What Happened in 2002 — Events, Births & Deaths

Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.

President of the United States George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.

War in Afghanistan: The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban.

Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.

The Sierra Leone Civil War is declared over.

U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered.

An explosion at a military storage facility in Lagos, Nigeria, kills at least 1,100 people and displaces over 20,000 others.

TAME Flight 120, a Boeing 727-100, crashes in the Andes mountains in southern Colombia, killing 94.

In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, kidnapped on January 23, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors.

The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.

An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.

NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.

A cooking gas cylinder explodes on board an Egyptian National Railways train in El Ayyat, causing a fire and killing over 370 people.

Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.

An Ariane 4 rocket is launched from the Guiana Space Centre carrying Intelsat 904.

Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire at London Stansted Airport causing minor injuries.

Godhra train burning: A Muslim mob torches a train returning from Ayodhya, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims.

During the religious violence in Gujarat, 97 people are killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in the Gulbarg Society massacre.

U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins in eastern Afghanistan.

The Envisat environmental satellite successfully launches aboard an Ariane 5 rocket to reach an orbit of 800 km (500 mi) above the Earth, which was the then-largest payload at 10.5 m long and with a diameter of 4.57 m.

Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-109 to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).

Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers and 200 Al-Qaeda Fighters are killed as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah-i-Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.

An earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines, kills 15 people and injures more than 100.

Sofia Gubaidulina's Johannes-Ostern is premiered, together with her earlier Johannes-Passion, at Hamburg's Michaeliskirche, performed by soloists, choir and orchestra from the Mariinsky Theatre combined with NDR choir and orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev.

Passover massacre: A Palestinian suicide bomber kills 29 people at a Passover seder in Netanya, Israel.

Nanterre massacre: In Nanterre, France, a gunman opens fire at the end of a town council meeting, resulting in the deaths of eight councilors; 19 other people are injured.

In reaction to the Passover massacre two days prior, Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield against Palestinian militants, its largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.

The 2002 Lyon car attack takes place.

Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, into which armed Palestinians had retreated.

The MPLA government of Angola and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss to the International Space Station. Astronaut Jerry L. Ross also becomes the first person to fly on seven spaceflights.

The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.

Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.

A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military.

Air China Flight 129 crashes on approach to Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, killing 129 people.

Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany, before committing suicide.

One hundred three people are killed and 51 are injured in a plane crash near Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Nigeria.

Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated following a radio interview at the Mediapark in Hilversum.

An EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashes on approach to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people.

A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.

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 terrorists among them deported to several different countries.

FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for selling United States secrets to Russia for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.

Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since the Cuban Revolution.

The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).

Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

The "55 parties" clause of the Kyoto Protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland.

Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty.

China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait, with the loss of all 225 people on board.

The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.

The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-111, carrying the Expedition 5 crew to the International Space Station to replace the Expedition 4 crew. Astronaut Franklin Chang-Díaz becomes the second person to have flown on seven spaceflights.

Eastern Mediterranean event. A near-Earth asteroid estimated at ten meters in diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya. The explosion is estimated to have a force of 26 kilotons, slightly more powerful than the Nagasaki atomic bomb.

The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by Kevin Warwick in the United Kingdom.

Antonio Meucci is acknowledged as the first inventor of the telephone by the United States Congress.

The United States withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Near-Earth asteroid 2002 MN misses the Earth by 75,000 miles (121,000 km), about one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Padre Pio is canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

An earthquake measuring 6.5 Mw strikes a region of northwestern Iran killing at least 261 people and injuring 1,300 others and eventually causing widespread public anger due to the slow official response.

The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.

Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North Korean vessel.

The International Criminal Court is established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937, a Tupolev Tu-154, and DHL Flight 611, a Boeing 757, collide in mid-air over Überlingen, southern Germany, killing all 71 on board both planes.

A Boeing 707 crashes near Bangui M'Poko International Airport in Bangui, Central African Republic, killing 28.

The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The organization's first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.

The Massacre of the Innocents, a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, is sold at a Sotheby's auction for £49.5 million (US$76.2 million) to Lord Thomson.

French president Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt from Maxime Brunerie during a Bastille Day parade at Champs-Élysées.

"American Taliban" John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and possession of explosives during the commission of a felony.

The Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan sentences British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to death, and three others suspected of murdering The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl to life.

A Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer crashes near Estes Park, Colorado, killing both crew members.

Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history.

Nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, are rescued after 77 hours underground.

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560 crashes after takeoff from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, killing 14 of the 16 people on board.

Khankala Mi-26 crash: A Russian Mil Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.

A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi embassy in Berlin, Germany for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.

Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4823 crashes on approach to Rio Branco International Airport, killing 23 of the 31 people on board.

Typhoon Rusa, the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, makes landfall, killing at least 236 people.

The Oakland Athletics win their 20th consecutive game, an American League record, until the Cleveland Indians surpassed it in 2017.

Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, becomes a full member of the United Nations.

Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5561 crashes near Paranapanema, Brazil, killing both pilots on board.

The overcrowded Senegalese ferry, MV Le Joola, capsizes off the coast of the Gambia killing more than 1,000.

The Beltway sniper attacks begin in Washington, D.C., extending over three weeks and killing 10 people.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-112 to continue assembly of the International Space Station.

Iraq War: The United States Congress approves the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.

A bomb attack in the Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland kills seven.

Terrorists detonate bombs in two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, killing 202 and wounding over 200.

A Soyuz-U rocket carrying Foton-M No.1 fails after liftoff from Plesetsk Cosmodrome and crashes, killing one person and injuring eight others.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Egypt, commemorating the ancient library of Alexandria.

Top Gear, the revived popular British TV motoring magazine, premieres on BBC.

Second Chechen War: Chechen separatist terrorists seize the House of Culture theater in Moscow and take approximately 700 theater-goers hostage.

Approximately 50 Chechen terrorists and 150 hostages die when Russian special forces troops storm a theater building in Moscow, which had been occupied by the terrorists during a musical performance three days before.

A fire destroys a luxurious department store in Ho Chi Minh City, where 1,500 people are shopping. More than 60 people die and over 100 are unaccounted for in the deadliest peacetime disaster in Vietnam.

A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas indicts former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of his ex-employer.

Chinese authorities arrest cyber-dissident He Depu for signing a pro-democracy letter to the 16th Communist Party Congress.

Jiang Lijun is detained by Chinese police for signing the Open Letter to the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

A Fokker 50 crashes near Luxembourg Airport, killing 20 and injuring three.

Iraq disarmament crisis: UN Security Council Resolution 1441: The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves a resolution on Iraq, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences".

Veteran's Day Weekend Tornado Outbreak: A tornado outbreak stretching from Northern Ohio to the Gulf Coast, one of the largest outbreaks recorded in November.

A Fokker F27 Friendship operating as Laoag International Airlines Flight 585 crashes into Manila Bay shortly after takeoff from Ninoy Aquino International Airport, killing 19 people.

Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman posts the first of three preprint texts with his proof of the Poincaré conjecture. It remains the only of the Millennium Prize Problems in mathematics to be solved. He later refused both the prize money from Clay Mathematics Institute as well as the Fields Medal for his work.

Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq agrees to the terms of the UN Security Council Resolution 1441.

Hu Jintao becomes General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and a new nine-member Politburo Standing Committee is inaugurated.

The first cases of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak are traced to Foshan, Guangdong Province, China.

Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.

The Greek oil tanker Prestige splits in half and sinks off the coast of Galicia, releasing over 76,000 m3 (20 million US gal) of oil in the largest environmental disaster in Spanish and Portuguese history.

NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.

Arturo Guzmán Decena, founder of Los Zetas and high-member of the Gulf Cartel, is killed in a shoot-out with the Mexican Army and the police.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-113 to the International Space Station carrying the Expedition 6 crew and the P1 truss.

Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya; their colleagues fail in their attempt to bring down Arkia Israel Airlines Flight 582 with surface-to-air missiles.

European Union enlargement: The EU announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members on May 1, 2004.

Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.

California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier.

A U.S. MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.

Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.

Simon Adingra, Ivorian footballer

Nico González, Spanish footballer

Vladyslav Vanat, Ukrainian footballer

Elly De La Cruz, Dominican baseball player

Eva Lys, German tennis player

JJ Peterka, German ice hockey player

Tim Stützle, German ice hockey player

Samuel, American singer based in South Korea.

