2002

Centuries: 20th century - 21st century - 22nd century

Decades: 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s

Years: 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 - 2002 - 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Months: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains
National Science Year in the United Kingdom

Events:

January 1 - Introduction of Euro banknotes and coins in the European Union.
January 5 - Charles Bishop, a 15 year-old student pilot, crashes a light aircraft into a Tampa, Florida building, evoking fear of a copycat 9/11 terrorist attack.
January 9 - The United States Department of Justice announces it is going to pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.
January 10 - Enrique Bolaños Geyer assumes the position President of the Republic of Nicaragua for the time (2002-2007).
January 13 - President George W. Bush faints after choking on a pretzel.
January 16 - A student shoots 6 people at the Appalachian School of Law. Three of those shot die.
January 16 - John Ashcroft announces that American Taliban member John Walker Lindh would be tried in the United States.
January 16 - The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining Taliban.
January 17 - Eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people
January 20 - Inauguration of Churches Uniting in Christ
January 22 - AOL Time Warner brings a federal suit against Microsoft seeking damages. The suit alleges that the market for AOL's Netscape Internet browser was harmed when Microsoft started to give away a competing browser.
January 22 - Kmart Corp becomes the largest retailer in American history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
January 24 - Enron hearings begin and terrorist suspect John Walker Lindh's hearing begins.
January 27 - Several explosions at a military dump in Lagos, Nigeria kills more than 1,000.
January 30 - Slobodan Milosevic accuses the United Nations war crimes tribunal of an "evil and hostile attack" against him.
February 3 - Costa Rica: elections for President and Congress
February 8 through February 24 - 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah
February 12 - The trial of former President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague
February 13 - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gives former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani an honorary knighthood.
February 19 - NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of using its thermal emission imaging system.
February 20 - In Reqa Al-Gharbiya, Egypt, a fire on a train injures over 65 and kills at least 370.
February 22 - A MH-47E Chinook helicopter crashes into the ocean near the Philippines killing all 10 aboard.
February 28 - Ethnic conflict in India: At least 55 are killed in Ahmadabad, India when Hindus burn Muslim homes.
March 1 - U.S. Attack on Afghanistan: In eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda begins.
March 3 - Sao Tome and Principe: elections for the legislature
March 10 - Colombia: elections for the legislature; Togo: elections for the Parliament
March 17 - Portugal: elections for the Parliament
March 31 - Ukraine: elections for the Parliament
April 18 - New order of insects, Mantophasmatodea, announced.
April 30 - Pakistan: referendum on continuation of military government
May 15 - The Netherlands: elections for the Lower House
May 20 - restoration of East Timor independence
May 23 - first Eurovision Song Contest in a former soviet country, Estonia
May 31 through June 30 - 17th Football World Cup in Japan and South Korea
June 4 - Quaoar is discovered
June 10 - Annular solar eclipse
June 18 - Arizona experiences its worst forest fire ever when a local sets off the Rodeo-Chediski fire burning 462,606 acres near the Mogollon Rim.
July 13 - A lighting strike sets off the Sour Biscuit Fire in Oregon and northern California, which is left to burn 499,570 acres when finally contained on September 5.
October 7 - Discovery of Quaoar is announced
October 11 - Bali: Terrorists detonate massive bomb in two nightclubs in Kuta, killing hundreds
October 16 - George W. Bush signs the Iraq war resolution
November 8 - UN Security Council unanimously approves Iraq resolution, demanding Saddam Hussein disarm or face "serious consequences"
November 13 - Iraq agrees to the UN Security Council resolution on Iraq
November 18 - UN inspectors arrive in Iraq
November 29 - Brian Henderson retires from reading the news at Sydney, Australia television station TCN-9. At his retirement he held the record for the longest serving television newsreader ever, having hosted the weekend evening bulletins on the station from 1957 until 1964 and the weeknight evening news bulletins on the station from 1964 until he retired in 2002.
December 4 - Total solar eclipse

years in topic

2002 in film
- M. Night Shyamalan's Signs starring Mel Gibson
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson.
2002 in literature
- Gabriel García Márquez, the autobiography of his early years Vivir para contarla
2002 in music
2002 in politics
2002 in sports
- January 20 - Michael Jordan, now of the Washington Wizards, plays his first game in Chicago since rejoining the NBA. The Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls, 77-69.
- February 3 - Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots (20) defeated St. Louis Rams (17)
- February 8 - opening ceremony of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.
- June - Stanley Cup: Detroit Red Wings (4 games) defeated Carolina Hurricanes (1 game)
- June - NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers (4 games) defeated New Jersey Nets (0 games)
- June 30 - FIFA World Cup: Brazil (2) defeated Germany (0) in final match
- May - Arsenal F.C. wins The Double
- October - World Series: Anaheim Angels (4 games) defeated San Francisco Giants (3 games)
2002 in television
- The Osbournes reality show premieres on cable television.

