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2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2002nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 2nd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 3rd year of the 2000s decade.

The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operations, and human rights concerns arose surrounding the treatment of suspected terrorists. Elsewhere, the Colombian conflict and the Nepalese Civil War represented some of the most severe militant conflicts, while the conflict between India and Pakistan was the only one between two sovereign nations. Religious tensions permeated the year, including violence between Hindus and Muslims in India during violent riots and other attacks and attacks on Jews in response to the Second Intifada. The Catholic Church grappled with scrutiny amid sexual abuse cases.

Timor-Leste was established as a new sovereign nation, and the African Union began operating as a new intergovernmental organization. The International Criminal Court was founded in July. The global economy was stagnant as it slowly moved past the early 2000s recession. South America endured an economic crisis, and the telecommunications and information technology industries faced their own economic declines. The Euro was introduced as a new currency at the beginning of the year.

The year 2002 was the second hottest on record at the time. Eruptions of Mount Nyiragongo severely affected surrounding populations in central Africa. The discovery of Quaoar in October challenged the conventional definition of a planet. Small RNA was discovered in 2002, and the human ancestor Sahelanthropus was first described.

Norway won the most gold medals in the 2002 Winter Olympics, which were held in Salt Lake City. The popular film franchises Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings saw continued success, with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers becoming the highest-grossing film of the year, while James Bond and Star Wars were less successful than other franchise installments. Pop music lost its popularity in 2002 amid the rise of country and hip hop, with hip hop artist Eminem producing the year's most successful album, The Eminem Show.

Population

[edit]

The world population on January 1, 2002, was estimated to be 6.272 billion people, and it increased to 6.353 billion people by January 1, 2003.[1] An estimated 134.0 million births and 52.5 million deaths took place in 2002.[1] The average global life expectancy was 67.1 years, an increase of 0.3 years from 2001.[1] The number of global refugees was approximately 12 million at the beginning of 2002, but it declined to 10.3 million by the end of the year. Approximately 2.4 million refugees were repatriated in 2002, of which 2 million were Afghan. 293,000 additional refugees were displaced in 2002, primarily from Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Ivory Coast, and the Central African Republic.[2]

Conflicts

[edit]
Further information: Category:Conflicts in 2002

There were 31 armed conflicts in 2002 that caused at least 25 fatalities. Five of these resulted in at least 1,000 fatalities: the Burundian Civil War, the Colombian conflict, the Kashmir insurgency, the Nepalese Civil War, and the Second Sudanese Civil War.[3] Among developed nations in 2002, national defense shifted toward counterterrorism after the September 11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan the previous year. Conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Israel, and the Philippines were directly related to countering Islamic terrorism.[4]: 87 

Internal conflicts

[edit]

The Colombian conflict escalated after far-left insurgents occupied demilitarized zones and kidnapped Íngrid Betancourt, effectively ending peace talks. The insurgents began bombing cities, and over 200,000 Colombians were displaced by the conflict in 2002.[4]: 91–92 

The Nepalese Civil War escalated in 2002, with casualties approximately equaling the combined totals from 1996 to 2001; half of this increase was civilian casualties, as civilians were targeted by both the Nepali government and the communist insurgents.[4]: 88–89  Chechen insurgents in Russia escalated their attacks during the Second Chechen War, destroying a Russian Mil Mi-26 in August and causing a hostage crisis in Moscow.[4]: 93–94  The Second Liberian Civil War also escalated, causing widespread displacement of civilians.[5]: 90 

Conflicts that saw some form of resolution in 2002 include the Eelam War III in Sri Lanka, which was halted with a ceasefire agreement in February,[4]: 98  and the Angolan Civil War, which was resolved in April with a ceasefire between the Angolan government and UNITA.[5]: 89  Internationally brokered peace talks advanced in the Second Sudanese Civil War,[4]: 102  some factions of the Somali Civil War,[4]: 106  and the Second Congo War, with the latter producing an agreement on December 17 to create a Congolese transitional government.[4]: 100–101  Afghanistan underwent its first year without direct military conflict in over two decades, though sporadic attacks were carried out by the Taliban insurgency and al-Qaeda.[5]: 256  An agreement was reached with the government of Burundi and the CNDD-FDD on December 3, but the other major faction in Burundi, the Palipehutu-FNL, did not participate in peace talks.[3]

The largest attack on civilians in 2002 was a series of bombings in Bali that killed or injured hundreds on October 12, with Australian tourists making up a large portion of the victims.[6]: 228  Major attacks also took place in Kenya on November 28, bombing Israeli citizens at a hotel and making a failed attempt to shoot down an airplane boarded by Israelis.[7]: 385  The Washington D.C. area was the subject of several sniper attacks the same month, killing ten people. Europe underwent a large number of mass shootings throughout the year, including an attack on a town council meeting in France on March 27 that killed eight councilors and a school shooting in Germany on April 26—one of the deadliest in the world with 18 fatalities.[6]: 229 

International conflicts

[edit]
The Israel Defense Forces occupying the West Bank during Operation Defensive Shield

The only direct conflict between nations in 2002 was the India–Pakistan standoff in Kashmir,[3] beginning in late 2001. This conflict was primarily one of brinkmanship, with the threat of nuclear warfare.[4]: 88  Riots in Gujarat and suicide bombings in Jammu further escalated tensions.[8]: 87 

The Second Intifada continued in 2002 between the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian paramilitary groups with an escalation in violence. Palestinian suicide bombings became coordinated to maximize the number of civilian casualties, while the Israeli military killed approximately twice as many Palestinians in retaliation.[8]: 73  In response to the suicide bombings, Israel carried out Operation Defensive Shield in March.[5]: 413  Under this operation, Israel occupied much of West Bank,[5]: 413  and it and briefly held Palestinian president Yasser Arafat under house arrest.[4]: 95  The Battle of Jenin was particularly destructive, with the United Nations finding both parties to be irresponsible regarding collateral damage.[4]: 96 

Culture

[edit]

Art and architecture

[edit]
Main articles: 2002 in art and 2002 in architecture
Construction of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was completed in 2002.

Economic downturn in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks limited the art industry in 2002. Organizations were less willing to give patronage, and tourists were less willing to visit art exhibitions and museums, particularly in New York and the Middle East.[7]: 502  The Documenta11 exhibition took place in Kassel, Germany, contributing to the early movement of art globalization with its focus on experimental and documentary works from developing nations. Traditional visual art was mostly replaced by film and photography at the exhibition.[7]: 503 [9] Critically acclaimed paintings in 2002 include The Upper Room, a collection of paintings by Chris Ofili based on a drawing of a monkey by Andy Warhol,[10] and Dispersion, an abstract work by Julie Mehretu.[11]

The rebuilding of the World Trade Center was a major focus in the architectural world, and various exhibitions were held to showcase design concepts. The Tribute in Light was implemented on the site during the interim.[6]: 155  Egypt began accepting designs for the Grand Egyptian Museum.[6]: 234  New structures constructed or opened in 2002 include the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester,[6]: 156  the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria.[7]: 506  The Bronx Developmental Center in New York and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania were renovated, and the Maslon House was demolished in California.[6]: 157 

Media

[edit]
Main articles: 2002 in film, 2002 in music, 2002 in radio, and 2002 in video games
[edit]
Eminem released the best-selling album of 2002, The Eminem Show.

