The Year in Pictures 2000

July
When Air France Flight 4590 took off from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport on July 25, the Concorde had a spotless safety record. But the plane caught fire on takeoff and crashed into a hotel in the nearby town of Gonesse. All 109 on board were killed, as were four people on the ground. The accident was probably caused by a tire blowout that ruptured a fuel tank, and Concorde flights were suspended until safeguards could be devised to prevent a reoccurrence.

• Person of the Year 2000: George W. Bush