Portal:Current events/December 2000

Vicente Fox takes office as President of Mexico.
Miss World pageant held in London's Millennium Dome. Priyanka Chopra wins the title.

December 2, 2000 (Saturday)

The 2000 MAC Championship Game (American football) is played at Marshall Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, USA^[1] and is won by the Marshall Thundering Herd.
The Smashing Pumpkins played what was intended to be their farewell concert at the Metro Theater. Even though the band later reunited, Corgan viewed it as the end of an era. ^[2]

December 3, 2000 (Sunday)

The UK Snooker Championship is won by John Higgins.
Died: Miklós Szabó, 91, Hungarian athlete and former world record-holder at 2000 metres and 2 miles.

December 5, 2000 (Tuesday)

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1330 is unanimously adopted and extends provisions relating to the export of Iraqi petroleum or petroleum products in return for humanitarian aid for a further 2000 days.^[3]
Municipal elections are held in South Africa, to elect members to the local governing councils.

December 6, 2000 (Wednesday)

Died: Gershom Browne, 102, last Guyanese veteran of World War I.

December 7, 2000 (Thursday)

The first ballot takes place in the Ghanaian presidential election. The two leading candidates are John Kufuor and John Atta-Mills, who go on to the second ballot.
Kadisoka temple discovered in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Died: Vlado Gotovac, 70, a talented poet, died due to complications caused by Hepatitis

December 9, 2000 (Saturday)

The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour complete the final transfers of supplies to the International Space Station and other items being returned to Earth, and undock from the space station after 6 days, 23 hours and 13 minutes.
Died: Daniel Wretström, 17, Swedish white power skinhead musician (killed in a brawl)^[4]

December 10, 2000 (Sunday)

Parliamentary elections are held in Côte d'Ivoire. 28 seats are excluded because of a boycott by the Rally of the Republicans.^[5] The result is a victory for the Ivorian Popular Front, which wins 96 of the 225 seats in the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire.
Died: Marie Windsor, 80, US film actress

December 11, 2000 (Monday)

The Trinidad and Tobago general election results in victory for the United National Congress.
The Communauté de communes de Londinières is created in the Seine-Maritime département of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France.

December 12, 2000 (Tuesday)

Bush v. Gore: The U.S. Supreme Court stops the Florida presidential recount, effectively giving the state, and the Presidency, to George W. Bush, although some sources claimed Gore had won, by many overvotes, rejected by computer, showing votes for Gore plus write-in "Gore".

December 13, 2000 (Wednesday)

The Texas Seven escape from their prison unit in Kenedy, Texas, and start a crime spree.

December 14, 2000 (Thursday)

The Texas Seven rob a Radio Shack in Pearland, Texas. They would use in their ensuing heist the police scanners they stole there.
The full genome sequence of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is published in Nature.

December 15, 2000 (Friday)

Reactor 3, the last reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, is shut down due to Western political pressure.
Disney's Emperor's New Groove is released in movie theatres.

December 16, 2000 (Saturday)

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus is released in Japan.
F4 rated Tuscaloosa tornado hits south & east of Tuscaloosa, Alabama

December 17, 2000 (Sunday)

The Australian Railroad Group begins operating, following its purchase of the Westrail freight business.

December 18, 2000 (Monday)

Died: Kirsty MacColl, 41, English singer, run over by a speeding powerboat while swimming with her children at Cozumel, Mexico;

Maisy - Christmas and other stories (Volume 5) Script: Andrew Brenner and Jeanne Willis ^[6] Madhavapeddi Satyam, 78, Telugu singer and actor from India

December 19, 2000 (Tuesday)

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1333 is adopted, calling for a ban on military assistance to the Taliban, closure of its camps and an end to the provision of sanctuary of the movement.^[7]

December 20, 2000 (Wednesday)

Mirusuvil massacre: eight Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, including children,^[8] on 20 December 2000^[9]^[10]^[11] are killed by Sri Lankan Army soldiers and buried in a mass grave.

December 21, 2000 (Thursday)

The Falkirk West by-election in the UK, resulting from the resignation of Dennis Canavan, is won by Eric Joyce for Labour.

December 22, 2000 (Friday)

Madonna marries film director Guy Ritchie, at Skibo Castle in Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland with Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney, Sting, George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Rupert Everett and others in attendance.

December 23, 2000 (Saturday)

Died: Victor Borge, 91, Danish comedian, conductor and pianist.

December 24, 2000 (Sunday)

The Texas Seven rob a sports store in Irving, Texas, USA.
Died: US police officer Aubrey Hawkins, ambushed by the Texas Seven in Irving; his autopsy later showed that he had sustained eleven gunshots and had been run over by the fleeing gang.^[12]

December 25, 2000 (Monday)

A partial solar eclipse occurs.
Died: Neil Hawke, 61, Australian Test cricketer and leading Australian rules footballer

December 26, 2000 (Tuesday)

Died: Jason Robards, 78, US actor

December 27, 2000 (Wednesday)

The Bømlafjord Tunnel opens, connecting the island of Føyno in Stord to the mainland at Dalshovda in Sveio, Norway.

December 28, 2000 (Thursday)

John Kufuor wins the second ballot in the presidential election to become President of Ghana. His victory marks the first peaceful democratic transition of power in Ghana since the country achieved independence in 1957.
U.S. department store chain Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business 128 years after it was founded as the world's first mail order business.

December 30, 2000 (Saturday)