2002: Difference between revisions
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* [[April 15]] - The [[Alameda Corridor]] transportation project in [[Los Angeles, California]] opens to rail traffic, ceasing operations of through freight trains on the 120-year-old [[BNSF Harbor Subdivision]]. |
* [[April 15]] - The [[Alameda Corridor]] transportation project in [[Los Angeles, California]] opens to rail traffic, ceasing operations of through freight trains on the 120-year-old [[BNSF Harbor Subdivision]]. |
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*[[April 16]] - Dr. [[Bernd Pischetsrieder]] becomes the seventh CEO of the [[Volkswagen]] automobile company, succeeding Dr. [[Ferdinand Piech]]. |
*[[April 16]] - Dr. [[Bernd Pischetsrieder]] becomes the seventh CEO of the [[Volkswagen]] automobile company, succeeding Dr. [[Ferdinand Piech]]. |
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*[[April 16]] - Chitty takes to the air at the world premiere of [[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]] - The Stage Musical at the [[London Palladium]] |
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* [[April 17]] - Four [[Canada|Canadian]] infantrymen are killed in [[Afghanistan]] by [[friendly fire]] from 2 [[United States|U.S.]] [[F-16]]s. |
* [[April 17]] - Four [[Canada|Canadian]] infantrymen are killed in [[Afghanistan]] by [[friendly fire]] from 2 [[United States|U.S.]] [[F-16]]s. |
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* [[April 18]] - A new [[insect]] order, [[Mantophasmatodea]], is announced. |
* [[April 18]] - A new [[insect]] order, [[Mantophasmatodea]], is announced. |
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Revision as of 07:55, 22 October 2006
| Centuries: | 20th century · 21st century · 22nd century |
| Decades: | 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s |
| Years: | 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 |
| 2002 by topic |
|---|
2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:
- International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains
- Year of the Outback in Australia
- National Science Year in the United Kingdom
- Autism Awareness Year in the United Kingdom
See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.
Events
- January 1 - The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially enters into force.
- 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 will pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.
- January 10 - Enrique Bolaños begins his 5-year term as President of the Republic of Nicaragua.
- January 13 - U.S. President George W. Bush faints after choking on a pretzel.
- January 14 - The asylum case of Adelaide Abankwah comes to trial in New York.
- January 16 - A student shoots 6 people at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, killing 3.
- January 16 - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announces that American Taliban member John Walker Lindh will be tried in the United States.
- January 16 - The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo on and freezes the assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the Taliban.
- January 17 - The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo displaces an estimated 400,000 people.
- January 18 - A Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying anhydrous ammonia derails outside of Minot, North Dakota, killing 1.
- January 22 - AOL Time Warner brings a federal suit against Microsoft seeking damages. The suit alleges that the market for AOL's Netscape Navigator Internet browser was harmed when Microsoft started to give away a competing browser.Template:NoMention
- January 22 - Kmart Corp becomes the largest retailer in American history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- January 22 - Clyde Hood is sentenced to 14 years in prison for Omega Trust fraud.Template:NoMention
- January 24 - Terrorist suspect John Walker Lindh's hearing begins.Template:NoMention
- January 27 - Several explosions at a military dump in Lagos, Nigeria kill more than 1,000.Template:NoMention
- January 31 - A large section of the Antarctic Larsen Ice Shelf begins disintegrating, eventually consuming about 3,250 km² (1,254 miles²) over a 35-day period
- February 2 - Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands marries Máxima, Princess of Orange in Amsterdam.
- February 3 - Costa Rica holds presidential and congressional elections.
- February 3 - The New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17, in Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
- February 8 - February 24 - The 2002 Winter Olympics open in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- February 12 - The trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
- February 12 - Nuclear waste: The U.S. Secretary of Energy makes the decision that Yucca Mountain is suitable to be the United States' nuclear repository.
- February 13 - Queen Elizabeth II gives former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani an honorary knighthood.
