2000

Events from the year **2000 in the United States**.

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: Don Siegelman (Democratic)
* Governor of Alaska: Tony Knowles (Democratic)
* Governor of Arizona: Jane Dee Hull (Republican)
* Governor of Arkansas: Mike Huckabee (Republican)
* Governor of California: Gray Davis (Democratic)
* Governor of Colorado: Bill Owens (Republican)
* Governor of Connecticut: John G. Rowland (Republican)
* Governor of Delaware: Thomas R. Carper (Democratic)
* Governor of Florida: Jeb Bush (Republican)
* Governor of Georgia: Roy Barnes (Democratic)
* Governor of Hawaii: Ben Cayetano (Democratic)
* Governor of Idaho: Dirk Kempthorne (Republican)
* Governor of Illinois: George Ryan (Republican)
* Governor of Indiana: Frank O'Bannon (Democratic)
* Governor of Iowa: Tom Vilsack (Democratic)
* Governor of Kansas: Bill Graves (Republican)
* Governor of Kentucky: Paul E. Patton (Democratic)
* Governor of Louisiana: Murphy J. Foster Jr. (Republican)
* Governor of Maine: Angus King (Independent)
* Governor of Maryland: Parris N. Glendening (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican)
* Governor of Michigan: John Engler (Republican)
* Governor of Minnesota: Jesse Ventura (Independence)
* Governor of Mississippi: Kirk Fordice (Republican) (until January 11), Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic) (starting January 11)
* Governor of Missouri: Mel Carnahan (Democratic) (until October 17), Roger B. Wilson (Democratic) (starting October 17)
* Governor of Montana: Marc Racicot (Republican)
* Governor of Nebraska: Mike Johanns (Republican)
* Governor of Nevada: Kenny Guinn (Republican)
* Governor of New Hampshire: Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic)
* Governor of New Jersey: Christine Todd Whitman (Republican)
* Governor of New Mexico: Gary Johnson (Republican)
* Governor of New York: George Pataki (Republican)
* Governor of North Carolina: Jim Hunt (Democratic)
* Governor of North Dakota: Ed Schafer (Republican) (until December 15), John Hoeven (Republican) (starting December 15)
* Governor of Ohio: Bob Taft (Republican)
* Governor of Oklahoma: Frank Keating (Republican)
* Governor of Oregon: John Kitzhaber (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Tom Ridge (Republican)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Lincoln C. Almond (Republican)
* Governor of South Carolina: Jim Hodges (Democratic)
* Governor of South Dakota: William J. Janklow (Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: Don Sundquist (Republican)
* Governor of Texas: George W. Bush (Republican) (until December 21), Rick Perry (Republican) (starting December 21)
* Governor of Utah: Mike Leavitt (Republican)
* Governor of Vermont: Howard Dean (Democratic)
* Governor of Virginia: Jim Gilmore (Republican)
* Governor of Washington: Gary Locke (Democratic)
* Governor of West Virginia: Cecil H. Underwood (Republican)
* Governor of Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (Republican)
* Governor of Wyoming: Jim Geringer (Republican)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Steve Windom (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Fran Ulmer (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of California: Cruz Bustamante (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Joe Rogers (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Jodi Rell (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Frank Brogan (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Mark Taylor (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Mazie Hirono (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Butch Otter (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Corinne Wood (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Joe E. Kernan (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Sally Pederson (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Gary Sherrer (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Steve Henry (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Kathleen Blanco (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Jane Swift (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Dick Posthumus (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Mae Schunk (Independence)
* Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic) (until January 11), Amy Tuck (Democratic) (starting January 11)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri:
	+ until October 17: Roger B. Wilson (Democratic)
	+ October 17 – November 15: vacant
	+ starting November 15: Joe Maxwell (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Judy Martz (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: David I. Maurstad (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Lorraine Hunt (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Walter Dwight Bradley (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Mary Donohue (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Dennis A. Wicker (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Rosemarie Myrdal (Republican) (until December 15), Jack Dalrymple (Republican) (starting December 15)
* Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Maureen O'Connor (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Mark S. Schweiker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Charles J. Fogarty (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Bob Peeler (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Carole Hillard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Texas:
	+ until December 21: Rick Perry (Republican)
	+ December 21 – 28: vacant
	+ starting December 28: Bill Ratliff (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Olene S. Walker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Doug Racine (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: John H. Hager (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Brad Owen (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Scott McCallum (Republican)

