2000 World History Hillary Clinton (1947–) Vladimir Putin (1952–) Vicente Fox Quesada (1942–) Vojislav Kostunica (1944– ) 2000 Socialist president, Ricardo Lagos,elected in Chile(Jan. 16). George W. Bushand Al Goretake Iowa caucuses in U.S. presidential race(Jan. 22).Austria at center of European dispute after conservative People's Party forms coalition with the far-right Freedom Party, headed by xenophobe Jörg Haider(Feb. 3).First Lady Hillary Clintonofficially enters N.Y. Senate race(Feb. 6).Hijackers seize Afghan plane; release hostages in Stansted, England(Feb. 6–12).Britain ends self-rule in Northern Ireland after Irish Republican Army misses disarmament deadline(Feb. 11).NEAR spacecraft becomes first to orbit an asteroid(Feb. 14).Wary investors cause stock plunge; beginning of the end of the Internet stock boom(Feb. 25).Reformists win control of Iranian parliament for first time since 1979 Islamic revolution(Feb. 26).Gun maker Smith & Wesson limits the manufacture and distribution of handguns in light of lawsuits(March 17). Mass murder or suicide of hundreds in Ugandan doomsday cult(March 18).Acting Russian president Vladimir V. Putinformally chosen for post(March 25).Microsoft loses antitrust suit; appeal expected(April 3).Controversial Osprey plane crash kills 19 marines(April 8). Cuban boy Elián Gonzálezreunited with father after federal raid of Miami relatives' home(April 22).Vermont approves same-sex unions(April 25).“I love you” virus disrupts computers worldwide(May 4).South Carolina removes Confederate battle flag from capitol dome(May 18).Chile ends Augusto Pinochet'simmunity, clearing way for trial on murder and torture charges during years as dictator(May 24).Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanese security zone after 22 years of occupation(May 24).Former Indonesian president Suhartounder house arrest, charged with corruption and abuse of power(May 29).Britain restores parliamentary powers to Northern Ireland after Sinn Feinagrees to disarm(June 4).Presidents of North and South Korea sign peace accord, ending half-century of antagonism(June 15).British find 58 bodies of illegal Asian immigrants suffocated in Dutch truck that transported them(June 20).Elián González returns to Cuba with father(June 23).U.S. navy resumes shelling exercises of Puerto Rico's Vieques Island,used as a training site(June 25). Human genomedeciphered; expected to revolutionize the practice of medicine(June 26).Iraq believed to resume missile program(June 30).Vicente Fox Quesada elected president of Mexico(July 2).Bashar al-Assad succeeds late father, Hafez al-Assad, as Syrian president(July 10).Concorde crash kills 113 near Paris(July 25).Republican convention picks Texas governor George W. Bush as presidential candidate; Dick Cheneyfor vice presidential spot(Aug. 2).Democratic convention selects Vice President Al Gore and Sen. Joseph I. Liebermanto head ticket(Aug. 14).Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee,accused of stealing sensitive nuclear weapons data, freed after serving nine months in prison(Sept. 13).Olympic Games open in Australia(Sept. 15).Six-year Whitewater investigation of the Clintons ends without indictments(Sept. 20).Yugoslav opposition claims victory; incumbent Slobodan Milosevicdenies results(Sept. 25).Danish voters reject euro(Sept. 26).Abortion pill, RU-486, wins U.S. approval(Sept. 28).Palestinians and Israelis clash, spurred by visit of right-wing Israeli leader Ariel Sharonto a joint Jewish/Muslim holy site; “Al Aksa intifada” continues unabated(Sept. 30et seq.).Nationwide uprising overthrows Yugoslavian president Milosevic(Oct. 5). Vojislav Kostunicasworn in as Yugoslav president(Oct. 7).17 U.S. sailors on navy destroyerColedie in Yemen terrorist explosion(Oct. 12).U.S. presidential election closest in decades; Bush's slim lead in Florida leads to automatic recount in that state(Nov. 7–8).Republicans file federal suit to block manual recount of Florida presidential election ballots sought by Democrats(Nov. 11).Philippine president Joseph Estradaimpeached after receiving gambling payoffs(Nov. 13).Florida Supreme Court rules hand count of presidential ballots may continue(Nov. 21).Global warming talks collapse at Hague conference(Nov. 25).Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harriscertifies Bush as winner by 537 votes(Nov. 26). Mad Cow diseasealarms Europe(Nov. 30et seq.).Israeli prime minister Ehud Barakresigns(Dec. 9).U.S. Supreme Court orders halt to manual recount of presidential votes in Florida(Dec. 9).Supreme Court seals Bush victory by 5–4; rules there can be no further recounting(Dec. 12).

