Here are some of the notable events and happenings from 2006:

• The Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy.
• Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, was executed.
• North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.
• The construction of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, began in Dubai.
• The Democratic Party regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
• Hezbollah and Israel engaged in a 34-day conflict in Lebanon.
• The International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrants, for Sudanese war crimes.
• Twitter was launched, becoming one of the first and most popular microblogging services.
• Steve Jobs announced the first iteration of the Apple iPhone.
• Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union.