## Events

### January

* January 4 – Alan Greenspan is nominated for a fourth term as U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman.
* January 5 – The 2000 al-Qaeda Summit begins of several high-level al-Qaeda members (including two 9/11 American Airlines hijackers) is held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
* January 8 – The 2000 al-Qaeda Summit ends.
* January 10 – America Online announces an agreement to purchase Time Warner for $162 billion (the largest-ever corporate merger).
* January 12 – Elián González affair: Attorney General Janet Reno rules that a child rescued by the Coast Guard must be returned to his father in Cuba.
* January 14 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 11,722.98 (at the peak of the Dot-com bubble).
* January 19 – A dorm fire at Seton Hall University kills three people and injures several others. Three years later, Sean Ryan and Joseph LePore are convicted of arson and sentenced to five years in prison.
* January 26 – The rap-metal band Rage Against the Machine plays in front of Wall Street, prompting an early closing of trading due to the crowds.
* January 30 – Super Bowl XXXIV: The St. Louis Rams defeat the Tennessee Titans 23–16 at Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
* January 31 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes in the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 people on board.

### February

* February 11 – A blast from an improvised explosive device in front of a Barclay's Bank, across from the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, wounds dozens but kills none.
* February 13 – The final original *Peanuts* comic strip is published, following the death of its creator, Charles Schulz.
* February 17 – Microsoft releases Windows 2000.

### March

* March 7 – Texas Governor George W. Bush and U.S. Vice President Al Gore emerge victorious in the Republican and Democratic caucuses and primaries of the United States presidential election.
* March 9 – The FBI arrests art forgery suspect Ely Sakhai in New York City.
* March 10 – The NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5,048.
* March 20 – Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (H. Rap Brown), a former Black Panther, is captured after a gun battle in Atlanta, Georgia that leaves a sheriff's deputy dead.
* March 21 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the government lacks authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug, throwing out the Clinton administration's main anti-smoking initiative.
* March 26 – The 72nd Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Sam Mendes' *American Beauty* wins five awards out of eight nominations, including Best Picture and Director. The telecast garners over 46.5 million viewers.
* March 27 – The Phillips explosion of 2000 kills one and injures 71 in Pasadena, Texas.

### April

* April 1
	+ The 2000 United States Census determines the resident population of the United States to be 281,421,906.
	+ Boomerang, a secondary digital Cartoon Network channel, debuts.
* April 2
	+ The unemployment rate drops to a low of 3.8%, the lowest since December 1969.
	+ The labor force participation rate hits a historical peak of 67.4%.
	+ The employment-population ratio reaches an all-time high of 64.8%.
* April 3 – *United States v. Microsoft*: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.
* April 22 – In a predawn raid, federal agents seize 6-year-old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida and fly him to his Cuban father in Washington, DC, ending one of the most publicized custody battles in U.S. history.
* April 25 – The State of Vermont passes HB847, legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples.
* April 28 – Richard Baumhammers begins a two-hour racially motivated shooting spree in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, leaving five dead and one paralyzed.

### May

* May 3 – In San Antonio, Texas, computer pioneer Datapoint files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
* May 16 – The Federal Reserve raises its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 6.5 percent, the first increase of more than a quarter point since February 1995.
* May 19 – Walt Disney Pictures' 39th feature film, *Dinosaur*, is released.
* May 24 – Five people are shot and killed during a robbery at a Wendy's in Queens, New York.
* May 28 – The comic strip *Bringing Up Father* ends its 87-year run in newspapers.

### June

* June 1 – Expo 2000, the world's fair in Hanover, Germany, begins without the attendance of the United States.
* June 5 – *405 The Movie*, the first short film widely distributed on the Internet, is released.
* June 7 – United States Microsoft antitrust case: A Court orders the breakup of the Microsoft corporation because of its monopoly in the computer software market.
* June 28 – Elián González affair: Elián González returns to Cuba with his father.