The highest-grossing film globally in 2002 was The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Spider-Man. The highest-grossing non-English film was Hero (Mandarin), the 28th highest-grossing film of the year.[12] Film was marked by several unexpected successes and failures in 2002, including the underwhelming performances of the Star Wars film Attack of the Clones, the James Bond film Die Another Day, and the Disney film Treasure Planet, as well as the word-of-mouth success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.[13] Critically acclaimed films from 2002 include Adaptation,[14][15][16] Far from Heaven,[15][16][17] and Talk to Her.[15][16][17]

Music sales in 2002 amounted to about 3 billion units, a decline of 8% from 2001. CD albums remained the dominant form of music, making up 89% of the market. DVD music sales increased by 40%, while cassette tape music sales decreased by 36%.[18] Pop music saw a major decline in 2002 as it was overtaken by country and hip hop music.[19] Globally, the best-selling albums in 2002 were The Eminem Show by Eminem, followed by Let Go by Avril Lavigne and the Elvis Presley greatest hits album ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits. The best-selling non-English album was Mensch (transl. Human) by German singer Herbert Grönemeyer, the 29th best-selling album overall.[20]

Sony and Microsoft introduced online gaming services for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles, respectively.[6]: 174  Critically acclaimed video games released in 2002 include Eternal Darkness, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Metroid Prime, Metroid Fusion, and Super Mario Sunshine.[21][22][23] Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was influential in the war-based first-person shooter genre with its portrayal of grand cinematic battles. 2002 was the final year of traditional survival horror before it was overtaken by action-based survival horror games in franchises such as Resident Evil.[24]

Libraries, press, and radio

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Costa Rica was celebrated for an advance in free speech when it abolished criminal penalties for insulting public officials.[6]: 275  Radio in India became more popular in 2002 following deregulation, with five major stations in Mumbai breaking the state monopoly in April and with significant increases in the sales of car and pocket radios. Good Morning Afghanistan began airing to provide the Afghan people real-time updates on the nation's political situation, while Radio Liberty was expelled from Russia in October.[6]: 272  An expected recovery of the newspaper industry did not materialize in 2002 as digital media became more common, resulting in significant cutbacks.[6]: 273  The magazine industry faced similar challenges, as well as a separate controversy when the February 11 issue of Newsweek International was banned throughout the Muslim world for its depiction of Muhammed.[6]: 275 

The British Library digitized a 700-year-old edition of the Quran, and the U.S. Library of Congress made high resolution scans of a Gutenberg Bible for closer study of Gutenberg's printing methods. Library services faced multiple disruptions in 2002. Strikes by librarians affected operations in both the United Kingdom and the United States, while funding shortages led to cutbacks in Germany, South Africa, and the United States.[6]: 233 

Sports

[edit]
Main article: 2002 in sports
The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City.

The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, with Norway winning the most gold medals. Allegations that a judge was bribed to favor Russia in a figure skating event led to France and Russia both receiving gold medals in the event.[7]: 515 [25] The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester.[7]: 516  The 2002 FIFA World Cup was held in Japan and South Korea, and it ended with a 2–0 victory by Brazil over Germany. The traditionally well-performing teams of Argentina, France, and Italy did not meet expectations, while Senegal, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States performed better than they had historically.[7]: 513 

Michael Schumacher significantly exceeded his competition and set numerous records with the Ferrari F2002 during the 2002 Formula One World Championship, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to make several rule changes; this included reforms for team orders following a controversial move at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix in which Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello moved aside to let him win.[6]: 317  In boxing, the Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson was preceded by a scuffle during a press conference. Lennox Lewis went on to defeat Mike Tyson.[7]: 520 [25] Tennis was widely covered in 2002 when three of the four Grand Slam tournaments ended with Serena Williams defeating her sister Venus Williams in the finals.[6]: 352  In American football, the Tuck Rule Game between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders became a national controversy after officials cited the obscure tuck rule to challenge a pass by Tom Brady.[26] The New Zealand All Blacks received wide attention in rugby union for its victory in the 2002 Tri Nations Series, making a comeback performance following its losses in previous years.[6]: 340  Bruno Peyron set the record for the fastest circumnavigation by sailing in 2002, making the trip in 64 days.[7]: 521 

Economy

[edit]
Further information: Category:2002 in economic history
See also: 2002 world oil market chronology
The Euro became the official currency of the European Union on January 1, 2002.

International trade increased by 1.9% in 2002, recovering from a decrease in 2001.[27]: 11  Most countries experienced only limited growth of output and employment in the year, and economic policy within the largest economies focused primarily on combating inflation.[27]: 1  The gross world product increased by 1.7%, the second lowest growth in a decade after that of 2001.[27]: 2  Most developed nations began 2002 in a budget surplus and ended in a deficit.[27]: 8  The Euro, a single official currency for the nations of the European Union, was introduced on January 1.[7]: 6 

The early 2000s recession began to stabilize in the final months of the year.[27]: 1  Growth was focused in the first half of the year before tapering in the second half[27]: 35  as stock markets entered into a downturn.[28] By October, global equities saw a 24% decrease in 2002.[6]: 185  Particularly affected was AOL-Time Warner, with its stocks losing 65% of their value by the fall.[8]: 100  The information technology industry in particular saw major decline in 2002[6]: 170  before it began its recovery from the dot-com crash that had previously affected it.[7]: 458  The telecommunications industry was affected even more severely.[6]: 176 

The price drops associated with the September 11 attacks persisted for several months into 2002.[27]: 7  Apprehensions about potential military conflict in Iraq also limited growth.[6]: 185  Latin American economies with large deficits were severely affected by lower prices, limiting export growth and preventing capital from entering the region, requiring further increases to the deficit.[27]: 3  The region overall saw a negative GDP in 2002.[27]: 4  Imports grew significantly in East Asia, with China competing with the United States as one of the largest export markets for other countries in the region.[27]: 12  Imports in Latin America and Africa decreased compared to the previous year.[27]: 13 

The United States recovered in part from the recession that had affected the Western world, while Europe's recovery was more limited.[7]: 10  South America saw significant economic challenges: Argentina's economic crisis continued from 2001, Brazil had low confidence in its economy, and Venezuela's economy suffered amid political upheaval.[7]: 13  Unlike the Western world, Eastern Europe and Asia showed strong growth in 2002.[7]: 11  Africa did not share this growth, as it also experienced a weak economy during the year.[7]: 14 

