The third millennium prepares the best for the beginning. Really lucky you are - you are living in the very interesting time ever! Just imagine (or remember 10, 5 or even 2 years ago): there's no Internet, no Astronomy Home Pages, no information about comets of the year and so on. Imagined? That's enough, now back to reality, it is much more exciting!
Intrigued again? Excellent! But to follow the chronological order before telling you about what didn't happen for 118 years and will not happen till 2004 - headlines of 2001, 2002 and 2003. Here we go!
2001-2003 Saturn near the perihelion (at 8.05 astronomical units from Earth while in opposition instead of 9.5 on average!), ring is wide open, visual magnitude 0..-0.5 - greatest oppositions in last 30 years!
2003 Great Opposition of Mars - greatest Great Opposition in last 5000 years!!! On August 27th, 2003 the Red Planet will be closest to Earth in history - at 0.37269 astronomical units. For example, on August 22nd, 1924 separation was 0.37284 AU - by 0.00015 AU, or about 20 thousand kilometers more!
No one born after 1882 had a chance to witness event like this by their own eyes! Of course, you can run any astronomical software to see what is it look like but these are two big differences as Odessites say. Note: if you are in Western hemisphere, better go to the Eastern one in 2004 for the best view; otherwise you'll have to wait till 2012. But who knows what weather will be at your home in 11 years from now!
2006 Comet 73P Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 passes within 0.06 AU from Earth on May 17th (best seen from Northern hemisphere)
2011 Comet 45P Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova passes in 0.06 AU from Earth on August 15th (best seen from Southern hemisphere)