Anastasia Zakharova, Russian tennis player

Ki-Jana Hoever, Dutch footballer

Karim Adeyemi, German footballer

Arnaud Kalimuendo, French footballer

Moussa Diabaté, French basketball player

Corey Kiner, American football player

Caitlin Clark, American basketball player

Joško Gvardiol, Croatian footballer

Nicola Zalewski, Polish footballer

Lil Mosey, American rapper

Darya Astakhova, Russian tennis player

Tabyana Ali, American actress and author

Yoo Seon-ho, South Korean actor

Tyla, South African singer and songwriter.

Bijan Robinson, American football player

Hong Ye-ji, South Korean actress

Beñat Turrientes, Spanish footballer

Brian Brobbey, Dutch footballer

Seth Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player

Jisung, South Korean rapper

Taehyun, South Korean singer-songwriter

Ona Huczkowski, Finnish actress

Shedeur Sanders, American football player

Jalen Green, American basketball player

Liam Lawson, New Zealand racing driver

Jaden Ivey, American basketball player

Sophia Lillis, American actress

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, American football player

Manu Bhaker, Indian sports shooter

Gavin Bazunu, Irish footballer

Alice Litman, English transgender woman

Gerard Martín, Spanish footballer

César Tárrega, Spanish footballer

Johnny Davis, American basketball player

Brooks Barnhizer, American basketball player

Jacob Hopkins, American actor

Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, Australian rhythmic gymnast

Usman Garuba, Spanish basketball player

Keon Johnson, American basketball player

Frank Gore Jr., American football player

Brenden Rice, American football player

Jahmyr Gibbs, American football player

Daria Snigur, Ukrainian tennis player

Emma Myers, American actress

Andrea Botez, Canadian-American chess player, commentator, Twitch streamer and YouTuber

Leyre Romero Gormaz, Spanish tennis player

Jamie Drysdale, Canadian ice hockey player

Viktória Forster, Slovak track and field athlete

Skai Jackson, American actress

Jake Fraser-McGurk, Australian cricketer

Karl Hein, Estonian footballer

Sadie Sink, American actress

Loren Gray, American singer and internet personality

Anthony Elanga, Swedish footballer

Anna Cramling, Spanish-Swedish chess player

Teden Mengi, English footballer

Camilla Araujo, American influencer

Chet Holmgren, American basketball player

Cole Palmer, English footballer

Angel Reese, American basketball player

Jake Bongiovi, American model and actor

Andrew Barth Feldman, American actor and singer

Diego López, Spanish footballer

Zach Edey, Canadian basketball player

Chase Hudson, American internet celebrity, singer, actor

Ryan Gravenberch, Dutch footballer

Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater

Riccardo Calafiori, Italian footballer

Rafa Marín, Spanish footballer

Elena Huelva, Spanish cancer activist and influencer (died 2023)