- February 16 - Rachel Thaler, 16, is blown up at a pizzeria in an Israeli shopping mall following a suicide bombing attack on a crowd of teens.
- February 19 - NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars 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 20 - In most of the world, at 20:02 (8:02 PM) the local time, date (written as day/month), time, and year are all 2002, making each of them alone, any 2 together, and the combination of all 3, all palindromes.
- February 22 - Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.
- February 22 - A Norwegian-facilitated ceasefire begins in Sri Lanka.
- February 23 - FARC kidnaps Ingrid Betancourt in Colombia while she campaigns for the presidency.
- February 27 - A series of riots leaves hundreds dead, after 59 Hindu pilgrims die aboard a train burned by a Muslim mob in Godhra, India.
- February 28 - The ex-currencies of all euro members officially (at EU-level) cease to be legal tender.
- March 1 - U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: In eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda begins.
- March 1 - Continuing violence in Ahmedabad kills 28; police shoot and kill 5 rioters.
- March 1 - The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 km above the Earth using an Ariane 5 on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500kg.
- March 1 - Space Shuttle Columbia flies the Hubble Space Telescope service mission (STS-109), its last mission before STS-107.
- March 1 - The Peseta is discontinued as the official currency of Spain and is replaced with the euro (€).
- March 2 - The 24th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held in Australia.
- March 3 - São Tomé and Príncipe hold legislative elections.
- March 3 - Stephen Colbert fills in for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show during the entire week of the 3rd.
- March 6 - France agrees to return the remains of Saartjie Baartman to South Africa.
- March 10 - Colombia holds legislative elections.
- March 10 - Togo holds parliamentary elections.
- March 11 - BBC 6 Music, the first new BBC music radio station in decades, is launched.
- March 12 - In Texas, Andrea Yates is found guilty of drowning her 5 children on June 20, 2001. She is later sentenced to life in prison.
- March 17 - Portugal holds parliamentary elections.
- March 17 - In Islamabad, Pakistan, the International Protestant Church attack occurs.
- March 19 - US Attack on Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda ends (started on March 1) after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, with 11 allied troop fatalities.
- March 21 - In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with 3 other suspects are charged with murder in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
- March 27 - Netanya suicide attack: A suicide bomber kills 28 people in Netanya, Israel.
- March 29 - Filipino actor Rico Yan is found dead inside his cottage in a resort in Palawan.
- March 29 - Janez Lapajne's first feature film Rustling Landscapes (Šelestenje) premieres.
- March 30 - Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother dies.
- March 31 - Ukraine holds parliamentary elections.
- April 1 - The N television station was launched by Viacom.
- April 2 - Israeli forces besiege the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, when militants take shelter there.
- April 9- The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother takes place in Westminster Abbey, London.
- April 10 - Janez Lapajne's first feature film Rustling Landscapes (Šelestenje) is released in theatres.
- April 15 - An Air China Boeing 767-200 crashes into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near Pusan, South Korea, killing 128.
- April 15 - The Alameda Corridor transportation project in Los Angeles, California opens to rail traffic, ceasing operations of through freight trains on the 120-year-old BNSF Harbor Subdivision.
- April 16 - Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder becomes the seventh CEO of the Volkswagen automobile company, succeeding Dr. Ferdinand Piech.
- April 16 - Chitty takes to the air at the world premiere of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - The Stage Musical at the London Palladium
- April 17 - Four Canadian infantrymen are killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire from 2 U.S. F-16s.
- April 18 - A new insect order, Mantophasmatodea, is announced.
- April 21 - The first round of the French presidential election, 2002 results is a runoff between Jacques Chirac and the leader of the main French far-right party, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
- April 22 - At a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Director-General Jose Bustani is fired.
- April 25 - South African Mark Shuttleworth blasts off from the Baikonur cosmodrome; he had paid £15 million for the trip.
- April 25 - Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of the R&B group TLC dies in a car crash in La Ceiba, Honduras, at the age of 30. Fellow band members Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chili" Thomas vow to complete TLC's fourth studio album, which they had begun working on prior to Lopes' untimely death.
