Steve Ballmer becomes Microsoft CEO
Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.
Explore 253 historical moments from 2000 — 31 events, 221 birthdays, and 1 notable deaths.
Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.
Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ivory Coast shortly after takeoff. 169 people were killed in the disaster.
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California due to a malfunctioning horizontal stabilizer, killing all 88 people on board.
Russian forces executed at least 60 civilians in the Novye Aldi suburb of Grozny during the final stages of the Battle of Grozny.
The PlayStation 2 was released in Japan.
The Marine Parade Community Building in Singapore was opened. Its mural cladding is the largest installation art in the country.
Hundreds of followers of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a Ugandan sect, died in a mass murder committed by its leaders.
In United States v. Microsoft Corp., Microsoft was found to have violated antitrust law by bundling Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system.
Fan violence broke out before a UEFA Cup semifinal in Istanbul, Turkey, resulting in two Leeds United supporters being stabbed to death. Galatasaray supporters were subsequently banned from attending the second leg in England.
In a pre-dawn raid, U.S. federal agents seized six-year-old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami. He was returned to his Cuban father.
Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun whose apparitions of Jesus inspired the Divine Mercy devotion, was canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000.
Ken Livingstone took office as the first mayor of London. This event occurred on May 4, 2000.
An explosion at a fireworks factory in Enschede, Netherlands, caused 23 deaths and approximately €450 million in damages.
Following the killing of two English football fans, British and Turkish hooligans rioted on the day of the UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde en route from Paris to New York, crashed in Gonesse, France. All 109 passengers and four people on the ground were killed.
Three years after being hit by a mudslide, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong fully reopened. The monastery had been significantly damaged by the natural disaster.
The Russian Navy submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000, during a military exercise, killing all 118 crew members.
Speakers' Corner, a free speech area in Hong Lim Park in Singapore, was launched.
The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the first Pride Night in Major League Baseball history.
British forces freed soldiers and civilians held captive by the West Side Boys, contributing to the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War.
The Real Irish Republican Army carried out a rocket-launcher attack on the MI6 headquarters in London on September 20, 2000, with no casualties and minimal damage.
Twelve-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah was shot dead in the Gaza Strip, an event that sparked controversy and debate.
During protests over irregularities in the Yugoslavian general election, a wheel-loader was driven into the Radio Television of Serbia building, giving the protests the nickname "Bulldozer Revolution".
Denouncing corruption in Argentine president Fernando de la Rúa's administration and the Senate, Vice President Carlos Álvarez resigned.
A fatal rail crash at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, led to widespread speed limit reductions and the collapse of Railtrack.
Following protests against military leader Robert Guéï, Laurent Gbagbo became the president of Ivory Coast on October 26, 2000.
Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collided with construction equipment while attempting to take off in Taiwan, killing 83 people.
As members of Expedition 1, American astronaut William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko became the first resident crew to arrive at the International Space Station.
Hillary Clinton was elected as a US senator from New York. This marked the first time a first lady had been elected to public office.
Edoardo Agnelli, son of the industrialist patriarch Gianni Agnelli, was found dead under a bridge on the outskirts of Turin, Italy.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped, effectively making George W. Bush the winner.
Noah Cyrus, American singer, songwriter, and actress, was born.
Laia Codina, a Spanish footballer, was born on January 22, 2000.
Kim Ji-min, a South Korean actress, was born on February 12, 2000.
Senegalese-Italian social media personality Khaby Lame was born.
Chrisean Rock is an American rapper and reality television personality.
Yoon San-ha, a South Korean singer and actor, was born.
Dimitrios Meliopoulos, a Greek footballer, was born on this day.
Fidias Panayiotou is a Cypriot internet celebrity and politician.
Lee Jeno, a South Korean rapper, vocalist, and dancer, was born.
Victoria De Angelis is an Italian musician, best known as the bassist for the rock band Måneskin.
Ōnosato Daiki, Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 75th yokozuna, was born.
Zion Williamson, an American professional basketball player, was born.
Kim Sae-ron is a South Korean actress. She is noted to have died in 2025.
Tom Gilbert is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He was born on August 5, 2000.
Félix Auger-Aliassime, a Canadian professional tennis player, was born on August 8, 2000.
Tristan Charpentier, a French racing driver, was born on August 12, 2000.
Felix, an Australian singer based in South Korea and member of the group Stray Kids, was born.
Princess Salma bint Abdullah is a Jordanian princess.
Frankie Jonas, an American actor, singer, and songwriter, was born.
Kenneth Walker III, an American football player, was born on this date.
Willow Smith, American singer, actress, and dancer, was born.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, an English footballer, was born.
American basketball player Talen Horton-Tucker was born. He plays as a shooting guard and small forward.
Slovenian tennis player Kaja Juvan was born. She has won multiple WTA Tour doubles titles.
American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, dies in Santa Rosa, California.
Join thousands of history buffs. Get a curated 1-minute read of the day's most fascinating historical events sent straight to your inbox.
No spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy.