Mayor of Houston
Appointed Mayor of Houston
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
2004 in United States of America
Explore 68 historical events and records for United States of America in 2004.
Historical records for United States of America in 2004
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 68 unique records.
68Unique records
1 of 2Page
35Named events on this page
25Named people on this page
12Places on this page
January
Nuclear Power
Officials declare Pakistani scientists gave Libya technology to build nuclear weapons
Bush allows Canada to bid on Iraq contracts
Bush allows Canada to bid on Iraq contracts
Criminal Investigations Division
Darby, a soldier, reports US abuses to the Armys Criminal Investigations Division
Criminal Investigations Division
Darby, a soldier, reports US abuses to the Armys Criminal Investigations Division
Hubble Servicing Mission 4 Cancelled
O'Keefe cancels the planned fourth Hubble servicing mission because of shuttle safety concerns following the Columbia disaster.
February
Discovery of Orcus
Brown, Trujillo and David Rabinowitz discover Orcus, a large resonant trans-Neptunian object with an orbit similar to Pluto's.
Mystic River
Receives Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director for Mystic River.
March
Hubble Ultra Deep Field
NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute release the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, then the deepest visible-light portrait of the universe, containing nearly 10,000 galaxies and probing galaxies from the first billion years after the Big Bang.
April
Genesis Solar Wind Sampling Complete
Completes the Genesis solar-wind sampling phase after more than two years of exposing specialized collector materials to particles flowing from the Sun.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Testifies that there was no concrete evidence to show the 9/11 attack was imminent, the first sitting National Security Adviser to testify on matters of policy
Gravity Probe B
Leads the mission launched to test geodetic precession and frame dragging predicted by general relativity.
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
UN Resolution 1540 recognizes the threat posed to international peace and security by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, It calls upon greater effort by nations to limit proliferation of such weapons
Election
Rice becomes the first National Security Adviser to campaign for an incumbent President
June
Death of Ronald Wilson Reagan
Death of Ronald Reagan
Transit of Venus
Pasachoff participates in scientific observations of the first transit of Venus visible since 1882.
Constitution of USA
An interim Government officially takes over from the US occupation authority
Rule of Iraq
An interim Government officially takes over from the US occupation authority
July
Death of Marlon Brando
Death of Marlon Brando
Bombing of New York
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the US is formed by the US Government, called the 9/11 Commission, concludes the attacks were planned & carried out by al-Qaeda
August
MESSENGER Launch
MESSENGER launches to begin a complex seven-year journey that will culminate in the first orbital mission around Mercury.
September
Genesis Solar Wind Samples Return
Recovers scientifically valuable Genesis solar-wind samples after the return capsule makes a hard landing in Utah when its parachute system fails.
October
Chronicles Volume One
Publishes Chronicles Volume One.
Death of Christopher Reeve
Death of Christopher Reeve
Illegal for US Citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts)
Illegal for US Citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US Government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license
Sanctions
Illegal for US Citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US Government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license
November
Election
Bush wins 50.9% of the vote, 31 states & 286 electoral votes
Election
Kerry wins 48.1% od the vote, 19 states & 252 electoral votes
Secretary of State
Bush nominates Rice to be Secretary of State
Democratic National Convention
Obama writes and delivers the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts
Election
Obama resigns from the Illinois Senate following his election to the US Senate. Obama receives 70% of the vote to Keyess 27%, the largest victory margin for a statewide race in Illinois history
National Convention
Obama writes and delivers the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts
Resignation of Colin Powell
Resigns as Secretary of State
December
Termination Shock
Voyager 1 crosses the solar-wind termination shock and enters the heliosheath.
Voyager 1 Termination Shock Crossing
Leads interpretation of Voyager 1 measurements as the spacecraft crosses the termination shock where the supersonic solar wind abruptly slows and heats.
Other events (month unknown)
Academy Award
Wins the Academy Award for Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation.
Academy Award
Wins an Oscar for "Ray" as Ray Charles
Advanced LIGO Approval
The National Science Board approves Advanced LIGO, endorsing the major detector redesign intended to provide the sensitivity required for routine astrophysical gravitational-wave observations.
Aviator
Directs, The Aviator
Closer
Receives her first Oscar nomination for playing Alice in Closer.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.