Several companies, predominantly in the United States, underwent major scandals in 2002. These included the WorldCom scandal that led to what was then the largest bankruptcy in American history, and accounting scandals emerging from the previous year's Enron scandal.[28]: 92–93  Xerox and the French company Vivendi were found to be reporting artificially inflated profits.[6]: 186  Others incidents included the ImClone stock trading case and fraud cases at Adelphia and Tyco. These scandals brought the arrests of several high-profile executives,[8] negatively affected public trust in corporate accounting,[6]: 185  and increased the volatility of global stock markets.[6]: 186 

Environment and weather

[edit]
Main articles: 2002 in the environment and Weather of 2002
See also: List of earthquakes in 2002 and Tropical cyclones in 2002
Typhoon Rusa on August 27

2002 was the second hottest year on record, exceeded only by 1998.[29] There was below average precipitation in 2002, with droughts in Australia, northern China, India, and Western United States.[29] Heavy rains in late 2002 caused significant flooding in eastern Asia[29] and in central Europe.[8]: 77  The effects of the Asian brown cloud were documented in August by the United Nations Environment Programme, warning of severe agricultural and meteorological effects in Afghanistan, northwestern India, and Pakistan.[6]: 184  February saw the collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf, a 12,000-year-old ice shelf in Antarctica with an area of 3,265 km2 (1,260 sq mi).[6]: 387 

The third Global Environment Outlook report was published in May.[7]: 465  The World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg beginning on August 26. A number of proposals were endorsed in the summit, though environmentalists criticized the United States for not supporting stronger measures.[6]: 209  The European Union ratified the Kyoto Protocol, while China and Russia announced their intent to do so. Australia and the United States rejected the protocol.[6]: 211  The war in Afghanistan caused widespread environmental issues, with forests destroyed, wildlife poached by refugees,[6]: 213  and the Kabul Zoo requiring international support.[6]: 215  Kitulo National Park was established in Tanzania to preserve the endemic orchid species.[6]: 239 

Efforts to promote carbon sequestration were mixed in 2002. An experiment to study whether there were risks of pollution was shuttered following pressure from environmentalist groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature, but Statoil reported success in a six-year-long experiment in the North Sea later in the year.[6]: 212 

The January eruption of Mount Nyiragongo brought destruction to Goma, prompting an evacuation of 400,000 people, with 12,000 finding themselves homeless with damage across 14 villages.[6]: 182  A major oil spill took place off the coast of Galicia, Spain, when the MV Prestige ruptured and sank in November.[8]: 87  The deadliest earthquake in 2002 was a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan on March 25, killing approximately 1,000 people.[30] A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Iran killed approximately 200 people the following June.[6]: 182  North America saw one of its most intense earthquakes when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska on November 3, but the remote location prevented any fatalities.[6]: 181 

The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season saw 12 named storms, a near-average number. Most of them were relatively minor, with only 4 four becoming hurricanes, of which two attained major hurricane status. The season's activity was limited to between July and October, a rare occurrence caused partly by El Niño conditions. The two major hurricanes, Hurricane Isidore and Hurricane Lili, both made landfall in Cuba and the United States, and combined were responsible for most of the season's damages and deaths.[31] The 2002 Pacific typhoon season entailed a typical number of typhoons, but they were above average in intensity with 46% of typhoons reaching "intense strength". Typhoon Rusa killed at least 113 people in South Korea, making it the nation's deadliest typhoon in 43 years.[32]

Health

[edit]
Further information: Category:2002 in health

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized "reducing risks" and "promoting healthy life" as its health concern of focus in the 2002 World Health Report.[33] Global food supplies reduced in 2002 amid droughts and drops in harvest yields.[6]: 146  Famines occurred in Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[7]: 6  Eritrea, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Swaziland were also heavily affected by insufficient food.[6]: 146  The fishing industry was not affected, increasing slightly from previous years.[6]: 149  Nigeria and the Philippines took steps toward establishing national healthcare systems.[6]: 311 

A 2001 Ebola outbreak in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo continued through 2002.[6]: 221  The United States and the Dutch company Crucell collaborated to begin development on an Ebola vaccine in response.[6]: 222  The year's increased focus on terrorism, particularly after the 2001 anthrax attacks, prompted many countries to invest in vaccines, antibiotics, and antivirals as a precaution against bioterrorism.[6]: 221  Renewed attention was brought to the case of family doctor Harold Shipman when it was announced in July that he had killed 200 other people under his care beyond the 15 for which he was prosecuted.[6]: 232 

Politics and law

[edit]
Main article: 2002 in politics
Hamid Karzai (right) is elected president of Afghanistan

East Timor became a sovereign nation in 2002.[7]: 1  It was one of two nations, along with Switzerland, to join the United Nations in September.[6]: 382  Brazil, Lesotho, and Senegal established democracy in 2002 through the acceptance of fair elections, while Bahrain and Kenya moved toward democracy through the strengthening of political institutions. Democracy was disestablished in Ivory Coast and Togo following mass political violence and unfair elections, respectively.[34]: 14 

The United States was not reelected to its membership on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for the first time.[6]: 381  Afghanistan underwent significant liberalization under a transitional government following end of major fighting in the War in Afghanistan, particularly in the capital of Kabul, though distant regions of the country remained oppressed by warlords.[34]: 15  Civil rights also increased following the end of conflicts in Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia.[34]: 15–16  Turkey lessened its restrictions on the country's Kurdish population in 2002.[34]: 16  The majority of Gibraltar's population engaged in protests when the British government considered delivering partial control of the territory to Spain; this culminated with a referendum that rejected the move.[6]: 385 

The Chinese Communist Party chose Hu Jintao as its next leader in a November meeting.[8]: 87  The African Union formally came into existence in July.[7]: 7  The United Kingdom held a Golden Jubilee celebration for Queen Elizabeth II, marking fifty years as the monarch.[8]: 78  In Latin America, the great depression in Argentina continued into 2002, causing significant political turmoil. Venezuela also underwent political crisis with an attempted coup against President Hugo Chávez in April and a national strike against his administration later in the year.[35] Brazil elected the leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in response to the economic instability.[8]: 86 

NATO established a diplomatic relationship with Russia through the NATO-Russia Council in May, and NATO announced seven new members in November: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. This expansion meant that NATO countries bordered Russia for the first time.[6]: 282  Russia and the United States signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty nuclear disarmament agreement in May, but the United States left the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty the following month, and Russia then left the START II treaty. The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation was signed by over 90 countries in November.[6]: 277 

A wave of social pension reform took place in European nations, where Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, were all in various phases of implementation. Similar reforms occurred in Japan and Singapore.[6]: 309–311  Anti-globalization protests took place during the September World Bank–IMF meeting in Washington, D.C.[6]: 314 

Crime and international law

[edit]