The Persian Gulf War (Jan. 16, 1991–April 6, 1991) 1990 Iraq invades its tiny neighbor, Kuwait, after talks break down over oil production and debt repayment. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein later annexes Kuwait and declares it a 19th province of Iraq(Aug. 2).President Bush believes that Iraq intends to invade Saudi Arabia and take control of the region's oil supplies. He begins organizing a multinational coalition to seek Kuwait's freedom and restoration of its legitimate government. The UN Security Council authorizes economic sanctions against Iraq. Bush orders U.S. troops to protect Saudi Arabia at the Saudis' request and “Operation Desert Shield” begins(Aug. 6).230,000 American troops arrive in Saudi Arabia to take defensive action, but when Iraq continues a huge military buildup in Kuwait, the President orders an additional 200,000 troops deployed to prepare for a possible offensive action by the U.S.-led coalition forces. He subsequently obtains a UN Security Council resolution setting aJan. 15, 1991deadline for Iraq to withdraw unconditionally from Kuwait(Nov. 8). 1991 Bush wins congressional approval for his position with the most devastating air assault in history against military targets in Iraq and Kuwait(Jan. 16).He rejects a Soviet-Iraq peace plan for a gradual withdrawal that does not comply with all the UN resolutions and gives Iraq an ultimatum to withdraw from Kuwait by noonFeb. 23(Feb. 22).The president orders the ground war to begin(Feb. 24).In a brilliant and lightning-fast campaign, U.S. and coalition forces smash through Iraq's defenses and defeat Saddam Hussein's troops in only four days of combat. Allies enter Kuwait City(Feb. 26).Iraqi army sets fire to over 500 of Kuwait's oil wells as final act of destruction to Kuwait's infrastructure. Bush orders a unilateral cease-fire 100 hours after the ground offensive started(Feb. 27).Allied and Iraqi military leaders meet on battlefield to discuss terms for a formal cease-fire to end the Gulf War. Iraq agrees to abide by all of the UN resolutions(Mar. 3).The first Allied prisoners of war are released(Mar. 4).Official cease-fire accepted and signed(April 6).532,000 U.S. forces served in Operation Desert Storm. There were a total of 147 U.S. battle deaths during the Gulf War, 145 nonbattle deaths, and 467 wounded in action.

Korean War (1950–1953) 1950 North Korean Communist forces invade South Korea(June 25).UN calls for cease-fire and asks UN members to assist South Korea(June 27).Truman orders U.S. forces into Korea(June 27).North Koreans capture Seoul(June 28).Gen. Douglas MacArthur designated commander of unified UN forces(July 8).Pusan Beachhead—UN forces counterattack and capture Seoul(Aug.–Sept.),capture Pyongyang, North Korean capital(Oct.).Chinese Communists enter war(Oct. 26),force UN retreat toward 38th parallel(Dec.). 1951 Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway replaces MacArthur after he threatens Chinese with massive retaliation(April 11).Armistice negotiations(July)continue with interruptions untilJune 1953. 1953 Armistice signed(July 27).Chinese troops withdraw from North Korea(Oct. 26, 1958),but over 200 violations of armistice noted to1959.