### July

* July 12 – A 30-year-old American mechanic named Thomas Jones is pursued by law enforcement officers from the Philadelphia Police Department in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More than one dozen officers beat and attacked Jones while he was wounded.
* July 14 – *X-Men*, directed by Bryan Singer, is released as the first film in the *X-Men* film series.
* July 26 – *Thomas and the Magic Railroad* is released in theatres in the United States.
* July 31 – The Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania nominates Texas Governor George W. Bush for U.S. president and Dick Cheney for vice president.

### August

* August 8 – The Confederate submarine *H. L. Hunley* is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.
* August 14
	+ *Dora the Explorer* premieres on Nick Jr. with the episode "The Legend of the Big Red Chicken."
	+ The Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles nominates U.S. Vice President Al Gore for president and Senator Joe Lieberman for vice president.

### September

* September 3 – The 5.0 Mw Yountville earthquake shook the North Bay area of California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (*Very strong*), causing 41 injuries and $10–50 million in losses.
* September 4 – *Caillou* and *Clifford the Big Red Dog* premiere on PBS Kids.
* September 6 – In Paragould, Arkansas, Breanna Lynn Bartlett-Stewart is stillborn to Jason Stewart and Lisa Bartlett. Breanna Lynn's stillbirth is notable for being the first stillbirth to be identified by means of the Kleihauer-Betke test.
* September 8 – The United Nations Millennium Declaration is made in New York City.

### October

* October 1 – In the final baseball game played at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates lose to the Chicago Cubs 10–9.
* October 11 – 250 million U.S. gallons (950,000 m3) of coal sludge spill in Martin County, Kentucky (considered a greater environmental disaster than the *Exxon Valdez* oil spill).
* October 12 – In Aden, Yemen, the USS *Cole* is badly damaged by two Al-Qaeda suicide bombers, who place a small boat laden with explosives alongside the United States Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
* October 16 – Mel Carnahan, Democratic Governor of Missouri and U.S. Senate candidate, dies in a plane crash in Jefferson County, Missouri, three weeks before the election for that office. Lieutenant Governor Roger B. Wilson succeeds Carnahan as Missouri's Governor.
* October 23 – Madeleine Albright holds talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.
* October 26 – The New York Yankees defeat the New York Mets in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series, 4–1, to win their 26th World Series title. This is the first Subway Series matchup between the two crosstown rivals. It is the Yankees' fourth World Series win under manager Joe Torre.

### November

* November 6 – Toxicologist Kristin Rossum murders her husband Gregory de Villers in San Diego by poisoning him with fentanyl. She successfully passes off the crime as a suicide for several months before being charged.
* November 7
	+ 2000 United States presidential election: Republican candidate Texas Governor George W. Bush defeats Democratic Vice President Al Gore in the closest election in history, but the outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida.
	+ Hillary Clinton is elected to the United States Senate, becoming the first First Lady of the United States to win public office.
	+ Just three weeks after his death, Mel Carnahan is posthumously elected to the United States Senate defeating Republican incumbent John Ashcroft. Then-Governor Roger B. Wilson appoints his widow, Jean Carnahan, to fill the seat for him.
* November 8 – U.S. presidential election, 2000: Per Florida law, an automatic recount begins in the state due to the narrow margin of the outcome.
* November 12 – The United States recognizes the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
* November 16 – Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit Vietnam.
* November 17 – U.S. presidential election, 2000: The Supreme Court of Florida prevents Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris from certifying the election results, allowing recounting to continue.