Anthony Richardson, American football player

Saim Ayub, Pakistani cricketer

Cam Ward, American football player

Jérémy Doku, Belgian footballer

Gabri Veiga, Spanish footballer

Paul Skenes, American baseball player

Natty, Thai singer based in South Korea

Madison Hu, American actress

Fonua Pole, New Zealand rugby league player

Tyrell Sloan, Australian rugby league player

Selwyn Cobbo, Australian rugby league player

Koni De Winter, Belgian footballer

Sam Walker, English-Australian rugby league player

Bennedict Mathurin, Canadian basketball player

Nuno Mendes, Portuguese footballer

Giulia Stabile, Spanish-Italian dancer and television presenter

Hugo Ekitike, French footballer

Benson Boone, American singer-songwriter

Chandler Smith, American race car driver

Manon Bannerman, Swiss singer and dancer

Kelee Ringo, American football player

Marta Kostyuk, Ukrainian tennis player

Matt Rempe, Canadian ice hockey player

Reece Walsh, Australian rugby league player

Amad Diallo, Ivorian footballer

Nico Williams, Spanish footballer

Deborah Medrado, Brazilian rhythmic gymnast

Jordan Lawlar, American baseball player

Konstanse Marie Alvær, Norwegian politician

Prince Felix of Denmark

Séléna Janicijevic, French tennis player

Equi Fernández, Argentine footballer

Alperen Şengün, Turkish basketball player

Adam Hložek, Czech footballer

João Gomes, Brazilian singer

Will Penisini, Australian-Tongan rugby league player

Alejandro Francés, Spanish footballer

Nessa Barrett, American singer-songwriter

Marvin Harrison Jr., American football player

Bart Verbruggen, Dutch footballer

Kenji Fan, Hong Kong model and actor

Zion Suzuki, Japanese footballer

Lil Tecca, American rapper

Fábio Carvalho, Portuguese footballer

Drake Maye, American football player

Diane Parry, French tennis player

Illia Zabarnyi, Ukrainian footballer

Bradley Barcola, French footballer

Asher Angel, American actor

Leylah Fernandez, Canadian tennis player

Gaten Matarazzo, American actor and singer

Elina Avanesyan, Russian-Armenian tennis player

Hugo Bueno, Spanish footballer

Gaeul, South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer

Jenna Ortega, American actress

Levi Miller, Australian actor and model

Maddie Ziegler, American dancer and actress

Livvy Dunne, American gymnast and social media personality

Jacob Sartorius, American social media personality and singer

Jonathan Kuminga, Congolese basketball player

Joaquín Panichelli, Argentine footballer

Brian Thomas Jr., American football player

Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player

Ben Shelton, American tennis player

Josh Giddey, Australian basketball player

Iris Apatow, American actress

Matthew Knies, American professional ice hockey player

Lily, Australian-South Korean singer

Yéremy Pino, Spanish footballer

Thierno Barry, French footballer

Ningning, Chinese singer

Lee Eunsang, South Korean singer

Ansu Fati

NLE Choppa, American rapper and YouTuber

Matty Beniers, American ice hockey player

Eduardo Camavinga, French footballer

Paolo Banchero, Italian-American basketball player

Tino Livramento, English footballer

Emma Raducanu, British tennis player

Giovanni Reyna, American soccer player

Patrick Baldwin Jr., American basketball player

Madisyn Shipman, American actress

Brandon Miller, American basketball player

Owen Power, Canadian ice hockey player

Pedri, Spanish footballer

Yunus Musah, American soccer player

María Dueñas, Spanish violinist and composer

Torri Huske, American swimmer

Sunghoon, South Korean singer

Brock Bowers, American football player

Francisco Conceição, Portuguese footballer

Castello Lukeba, French footballer

Syd Hartha, Filipino singer-songwriter

Giuliano Simeone, Argentine footballer

Clara Tauson, Danish tennis player

David Datro Fofana, Ivorian footballer

Finn Wolfhard, Canadian actor and musician

Joshua Primo, Canadian basketball player

Jeremiah Trotter Jr., American football player

Josh Wilson-Esbrand, English footballer

Tom Cannon, British-Irish footballer

Ryan Flamingo, Dutch footballer

Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer

Joe Scally, American soccer player

Paul Aars, American race car driver (born 1934)

Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher (born 1930)

Robert Nozick, American philosopher, author, and academic (born 1938)

Elie Hobeika, Lebanese commander and politician (born 1956)

Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (born 1919)

Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (born 1912)

Jonas Savimbi, Angolan general, founded UNITA (born 1934)

Lawrence Tierney, American actor (born 1919)

Mary Stuart, American actress and singer (born 1926)

James Tobin, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)

Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (born 1914)

Reginald Rose, American writer (born 1920)

Alan Dale, American singer (born 1925)

Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgish sculptor (born 1908)

Kaifi Azmi, Indian poet and songwriter (born 1919)

Yves Robert, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1920)

Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (born 1912)

Bill Peet, American animator and screenwriter (born 1915)

Signe Hasso, Swedish-American actress (born 1915)

Choi Hong Hi, South Korean general and martial artist, founded Taekwondo (born 1918)

Erwin Chargaff, Austrian-American biochemist and academic (born 1905)

Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (born 1916)

Larry Rivers, American painter and sculptor (born 1923)

Uziel Gal, German-Israeli colonel and gun designer, designed the Uzi (born 1923)

Juan Antonio Bardem, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1922)

Jam Master Jay, American rapper and producer (born 1965)

Lonnie Donegan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1931)

Jonathan Harris, American actor (born 1914)

Adrienne Adams, American illustrator (born 1906)

Glenn Quinn, Irish-American actor (born 1970)

Zal Yanovsky, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who founded The Lovin' Spoonful (born 1944)