- April 26 - Robert Steinhäuser opens fire on his former teachers and other students in Erfurt, Germany and then kills himself; 16 are dead.
- April 27 - The Laughlin, Nevada River Run Riot leaves 3 dead.
- April 30 - Pakistan: Pakistani voters approve a referendum granting a 5-year term for Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf.
- May 4 - In Germany, BV Borussia Dortmund wins the Bundesliga title after a 2-1 victory over SV Werder Bremen.
- May 5 - In the second round of the French presidential election, Jacques Chirac is reelected.
- May 3-May 5 - Spider-Man (film) is the first film to open $100+ million on the first weekend in theatres.
- May 6 - In the Netherlands, politician Pim Fortuyn is killed by Volkert van der Graaf.
- May 7 - Gay Canadian teenager Marc Hall is granted a court injunction ordering that he be allowed to attend his high school prom with his boyfriend.
- May 9 - The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected militants among them deported to several different countries.
- May 9 - In Kaspiysk, Russia, a remote-control bomb explodes during a holiday parade, killing 43 and injuring at least 130.
- May 10 - Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is founded.
- May 10 - FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for selling American secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
- May 12 - Former President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a 5-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first U.S. President, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.
- May 12 - The Russian Shuttle Buran is destroyed when the roof of the hangar collapses, killing 8 workers.
- May 15 - The Netherlands holds elections for the Lower House.
- May 16 - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is released in theaters.
- May 18 - Shawn P. Trott married Kelly A. Capossela in South Yarmouth, MA
- May 18 - Wrestler Davey Boy Smith suffers a fatal heart attack while on holiday in Invermere, British Columbia.
- May 20 - East Timor regains its independence.
- May 21 - The US State Department releases a report naming 7 state sponsors of terrorism: Iran,Iraq,Cuba,Libya,North Korea,Sudan,and Syria.
- May 22 - In Washington, DC, Chandra Levy's remains are found in Rock Creek Park.
- May 22 - American civil rights movement: 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murders of 4 girls.
- May 23 - Irish Football Captain Roy Keane is sent home from the Training Camp in Saipan, by Manager Mick McCarthy, after an argument over training arrangements. This causes a huge media sensation in Ireland and Britain. Many people split over the 2 sides and some call it the Second Irish Civil War.
- May 23 - Estonia hosts the first Eurovision Song Contest in a former Soviet.
- May 25 - The Boston Celtics come back from 26 points down to defeat the New Jersey Nets in Game 3 of the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference Finals.
- May 25 - China Airlines Flight 611 breaks up near the Penghu Islands at Taiwan Strait, killing all 225 people on board.
- May 26 - The Mars Odyssey finds signs of huge water ice deposits on the planet Mars.
- May 28 - Washington DC's medical examiner declares that Chandra Levy's death was the result of homicide.
- May 28 - The Eminem Show, Eminem's 3rd solo album, is released.
- June 1 - The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Sacramento Kings 112-106, to win Game 7 of the National Basketball Association's 2002 Western Conference Finals.
- June 3 - The "Party in the Palace" takes place at Buckingham Palace, London for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations.
- June 4 - Quaoar is discovered.
- June 4 - Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh ride in the gold state coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a special service marking the Queen's 50 years on the throne. In New York, the Empire State Building is lit in purple for her honour.
- June 5 - Mozilla 1.0, the first 'official' version, is released.
- June 5 - Elizabeth Smart, 14, is kidnapped from her home in Salt Lake City,
Utah.
- June 6 - An object with an estimated diameter of 10 metres collides with Earth. The collision occurs over the Mediterranean Sea, at approximately 34°N 21°E, and the object detonates in mid-air.
- June 8 - Serena Williams defeats her sister Venus Williams in straight sets to win the 2002 French Open.
- June 10 - An annular solar eclipse occurs.
- June 11 - Antonio Meucci is recognized as the first inventor of the telephone by the United States Congress.
