Timeline November 2006

Events in November 2006 12

• 1912 – 2006 Milton Friedman (1912-2006) Died 16 November 2006, aged 94 Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist and leading advocate of free-market monetarism, died of heart failure in San Francisco. His ideas shaped economic policy under Reagan, Thatcher and beyond. He remains one of the most influential economists of the 20th century.
• 1919 – 2006 Jack Palance (1919-2006) Died 10 November 2006, aged 87 Jack Palance, the American actor known for menacing villain roles and his Oscar-winning turn in "City Slickers," died of natural causes at his home in Pennsylvania. His decades-long career spanned westerns, dramas and comedies. He was known for performing one-armed push-ups on stage after winning his Academy Award.
• 1925 – 2006 Robert Altman (1925-2006) Died 20 November 2006, aged 81 Robert Altman, the acclaimed American film director known for "M*A*S*H," "Nashville" and "The Player," died of complications from leukemia. He had received an honorary Academy Award earlier that year in recognition of his career. His overlapping-dialogue ensemble style influenced generations of filmmakers.
• 1927 – 2006 Ferenc Puskás The Galloping Major Leader of the "Magical Magyars" and Real Madrid icon; the FIFA Puskás Award is named in his honor.
• 1962 – 2006 Alexander Litvinenko (1962-2006) Died 23 November 2006, aged 43 Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian FSB officer living in exile in London, died three weeks after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. A British inquiry later concluded the killing was probably approved by the Russian state. The case severely strained UK-Russia relations.
• 2006 PlayStation 3 — too expensive, too late The PlayStation 3 launches in November 2006 at $499–$599 — far more expensive than Nintendo's $250 Wii and Microsoft's $299–$399 Xbox 360. The PS3's Cell processor and Blu-ray drive make it technically ambitious but manufacturing-cost prohibitive. Sony loses $250 on every PS3 sold at launch. The Wii's motion controls capture the casual gaming market; Xbox 360's one-year head start gives Microsoft's console a large exclusive game library. PS3 eventually recovers but the generation is the first PlayStation has not clearly won.
• 2006 Retirement at 24 -- November 2006 In November 2006, Thorpe shocks the Australian sporting public by announcing his retirement at 24. He is, by any objective measure, still at or near the peak of his physical powers -- but the illness, the years of relentless competition and media scrutiny, and a deeper personal struggle with depression and identity have made continuation impossible. He later describes the retirement as driven partly by fear of life outside swimming but also by the knowledge that the claustrophobic media attention and competitive pressure were unsustainable. He has won 5 Olympic golds, 13 World Championship titles and set 22 world records. He is 24.
• 2006 Returns to stage with Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour Emotional return to performing after cancer treatment Following the completion of her cancer treatment, Minogue returned to the stage in late 2006 with the Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour, an emotional continuation of the tour cancelled the previous year. The shows were met with overwhelming public support and widely seen as a triumphant comeback.
• 2006 US midterm elections shift Congress to Democrats Democrats retake House and Senate Democrats won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending twelve years of Republican control of Congress. The result was widely read as a rebuke of the Iraq War and the Bush administration. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House as a result.
• 2006 Sony PlayStation 3 launches Sony's next-generation console arrives Sony released the PlayStation 3 in North America and Japan, featuring the Cell processor and Blu-ray disc support. High launch pricing and limited stock caused early sales friction against Microsoft and Nintendo. It eventually sold over 80 million units over its lifetime.
• 2006 Casino Royale — Daniel Craig The franchise reinvents itself completely. Daniel Craig's portrayal — blond, brutal and emotionally raw — is initially the most controversial casting in Bond history. The backlash evaporates within minutes of the film opening. The pre-credits parkour chase and the poker game at the Casino Royale are landmark sequences. Eva Green is the finest Bond woman in the franchise's history. Budget: $150 million. Box office: $599.0 million.
• 2006 Nintendo Wii launches Motion-controlled console debuts Nintendo released the Wii, a home console built around a motion-sensing remote controller. It went on to outsell rival consoles by appealing to casual and non-traditional gamers. The Wii became one of the best-selling consoles in history.