2004

 

Political:

 

• George W. Bush is re-elected for a second and final four-year term as U.S. President.

 

 

Presidential Link

 

 

• Some states expedited the implementation of electronic voting systems for the election.

 

 

Electronic Voting Link

 

World Events:

 

• Summer Olympics took place in Athens, Greece (Aug. 13–29).

 

Summer Olympics Link 

 

 

• An enormous tsunami devastates Asia; 200,000 killed (Dec. 26).

 

Tsunami Link

 

Sports:

 

• The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918, ending the Curse of the Bambino. 

 

 

 

 

World Series Link

 

 

• Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. 

 

 

 

Superbowl 38 Link

 

Music:

 

• In July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to Kevin  Federline, three months after they met.

 

 

Britney's Marriage Link

 

• August 8, Dave Matthew Band's tour bus dumps 800 lb (360 kg) of human feces from a Chicago bridge, intending to unload it in the river, but it lands on an architecture tour boat. The bus driver and the band are sued by the state of Illinois.

 

 

 

Dave Matthews Link

 

Movies/Television:

 

• The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson's major motion picture about the last days of Jesus's life on Earth, opens huge in time for Lent.

 

 

Passion of the Christ Link

 

Shrek 2, released in the United States on May 19, 2004.

 

 

Shrek 2 Link

 

US Events:

 

On October 10, Christopher Reeve, 52, U.S. actor who starred as Superman in the 1978 movie and sequels, and campaigned for stem cell research after being paralyzed, heart failure brought on by septicemia.

 

 

 

Christopher Reeves Death Link

 

• On February 12, Same sex marriage in the United Sates, the City and County of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as an act of civil disobedience. 
   

 

 

Same Sex Marriage Link

 

 

Technology/Inventions:

 

• Adidas 1 the thinking shoes with a built in microprocessor that decides how soft or firm support the wearer needs. Chosen by Popular Science magazine as the best recreation invention of 2004.

 

 

 

 

Adidas 1 Link 

 

• SonoPrep invented by bioengineer Robert Langer, is a device that will deliver medication by sound waves rather than injection. According to the Sontra Medical Corporation, SonoPrep's manufacturer: The small, battery-powered device applies low-frequency ultrasonic energy to the skin for 15 seconds. The ultrasound temporarily rearranges lipids in the skin, opening channels that let fluids be delivered or extracted. After about 24 hours, the skin returns to normal.

 

 

Sonoprep Link

 

Fashions/Fads/Slang:

 

• Napoleon Dynamite-inspired "Vote for Pedro" shirts.

 

 

Vote For Pedro Link

 

• JibJab is a website feauturing Flash cartoons.

 

 

JibJab Link

 

Automobiles/Transportation:

 

• Dodge Viper SRT-10

 

 

Dodge Viper Link

 

• Chrysler Pacifica

 

 

Chrysler Pacifica Link