- June 12 - The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the New Jersey Nets 4 games to 0 to win the 2002 NBA Finals.
- June 13 - The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4 games to 1 in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 14 - In Karachi, Pakistan, a car bomb in front of the U.S. Consulate kills 12 Pakistanis and injures 50.
- June 18 - Arizona experiences its worst forest fire, burning 462,606 acres (1,872 km²) near the Mogollon Rim.
- June 19 - Total Nonstop Action Wrestling makes its debut on Pay-Per-View (the first weekly wrestling show on PPV).
- June 24 - The Igandu train disaster in Dodoma Region, Tanzania, kills 281 people in the worst rail accident in African history.
- June 30 - Brazil defeats Germany 2-0 to win the 2002 World Cup.
- July 1 - A Russian passenger jet and a cargo plane collide over the town of Uberlingen in Southern Germany; 72 are dead (see Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937).
- July 1 - Wendy J. Hamilton becomes president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
- July 3 - Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is released, the third game set in the Warcraft Universe.
- July 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq once again rejects new U.N. weapons inspections proposals.
- July 9 - The Organization of African Unity is officially disbanded and replaced by the African Union.
- July 10 - At a Sotheby's auction, Peter Paul Rubens' painting "The Massacre of the Innocents" is sold for £49.5million (US$76.2 million) to Lord Thomson.
- July 13 - A lighting strike sets off the Sour Biscuit Fire in Oregon and northern California, which is left to burn 499,570 acres (2,022 km²).
- July 14 - During Bastille Day celebrations, Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt unscathed.
- July 15 - "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and for the possession of explosives during the commission of a felony. Lindh agrees to serve 10 years in prison for each of the charges.
- July 19 - K-19: The Widowmaker starring Harrison Ford is released.
- July 21 - Telecommunications giant WorldCom files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (the largest such filing in United States history).
- July 27 - Helen Clark, leader of the Labour Party, is re-elected in a historic landslide victory over the Right Wing in the New Zealand general election.
- July 27 - A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes at an air show in Ukraine, killing 78 and injuring more than 100 others (the largest air show disaster in history).
- The Last Toyota Supra is made at the Tahara plant in Japan.
- Central Europe is ravaged by floods.
- 10 August - Turkmenistan adopts a law to rename all the months and most of the days of week according to Ruhnama, a book written by Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov.
- September 1 - The Tau Upsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi calls its first working meeting to order as an established chapter, at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.
- September 2 - The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, successor of the 1972 Conference on the Human Environment, 1983 World Commission on Environment and Development, and the 1992 Conference on Environment and Development, officially opens.
- September 2 - WWE crowns its first World Heavyweight Champion when Eric Bischoff awards the belt to Triple H, who was the original Number One Contender for the WWE Championship but his opponent Brock Lesnar refused to defend the belt of the Raw brand.
- September 3 - Consolidated Freightways, the third largest U.S. trucking firm, files for bankruptcy.
- September 5 - A car bomb kills at least 30 people in Afghanistan, and an apparent assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai fails the same day.
- September 5 - The Sour Biscuit Fire in Oregon and northern California, which burned 499,570 acres (2,022 km²), is finally contained.
- September 8 - Typhoon Sinlaku causes huge waves on the Qiantangjiang River in Sheijang Province, China.
- September 10 - Switzerland, known for its neutrality, finally joins the United Nations.
- September 11 - The World Summit on Sustainable Development comes to a close.
- September 12 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the U.N., and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq, or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act.
- September 15 - The Swedish parliamentary election leaves Prime Minister Göran Persson and the Social Democrats in power.
- September 18 - The body of missing school girl Amanda Dowler Is found in Yateley heath in Hampshire.
- September 19 - Civil war starts in Côte d'Ivoire.
- September 20 - The Kolka-Karmadon rock ice slide occurs.
- September 22 - The German federal election leaves Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, his Social Democrats and the Greens in power.
- September 22 - The last game is played at Cinergy Field, where the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3.
- October 2 - Ai no uta by Psycho le cemu debuts.
