March 12 – Marcus Wesson is arrested in Fresno, California, after killing nine family members. Wesson had built a cult around his family and had molested and "married" several of his daughters. He was sentenced to death in 2005.
April 22 – Pat Tillman, a former NFL player who enlisted in the US Army, is killed by friendly fire in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. military does not reveal this to the public until weeks later, after initially saying he was killed by enemy combatants.
May 6 – The final episode of Friends airs on NBC, drawing an estimated 66 million viewers in North America. Advertisers pay $2 million for 30 second ads.
May 8 – Would-be "Saudi Princess" Antoinette Millard surfaces in New York City, claiming that muggers had stolen jewels worth of $262,000 from her (she later proves to be an impostor).
May 12 – An American civilian contractor in Iraq, Nick Berg, is shown being decapitated by a group allegedly linked to al-Qaeda on an Internet-distributed video. They state it is retaliation for the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison.
May 13 – The final episode of Frasier airs on NBC. The episode was viewed by 33.7 million people, being the 11th most-watched series finale and the 7th most watched from NBC.[2][3]
May 14 – Lynn Turner is convicted of the 1995 murder of her husband Glenn Turner by poisoning him with anti-freeze. She is also accused of the murder of her second husband, Randy Thompson.[4]
Terry Nichols is spared the death penalty by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, exactly three years after his co-defendant, Timothy McVeigh, was executed for his role in the bombing.
July 31 – "The Last Dispatch" concert is played as a reunion concert with the band Dispatch on the Hatch Shell in Boston; 110,000 people attend, making it the single largest gathering in independent music industry history.
July – UFOetry rock band from Los Angeles is formed.[6]
September 8 – In the "Rathergate" affair, the first Internet posts appear pointing out that documents claimed by CBS News to be typewritten memos from the early 1970s appear instead to have been produced using modern word processing systems.
The NBA's Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons engage in a brawl that involves fans and players after the game is called with 45.9 seconds left in the game. The incident gets (then) Pacer Ron Artest suspended for the remainder of the season.
The biggest Chinese PC producer Lenovo announces its plan to purchase IBM's global PC business, making it the world's third largest PC producer after Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
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^Kinon, Cristina (2009-12-03). "The most watched TV episode of the decade was . . . the series finale of 'Friends'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
^"CNN.com - Wife found guilty of killing husband with antifreeze - May 14, 2004". edition.cnn.com.
^Dunlap, David W. (2004-06-20). "A 20-Ton Cornerstone for Freedom Tower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
^"UFOetry – A Magical, Mystical, Musical Adventure for the UFO Age!". www.ufoetry.com.
^The Partysquad reageert op beschuldiging plagiaat - NLHiphop.nl
^"CNN.com - Baby found alive; woman arrested - Dec 18, 2004". edition.cnn.com.
^"Statement on Bay of Bengal Earthquake and Tsunami". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
^"President Discusses Support for Earthquake and Tsunami Victims". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
^"President Commits $350 Million for Tsunami Relief Efforts". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
^"Logik Company Profile". Inc. 500. Mansueto Ventures LLC. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
^Pew Research Center cited by: Cornell University Library (2003). "Digital Preservation and Technology Timeline". Digital Preservation Management. USA. Archived from the original on 6 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
^"Cori 'Coco' Gauff, only 15, is the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon". CNN. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
^"Disney Channel - Andi Mack - Show Bios (Peyton Elizabeth Lee)". Disney ABC Press. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
^"CLAIRE CURZAN". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
^"Iam Tongi: Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
^"Gabriel Bateman - American Gothic Cast Member". CBS. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
^"Celeb birthdays for the week of Oct. 1-7". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
^"Oakes Fegley Young Allentown actor lands starring role in Disney's 'Pete's Dragon' feature film | Whitehall-Coplay Press". whitehallcoplay.thelehighvalleypress.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
^Hudson, Shawna (2018-02-12). "Fun Facts You Need to Know About Actor and Musician Jet Jurgensmeyer". Sweety High. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
^"Ex-GW Star Dare Dies at Age 32". Washington Post. January 13, 2004. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
^Dewan, Shaila K.; McKinley, Jesse (2004-03-09). "Body of Spalding Gray Found; Monologuist and Actor Was 62 (Published 2004)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
^"Mercedes McCambridge, 87, Actress Known for Strong Roles". The New York Times. 18 March 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
^Keepnews, Peter (May 8, 2004). "Barney Kessel, 80, a Guitarist With Legends of Jazz, Dies". The New York Times.
^"Video Shows Beheading of U.S. Hostage As Violence Continues in Iraq".
^Severo, Richard (June 2, 2004). "William Manchester, Whose Biographies Detailed Power in the 20th Century, Dies at 82". The New York Times.
^Neuman, Johanna (June 6, 2004). "Former President Reagan Dies at 93". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
^D'Angelo, Joe. "Ray Charles Dead at 73". mtv.com. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
^"Profiles - Ron Williamson | Burden Of Innocence | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org.
External linksedit
Media related to 2004 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons