What Happened in 2001 — Events, Births & Deaths

Greece adopts the Euro, becoming the 12th Eurozone country.

Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.

Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, is launched (Wikipedia Day).

Second Congo War: Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards in Kinshasa.

US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish–American War.

President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent four-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Chinese Communist Party to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.

The 7.7 Mw Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India, leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured.

Diane Whipple, a lacrosse coach, is killed in a dog attack in San Francisco. The resulting court case clarified the meaning of implied malice murder.

Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals.

In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

Two Japan Airlines planes nearly collide over Suruga Bay in Japan.

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-98, carrying the Destiny laboratory module to the International Space Station.

The Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision takes place, killing nine of the thirty-five people on board the Japanese fishery high-school training ship Ehime Maru, leaving the USS Greeneville (SSN-772) with US $2 million in repairs, at Pearl Harbor.

A Dutch programmer launches the Anna Kournikova virus infecting millions of emails via a trick photo of the tennis star.

NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 315.

The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.[citation needed]

FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sampit conflict: Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese breaks out in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.

Loganair Flight 670A crashes while attempting to make a water landing in the Firth of Forth in Scotland.

The 2001 Nisqually earthquake, having a moment magnitude of 6.8, with epicenter in southern Puget Sound, damages the Seattle metropolitan area.

BBC bombing: A massive car bomb explodes in front of the BBC Television Centre in London, seriously injuring one person; the attack was attributed to the Real IRA.

In Mina, Saudi Arabia, 35 pilgrims are killed in a stampede on the Jamaraat Bridge during the Hajj.

Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-102, carrying the Expedition 2 crew to the International Space Station.

A series of bomb blasts in the city of Shijiazhuang, China kill 108 people and injure 38 others, the biggest mass murder in China in decades.

The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.

Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos begins operation.

A Gulfstream III crashes on approach to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Aspen, Colorado. All 18 people on board are killed.

An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Chinese pilot ejected but is subsequently lost. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained.

Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges.

Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it.

NASA launches the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter.

The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China, after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released.

The Australia national men's soccer team sets a world record for the largest victory in an international association football match, winning the game 31–0 against American Samoa at the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for OFC. Australia's Archie Thompson also breaks the record for most goals scored by a player in an international match by scoring 13 goals.

Series of bombings at Ramna Park in Dhaka during the Bengali New Year celebrations leave 10 people dead and dozens other injured.

India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.

Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on STS-100 carrying the Canadarm2 to the International Space Station.

The United States loses its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.

During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.

In Ghana, 129 football fans die in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths are caused by a stampede (caused by the firing of tear gas by police personnel at the stadium) that followed a controversial decision by the referee.

A CSX EMD SD40-2 8888 rolls out of a train yard in Walbridge, Ohio, with 47 freight cars, including some tank cars with flammable chemical, after its engineer fails to reboard it after setting a yard switch. It travels south driverless for 66 miles (106 km) until it is brought to a halt near Kenton. The incident became the inspiration for the 2010 film Unstoppable.

French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.

Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, with Dr. Sherman Bull.

Members of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist separatist group, seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.

Nepalese royal massacre: Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shoots and kills several members of his family including his father and mother.

Dolphinarium discotheque massacre: A Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 at a disco in Tel Aviv.

Tropical Storm Allison makes landfall on the upper-Texas coastline as a strong tropical storm and dumps large amounts of rain over Houston. The storm causes $5.5 billion in damages, making Allison the second costliest tropical storm in U.S. history.

Mamoru Takuma kills eight and injures 15 in a mass stabbing at an elementary school in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan.

Pope John Paul II canonizes Lebanon's first female saint, Saint Rafqa.

Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen.

The 8.4 Mw southern Peru earthquake shakes coastal Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami followed, leaving at least 74 people dead, and 2,687 injured.

Slobodan Milošević is extradited to the ICTY in The Hague to stand trial.

Vladivostok Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport, killing all 145 people on board.

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-104, carrying the Quest Joint Airlock to the International Space Station.

Australian criminal Bradley John Murdoch murders British tourist Peter Falconio and abducts his girlfriend in the Northern Territory.

Rus Flight 9633 crashes during takeoff from Chkalovsky Airport, killing all 10 people on board.

At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri Station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.

Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in as the first female president of Indonesia following her predecessor's impeachment.

The Bandaranaike Airport attack is carried out by 14 Tamil Tiger commandos, resulting in military and civilian casualties and destroyed aircraft.

Phoolan Devi, a serving Member of Parliament, is assassinated by shooting in New Delhi, India.

Australian Ian Thorpe becomes the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championship meeting.

Erwadi fire incident: Twenty-eight mentally ill persons tied to a chain are burnt to death at a faith based institution at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu.

Albanian rebels ambush a convoy of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia near Tetovo, killing 10 soldiers.

The 2001 Angola train attack occurs, causing 252 deaths.

Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-105 to the International Space Station, carrying the astronauts of Expedition 3 to replace the crew of Expedition 2.

Air Transat Flight 236 loses all engine power over the Atlantic Ocean, forcing the pilots to conduct an emergency landing in the Azores.

American singer Aaliyah and several members of her entourage are killed as their overloaded aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport, Bahamas.

Four people are killed when Binter Mediterráneo Flight 8261 crashes into the N-340 highway near Málaga Airport.

In Belfast, Protestant loyalists begin a picket of Holy Cross, a Catholic primary school for girls.

Tokyo DisneySea opens to the public as part of the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan.

Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the Northern Alliance, is assassinated in Afghanistan by two al-Qaeda assassins who claimed to be Arab journalists wanting an interview.

Antônio da Costa Santos, mayor of Campinas, Brazil is assassinated.

During his appearance on the British TV game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, contestant Charles Ingram reaches the £1 million top prize, but it was later revealed that he had cheated to the top prize by listening to coughs from his wife and another contestant.

Nineteen members of al-Qaeda execute the September 11 attacks, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people using four hijacked aircraft. Two aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third crashes into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Ansett Australia, Australia's first commercial interstate airline, collapses due to increased strain on the international airline industry, leaving 10,000 people unemployed.

Civilian aircraft traffic resumes in the United States after the September 11 attacks.

Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital.

During a CART race at the Lausitzring in Germany, former Formula One driver Alex Zanardi suffers a heavy accident resulting in him losing both his legs.

The New York Stock Exchange reopens for trading after the September 11 attacks, the longest closure since the Great Depression.

George W. Bush, president of the United States, delivers remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington praising Muslim Americans and condemning Islamophobia in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks.

In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror".

America: A Tribute to Heroes is broadcast by over 35 network and cable channels, raising over $200 million for the victims of the September 11 attacks.

Ross Parker is murdered in Peterborough, England, by a gang of ten British Pakistani youths.

In Switzerland, a gunman shoots 18 citizens, killing 14 and then himself.

Militants attack the state legislature building in Kashmir, killing 38.

3G wireless technology first becomes available when it is adopted by Japanese telecommunications company NTT Docomo.

Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 crashes after being struck by an errant Ukrainian missile. Seventy-eight people are killed.

The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan begins with an air assault and covert operations on the ground, starting the longest war in American history.

A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.

U.S. president George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.

The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.

NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles (180 km) of Jupiter's moon Io.

Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi is assassinated by Hamdi Quran, a member of the PFLP, thus becoming the highest-ranking Israeli to be killed by a Palestinian.

SIEV X, an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 migrants, sinks in international waters with the loss of 353 people.

Apple Computer releases the iPod.

Microsoft releases Windows XP, which becomes one of Microsoft's most successful operating systems.

The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.

Turkey, Australia, and Canada agree to commit troops to the invasion of Afghanistan.

Journalists Pierre Billaud, Johanne Sutton and Volker Handloik are killed in Afghanistan during an attack on the convoy they are traveling in.

