surrounding the cultural economic and military dominance of the United States and its role in the world community have become even more pointed given its recent military activities problematic relations with the United Nations disagreement over several international treaties and its economic policies with regard to globalization. Integration of the European Union and the African Union have proceeded. Intellectual property. The increasing popularity of digital formats for entertainment media such as movies and music and the ease of copying and distributing it via the Internet and peer-to-peer networks has raised concerns in the media industry about copyright infringement. Much debate is proceeding about the proper bounds between protection of copyright trademark and patent rights versus fair use and the public domain where some argue that such laws have shifted greatly towards intellectual property owners and away from the interests of the general public in recent years while others say that such legal change is needed to deal with a perceived threat of new technologies against the rights of authors and artists (or as others put it against the outmoded business models of the current entertainment industry). Domain name "cybersquatting" and access to patented drugs and generics to combat epidemics in third-world countries are other IP concerns. Technology developments show no sign of ending. Communications and control technology continues to augment the intelligence of individual humans collections of humans and machines. Cultures are forced into the position of sharply defining humanity and determining boundaries on desire thought communication behavior and manufacturing. Some notably Ray Kurzweil have predicted that by the middle of the century there will be a Technological Singularity if artificial intelligence that outsmart humans is created. If these AIs then create even smarter AIs technological change could accelerate in ways that are impossible for us to foresee. (However gradual and simultaneous use of AI technology to increase our own intelligence might prevent this from ever occurring.) Fossil fuels are becoming scarce and more expensive due to the escalating demand for petroleum ("oil") and oil-based products such as gasoline and kerosene unmatched by production. Discovery of new oil fields has not been sufficient to sustain current levels of production and some fear that the earth may be running out of economically viable oil pressing for alternatives. As Agrofuel one possible alternative yields further hazards for the environment and endangers food security debate is far from over. NATORussia relations seem to remain strained as the "Western Alliance" and NATO square off with Russia and other nations over international policy and the future of the ex-Soviet sphere. An Eastern Europe Missile Defense Shield military and social conflicts in former Yugoslavia and the Caucasus (particularly Georgia and Chechnya) fossil fuel infrastructures like the Nabucco pipeline and the future of nuclear arsenals are among the topics that have strained the relations between the two sides with eerie reminders reminiscent of the Cold War. The United Nations lists global issues on its agenda and lists a set of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to attempt to address some of these issues. Astronomical events (passed or to come) in the 21st century List of the long total solar eclipses Solar eclipse of July 22 2009 saros 136 6 min 38.8 s. The longest of the century. Solar eclipse of August 2 2027 of 6 min 23 s saros 136. Solar eclipse of August 12 2045 of 6 min 06 s saros 136. Solar eclipse of August 24 2063 of 5 min 49 s saros 136. Solar eclipse of May 11 2078 of 5 min 40 s saros 139. Solar eclipse of May 22 2096 of 6 min 07 s saros 139. Other phenomena 2000s Wednesday May 7 2003: Transit of Mercury the first of this century. Wednesday August 27 2003: Close approach of Mars closest since the middle Paleolithic. Tuesday June 8 2004: First transit of Venus for 122 years. November 8 2006: Transit of Mercury. December 23 2007: grand conjunction a galactic conjunction which happens every 26000 years. 2009: Triple conjunction JupiterNeptune. 2010s 2010/2011: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus. July 12 2011: Neptune completes its first orbit since its discovery on September 23 1846. Wednesday June 6 2012: Transit of Venus to occur a second time (and last time) this century. May 9 2016: Transit of Mercury. Monday August 21 2017 2 : First total solar eclipse of the 21st century for the United States and the first visible in the continental US since February 26 1979 3. November 11 2019: Transit of Mercury. 2020s April 21 2024 : Next predicted return of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. 2025/2026: Triple conjunction Saturn-Neptune. Friday April 13 2029: The asteroid 99942 Apophis (previously better known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) will pass within 30000 km (18600 mi) of the Earth. 2030s November 13 2032: Transit of Mercury. 2037/2038: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus. November 7 2039: Transit of Mercury. 