The Rome Statute entered into force in July, establishing the International Criminal Court.[7]: 469  The International Court of Justice ruled in three cases: it ruled that diplomatic immunity applied to all crimes, including crimes against humanity, and it settled two territorial disputes, ruling in favor of Cameroon over Nigeria and in favor of Malaysia over Indonesia.[7]: 471–472  A lesser court was established by the United Nations in Sierra Leone to prosecute figures associated with the nation's civil war.[7]: 470  A ban on the use of child soldiers was established in international law in February.[6]: 381 

The prosecution of former Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević began in February,[6]: 225  but it was delayed and the genocide portion of the charges against him was dropped.[8]: 86  Biljana Plavšić, the former president of Republika Srpska, plead guilty to crimes against humanity in a related case.[6]: 225  In August, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda saw the arrests of nine more people accused of genocide, including army chief of staff Augustin Bizimungu. Efforts failed to create a similar tribunal in Cambodia to prosecute Khmer Rouge.[6]: 226  United Nations peacekeeping missions concluded in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Prevlaka, reducing its Balkan presence to Kosovo.[6]: 381 

Former military dictator of Argentina Leopoldo Galtieri was arrested in July for his actions in the Dirty War. Two generals from the Salvadoran Civil War were found liable for torture in an American court, and they were ordered to pay $54.6 million in damages.[6]: 282  A major espionage case in the United States ended in May with Robert Hanssen sentenced to life in prison for spying on behalf of the Soviet Union.[6]: 232  Serbia and Montenegro abolished capital punishment to qualify for entry to the Council of Europe, and Turkey did so to garner support for its incorporation into the European Union. Prisoners in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey engaged in deadly strikes and riots in response to poor conditions in 2002.[6]: 232 

War on terror

[edit]
The first inmates arrive at Camp X-Ray in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Terrorism dominated politics internationally in 2002, with both terrorist acts and attempts to declare groups as terrorist organizations being prevalent throughout the year. Islamic terrorism was widely seen as responsible for terrorist attacks throughout the year. In response, the United States began providing military assistance against terrorists in several countries as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.[7]: 2  International law regarding these actions had yet to be settled, and international organizations spent the year debating how action against terrorist groups should be carried out.[7]: 469 

Pakistan arrested al-Qaeda operative Ramzi bin al-Shibh in September on suspicions of involvement in the September 11 attacks and extradited him to the United States. The United States arrested an addition fifteen suspects across several states for involvement in the preparation of future terrorist attacks.[6]: 228  Anti-terrorism actions by the United States, including the arbitrary arrest and deportation of non-citizens and indefinite detention of suspected terrorists captured in Afghanistan, were condemned as human rights violations.[6]: 314  American treatment of prisoners in the war on terror came under scrutiny, particularly in Camp X-Ray in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[6]: 232  China and Russia invoked anti-terrorism to take actions against their Uyghur and Chechen minorities, respectively.[6]: 315 

Australia, Russia, and the United States all declared a right to preemptive strikes against foreign terrorist groups in 2002.[6]: 278  George W. Bush defined an "axis of evil" in an address in January, naming Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as foreign adversaries of the United States. Increasing tensions between Iraq and the United States became a major geopolitical issue in 2002 amid suspicions that Iraq had resumed its production of weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations delivered an ultimatum for Iraq to comply with weapons inspections in late 2002.[35] Because of this dispute, as well Hussein's involvement with terrorist groups amid the war on terror, an invasion of Iraq by the United States was widely expected.[8]: 66–71 

Religion

[edit]

Religious violence was prevalent in 2002. Hindu–Muslim relations were strained in India, most prominently by an attack on a Hindu train car in February that led to weeks of deadly riots in Gujarat. Unrest from the Second Intifada led to widespread attacks on Jews throughout the world, and Christians in Pakistan faced several attacks throughout the year.[6]: 301 

The Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal continued from 2001; the church adopted rules on how to address sexual abuse allegations on January 8, and Pope John Paul II made his second papal statement on the matter on March 22.[7]: 448  The Catholic Church created four new Russian dioceses in February, resulting in protests by members of the Russian Orthodox Church.[6]: 302  Belarus made the Belarusian Orthodox Church into the state's legally recognized religion, curtailing practice of other religions.[7]: 449  The Church of England determined in July that divorcees could marry in the church. Then in December, the church saw its first leader in centuries from outside its own membership when the Welsh Rowan Williams was confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury.[7]: 447 

Islam grappled with the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2002, facing both the expansion of Islamic terrorism and of United States military action in combating it.[7]: 450  Orthodox Judaism was the subject of several disputes with the Israeli government throughout the year, including the exemption of Orthodox Jews from military service and recognition of non-Orthodox conversions in the population registry.[6]: 303 

The relationship between religion and education shifted in several nations in 2002. The removal of the Taliban from power allowed girls to attend school in Afghanistan for the first time, and textbooks funded by the United States included images of women. Pakistan introduced a law to regulate Islamic madrasa schools under pressure from Western nations, but it saw backlash from the schools. State-funded faith schools became a polarizing issue when the government suggested increasing their number. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that school vouchers allowed students to seek religious education.[6]: 204–205 

Science

[edit]
Main article: 2002 in science
The Liye Qin Slips were discovered by archaeologists in 2002.

Archeological finds in 2002 included the alleged ossuary of James, brother of Jesus; red ochre cave art in the Blombos Cave in South Africa, created approximately 77,000 years ago and the oldest known artwork; the largest Etruscan civilization settlement found to date, from approximately 2,600 years ago; a collection of bamboo slips featuring 200,000 characters of calligraphy from the Qin dynasty; two stone slabs featuring the Indian emperor Ashoka; ancient irrigation canals under Tucson, Arizona; a Mayan mural in San Bartolo, Guatemala; an Aztec shrine on Pico de Orizaba in Mexico; and the Palace of Parliament of Upper Canada that had been destroyed in the War of 1812.[6]: 152–154  A major study published in 2002 provided evidence against the Black Sea deluge hypothesis that had been popularized in 1996.[6]: 180  The Egyptian Museum held an exhibition for artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, including some items never seen by the public.[6]: 234 

Chemists in 2002 bonded uranium to noble gases for the first time,[36] observed a blackberry-shaped molecular structure in molybdenum blue, fluorinated carbon nanotubes, synthesized a stable cyclopentadienyl cation, discovered the oxidation-resistant gold Au
55, incorporated a photonic lattice into a tungsten filament, invented the ITQ-21 zeolite to more efficiently refine petroleum, and developed a method to create crystalline oxide film without extreme heat.[6]: 261–263  A team led by Rüdeger Köhler developed a laser that emits terahertz radiation.[6]: 263–264  Early study of Bose–Einstein condensates continued in 2002, as did that of quantum dots.[6]: 264  A major study into antimatter across 70 institutions took place in 2002 with results suggesting that antimatter may not be a precise opposite of matter.[6]: 263 