In New York City, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 en route to the Dominican Republic, crashes minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 on board and five on the ground.

War in Afghanistan: Taliban forces abandon Kabul, ahead of advancing Afghan Northern Alliance troops.

War on terror: In the first such act since World War II, US President George W. Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against foreigners suspected of connections to terrorist acts or planned acts on the United States.

War in Afghanistan: Afghan Northern Alliance fighters take over the capital Kabul.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes a remote part of the Tibetan Plateau. It has the longest known surface rupture recorded on land (~400 km) and is the best documented example of a supershear earthquake.

Microsoft launches the Xbox game console in North America.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act is enacted by the 107th United States Congress in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Act created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime is signed in Budapest, Hungary.

Crossair Flight 3597 crashes in Bassersdorf near Zurich Airport, killing 24 people, including singer Melanie Thornton and two members of the German band Passion Fruit.

A hydrogen atmosphere is discovered on the extrasolar planet Osiris by the Hubble Space Telescope, the first atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet.

The United Russia political party was founded.

Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-108, carrying the Expedition 4 crew to the International Space Station.

A raid conducted by the Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore foils a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore.

China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.

Indian Parliament attack: Sansad Bhavan, the building housing the Indian Parliament, is attacked by five Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. Twelve people are killed, including the terrorists.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 spent to stabilize it, without fixing its famous lean.

Argentine economic crisis: December riots: Riots erupt in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Islamic State of Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.

Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.

Rwanda adopts a new national flag and anthem.

Angourie Rice, Australian actress

Winter, South Korean singer

Cole Caufield, American ice hockey player

Luiz Henrique, Brazilian footballer

Deni Avdija, Israeli-Serbian basketball player

Odilon Kossounou, Ivorian footballer

Lola Young, English singer and songwriter

Mykhailo Mudryk, Ukrainian footballer

Ellis Simms, English footballer

Zach Charbonnet, American football player

Eric García, Spanish footballer

Peter Mamouzelos, Australian rugby league player

Zeke Nnaji, American basketball player

Santi Aldama, Spanish basketball player

Sam LaPorta, American football player

Cora Jade, American wrestler

Enzo Fernández, Argentinian footballer

Baek Jong-bum, South Korean footballer

Olga Danilović, Serbian tennis player

Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Italian tennis player

Latalia Bevan, Welsh artistic gymnast

Isaac Okoro, American basketball player

Lee Dae-hwi, South Korean singer

Curtis Jones, English footballer

Egor Chinakhov, Russian ice hockey player

Westcol, Colombian online streamer

Tre Mann, American basketball player

Rhys Williams, English footballer

Kim Min-ju, South Korean actress

R. J. Hampton, American basketball player

I.N, South Korean singer

Dylan Cozens, Canadian ice hockey player

Sergio Camello, Spanish footballer

Bryan Gil, Spanish footballer

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Georgian footballer

Kaapo Kakko, Finnish ice hockey player

Yuki Naito, Japanese tennis player

Tanguy Coulibaly, French footballer

Jaime Jaquez Jr., American basketball player

Lee Kang-in, South Korean footballer

David Mazouz, American actor

Vernon Carey Jr., American basketball player

Wander Franco, Dominican baseball player

Sapnap, American YouTuber

Jvke, American singer-songwriter

Freya Anderson, English freestyle swimmer

George Pickens, American football player

Milo Manheim, American actor

Jeon Somi, South Korean-Canadian singer

Max Duggan, American football player

Kim Min-kyu, South Korean singer and actor

Beomgyu, South Korean singer-songwriter

Thomas Dearden, Australian rugby league player

Nico Mannion, Italian-American basketball player

Ellie Leach, English actress

Kyle Hamilton, American football player

Pietro Pellegri, Italian footballer

Trevor Zegras, American ice hockey player

Artūrs Šilovs, Latvian ice hockey player

Anna Hall, American world champion heptathlete

Clara Burel, French tennis player

Jameson Williams, American football player

Natanael Cano, Mexican rapper and singer

Wang Xiyu, Chinese tennis player

Anastasia Potapova, Russian tennis player

Anzor Alem, Congolese actor and singer

Jalen Carter, American football player

Angelo Stiller, German footballer

Johnny Beecher, American ice hockey player

Felipe Peña, Argentine footballer

Oscar Piastri, Australian racing driver

Moritz Seider, German ice hockey player

Nika Mühl, Croatian basketball player

Manuel Ugarte, Uruguayan footballer

Neco Williams, Welsh footballer

Jalen Williams, American basketball player

Shanti Dope, Filipino rapper

Shin Ryujin, South Korean rapper, singer and dancer

Violette Dorange, French Professional Round the World Sailor

Dalton Knecht, American basketball player

PinkPantheress, British singer-songwriter and record producer

Thiago Almada, Argentine footballer

Anthony Volpe, American baseball player

Danilo, Brazilian footballer

Rachel Zegler, American actress and singer

Noah Beck, American media personality and actor

Joan García, Spanish footballer

Olly, Italian singer-songwriter and rapper

Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player

Issa Kaboré, Burkinabé footballer

Jack Hughes, American hockey player

Emma Navarro, American tennis player

Grace Reiter, American actress, comedian, and content creator

Elizabeth Mandlik, American tennis player

Enzo Barrenechea, Argentine footballer

Emma Chamberlain, American internet personality

Joshua Zirkzee, Dutch footballer

Brennan Johnson, Welsh footballer

Emily Austin, journalist and social media influencer

Chloé Lukasiak, American actress and dancer

Puka Nacua, American football player

Andrew Torgashev, American figure skater

Breece Hall, American football player

Iga Świątek, Polish tennis player

Kysaiah Pickett, Australian rules footballer

Jalen Suggs, American basketball player

Choerry, South Korean singer and member of Loona

Takefusa Kubo, Japanese footballer

Chaeryeong, South Korean singer and dancer

Rayan Aït-Nouri, French-Algerian footballer

Xolo Maridueña, American actor.

Julien Alfred, Saint Lucian sprinter

Billy Gilmour, Scottish footballer

Bowen Byram, Canadian ice hockey player

Sung Han-bin, South Korean singer

Evan Mobley, American basketball player

Nicolas Jackson, Senegalese footballer

Gonçalo Ramos, Portuguese footballer

Alexandra Obolentseva, Russian chess player

Luciano Gondou, Argentine footballer

Philip Broberg, Swedish professional ice hockey player

Julian Champagnie, American basketball player

Gunnar Henderson, American baseball player

Aaron Schoupp, Australian rugby league player

Chosen Jacobs, American actor and singer

Theo, South Korean singer-songwriter

Folarin Balogun, American soccer player

Promise David, Canadian soccer player

Isabela Merced, American actress

Kaylee McKeown, Australian swimmer

Kim Sin-jin, South Korean footballer

Island Boys, American social media personalities

Agustina Roth, Argentine BMX rider

Álex Baena, Spanish footballer

Lily Phillips, British pornographic actress

Ryan Johnson, American ice hockey player

Drake London, American football player

Bryce Young, American football player

Miguel Gutiérrez, Spanish footballer

Scottie Barnes, American basketball player

Park Si-eun, South Korean actress

Ben Trbojevic, Australian rugby league player

Anthony Edwards, American basketball player

Moyuka Uchijima, Japanese tennis player

Dixie D'Amelio, American social media personality and singer

Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player

Awak Kuier, Finnish basketball player

LaMelo Ball, American basketball player

Mildred Maldonado, Mexican rhythmic gymnast

Patrick Williams, American basketball player

Franz Wagner, German basketball player

Kamilla Rakhimova, Russian tennis player

Amanda Anisimova, American tennis player

Kaia Gerber, American model and actress

Talitha Bateman, American actress

Bukayo Saka, English footballer

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Australian rugby league player

Freya Allan, English actress

Terrence Clarke, American basketball player (died 2021)

Bill Mamadou, Singaporean footballer

Hailey Van Lith, American basketball player

Armando Broja, Albanian-born English footballer

Nick Cross, American football player

Joseph Fahnbulleh, Liberian-American sprinter

Nicholas Robertson, American ice hockey player

Ziaire Williams, American basketball player

Avishag Semberg, Israeli Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist

Lai Kuan-lin, Taiwanese film director

Cade Cunningham, American basketball player

João Pedro, Brazilian footballer

Xinyu Wang, Chinese tennis player

Caleb Love, American basketball player

David Malukas, American race car driver

Luna Blaise, American actress and singer

Mason Greenwood, English footballer

Anton Lundell, Finnish ice hockey player

Max Plath, Australian rugby league player

C. J. Stroud, American football player

Graham Campbell, American actor

Hitomi Honda, Japanese singer based in South Korea

Princess Senate Seeiso, Princess of Lesotho

Kyla Leibel, Canadian swimmer

Maja Chwalińska, Polish tennis player

Daniel Maldini, Italian footballer

Jacob Preston, Australian rugby league player

Chu Ye-jin, South Korean actress

Brett Cooper, American political commentator, actress, and social media personality

Caleb McLaughlin, American actor

Cam Thomas, American basketball player

De'Von Achane, American football player

Rowan Blanchard, American actress

Willian Pacho, Ecuadorian footballer

Thomas Strudwick, British motorcycle road racer

Paige Bueckers, American basketball player

Brian Branch, American football player

Jo Yu-ri, South Korean singer and actress

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant

Sonay Kartal, British tennis player

Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Australian rugby league player

Moisés Caicedo, Ecuadorian footballer

Hailey Baptiste, American tennis player

Jake LaRavia, American basketball player

Day'Ron Sharpe, American basketball player

Amybeth McNulty, Irish actress

Raffey Cassidy, English actress

TyTy Washington Jr., American basketball player

Kate Douglass, American swimmer

Caleb Williams, American football player

Caty McNally, American tennis player

Adrien Truffert, French footballer

Rizky Ridho, Indonesian footballer

Chenle, Chinese singer

Tino Anjorin, English footballer

Pau Víctor, Spanish footballer

Zoe Colletti, American actress

Carole Monnet, French tennis player

Jalen McMillan, American football player

Josh Christopher, American basketball player

Coby Mayo, American professional baseball player

Michael Olise, French footballer

Jayden Goodwin, Australian cricketer

Joshua Rush, American actor and activist

Kai Cenat, American streamer

Billie Eilish, American singer

Jalen Johnson, American basketball player

Facundo Pellistri, Uruguayan footballer

Camila Osorio, Colombian tennis player

Jack Draper, British tennis player

Choi Sung-beom, South Korean football player

Aleksej Pokuševski, Serbian basketball player

Ander Barrenetxea, Spanish footballer

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Canadian actress

Katie Volynets, American tennis player

Gaffar Okkan, Turkish police chief (born 1952)

Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian American author (born 1923)

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and pilot (born 1906)

Balthus, Polish-Swiss painter and illustrator (born 1908)

Dale Earnhardt, American racer and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (born 1951)

A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic (born 1926)

Don Bradman, Australian international cricketer; holder of world record batting average (born 1908)

Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (born 1946)

Sudhakarrao Naik, Indian politician, Governor of Himachal Pradesh (born 1934)

Douglas Adams, English novelist and screenwriter (born 1952)

Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Bolivian politician, 52nd President of Bolivia (born 1907)

Betty Neels, English nurse and author (born 1910)

Alex de Renzy, American director and producer (born 1935)

Henri Alekan, French cinematographer (born 1909)

Donald Woods, South African journalist and activist (born 1933)

Igor Buketoff, American conductor and educator (born 1915)

Ernst Gombrich, Austrian-English historian and author (born 1909)

Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegalese poet and politician, 1st President of Senegal (born 1906)