May 2004

Saturday 01:

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union.

Thursday 06:

The last episode of the popular television sitcom Friends airs.

Sunday 09:

Team of Canada won the World Ice Hockey Championship in Prague.

Tuesday 11:

The Stockline Plastics factory explosion in Glasgow kills nine people.

Friday 14:

Insurgents or terrorists in Iraq detonate a 155 mm shell containing several liters of binary precursors for sarin. The shell was designed to mix the chemicals as it spun during flight and the explosion failed to mix them properly. Although it only resulted in a small release of sarin, two U.S. soldiers are treated for exposure after displaying the early symptoms.

Saturday 15:

The largest prime number to be discovered, 2^24036583 − 1, is found by Josh Findley and the GIMPS collaborative effort.

Monday 17:

Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Massachusetts.

Tuesday 18:

Randy Johnson pitches a perfect game for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Friday 21:

Stanislav Petrov is awarded the World Citizen Award for averting a potential World War III in 1983

Saturday 22:

The U.S. town of Hallam, Nebraska, is wiped out by a powerful F4 tornado that broke a width record at an astounding 2.5 miles wide. It also killed one local resident.

Tuesday 25:

2004 - The theatrical version of ' is released on DVD.

Wednesday 26:

The New York Times publishes an admission of journalistic failings, claiming that its flawed reporting and lack of skeptism towards sources during the buildup to the 2003 war in Iraq helped promote the belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

Saturday 29:

World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC

Sunday 30:

Buddy Rice wins a rain-shortened 88th Indianapolis 500

Monday 31:

A foul-up during routine software update at the Royal Bank of Canada leads to a three-day misplacement of 10 million account balances.