- October 2 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.S. Congress passes a joint resolution, which explicitly authorizes the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he deems necessary and appropriate, against Iraq.
- October 6 - Prince Claus of the Netherland dies after a long illness.
- October 7 - The discovery of Quaoar is announced.
- October 11 - Myyrmanni bombing: A lone bomber explodes a home-made bomb in the Myyrmanni shopping mall north of Helsinki, Finland; the casualties include himself.
- October 12 - Bali bombing: Terrorists detonate massive bombs in 2 nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202 and injuring over 300.
- October 16 - Iraq disarmament: George W. Bush signs the Iraq war resolution.
- October 24 - The Beltway snipers, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, are arrested.
- October 25 - U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, his family and staff, are killed by a plane accident at Eveleth, Minnesota.
- October 27 - The Anaheim Angels defeat the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.
- October 29 - The American rock band Nirvana releases their self-titled Greatest Hits album, including "You Know You're Right", the unreleased studio song which led to much legal wrangling with the widow of former frontman Kurt Cobain. Courtney Love, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic took over a year trying to reach an agreement over the valuable song. Since this Nirvana has had two releases: a box set entitled With the Lights Out and Sliver: Best of the Box.
- November 5 - U.S. Elections: The Republican Party maintains control of the House of Representatives and regains control of the Senate.
- November 6 - The U.S. Federal Reserve System drops its primary discount rate by 50 basis points to 0.75%, putting the real interest rate solidly below the inflation rate.
- November 7 - Iran bans the advertising of U.S. products.
- November 8 - Iraq disarmament crisis: – The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves UN Security Council Resolution 1441, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences".
- November 9 - In Los Angeles, California, television and film actor Merlin Santana is shot to death while sitting in the passenger seat of a friend's car parked on the 3800 block of Victoria Avenue.
- November 13 - Iraq disarmament: Iraq agrees to the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1441.
- November 13 - The oil tanker Prestige sinks off the Galician coast, causing a huge oil spill.
- November 14 - Argentina defaults on a US$805 million World Bank loan payment.
- November 15 - Hu Jintao becomes General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.
- November 15 - Film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is released into theatres.
- November 16 - A Campaign against Climate Change march takes place in London from Lincoln's Inn Fields, past Esso offices to the United States Embassy.
- November 18 - Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.
- November 21 - NATO Summit in Prague: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are invited to join NATO.
- November 22 - In Nigeria, more than 100 people are killed at an attack aimed at the contestants of the Miss World contest.
- November 25 - U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 (the Senate passed the bill 90-9 on November 19).
- December 4 - A total solar eclipse occurs.
- December 7 - Iraq disarmament crisis: As required by the recently passed U.N. resolution, Iraq files a 12,000 page weapons declaration with the U.N. Security Council. Although it is supposed to be a complete declaration, it is seen as incomplete by the Security Council and weapons inspectors.
- December 10 - The High Court of Australia hands down its judgement in the Internet defamation dispute in the case of Gutnick v Dow Jones.
- December 12 - Wiktionary, a free content Wiki dictionary, goes online.
- December 18 - Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is released into theaters.
- December 24 - In Modesto, California, Scott Peterson, an agricultural chemical salesman, reports that his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, is missing (he will later be convicted of her death).
- December 27 - A suicide truck-bomb attack destroys the headquarters of Chechnya's Moscow-backed government, killing 72 people.
- December 29 – The Communist New People's Army blows up a bust of Ferdinand Marcos in Benguet, Philippines.
- December 29 - Cincinnati's Cinergy Field is demolished.
Unknown Date
- Naruto (anime) is created by Studio Pierrot.
- American Prohibition Foundation incorporated.
