Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organization.
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Heineken International was founded in the Netherlands.
The first draft of the human genome was published in Nature Magazine.
A meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, which sent shockwaves that smashed windows and injured 1,500 people.
Sabena Flight 458 crashed, killing the entire US Figure Skating team.
Great Britain ditched their Pence and Shillings currency values for decimal varieties.