Births:

Deaths:

January 3 - Freddy Heineken, former CEO of the beer brewery Heineken.
January 5 - Igor Cassini, gossip columnist ("Cholly Knickerbocker")
January 4 - Antonio Todde (112), oldest man in the world at the time (from Thiana, Sardinia - Italy)
January 4 - Esquivel, musician
January 8 - Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's International
January 8 - Alexander Prochorow (65), Russian physicist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics 1964
January 12 - Cyrus Vance (84), former United States Secretary of State (1977-1980)
January 13 - Ted Demme (37), film and television director (Blow, Beautiful Girls)
January 17 - Camilo Jose Cela (85), Spanish author, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 1989
January 21 - Peggy Lee, Jazz performer, most famous for song Fever ("You give me fever...")
January 22 - Jack Shea, American speed skater (double Olympic Champion 1932)
January 23 - Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist
January 23 - Robert Nozick, (philosopher)
January 28 - Astrid Lindgren (94), Swedish author of many best selling children's novels (Pippi Longstocking, Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart)
January 29 - Harold Russell, actor
February 1 - Hildegard Knef (76), actress, singer, writer
February 6 - Guy Stockwell, actor
February 9 - Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom (71)
February 10 - Harold Furth (72), American leader in plasma physics and nuclear fusion.
February 13 - Waylon Jennings, country musician
February 15 - Kevin Smith (38), actor
February 15 - Howard K. Smith, journalist
February 16 - Walter Winterbottom, the first England football manager.
February 21 - John Thaw, actor
February 22 - Chuck Jones, animator
February 22 - Jonas Savimbi, rebel leader
February 26 - Lawrence Tierney, actor
February 27 - Spike Milligan, comedian, writer, poet
March 11 - James Tobin, economist
March 27 - Milton Berle, comedian, actor
March 27 - Dudley Moore, comedian, actor
March 27 - Billy Wilder (96), film screenwriter and director
March 30 - Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (101), Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
March 30 - Anand Bakshi (72), lyricist of over 4,000 songs.
April 12 - Elisa Breton (88), surrealist
April 18 - Thor Heyerdahl (87), Norwegian explorer on the Kon-Tiki expedition.
April 23 - Linda Boreman, aka Linda Lovelace, porn star
May 3 - Mohan Singh Oberoi (103), hotelier, founder of the Oberoi chain of hotels
May 5 - Hugo Bánzer Suarez (76), Bolivian politician, president of Bolivia (1971-1978) (1997-2001)
May 6 - Pim Fortuyn (54), Dutch politician
May 17 - Dave Berg (81), cartoonist for Mad Magazine
May 20 - Stephen Jay Gould (60), paleontologist/evolutionist
June 4 - Fernando Belaunde Terry (89), Peruvian politician, president of Peru (1963-1968) (1980-1985)
June 5 - Dee Dee Ramone (49), founding member and bassist of seminal punk rock group, The Ramones
June 7 - Mary Lilian Baels, Princess of Rethy, Belgium
June 10 - John Gotti (61), Mafia boss
June 17 - Fritz Walter (81), German football player
June 20 - Timothy Findley (71), Canadian author
June 22 - Esther Lederer (83), also known as Ann Landers, advice columnist
June 27 - John Entwistle (57), bassist for The Who
June 29 - Ole-Johan Dahl (70), computer scientist who invented concepts in object-oriented programming
July 2 - Ray Brown (75), jazz bassist
July 4 - Laurent Schwartz, mathematician
July 5 - Ted Williams (83), member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and player for the Boston Red Sox
July 6 - Dhirubhai Ambani (70), industrialist, founder of Reliance group of companies.
July 9 - Rod Steiger (77), actor
July 14 - Joaquin Balaguer, Dominican politician, president of Dominican Republic (1960-1962, 1966-1978, 1986-1996)
July 23 - Chaim Potok, novelist
August 5 - Chick Hearn, pro-basketball announcer
August 6 - Edsger Dijkstra, computer scientist
August 14 - Dave Williams, the singer of Drowning Pool, found dead on the band's tour bus.
August 31 - Lionel Hampton (94), vibraphone virtuoso
September 11 - Johnny Unitas (69), NFL quarterback
September 21 - Robert Lull Forward (70), science fiction author and physicist
October 6 - Claus von Amsberg (76), husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
October 13 - Stephen Ambrose, historian and Dwight Eisenhower biographer.
October 25 - Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator: A Democrat from Minnesota
October 28 - Margaret Booth, film editor
November 2 - Charles Sheffield (67), science fiction author and physicist
November 3 - Lonnie Donegan, musician
November 3 - Jonathon Harris, actor
November 15 - Myra Hindley, Moors murderess
November 18 - James Coburn, actor
November 26 - Verne Winchell, founder of Winchell's Donuts.
December 3 - Glenn Quinn, actor from Angel season 1
December 5 - Einar Skinnarland, SOE agent
December 5 - Roone Arledge, sports broadcasting pioneer
December 11 - Nani Palkhivala (82), jurist
December 18 - Ray Hnatyshyn, former Canadian Governor-General
December 22 - Joe Strummer, musician
December 26 - Herb Ritts, celebrity photographer

Nobel Prizes:

Peace: Jimmy Carter, 39th US president "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."
Literature: Imre Kertész, Hungarian writer "for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history".
Economic Sciences:
- Daniel Kahneman (Princeton University, USA) "for having integrated insights from psychological research into economic science, especially concerning human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty".
- Vernon L. Smith (George Mason University, USA) "for having established laboratory experiments as a tool in empirical economic analysis, especially in the study of alternative market mechanisms"
Chemistry:
- John B. Fenn (Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA) and Koichi Tanaka (Shimadzu Corp., Kyoto, Japan) "for their development of soft desorption ionisation methods for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules"
- Kurt Wüthrich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland and The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA) "for his development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules in solution"
Physics:
- Raymond Davis Jr. (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA) and Masatoshi Koshiba (International Center for Elementary Particle Physics, University of Tokyo, Japan) "for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos"
- Riccardo Giacconi (Associated Universities Inc., Washington DC, USA) "for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, which have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources"
Physiology or Medicine:
- Sydney Brenner, H. Robert Horvitz and John E. Sulston "for their discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death"