- Games Convention
Births
August
- August 2 - Kara and Shelby Hoffman, American actresses
September
- September 29 - Lila Grace Moss, daughter of British supermodel Kate Moss
December
- December 6 - Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, daughter of Benjamin Bratt and Talisa Soto
- December 31 - Deric Lee, daughter of Donald Lee and his young newborn Darren Lee
Deaths
For more deaths see: Deaths in 2002
January
- January 3 - Freddy Heineken, Dutch-born beer magnate (b. 1923)
- January 8 - Alexander Prochorow, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
- January 8 - Dave Thomas, American fast food entrepreneur (b. 1932)
- January 12 - Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)
- January 12 - Cyrus Vance, United States Secretary of State (b. 1917)
- January 13 - Frank Shuster of the Canadian comic duo Wayne and Shuster (b.1916)
- January 13 - Ted Demme, American film and television director (b. 1963)
- January 16 - Michael Bilandic, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
- January 16 - Bobo Olson, American boxer (b. 1928)
- January 16 - Ron Taylor, American actor (b. 1952)
- January 17 - Camilo José Cela, Spanish writer (b. 1916)
- January 20 - Carrie Hamilton, American actress (b. 1963)
- January 22 - Peggy Lee, American singer and actress (b. 1920)
- January 23 - Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist (b. 1930)
- January 23 - Robert Nozick, American philosopher (b. 1938)
- January 28 - Dick "Night Train" Lane, American football player (b. 1928)
- January 28 - Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children's book author (b. 1907)
- January 29 - Harold Russell, Canadian-born actor (b. 1914)
February
- February 6 - Max Perutz, Austrian-born molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1914)
- February 8 - Joachim Hoffmann, German historian (b. 1930)
- February 9 - Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom (b. 1930)
- February 10 - Traudl Junge, German private secretary of Adolf Hitler (b. 1920)
- February 13 - Waylon Jennings, Country music singer (b. 1937)
- February 14 - Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1922)
- February 15 - Howard K. Smith, American television journalist (b. 1914)
- February 15 - Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
- February 16 - Walter Winterbottom, English football manager (b. 1913)
- February 19 - Virginia Hamilton, American writer (b. 1936)
- February 20 - Willie Thrower, American football player (b. 1930)
- February 21 - John Thaw, British actor (b. 1942)
- February 22 - Chuck Jones, American animator (b. 1912)
- February 22 - Jonas Savimbi, Angolan rebel leader (b. 1934)
- February 24 - Leo Ornstein, American composer and pianist (b. 1892)
- February 26 - Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
- February 27 - Spike Milligan, British comedian, writer, and poet (b. 1918)
- February 27 - Mary Stuart, American actress (b. 1926)
- February 28 - Helmut Zacharias, German violinist (b. 1920)
March
- March 4 - Elyne Mitchell, Australian author of children's novels (b. 1913)
- March 4 - Claire Davenport, British actress (b. 1933)
- March 4 - Eric Flynn, British actor and singer (b. 1939)
- March 11 - James Tobin, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- March 14 - Cherry Wilder, New Zealand author (b. 1930)
- March 21? - Amanda Dowler, murdered British schoolgirl
- March 23 - Ben Hollioake, Cricketer (b. 1977)
- March 24 - César Milstein, Argentine scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1927)
- March 25 - Kenneth Wolstenholme, British football commentator (b. 1920)
- March 27 - Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (b. 1908)
- March 27 - Dudley Moore, British pianist, comedian, and actor (b. 1935)
- March 27 - Billy Wilder, Austrian-born film screenwriter and director (b. 1906)
- March 30 - Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, queen consort of George VI of the United Kingdom (b. 1900)
April
- April 5 - Layne Staley, American singer (Alice in Chains) (b. 1967)
- April 8 - Maria Felix, Mexican actress (b. 1914)
- April 9 - Leopold Vietoris, Austrian mathematician (b. 1891)