2040s 2041/2042: Triple conjunction Mars-Uranus. October 1 2044: Occultation of Regulus by Venus. The last was on July 7 1959. After 2044 the next occultation of Regulus by Venus would occur on July 22 3126 although some sources claim it will occur again on October 6 2271. 2047/2048: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune. May 7 2049: Transit of Mercury. 2050s November 9 2052: Transit of Mercury. 2060s July 2061: Next return of Halley's Comet. 2063: Triple conjunction Mars-Uranus. November 11 2065: Transit of Mercury. November 22 2065: At 12:45 UTC Venus will occult Jupiter. This event will be the first occultation of a planet by another since January 3 1818. This event will be very difficult to observe because the elongation of Venus and Jupiter from the Sun on that date will be only 7 degrees. 2066: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus. July 15 2067: At 11:56 UTC Mercury will occult Neptune. This rare event will be very difficult to observe because of the constant low elongation of Mercury from the Sun and the magnitude of Neptune always under the limit of visibility with the naked eye. 2070s 2071/2072: Triple conjunction Mars-Neptune. November 14 2078: Transit of Mercury. 2079: Triple conjunction Saturn-Uranus. August 11 2079: At 01:30 UTC Mercury will occult Mars. 2080s Friday November 10 2084: Transit of Earth as seen from Mars the first and the only one in this century. November 7 2085: Transit of Mercury. 2085/2086: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune. October 27 2088: At 13:43 UTC Mercury will occult Jupiter. 2090s 2088/2089: Triple conjunction Mars-Neptune. 2093: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus. April 7 2094: At 10:48 UTC Mercury will occult Jupiter. May 8 2095: Transit of Mercury. November 10 2098: Transit of Mercury. Fiction Theology & Philosophy Doomsday Scenarios 2012 Some people believe the world will undergo a great transformation on December 21 2012. The exact nature of the transformation is not agreed on but this Doomsday Prediction is the most-known doomsday theories so far making the date highly anticipated and watched.25 This originated with the idea of that date being the end of the Mayan calendar although Terence McKenna reached this date independently from mayan prophecy. 2036 An asteroid (Apophis) was initially believed to have a chance of impacting Earth in 2029. With further study this possibility was ruled out; however there is a chance that Apophis will pass close to the earth altering its path to impact the Earth in 2036. The chances of this occurring are estimated at 1 in 250000. Television and film WALL-E has mentioned the earth overcoming mass consumerism and toxicity levels rising in the 21st century. It takes place in the year 2805. t.A.T.u Video Beliy Plaschik Is set "Sometime in the 21st century" The new series of Doctor Who which began in 2005 depicts many fictional events that take place in the 21st century. The television series seaQuest DSV takes place between the years 2018 and 2032. In the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey a joint American-Soviet space expedition is sent to Jupiter in 2010. The Adult Swim series Sealab 2021 takes place in the year 2021. The events of Stargate SG-1 continue into the early 21st century. Stargate Atlantis is set in the early 21st century. The Transformers: The Movie: is set in the year 2005. The subsequent third season of the Transformers series takes place after the events of the movie. The Japanese anime show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross spans the years 1999 to 2012 (its final episode takes place in January 2012 and a direct to video epilogue featurette takes place in September 2012). Its prequel and sequels take place in 2008 (Macross Zero) 2040 (Macross Plus) 20452046 (Macross 7) and 2059 (Macross Frontier). A dramatized historical fiction movie about the First Space War The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love premieres in 2031. The American cartoon show Robotech composed from the footage of three unrelated anime series (including Macross above) spans the years 1999 to 2015 20302031 and 20442045. Part of the sequel Back to the Future Part II is set on October 21 2015. The Japanese anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion is also set in 2015. The film Blade Runner takes place in November 2019. The cult series Dark Angel is set in 2019. The film Daybreakers is set in 2019 The film The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is set in 2019. Both parts of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Past Tense" take place in 2024. The dystopic sci-fi novel and film Metropolis takes place in 2027. The film Children of Men is set in 2027. The anime universe of Ghost in the Shell its sequel Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and anime television series based on the same premise (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG) are centered somewhere around 2029. The Terminator is set up during the early years of the 21st century in terms of the wars between humans & Skynet. Some of the intervening years are dealt with by the two sequels Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines with the whole franchise building to a conclusion of the War in 2029. The 2002 version of The Time Machine has scenes that take place in the 2030 and 2037 NYC. The Doctor Who