The discovery of a large trans-Neptunian object, Quaoar, prompted reconsideration of how to define a planet, including doubts about whether Pluto should be considered a planet.[6]: 264  Study with the Cosmic Background Imager revealed a more detailed image of cosmic background radiation, and telescopes were able to counteract the scattering effect of Earth's atmosphere through adaptive optics.[37] The largest known volcanic eruption in the Solar System was discovered on the moon Io in November 2002, using imaging that had been taken in February 2001.[6]: 183  The youngest known pulsar was discovered in 2002, originating from a supernova documented in 1181.[6]: 266 

Two major breakthroughs were made in number theory in 2002: Manindra Agrawal led a team in developing the AKS primality test, and Preda Mihăilescu created a proof for the 150-year-old Catalan's conjecture.[6]: 261 

The September 11 attacks of the previous year caused a shift in focus among cultural anthropologists in 2002 toward the study of violence in society.[6]: 151 

Biology

[edit]
The discovery of the Toumaï fossil (pictured) led to the discovery of Sahelanthropus.

New species of animals described in 2002 include the rupicolous gerbil, the lesser Congo shrew, and the bald parrot.[6]: 215  The rediscovery of Bavarian pine voles was announced in Austria after being thought extinct in the 1960s.[7]: 467  Several paleological discoveries in China strong evidence supporting a relation between theropods and birds.[6]: 241  The hominid ancestor Sahelanthropus was identified in 2002 from fossils found in Chad.[6]: 150  A new genus of conifer in Vietnam, Xanthocyparis, was described.[6]: 239 

Genome sequences were completed for indica rice and for the malaria carriers anopheles gambiae and plasmodium falciparum.[7]: 456–457 [37] Scientists at the San Diego Zoo successfully created cloned egg cells for the endangered banteng by applying its DNA to egg cells from cows.[6]: 216  Scientists in the United States announced in July that they had reconstructed a poliovirus specimen using its genetic sequence.[6]: 221 

Two experiments in 2002 were successful in producing plants from old seeds: a lotus plant was grown from a 500-year-old seed, and two other plants were grown after their seeds were bottled and laid dormant since 1879.[6]: 239  A new herbicide was discovered by extracting the catechin toxin of the spotted knapweed.[6]: 238  Controversy about genetically modified crops increased when it was discovered that pest-resistant genes can be transferred to weeds and that crops resistant to some pests can become more vulnerable to others.[6]: 238 

Other biology developments from 2002 include an understanding of TRP channels in taste, the role of light in a circadian rhythm, and the development of 3D imagery of cells.[37] Major advances in the development and application of stem cells triggered an ethics debate that defined the field, in part because stem cells were commonly developed from the human fetus.[6]: 239–240  Study of hormones led to the identification of two related to appetite: ghrelin to encourage eating and peptide YY to discourage it.[6]: 223 

Technology

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See also: 2002 in spaceflight
A 2002 Toyota Prius

There were 61 successful and four failed space launches in 2002. NASA launches included the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, the Aqua research satellite, and a Polar Operational Environmental Satellite.[38] The CONTOUR probe was put into orbit on July 3 but lost when activated on August 15.[6]: 267  The European Space Agency launched the Meteosat 8 satellite in August and the INTEGRAL observatory in October. It also saw the launch of the Envisat satellite.[7]: 453–454  China launched the Shenzhou 3 and Shenzhou 4 missions in March and December, respectively.[7]: 454  Russia sent the second ever space tourist, Mark Shuttleworth, into space.[7]: 453  The creation of the International Space Station remained the largest focus of global space programs, but its development was halted for several months after potentially deadly cracks were found on several space shuttles.[6]: 266 

The open-source-software movement saw growth throughout the year, in part because of Microsoft's success in avoiding tighter regulations in court.[7]: 458  China blocked Google Search and AltaVista in August,[6]: 233  provoking a hacktivist movement in the United States that worked to circumvent such restrictions in authoritarian nations.[6]: 175  Some parts of Google were restored on September 12.[6]: 233  New developments in peer-to-peer sharing allowed decentralized file sharing between computers, causing a proliferation of online piracy. Blogging also became a common practice in 2002.[7]: 460  Klez was a computer worm that spread extensively in 2002 before public awareness limited its effectiveness.[6]: 175  Hybrid vehicles first saw widespread popularity in 2002.[8]: 94–95 

Events

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January

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1 euro coin

February

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The Olympic flame during the 2002 Winter Olympics

March

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A model of the Envisat satellite

April

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Israel Defense Force soldiers during the Battle of Nablus
Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush sign the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty

May

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June

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The trans-Neptunian dwarf planet Quaoar and its moon Weywot. Quaoar's two rings are not resolved in this image.

July

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The flag of the African Union

August

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September

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American and French soldiers in Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa

October

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November

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Cleanup after the MV Prestige disaster

December

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Nobel Prizes

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Births and deaths

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Main pages: Category:2002 births and Deaths in 2002

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

2002

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from Grokipedia

2002 was a starting on Wednesday in the , designated as the International Year of by the , and featured prominently the ongoing international response to the , 2001, terrorist attacks through military operations and policy shifts.
The year witnessed the physical introduction of the currency, with twelve member states beginning dual circulation of and coins alongside national currencies on January 1, facilitating across the continent. In the United States, President signed the into law on January 8, aiming to improve educational standards through accountability and testing, while his January 29 address identified Iraq, , and as an "axis of evil" amid rising tensions over weapons of mass destruction. The XIX Olympic Winter Games occurred from February 8 to 24 in , , where host nation athletes secured the most medals despite prior scandals in bidding that prompted the International Olympic Committee to undertake reforms including the establishment of an Ethics Commission, with Henry Kissinger chairing the IOC 2000 Commission.
Significant military developments included the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility on January 11 for suspected and members captured in , and Israel's in –, a large-scale incursion into Palestinian territories in response to a wave of suicide bombings during the Second Intifada. Economically, the U.S. grappled with corporate fraud revelations, exemplified by WorldCom's June declaration of the largest bankruptcy in history at the time, following Enron's collapse, contributing to regulatory reforms like the later that year. In science, the July announcement of tchadensis fossils from suggested a potential early dating to about 7 million years ago, challenging prior timelines of hominid , while the discovery of small interfering RNAs advanced understanding of . The was formally established on July 9, succeeding the to promote continental integration and . Nobel Prizes highlighted confirming subatomic mass (Physics) and in (Economic Sciences), with receiving the Peace Prize for decades of conflict .