Vietnam War U.S., South Vietnam, and Allies versus North Vietnam and National Liberation Front (Viet Cong). 1950 President Truman sends 35-man military advisory group to aid French fighting to maintain colonial power in Vietnam. 1954 After defeat of French at Dien Bien Phu, Geneva Agreements(July)provide for withdrawal of French and Vietminh to either side of demarcation zone (DMZ) pending reunification elections, which are never held. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy (from 1954onward) send civilian advisers and, later, military personnel to train South Vietnamese. 1960 Communists form National Liberation Front in South. 1960–1963 U.S. military advisers in South Vietnam rise from 900 to 15,000. 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam's premier, slain in coup(Nov. 1). 1964 North Vietnamese torpedo boats reportedly attack U.S. destroyers in Gulf of Tonkin(Aug. 2).President Johnson orders retaliatory air strikes. Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution(Aug. 7)authorizing president to take “all necessary measures” to win in Vietnam, allowing for the war's expansion. 1965 U.S. planes begin combat missions over South Vietnam. InJune,23,000 American advisers committed to combat. By end of year over 184,000 U.S. troops in area. 1966 B-52s bomb DMZ, reportedly used by North Vietnam for entry into South(July 31). 1967 South Vietnam National Assembly approves election of Nguyen Van Thieu as president(Oct. 21). 1968 U.S. has almost 525,000 men in Vietnam. In Tet offensive(Jan.–Feb.),Viet Cong guerrillas attack Saigon, Hue, and some provincial capitals. In My Lai massacre, American soldiers kill 300 Vietnamese villagers(March 16).President Johnson orders halt to U.S. bombardment of North Vietnam(Oct. 31).Saigon and N.L.F. join U.S. and North Vietnam in Paris peace talks. 1969 President Nixon announces Vietnam peace offer(May 14)—begins troop withdrawals(June).Viet Cong forms Provisional Revolutionary Government. U.S. Senate calls for curb on commitments(June 25).Ho Chi Minh, 79, North Vietnam president, dies(Sept. 3);collective leadership chosen. Some 6,000 U.S. troops pulled back from Thailand and 1,000 marines from Vietnam (announcedSept. 30). Massive demonstrations in U.S. protest or support war policies(Oct. 15). 1970 U.S. troops invade Cambodia in order to destroy North Vietnamese sanctuaries(May 1). 1971 Congress bars use of combat troops, but not air power, in Laos and Cambodia(Jan. 1).South Vietnamese troops, with U.S. air cover, fail in Laos thrust. Many American ground forces withdrawn from Vietnam combat.New York Timespublishes Pentagon papers, classified material on expansion of war(June). 1972 Nixon responds to North Vietnamese drive across DMZ by ordering mining of North Vietnam ports and heavy bombing of Hanoi-Haiphong area(April 1).Nixon orders “Christmas bombing” of North to get North Vietnamese back to conference table(Dec.). 1973 President orders halt to offensive operations in North Vietnam(Jan. 15).Representatives of North and South Vietnam, U.S., and N.L.F. sign peace pacts in Paris, ending longest war in U.S. history(Jan. 27).Last American troops departed in their entirety(March 29). 1974 Both sides accuse each other of frequent violations of cease-fire agreement. 1975 Full-scale warfare resumes. South Vietnam premier Nguyen Van Thieu resigns(April 21).South Vietnamese government surrenders to North Vietnam; U.S. Marine embassy guards and U.S. civilians and dependents evacuated(April 30).More than 140,000 Vietnamese refugees leave by air and sea, many to settle in U.S. Provisional Revolutionary Government takes control(June 6). 1976 Election of National Assembly paves way for reunification of North and South.