story The Enemy of the World is set in Australia in 2030. The comedy series Time Trumpet is set in 2031 and "looks back on" the first 30 years of the 21st century. The anime OAV series Bubblegum Crisis (203233) its sequel Bubblegum Crash (2034) and its TV-series re-imagining Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 (2040). Demolition Man is set in 2032. I Robot was set in 2035. Deep space vessel Event Horizon was sent to test an artificial wormhole (black hole) in deep space in the year 2040. The lost ship is found 7 years later by a rescue team on board the ship Lewis and Clark on low orbit around the planet Neptune. The Outward Urge has a major nuclear war in 2044 and the first manned landing on Mars in 2094. Bollywood movie Love Story 2050 was partly set in 2050. Minority Report was set in April 2054. World War III ends in 2053 according to Star Trek: First Contact with 600000000 dead and most major cities destroyed. The 1998 remake of Lost in Space was set in 2058. Most of Star Trek: First Contact takes place in 2063. In Star Trek canon the human Zefram Cochrane develops faster-than-light travel and makes first contact with an alien race during this year. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is set in 2065. The Doctor Who story The Moonbase is set in 2070. The Japanese anime show Cowboy Bebop is set in 2071. The Nicktoon My Life as a Teenage Robot is set in 2072. Equilibrium is set in 2072. The Doctor Who story Day of the Daleks is set in 2073 albeit in an alternative timeline. The film Total Recall and the Doctor Who story Warriors of the Deep are set in 2084. In Star Trek: Insurrection it is discovered that the Ba'ku moved to the Briar Patch at some point in this century. The Jetsons is supposed to take place in the late 21st century. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and its sequels takes place in the years 20492054. The final episode of The X-Files sets December 22 2012 as the date for alien colonization. The CGI animated series Cubix: Robots for Everyone takes place in 2040. The Doctor Who story The Seeds of Death is set in 2090. The 1985 film Enemy Mine begins in 2092 and ends in 2095. The Doctor Who story Nightmare of Eden is set in 2096. The events of Leprechaun 4: In Space takes place in 2096. The 2008 Disney Channel movie Minutemen is based between the dates September 3 2005 and September 8 2008. The tagline of Torchwood series one is: "The 21st century is when everything changes. And we have to be ready." In series two the second sentence changes to: "And Torchwood is ready." The 2008 film Repo! The Genetic Opera is set in the year 2056. Plastic surgery and a fictional pain-killing drug known as Zydrate are commonplace as fashion statements and addictions. Additionally The painkiller Zydrate is called the "21st Century Cure" in the film. The events of the Sci-Fi anime Planetes is set in the year 2075. The 2009 disaster film 2012 takes place in the year 2012. It is based on an end of the world event on December 21 2012. The epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is set on September 1 2017. Computer and video games The events of Metal Gear Solid take place in 2005 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty takes places in the years 2007 (Tanker Chapter) and 2009 (Big Shell Chapter) and the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots take place in 2014. Duke Nukem 3D is set in the early 21st century and contains evidence (such as calendars) that suggest it is more specifically set in October or December 2007 Uplink is set on the internet of the year 2010. Perfect Dark Zero is set in 2020 and Perfect Dark is set in 2023. The races in San Francisco Rush 2049 take place in 2049. The events of Deus Ex take place in 2052. The levels "Breaking and Entering" and "You Genius U-Genix" in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect take place in 2052. System Shock is set in 2072. Future Cop: LAPD takes place in the year 2098. The discovery of the Zohar in Xenosaga takes place in 20XX. The Great War of the Fallout universe starts on October 23 2077; nuclear bombs are launched nobody knows who the aggressor was. The events of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne occur in 20XX. In Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction the 2nd Korean War starts early in this century. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames takes place sometime around between 2008 and 2010. The Mega Man Classic series takes place sometime in the 21st century represented as 20XX. The MegaMan Battle Network series takes place in 20XX. The arcade game Robotron: 2084 takes place in the year 2084. One Must Fall: 2097 takes place in 2097. The Mr. Driller series (and Dig Dug: Digging Strike a game in its related timeline) takes place in 20XX. The events of Half-Life takes place around 20002009. The events of Half-Life 2 and its expansion packs takes place around the early 2020s. The video game and cartoon 20X6 of Homestar Runner supposedly takes place in the seventh year of an unspecified decade in the 21st century. The nuclear holocaust of the AquaNox universe takes place in mid-21st century followed by the massive exodus of survivors underwater. Trauma Center: Under the Knife and Trauma Center: Second Opinion