Demographics

Global Population Statistics

The in 2002 stood at approximately 6.23 billion people, according to estimates from the Population Division's 2002 Revision of World Population Prospects. This figure reflected a net annual increase of about 74 million individuals, equivalent to a global growth rate of roughly 1.2 percent, primarily driven by natural increase exceeding 73 million births over deaths. Fertility rates averaged 2.7 children per woman worldwide, with significant variation: exceeding 5, while fell below 1.5, contributing to divergent regional trajectories. Asia dominated demographic weight, comprising over 3.8 billion people or about 61 percent of the global total, fueled by large populations in (1.29 billion) and (1.03 billion). followed with around 830 million residents, representing 13 percent and the fastest-growing continent at over 2.4 percent annually, amid high dependency ratios and youth bulges. totaled approximately 730 million (12 percent), with stagnant or negative growth in many countries due to below-replacement fertility and net out-migration. had 330 million (5 percent), 520 million (8 percent), and 32 million (0.5 percent).
RegionPopulation (millions)Share of World (%)Annual Growth Rate (%)
3,848611.4
831132.4
728120.1
Latin America & Caribbean52381.6
32950.9
320.51.2
World Total6,2911001.2
These statistics underscored ongoing shifts, with developing regions accounting for 98 percent of growth, straining resources while developed areas faced aging demographics and potential labor shortages. The data, derived from national and vital registration systems, provided the benchmark, though revisions in later assessments adjusted estimates upward by about 50 million due to improved undercounting corrections in .

Urbanization and Demographic Shifts

The global population reached approximately 6.28 billion in 2002, reflecting a growth rate of about 1.2 percent from the previous year, primarily driven by high fertility in developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This marked a continuation of the demographic transition, where mortality declines outpaced fertility reductions in many low-income countries, leading to sustained population momentum despite falling birth rates. Urbanization accelerated globally, with urban dwellers comprising roughly 47 percent of the total , up from 43 percent a decade earlier, as rural-to-urban migration fueled expansion in megacities of and . In developing countries, annual urban growth rates averaged 2.5 to 3 percent, far exceeding rural increases, resulting in over 90 percent of new urban residents settling in low- and middle-income nations. This shift was causally linked to economic pull factors, including industrial job opportunities and agricultural mechanization displacing rural labor, though it strained and amplified formation, with an estimated one billion people in inadequate urban housing. Demographic imbalances emerged regionally: Europe's population aged rapidly, with the median age surpassing 37 years and fertility below replacement level (1.4 births per woman), prompting policy debates on immigration to offset labor shortages. Conversely, in , a youth bulge persisted, with over 40 percent under age 15 and total fertility at 5.0, projecting doubled populations by 2050 absent interventions. International migration contributed modestly to these shifts, with net flows of about 2.7 million people annually, concentrated toward high-income destinations, though post-2001 security measures curtailed some movements. Refugee returns peaked at 2.4 million, mainly from and , alleviating displacement pressures but highlighting conflict-driven relocations.

Conflicts and Security

International Armed Conflicts

The US-led coalition continued in throughout 2002, focusing on combating and remnants following the 2001 invasion. In early March, targeted fighters in the , involving approximately 2,000 and Afghan troops alongside allied special forces from , , , , , and ; the operation resulted in 8 US deaths and estimates of 100-800 enemy combatants killed. By June 11-19, the Emergency Loya Jirga in selected to lead the Afghan Transitional Administration, marking a step toward political stabilization amid ongoing military efforts. (ISAF) operations, initially limited to under UN mandate, saw contributions from over 20 nations by year's end, though combat remained primarily US-led. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, escalating violence during the Second Intifada prompted Israel to launch Operation Defensive Shield on March 29, in response to a Hamas suicide bombing at a Netanya hotel during Passover seder on March 27, which killed 30 Israeli civilians and wounded 140. The month-long operation involved Israeli Defense Forces entering major West Bank cities including Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah to dismantle militant infrastructure; it led to the arrest of over 7,000 suspects, seizure of 1,400 explosive devices, and deaths of approximately 500 Palestinians (including militants and civilians) and 30 Israeli soldiers. In Jenin refugee camp, intense urban combat on April 1-11 resulted in 52 Palestinian and 23 IDF fatalities, with subsequent UN and Human Rights Watch investigations confirming no deliberate massacre but noting significant destruction and possible unlawful killings. The operation significantly disrupted Palestinian militant networks, reducing suicide bombings temporarily. Africa witnessed the conclusion of the , a 27-year conflict between the government and rebels backed by proxies. On February 22, leader was killed in combat by Angolan forces, prompting to renounce armed struggle and sign a on April 4, effectively ending hostilities that had claimed over 500,000 lives. Meanwhile, the began on September 19 with a mutiny by northern soldiers against President Laurent Gbagbo's government, evolving into rebel advances that split the country; by November, rebels controlled the north, with over 300 deaths in initial fighting and prompting French military intervention to protect expatriates. These events highlighted ongoing instability in post-colonial African states with ethnic and resource-driven dimensions. Other international engagements included special operations in the against under Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines, starting January with training and advisory roles to Philippine forces, and initial deployments to for counterterrorism. No major interstate wars erupted, but tensions persisted in regions like the India-Pakistan border amid nuclear standoffs resolved diplomatically.

Internal Conflicts and Civil Unrest

In the Israeli-Palestinian territories, the Second Intifada saw heightened violence in 2002, marked by numerous Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli military operations. A suicide bombing at a in on March 27 killed 30 Israeli civilians, prompting to launch on March 29, involving the reoccupation of Palestinian cities in the and clashes in areas like , where 52 Palestinians and 23 Israeli soldiers died. The operation aimed to dismantle militant infrastructure, resulting in the arrest of over 7,000 suspects and the seizure of large weapon caches, amid international criticism for the scale of the incursion. The began on September 19, 2002, when approximately 800 soldiers mutinied over grievances including ethnic discrimination in promotions and poor pay, seizing control of northern cities like and . The rebellion, led by groups such as the Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire, split the country along regional and ethnic lines, with rebels controlling the Muslim-majority north and the government retaining the Christian-dominated south, leading to thousands of deaths and over 1 million displacements by year's end. French forces intervened to protect expatriates, bombing rebel advances on . In India, the Gujarat riots erupted on February 27, 2002, following the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims near Godhra, killing 59, which sparked retaliatory anti-Muslim violence across the state. Over 1,000 people, predominantly Muslims, were killed, with reports of widespread arson, looting, and sexual assaults in cities like Ahmedabad. The state government, led by Narendra Modi, faced accusations of complicity or inaction, though official inquiries attributed the initial trigger to a mob attack on the train. Zimbabwe experienced escalating political violence tied to President Robert Mugabe's fast-track program, which involved the seizure of white-owned farms for redistribution, leading to and clashes between war veterans, opposition supporters, and security forces. By mid-2002, the program displaced over 2,000 white farmers and caused food shortages, with documenting beatings, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings targeting Movement for Democratic Change activists. Nepal's Maoist insurgency intensified, with communist rebels controlling 70-80% of rural areas by 2002 and launching attacks that killed over 1,000 people that year alone, including a June assault on a police post in Accham district resulting in 140 deaths. The conflict, rooted in demands for and abolition of the , prompted the government to declare a in November. In Colombia, the ongoing civil conflict between the government, FARC guerrillas, ELN, and right-wing paramilitaries saw intensified fighting, with over 150 infrastructure attacks and failed peace talks in February, contributing to around 3,000 deaths.