- April 13 - Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racecar driver (b. 1928)
- April 15 - Byron White, American athlete and Supreme Court Justice (b. 1917)
- April 16 - Franz Krienbühl, Swiss speed skater (b. 1929)
- April 16 - Robert Urich, American actor (cancer) (b. 1946)
- April 18 - Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian explorer (b. 1914)
- April 18 - Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
- April 25 - Indra Devi, yoga teacher (b. 1899)
- April 25 - Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, American rapper (TLC) (b. 1971)
- April 27 - George Alec Effinger, American author (b. 1947)
- April 27 - Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, Swiss industrialist and art collector (b. 1921)
- April 28 - Ruth Handler, American toy manufacturer (b. 1916)
May
- May 5 - Hugo Bánzer Suarez, President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
- May 6 - Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician (assassinated) (b. 1948)
- May 7 - Seattle Slew, American racehorse (b. 1974)
- May 11 - Joseph Bonanno, Italian-born gangster (b. 1905)
- May 13 - Ruth Cracknell, Australian theatre and television actor (b. 1925)
- May 13 - Valeri Lobanovsky, Ukrainian football manager (b. 1939)
- May 18 - Davey Boy Smith, "The British Bulldog", professional wrestler (b. 1962)
- May 19 - John Gorton, nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1911)
- May 20 - Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist and author (b. 1941)
- May 21 - Niki de Saint Phalle, French artist (b. 1930)
- May 23 - Sam Snead, American golfer (b. 1912)
- May 26 - Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
- May 28 - Jean Berger, German-born composer (b. 1909)
June
- June 1 - Hansie Cronje, South African cricketer (b. 1969)
- June 4 - Fernando Belaúnde Terry, President of Peru (b. 1912)
- June 5 - Dee Dee Ramone, American bassist (The Ramones) (b. 1952)
- June 6 - Hans Janmaat, Dutch politician (b. 1934)
- June 7 - Mary Lilian Baels, Belgian princess (b. 1916)
- June 10 - John Gotti, American gangster (b. 1940)
- June 11 - Robbin Crosby, American guitarist (Ratt) (AIDS) (b. 1959)
- June 12 - Bill Blass, American fashion designer (b. 1922)
- June 17 - Willie Davenport, American athlete (b. 1943)
- June 17 - Fritz Walter, German footballer (b. 1920)
- June 18 - Jack Buck, baseball announcer (b. 1924)
- June 22 - Darryl Kile, baseball player (b. 1968)
- June 23 - Pedro 'El Rockero' Alcazar, Panamian boxer (b. 1975)
- June 24 - Pierre Werner, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1913)
- June 26 - Arnold Brown, the 11th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1913)
- June 26 - Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
- June 27 - John Entwistle, English bassist (The Who) (b. 1944)
- June 29 - Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (b. 1928)
July
- July 4 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr., U.S. general (b. 1912)
- July 5 - Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (b. 1924)
- July 5 - Ted Williams, baseball player (b. 1918)
- July 6 - Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (b. 1932)
- July 6 - John Frankenheimer, American film director (b. 1930)
- July 8 - Ward Kimball, American animator (b. 1913)
- July 9 - Laurence Janifer, American writer (b. 1933)
- July 9 - Rod Steiger, American actor (b. 1925)
- July 13 - Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born photographer (b. 1908)
- July 14 - Joaquín Balaguer, President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1906)
- July 16 - John Cocke, American computer scientist (b. 1925)
- July 19 - Alan Lomax, American folklorist and musicologist (b. 1915)
- July 23 - Leo McKern, Australian actor (b. 1920)
- July 23 - Chaim Potok, American author and rabbi (b. 1929)
- July 28 - Archer John Porter Martin, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
August
- August 4 - Carmen Silvera, British actress (b. 1922)
- August 5 - Josh Ryan Evans, actor (b. 1982)
- August 5 - Darrell Porter, baseball player (b. 1952)
- August 5 - Chick Hearn, American basketball announcer (b. 1916)
- August 6 - Edsger Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist (b. 1930)