World War II (1939–1945) Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria)versusAllies (U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia). 1939 Germanyinvades Polandand annexes Danzig; Britainand Francegive Hitlerultimatum(Sept. 1),declare war(Sept. 3).Disabled German pocket battleshipAdmiral Graf Speeblown up off Montevideo, Uruguay, on Hitler's orders(Dec. 17).Limited activity (“Sitzkrieg”) on Western Front. 1940 Nazis invade Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg(May 10). Chamberlainresigns as Britain's prime minister; Churchilltakes over(May 10).Germans cross French frontier(May 12)using air/tank/infantry “Blitzkrieg” tactics. Dunkerque evacuation> about 335,000 out of 400,000 Allied soldiers rescued from Belgium by British civilian and naval craft(May 26–June 3).Italy declares war on France and Britain; invades France(June 10).Germans enter Paris; city undefended(June 14).France and Germany sign armistice at Compiègne(June 22).Nazis bomb Coventry, England(Nov. 14). 1941 Germans launch attacks in Balkans. Yugoslavia surrenders—General Mihajlovic continues guerrilla warfare; Tito leads left-wing guerrillas(April 17).Nazi tanks enter Athens; remnants of British Army quit Greece(April 27).Hitler attacks Russia(June 22).Atlantic Charter—FDR and Churchill agree on war aims(Aug. 14).Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Philippines, Guam force U.S. into war; U.S. Pacific fleet crippled(Dec. 7).U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan. Germany and Italy declare war on U.S.; Congress declares war on those countries(Dec. 11). 1942 British surrender Singapore to Japanese(Feb. 15).Roosevelt orders Japanese and Japanese Americans in western U.S. to be exiled to “relocation centers,” many for the remainder of the war(Feb. 19).U.S. forces on Bataan peninsula in Philippines surrender(April 9).U.S. and Filipino troops on Corregidor island in Manila Bay surrender to Japanese(May 6).Village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia razed by Nazis(June 10).U.S. and Britain land in French North Africa(Nov. 8). 1943 Casablanca Conference—Churchill and FDR agree on unconditional surrender goal(Jan. 14–24).German 6th Army surrenders at Stalingrad—turning point of war in Russia(Feb. 1–2).Remnants of Nazis trapped on Cape Bon, ending war in Africa(May 12).Mussolini deposed; Badoglio named premier(July 25).Allied troops land on Italian mainland after conquest of Sicily(Sept. 3).Italy surrenders(Sept. 8).Nazis seize Rome(Sept. 10).Cairo Conference: FDR, Churchill, Chiang Kai-shek pledge defeat of Japan, free Korea(Nov. 22–26).Tehran Conference: FDR, Churchill, Stalin agree on invasion plans(Nov. 28–Dec. 1). 1944 U.S. and British troops land at Anzio on west Italian coast and hold beachhead(Jan. 22).U.S. and British troops enter Rome(June 4).D-Day—Allies launch Normandy invasion(June 6).Hitler wounded in bomb plot(July 20).Paris liberated(Aug. 25).Athens freed by Allies(Oct. 13).Americans invade Philippines(Oct. 20).Germans launch counteroffensive in Belgium—Battle of the Bulge(Dec. 16). 1945 Yalta Agreement signed by FDR, Churchill, Stalin—establishes basis for occupation of Germany, returns to Soviet Union lands taken by Germany and Japan; USSR agrees to friendship pact with China(Feb. 11).Mussolini killed at Lake Como(April 28).Admiral Doenitz takes command in Germany; suicide of Hitler announced(May 1).Berlin falls(May 2).Germany signs unconditional surrender terms at Rheims(May 7).Allies declare V-E Day(May 8).Potsdam Conference—Truman, Churchill, Atlee (afterJuly 28), Stalin establish council of foreign ministers to prepare peace treaties; plan German postwar government and reparations(July 17–Aug. 2).A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima by U.S.(Aug. 6).USSR declares war on Japan(Aug. 8).Nagasaki hit by A-bomb(Aug. 9).Japan agrees to surrender(Aug. 14).V-J Day—Japanese sign surrender terms aboard battleshipMissouri(Sept. 2).