### December

* December 8 – U.S. presidential election, 2000: The Supreme Court of Florida orders a statewide manual recount of the votes in the presidential election. The next day the U.S. Supreme Court places a stay on this order.
* December 12 – U.S. presidential election, 2000: *Bush v. Gore*: The U.S. Supreme Court overturns the ruling by the Florida Supreme Court, ending the recount and effectively giving the state, and the Presidency, to Texas Governor George W. Bush. The following day, U.S. Vice President Al Gore concedes the election and suspends the activities of his recount committee.
* December 13 – The Texas Seven escape from their prison unit in Kenedy, Texas, and start a crime spree.
* December 15 – Walt Disney Pictures' 40th feature film, *The Emperor's New Groove*, is released after years of production issues. Though the box office haul is disappointing compared to Disney's Renaissance-era releases, it is later praised as one of their best films of the post-Renaissance era.
* December 16
	+ Property appraiser Jerry Michael Williams is reported missing after going duck hunting at Lake Seminole and is assumed to have accidentally drowned. His wife Denise is convicted of his murder 18 years later.
	+ The Pittsburgh Steelers close out the final game at Three Rivers Stadium with a 24–6 victory over the Washington Redskins.
* December 20 – Brothers Reginald and Jonathan Carr break into a house in Wichita, Kansas, subjecting the occupants to rape and torture, and eventual murder. Only one of the occupants survived and the brothers were caught the next day. The event became known as the Wichita massacre.
* December 24 – The Texas Seven rob a sports store in Irving, Texas; police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot dead.
* December 26 – Wakefield Massacre: Michael McDermott kills seven coworkers at Edgewater Technology in Wakefield, Massachusetts.
* December 28 – U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
* December 31 – President Bill Clinton signs the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

## Memoriam

### January

* January 6 – Don Martin, cartoonist (aged 68; Miami, FL, USA)
* January 11 – Bob Lemon, baseball player and manager (aged 79; Long Beach, CA, USA)
* January 15 – Fran Ryan, actress (aged 83; Burbank, CA, USA)
* January 19
	+ Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born film actress and inventor (aged 85; Casselberry, FL, USA)
	+ Alan North, actor (aged 79; Port Jefferson, NY, USA)
* January 25 – Herta Freitag, Austrian-born American mathematician (aged 91; Roanoke, VA, USA)
* January 26
	+ Don Budge, tennis player (aged 84; Scranton, PA, USA)
	+ Don Ralke, music arranger (aged 79; Santa Rosa, CA, USA)

### February

* February 4
	+ Carl Albert, lawyer and politician (aged 91; McAlester, OK, USA)
	+ Phil Tonken, radio and television announcer (aged 80; Washington, DC, USA)
* February 7 – Big Pun, rapper (aged 28; White Plains, NY, USA)
* February 8 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (aged 33; Miami, FL, USA)
* February 9
	+ Beau Jack, boxer (aged 78; Miami, FL, USA)
	+ Steve Furness, football player (aged 49; Pittsburgh, PA, USA)
* February 10
	+ George Jackson, movie producer (aged 42; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Jim Varney, actor noted for his character, Ernest P. Worrell (aged 50; White House, TN, USA)
* February 12
	+ Newt Arnold, film director (aged 77; Encino, CA, USA)
	+ Screamin' Jay Hawkins, musician (aged 70; Neuilly-sur-Seine, France)
	+ Tom Landry, American football coach (aged 75; Dallas, TX, USA)
	+ Charles M. Schulz, comic strip artist (aged 77; Santa Rosa, CA, USA)
* February 29 – Dennis Danell, musician (aged 38; Newport Beach, CA, USA)

### March

* March 10 – Barbara Cooney, author and illustrator (aged 82; Damariscotta, ME, USA)
* March 14 – Tommy Collins, country musician (aged 69; Ashland City, TN, USA)
* March 24 – Al Grey, American jazz trombonist (aged 74; Phoenix, AZ, USA)

### April

* April 5 – Lee Petty, race car driver (aged 86; Greensboro, NC, USA)
* April 10 – Larry Linville, actor (aged 60; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 11 – Opaline Deveraux Wadkins, African American nurse educator (aged 88; Oklahoma City, OK, USA)
* April 14 – Phil Katz, computer programmer (aged 37; Milwaukee, WI, USA)
* April 15 – Edward Gorey, writer and illustrator (aged 75; Hyannis, MA, USA)
* April 25 – David Merrick, stage producer (aged 88; London, England, UK)
* April 27 – Vicki Sue Robinson, singer and actress (aged 45; Wilton, CT, USA)

### May

* May 8 – Henry Nicols, HIV/AIDS activist (aged 26; Cooperstown, NY, USA)
* May 10 – Craig Stevens, actor (aged 81; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* May 12 – Adam Petty, race car driver (aged 19; Loudon, NH, USA)
* May 20 – Edward Bernds, director (aged 94; Van Nuys, CA, USA)
* May 21 – Mark R. Hughes, businessman (aged 44; Malibu, CA, USA)
* May 31 – John Coolidge, businessman and son of President Calvin Coolidge (aged 93; Lebanon, NH, USA)