- August 11 - Galen Rowell, American photographer, writer, and climber (plane crash) (b. 1940)
- August 12 - Enos Slaughter, baseball player (b. 1916)
- August 14 - Dave Williams, American singer (Drowning Pool) (b. 1972)
- August 15 - Kyle Rote, American football player and coach (b. 1928)
- August 16 - Abu Nidal, Palestinian militant (b. 1937)
- August 23 - Hoyt Wilhelm, baseball player (b. 1922)
- August 25 - Dorothy Hewett, Australian writer (b. 1923)
- August 29 - Alan MacNaughtan, Scottish actor (b. 1920)
- August 31 - Lionel Hampton, American musician (b. 1908)
- August 31 - George Porter, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
September
- September 11 - Johnny Unitas, American football player (b. 1933)
- September 18 - Bob Hayes, American athlete (b. 1942)
- September 19 - Sergei Bodrov Jr., Russian actor (b. 1971)
- September 19 - Robert Guéï, military ruler of the Côte d'Ivoire (b. 1941)
- September 21 - Robert Lull Forward, American author and physicist (b. 1932)
- September 23 - Vernon Corea, British broadcaster (b. 1927)
October
- October 6 - Claus von Amsberg, husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (b. 1926)
- October 10 - Teresa Graves, American actress (b. 1948)
- October 12 - Ray Conniff, American musician and bandleader (b. 1916)
- October 13 - Stephen Ambrose, American historian and biographer (b. 1936)
- October 17 - Derek Bell, Northern Ireland musician (b. 1935)
- October 18 - Nikolai Rukavishnikov, cosmonaut (b. 1932)
- October 18 - Roman Tam, Hong Kong pop singer
- October 24 - Harry Hay, American activist (b. 1912)
- October 25 - Richard Harris, Irish actor (b. 1930)
- October 25 - Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator from Minnesota (b. 1944)
- October 30 - Jam Master Jay, musician (Run DMC) (b. 1965)
November
- November 2 - Charles Sheffield, English author and physicist (b. 1935)
- November 3 - Lonnie Donegan, Scottish musician (King of Skiffle) (b. 1931)
- November 7 - Peg Phillips, Actress (Northern Exposure) (b. 1918)
- November 15 - Myra Hindley, English murderer (b. 1942)
- November 17 - Abba Eban, Israeli foreign affair minister (b. 1915)
- November 21 - Hadda Brooks, American jazz singer, pianist, and composer (b. 1916)
- November 24 - John Rawls, American political theorist (b. 1921)
- November 26 - Verne Winchell, American doughnut entrepreneur (b. 1915)
- November 28 - Norm McDonald, Australian rules footballer (b. 1925)
December
- December 3 - Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (b. 1970)
- December 5 - Ne Win, Burmese dictator
- December 6 - Father Philip Berrigan, American priest and political activist (b. 1923)
- December 6 - Charles Rosen, American pianist and pioneer in artificial intelligence (b. 1927)
- December 9 - Stan Rice, American painter and poet (b. 1942)
- December 18 - Ray Hnatyshyn, Governor General of Canada (b. 1934)
- December 22 - Desmond Hoyte, Prime Minister and President of Guyana (b. 1929)
- December 22 - Joe Strummer, British musician and singer (The Clash) (b. 1952)
Nobel prizes
- Peace - Jimmy Carter
- Literature - Imre Kertész
- Chemistry - John B. Fenn and Koichi Tanaka, Kurt Wüthrich
- Physics - Raymond Davis Jr. and Masatoshi Koshiba, Riccardo Giacconi
- Physiology or Medicine - Sydney Brenner, H. Robert Horvitz, and John E. Sulston
- Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel - Daniel Kahneman and Vernon L. Smith
Fictional events
- According to the Star Trek episode: "The Changeling", the year in which the first interstellar probe, Nomad, was launched.
- November 5: Democratic President Josiah Bartlet of New Hampshire defeats Republican Governor Robert Ritchie of Florida in his reelection bid following the 2002 US presidential election within The West Wing universe.
- The professional wrestling tag team of The New Breed take a time machine back from this year to wrestle for the National Wrestling Alliance in 1986.
- "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes becomes the President of the United States during this time.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2002.
- 2002 Year-End Google Zeitgeist - Google's Yearly List of Major Events and Top Searches for 2002