21st century

The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2100.

Significant Events and Discoveries

Science and technology

Space Exploration

• 2001 - Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist by paying $20 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.
• 2004 - Mars Exploration Rovers land on Mars; Opportunity discovers evidence that that area of Mars was once covered in water.
• 2004 - The Cassini-Huygens 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.
• 2006 - New Horizons is launched on a 9 year voyage to Pluto, January 19.
• 2006 - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
• 2006 - Pluto is reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet, leaving the solar system with eight planets.
• 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 USA and Russia to do that, Shenzhou 7 on September 25 -

Medicine

• 2003 - Dolly the cloned sheep dies prematurely February 14.
• 2003 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spreads around the globe.
• 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.

Personal Technology

• Mobile phone usage approaches 100% in Europe.
• MP3 players are widely used in the developed nations.
• Wireless technologies are beginning to play a greater role in peoples' lives.

Other

• 2003 - Discovery of an old dwarf human species, Homo floresiensis by modern humans (published in October, 2004).
• 2004 - The first ever recorded hurricane in the South Atlantic is formed.
• Discovery of four chemical elements, of atomic number 113, 115, 116 and 118.