January 23 - The 39th Canadian general election results in the Conservative Party of Canada holding the largest number of seats in Parliament, meaning Stephen Harper will become the first Conservative Prime Minister in 13 years. He was in office until 2015.
Sixty-five miners become trapped underground after an explosion in a mine Nueva Rosita, Mexico There were no survivors.
Saddam Hussein is charged on May 15th and following the trial is found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging
Sydney, Australia temp hits 45 degrees Celsius. California suffers it's worst heat wave in recent history with temperatures reaching 115 degrees Farenheit (46 degrees Celcius) and lasting for a two week period.
Winter Olympic Games are held in Turin, Italy. When Sara Renner of Canada broke one of her poles in the cross-country skiing team sprint, Norwegian head coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen lent her one of his (albeit 12cm too long). This act of fair play and sportsmanship allowed Renner to help her team win silver, and dropped Norway out of the medals.
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks the record held by Babe Ruth and hits his 715th home run on on May 28th to pass Babe Ruth on the all time greatest list.
Known as the "Godfather of Soul", James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician and bandleader. His unique vocal and musical style influenced many artists. Some of his songs include "It's a Man's World", "Living in America", "I Got You (I Feel Good)".
Stephen Irwin, nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist and television personality. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter (1996–2007), an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted with his wife Terri. Irwin died September 4 after being pierced in the heart by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary film titled Ocean's Deadliest.
June 23: age 83, stroke. Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. Some of his successes include the TV programs Charlie's Angels (1976–81), The Love Boat (1977–86), Dynasty (1981–89), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), 7th Heaven (1996–2007), and Charmed (1998–2006). He holds the record as the most prolific television writer and producer in US television history, with 218 producer and executive producer credits.
Joseph Barbera was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the 20th century, including Tom and Jerry. He co-produced programs such as The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and The Smurfs.
In the fall of 2006, ABC's hit hospital show became caught up in an off-screen drama, when reports leaked about a scuffle between stars Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey, during which Washington allegedly referred to gay costar T.R. Knight as a "faggot." The real fallout came in January 2007, when Washington repeated the gay slur as part of a denial in the pressroom at the Golden Globes. While the actor later issued an apology, Washington was fired from Grey's in June of 2007.