History & Politics
Wars, elections, coups, and nuclear standoffs that reshaped governments and borders in 2006.
Every History & Politics article in the 2006 knowledge base. Use the topic filters to narrow by sub-topic.
Execution of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, was executed by hanging on **December 30, 2006**, a...
The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko
**Alexander Litvinenko**, a former officer of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) who had def...
2006 U.S. Midterm Elections
On **November 7, 2006**, Americans voted in midterm elections that produced a decisive shift of p...
North Korea's First Nuclear Test
On October 9, 2006, North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK) conducted its f...
2006 Thai Coup d'État
On the night of **September 19, 2006**, the **Royal Thai Army** staged a bloodless coup d'état ag...
The 2006 Transatlantic Aircraft Plot
On August 10, 2006, British authorities announced they had disrupted a plot to detonate liquid ex...
Fidel Castro Steps Down, Transferring Power to Raúl
On July 31, Castro provisionally handed power to his brother Raúl due to health issues, ending 47...
2006 Lebanon War
The **2006 Lebanon War** — also called the **Israel–Hezbollah War** or, in Lebanon, the **July Wa...
The 2006 Mumbai suburban train bombings
Seven coordinated bombs tore through packed Mumbai commuter trains during the evening rush on Jul...
Darfur Genocide Crisis and International Response
Sudan's Darfur conflict escalated critically in 2006 as a failed peace accord, renewed mass viole...
Montenegro Declares Independence
On June 3, 2006, Montenegro formally declared independence, dissolving the State Union of Serbia ...
East Timor violence and Australian military intervention
Post-independence violence in Timor-Leste triggered the Australian military's Operation Astute in...
May 2006 Java Earthquake
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Central Java at 5:53 AM on May 27, 2006, killing at least 5,749...
Nepal's Democracy Movement Ends Absolute Monarchy
A nineteen-day mass uprising known as the Loktantra Andolan forced King Gyanendra to reinstate Ne...
Iran Nuclear Crisis and UN Sanctions
In 2006, Iran's uranium enrichment program escalated into an international crisis, prompting two ...
The al-Askari Mosque bombing and the Iraqi sectarian civi...
The February 22, 2006 bombing of the al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, one of the holiest sites in Shi...
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
A set of twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, first published in Denmark in September ...
Hamas Wins the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Election
On January 25, 2006, the Islamist movement Hamas won a decisive majority in the second-ever elect...
Ariel Sharon's stroke and Israeli political transition
Ariel Sharon suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke on January 4, 2006, at his Sycamore Ranch in t...