Counter-Terrorism and Global Security Measures

In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, 2002 saw expanded global counter-terrorism operations targeting affiliates and other militant networks. The continued in , capturing and detaining hundreds of suspected terrorists, with forward operating bases established in regions like to support logistics and intelligence gathering. The opened on January 11, 2002, receiving the first group of 20 detainees captured during operations in ; by year's end, over 600 individuals were held there for interrogation and as enemy combatants, bypassing traditional legal processes to prevent release of potential threats. Israel initiated Operation Defensive Shield on March 29, 2002, deploying approximately 30,000 troops to re-enter Palestinian-controlled areas in the following a series of suicide bombings, including the on March 27 that killed 30 civilians; the operation dismantled militant infrastructure in cities like and , resulting in the deaths of over 100 Palestinian fighters and the seizure of weapons caches aimed at halting the Second Intifada's terror campaign. Domestically, the enacted the Homeland Security Act on November 25, 2002, signed by President , which consolidated 22 federal agencies into the Department of Homeland Security to streamline intelligence sharing, border security, and emergency response against terrorist threats. The October 12 Bali bombings, perpetrated by operatives linked to and killing 202 people, primarily foreign tourists, prompted immediate international cooperation; assisted in investigations leading to arrests, while enacted Emergency Law No. 1/2002 on December 18 to criminalize terrorism and enable asset freezes and preventive detentions. The U.S. National Security Strategy, released in September 2002, formalized a of preemptive action against terrorist groups and states harboring them, emphasizing proactive measures over reactive defense to address evolving threats like weapons of mass destruction proliferation.

Politics and Law

Major Elections and Political Transitions

In the United States, midterm elections on November 5 resulted in gains for the Republican Party, which secured control of both the and the amid high approval ratings for President following the . Republicans added eight seats in the House, expanding their majority to 229-205 with one independent, and gained two Senate seats to hold a 51-48-1 advantage, reversing the slim Democratic Senate edge from Senator Jim Jeffords's party switch in 2001. France's presidential election produced a political shock on April 21, when incumbent President of the received 19.88% of the first-round vote, while National Front leader took 16.86%, eliminating Socialist Prime Minister who garnered 16.18%. In the May 5 runoff, Chirac defeated Le Pen with 82.21% of the vote to 17.79%, drawing widespread cross-party support against Le Pen's platform. Brazil held general elections on October 6, with a presidential runoff on October 27, where candidate defeated Social Democratic Party's , securing 61.3% of the vote to Serra's 38.7% and becoming Brazil's first president from a left-wing party in its democratic era. A key political transition occurred in Afghanistan with the Emergency Loya , a traditional grand assembly held from June 11 to 19 in , where delegates elected as head of the Transitional Administration. Nominated by former King , Karzai received 1,295 votes from approximately 1,500 participants, formalizing leadership for the post-Taliban interim government until planned 2004 elections. Pakistan's general elections on October 10, conducted under military ruler General Pervez Musharraf's constitutional amendments, yielded a fragmented result, with the Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid-e-Azam) winning 77 seats as the largest party, followed by the with 63 and the coalition with 45; Musharraf retained influence through alliances despite the nominally civilian outcome. In , President was re-elected on March 11 amid international condemnation of electoral irregularities, including violence and voter intimidation, securing 56.2% against Morgan Tsvangirai's 41.9% in a contest boycotted by some opposition elements.

