Hussein was tried before the Iraqi Interim Government for crimes against humanity.

He was executed by hanging on December 30 2006.

5. Obama's US election win (2008)
On November 5 2008 Barack Obama helped African-Americans break through the ultimate glass ceiling with his election to the White House as the 44th President of the United States.

Describing his victory as the "defining moment change has come to America", Obama promised to take America in a new direction, by "fixing the economy", focusing on green job creation and withdrawing US troops from Iraq.

He was inaugurated as president on January 21 this year.

6. Beijing Olympics (2008)
China exploded into the Western public's mainstream consciousness with the most expensive Games in Olympic history. The opening ceremony alone was reported to have cost an estimated US$100 (NZ$150m).

The event showcased China's culture and country to the outside world in a way never seen before, in the process changing some perceptions of the world's largest country for good.

Despite concerns over China's human rights record, the event was widely viewed as a tremendous success and went off without disruption.

A total of 43 world records were set during the two week extravaganza.

7. London bombings (2005)
The London bombings on July 7 2005 were a sobering reminder of the new terrorist threat.

Four years after 911 and three years after the first Bali bombings, multiple bomb attacks on the London underground and bus system left 52 dead, including New Zealand woman Shelley Mather, 26, who was on the underground train between King's Cross and Russell Square stations when a bomb exploded.

8. Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair (1998)
Former US President Bill Clinton called his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky "a terrible moral error", but later called his subsequent impeachment a "badge of honour".

Clinton became just the second US president to be impeached after lying about an affair with 22-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998.

Clinton had denied having "sexual relations" with Lewinsky during his deposition for the Paula Jones case, in which he was also accused of having an extra-marital affair.