Feb. 2: Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry to Earth on STS-107, killing all seven occupants.

March 15: Hu Jintao becomes President of the People’s Republic of China, replacing Jiang Zemin.

April 9: U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.

May 4: The “Wyandotte County tornado” ripped through Kansas and Missouri, killing at least 28, and damaging 1,000 buildings. It remained on the ground for about 90 minutes, the most devastating tornado to come through the area since 1977.

Aug. 14: Due to a grid malfunction, nearly 55 million people in the Northeastern United States and Ontario, Canada, lose power in the second-largest power outage in the world.

Oct: Seniors Chastin Lollas and Shane Denton are attacked by approximately 12 men. Lollas and Denton both recovered from their wounds, but Lollas was in critical condition after receiving 19 or more stab wounds. Denton was able to escape with a concussion.