take place in 2018 when AIDS and cancer supposedly have cures. The events of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow takes place in this time; specifically 2035. The sequel Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow takes place one year later in 2036. These are the only two Castlevania titles to have taken place beyond the early to mid 20th century thus far. The events of Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift and Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2 take place during 20XX when Japanese highways have supposedly been opened as racing circuits. The events of Namco Capcom takes place during 20XX. In the Command & Conquer: Tiberian series the 2nd Tiberium War between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod begins in 2030. The 3rd Tiberium War takes place 17 years later in 2047 which also sees the arrival of the Scrin to Earth. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) takes place in 2014 The events of Grand Theft Auto IV take place in the fall of 2008. The fictional story line of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 supposedly takes place in 2016. The events that are set in the 'present' of both Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2 take place in the year 2012. The plot of both games builds toward a worldwide catastrophe prophesied to occur on December 21 2012. See 2012 phenomenon Internet Stinkoman 20X6 of Homestar Runner fame takes place in the seventh year of an unspecified decade in the 21st century. Novels Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey 2010: Odyssey Two and 2061: Odyssey Three. Tad Williams' Otherland series is set at some undefined point in the 21st century Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age is also set in the 21st century after some disaster befell the centralized telephone network. This led people to build a decentralized network which they used to transfer money thus destroying normal methods of taxation and bringing down most large governments. Red Mars of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy begins in 2027. Some books by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are set in 21st century The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein takes place in 2075. Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix is set in 200506 2057 and mainly 2085. CD Albums In the timeline for Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Ayreon specifically the album 01011001 the human race destroys itself in a violent war in 2084. The alien Forever race returns home one year later in 2085 after which the last human being goes on a journey detailed in the album The Dream Sequencer. Decades and years 2000s Main Article: 2000s (decade) September 11 2001 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijack four aircraft in the US and deliberately crash them; three of them reach their targets two hit the World Trade Center in New York City another the Pentagon with one more missing its target a total of 3000 people die from the attacks. December 26 2004 the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake killed up to 250000 people. December 2007 the late-2000s recession begins as the United States would see its biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. June 11 2009 The 2009 flu pandemic begins - it was declared a pandemic less than two months into the spread by the World Health Organization. 2010s Main article: 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s 2060s 2070s 2080s 2090s v d eDecades and years 21st century 19th century20th century 22nd century23rd century 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 20002009 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020s 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030s 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040s 2040 2041 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047 2048 2049 2050s 2050 2051 2052 2053 2054 2055 2056 2057 2058 2059 2060s 2060 2061 2062 2063 2064 2065 2066 2067 2068 2069 2070s 2070 2071 2072 2073 2074 2075 2076 2077 2078 2079 2080s 2080 2081 2082 2083 2084 2085 2086 2087 2088 2089 2090s 2090 2091 2092 2093 2094 2095 2096 2097 2098 2099 21002109 2100 2101 2102 2103 2104 2105 2106 2107 2108 2109 v d eCenturies and millennia Millennium Century BC 4th 40th 39th 38th 37th 36th 35th 34th 33rd 32nd 31st 3rd 30th 29th 28th 27th 26th 25th 24th 23rd 22nd 21st 2nd 20th 19th 18th 17th 16th 15th 14th 13th 12th 11th 1st 10th 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st AD 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 2nd 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 3rd 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 4th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th References This article needs additional citations for verification. 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Retrieved 2009-10-14.  External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 21st century Reuters - The State of the World The story of the 21st century Long Bets Foundation to promote long-term thinking Long Now Long-term cultural institution Scientific American Magazine (September 2005 Issue) The Climax of Humanity MapReport 21st Century Event World Map