### June

* June 8 – Jeff MacNelly, American cartoonist (aged 52; Baltimore, MD, USA)
* June 14 – Robert Trent Jones, British-born golf course designer (aged 93; Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA)
* June 15 – James Montgomery Boice, American pastor and theologian (aged 61; Drexel Hill, PA, USA)
* June 18 – Nancy Marchand, actress (aged 71; Stratford, CT, USA)
* June 21 – Alan Hovhaness, composer (aged 89; Seattle, WA, USA)

### July

* July 1 – Walter Matthau, actor (aged 79; Santa Monica, CA, USA)
* July 7 – James C. Quayle, newspaper publisher (aged 79; Wickenburg, AZ, USA)
* July 14 – Meredith MacRae, actress (aged 56; Manhattan Beach, CA, USA)
* July 27 – Gordon Solie, wrestling commentator (aged 71; New Port Richey, FL, USA)

### August

* August 9
	+ Bob Lido, musician (aged 85; San Diego, CA, USA)
	+ Lewis Wilson, actor (aged 80; San Francisco, CA, USA)
* August 12
	+ Dave Edwards, musician (aged 59; Orlando, FL, USA)
	+ Loretta Young, actress (aged 87; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* August 25 – Carl Barks, cartoonist (aged 99; Grants Pass, OR, USA)

### September

* September 2
	+ Elvera Sanchez, dancer (aged 95; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Jean Speegle Howard, actress (aged 73; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* September 3
	+ R. H. Harris, American gospel singer (aged 84; Chicago, IL, USA)
	+ Walt Stanchfield, American animator (aged 81; Santa Barbara County, CA, USA)
* September 4 – David Brown, American bass guitarist (Santana) (aged 53; Daly City, CA, USA)
* September 5 – George Musso, American football player (Chicago Bears) and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (aged 90; Edwardsville, IL, USA)
* September 17 – Nicole Reinhart, cyclist (aged 24; Arlington, MA, USA)
* September 26 – Carl Sigman, songwriter (aged 91; Manhasset, NY, USA)

### October

* October 4 – George Huntston Williams, theologian (aged 86; Huntsburg, OH, USA)
* October 16 –
	+ Mel Carnahan, politician from Missouri (aged 66; Hillsboro, MO, USA)
	+ Rick Jason, actor (aged 77; Moorpark, CA, USA)
* October 22 – Rodney Anoa'i, wrestler (aged 34; Liverpool, England, UK)
* October 30 – Steve Allen, comedian, composer, talk show host, and author (aged 78; Los Angeles, CA, USA)

### November

* November 6 – L. Sprague de Camp, writer (aged 92; Plano, TX, USA)
* November 14 – Robert Trout, American journalist (aged 91; New York City, NY, USA)
* November 25 – Hugh Alexander, American baseball player and scout (aged 83; Bethany, OK, USA)
* November 28
	+ Robert Bentley, American animator (aged 93; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Henry B. González, American politician (aged 84; San Antonio, TX, USA)

### December

* December 3 – Gwendolyn Brooks, African American poet (aged 83; Chicago, IL, USA)
* December 23 – Victor Borge, comedian, conductor and pianist (aged 91; Greenwich, CT, USA)
* December 24
	+ Nick Massi, bass singer and bass guitarist for The Four Seasons (aged 73; West Orange, NJ, USA)
	+ Laurence Chisholm Young, mathematician (aged 95; Madison, WI, USA)
* December 25
	+ Robert Francis Garner, Roman Catholic prelate (aged 80; North Arlington, NJ, USA)
	+ Willard Van Orman Quine, philosopher (aged 92; Boston, MA, USA)
* December 26 – Jason Robards, actor (aged 78; Bridgeport, CT, USA)
* December 28 – Robert Williams, baseball player (aged 83; Philadelphia, PA, USA)
* December 29 – Adele Stimmel Chase, artist (aged 83; San Francisco, CA, USA)
* December 30 – Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter (aged 91; Los Angeles, CA, USA)