WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 21. CENTURY
Find out what all happened in the first half of the 21. century

Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states. (1. January 2002)

Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei. (1. January 2002)

The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force. (1. January 2002)

In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007. (1. January 2004)

Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Slovenia joins Eurozone. (1. January 2007)

Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia with 102 people on board. (1. January 2007)

Cyprus and Malta join the Eurozone. (1. January 2008)

Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand. (1. January 2009)

Slovakia joins the Eurozone. (1. January 2009)

A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more. (1. January 2010)

A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people. (1. January 2011)

The Kallikratis plan becomes the new administrative system of Greece. (1. January 2011)

A Moldovan civilian is fatally wounded by a Russian peacekeeper in the Transnistrian security zone, leading to demonstrations against Russia. (1. January 2012)

At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (1. January 2013)

Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth. (2. January 2004)

An explosion in a coal mine in Sago, West Virginia traps and kills 12 miners, while leaving one miner in critical condition. (2. January 2006)

Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons. (3. January 2002)

Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Egyptian history. (3. January 2004)

The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, was established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto. (3. January 2009)

Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC. (4. January 2004)