Policy Reforms and Governmental Actions

In the United States, the was signed into law by President on January 8, 2002, reauthorizing the of 1965 with provisions for annual standardized testing, school accountability measures, and federal funding tied to student performance standards across reading and mathematics for grades 3 through 8. The legislation required states to develop assessments aligned with challenging academic content standards and imposed consequences such as restructuring for schools failing to meet adequate yearly progress targets over multiple years. On March 27, 2002, Bush signed the , prohibiting national political parties from raising or spending soft money—unregulated funds—for activities influencing federal elections, while raising individual contribution limits to $2,000 per candidate per election and establishing disclosure requirements for independent expenditures by outside groups. The act sought to curb perceived corruption from unlimited donations but faced legal challenges over free speech concerns, with portions later upheld by the in 2003. In Afghanistan, an Emergency Loya Jirga convened from June 11 to 19, 2002, in Kabul, convening approximately 1,300 delegates selected through provincial and district assemblies to select leadership for the transitional administration following the 2001 Bonn Agreement. The assembly elected Hamid Karzai as chairman of the interim government on June 13, 2002, by acclamation after an initial secret ballot, extending his leadership until planned elections in 2004 and marking a step toward stabilizing post-Taliban governance amid ongoing security challenges. India enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act on March 28, 2002, in response to the December 2001 attack on , empowering authorities to detain suspects without disclosure for up to three months, seize proceeds of , and establish special courts for expedited trials while defining offenses like membership in terrorist groups punishable by up to 10 years . The law allowed confessions to police as admissible evidence under certain conditions and broadened definitions of terrorist acts to include threats to economic security, though critics noted its potential for misuse against non-terrorist dissenters, leading to its partial repeal in 2004. The was formally launched on July 9, 2002, in , , succeeding the with 53 founding member states and a mandate to accelerate economic integration, promote peace and security through mechanisms like the , and advance via the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. This restructuring emphasized non-indifference to internal conflicts and governance failures, contrasting the OAU's focus on sovereignty, and established institutions such as the to foster continental policy coordination. In the United States, the Help America Vote Act was signed on October 29, 2002, mandating provisional ballots, statewide lists, and accessible voting systems for disabled individuals in response to irregularities in the 2000 presidential election, while allocating $3.4 billion in federal grants for upgrades to election infrastructure. The Act followed on November 25, 2002, creating the Department of Homeland Security as a cabinet-level agency consolidating 22 federal entities with over 170,000 employees to coordinate domestic counterterrorism, border security, and disaster response efforts post-September 11, 2001. Additionally, the E-Government Act of December 17, 2002, directed federal agencies to enhance online services, improve data sharing, and establish privacy protections for electronic records to increase government transparency and efficiency. In the United States, the delivered pivotal rulings on . In Atkins v. Virginia (June 20, 2002), a 6-3 decision held that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, overturning prior precedents like Penry v. Lynaugh (1989) based on evolving standards of decency evidenced by state legislative trends and international consensus. In Ring v. Arizona (June 24, 2002), a 7-2 ruling mandated that juries, rather than judges, determine the existence of aggravating factors necessary for imposing the death penalty in capital cases, extending the Sixth Amendment right to from Apprendi v. New Jersey (2000) to sentencing phases. These decisions narrowed the application of , influencing over 20 states' practices by reinforcing jury roles and excluding certain defendants. The Court also addressed privacy and school policies in Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls (June 27, 2002), upholding 5-4 a public school's random urinalysis drug testing for students participating in extracurricular activities, deeming it a reasonable search under the Fourth Amendment given the minimal intrusion and school's special needs to deter drug use. In employment law, National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. Morgan (June 10, 2002) clarified that hostile work environment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are not time-barred if ongoing acts contribute to the hostile environment, allowing consideration of conduct outside the filing period. Internationally, the (ICJ) addressed in Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000 (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. ) (February 14, 2002), ruling 15-1 that 's arrest warrant against Congo's incumbent Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi for alleged war crimes violated his from foreign criminal jurisdiction under , regardless of the gravity of charges. The decision emphasized functional immunities for high officials to ensure unhindered , ordering to withdraw the warrant and pay reparations. Legal frameworks advanced significantly with the establishment of the (ICC) on July 1, 2002, upon the Rome Statute's entry into force after ratification by 60 states, enabling prosecution of , , war crimes, and aggression by individuals. In the U.S., the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (July 30, 2002) introduced stringent corporate governance reforms post-Enron and WorldCom scandals, mandating CEO/CFO certification of financial statements, enhanced auditor independence, and creation of the to combat fraud through whistleblower protections and severe penalties for violations. The Homeland Security Act (November 25, 2002) consolidated 22 agencies into the Department of Homeland Security, reshaping federal law enforcement and intelligence structures in response to post-9/11 threats. In 2002, rates in the United States declined by 1.7 percent from the previous year, continuing a downward trend that had persisted since the early , while overall reported volume rose marginally by 0.1 percent to an estimated 11.9 million offenses. Globally, the intentional rate stood at approximately 6.91 per 100,000 population, reflecting relative stability amid regional variations, with data drawn from aggregated national statistics compiled by international bodies. expanded during this period, driven by and economic interdependence, which facilitated cross-border activities such as drug trafficking and human smuggling, as evidenced by UNODC's pilot survey of 40 criminal groups spanning multiple continents. In , the EU's 2002 organized crime report highlighted persistent threats from groups involved in drug markets, fraud, and , with general factors like weak border controls and enabling growth. A pivotal advancement in international legal frameworks occurred on July 1, 2002, when the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court entered into force following ratification by 60 states, empowering the ICC as a permanent tribunal to investigate and prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression where national jurisdictions proved unwilling or unable to act. This complemented existing ad hoc tribunals like those for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, marking the first treaty-based global mechanism for such accountability, though major powers including the United States declined participation, citing concerns over sovereignty and potential politicization. In the realm of transnational crime, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), adopted in 2000, saw accelerated ratification efforts in 2002, supported by ECOSOC Resolution 2002/8, which urged states to enhance cooperation against organized crime's destabilizing effects on political and economic stability. Complementing UNTOC, its protocols addressing trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling gained momentum, though full entry into force followed in 2003. Counter-terrorism frameworks also evolved amid post-9/11 priorities, with the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism adopted on June 3, 2002, by the to foster hemispheric in preventing terrorist acts, extradition, and asset freezing while emphasizing respect for and democratic principles. This regional instrument built on universal conventions like the 1997 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, addressing gaps in multilateral responses to non-state violence without defining universally, a persistent challenge in due to divergent state interests. These developments underscored a shift toward institutionalized international on cross-border threats, though remained constrained by state and varying commitments to evidentiary standards.

Economy

Global Economic Indicators and Growth

The world economy expanded by 1.89 percent in real GDP terms in 2002, reflecting a partial rebound from the sharp deceleration to 1.3 percent growth in 2001 amid the aftermath of the dot-com recession and the , 2001, terrorist attacks. This modest upturn was driven primarily by emerging markets and developing economies, which grew at 4.6 percent, while advanced economies lagged at 1.5 percent due to weak , inventory adjustments, and corporate sector . Global volumes rose by 2.5 percent, supported by lower prices averaging $25 per barrel, which eased inflationary pressures but highlighted vulnerabilities in energy-dependent regions. Inflation remained subdued worldwide, with consumer prices increasing by 2.9 percent on average, aided by excess capacity in and slack labor markets. In advanced economies, hovered around 1.7 percent, while emerging markets experienced slightly higher rates at 5.5 percent, influenced by price fluctuations and depreciations in select countries. Unemployment deteriorated, reaching 180 million globally—an increase of 20 million from —equivalent to a rate of approximately 6.1 percent of the labor force, with industrialized nations seeing rates climb to 6.9 percent amid job losses. The attributed this rise to persistent effects of the slowdown, particularly in and sectors. Regional disparities underscored the uneven recovery: the achieved 1.7 percent GDP growth through consumer spending and housing investment, despite a 22 percent decline in the Index over the year. The area stagnated at 0.9 percent, hampered by fiscal tightening in and weak external demand, while contracted by 0.2 percent amid deflationary pressures and banking sector woes. Emerging Asia, led by at 9.1 percent and at 4.0 percent, provided counterbalance through export-led expansion and infrastructure investment. Challenges included the Argentine debt default in January, which triggered a regional contagion in with GDP contracting 10.9 percent there, and ongoing issues eroding investor confidence globally. Preparations for the 's physical introduction in the 12-member , with over 7 billion banknotes and 50 billion coins minted by late 2002, bolstered monetary integration but did not immediately spur growth.
Region/EconomyReal GDP Growth (%)Key Driver/Factor
World1.89Emerging market resilience
1.7Consumer and housing rebound
Euro Area0.9Fiscal constraints, weak exports
-0.2, banking issues
9.1Export and investment surge
-0.4 crisis spillover

Financial Innovations and Market Shifts

On January 1, 2002, euro banknotes and coins entered circulation as legal tender across twelve European Union member states, replacing national currencies in the largest peacetime currency conversion in history. The changeover involved producing and distributing approximately 15 billion euro banknotes and 52 billion coins, with a dual-currency period allowing both old national currencies and euros until February 28, 2002, after which the euro became the exclusive legal tender. This shift eliminated exchange rate risks within the eurozone, lowered transaction costs for cross-border trade, and promoted economic integration by standardizing monetary policy under the European Central Bank. The euro's cash introduction reinforced its status in global , building on its electronic use since , 1999, and initially boosted liquidity in euro-denominated assets. However, the transition faced logistical challenges, including cash shortages in some regions and debates over price rounding, with Germany's minister acknowledging euro-related price hikes in certain sectors by May 2002. Despite these, the changeover succeeded without major disruptions, enhancing the euro's role as a contender against the U.S. dollar. Global equity markets underwent a pronounced downturn in 2002, marking the third consecutive year of declines for major Western indices amid lingering effects of the dot-com bust, corporate scandals, and post-September 11 economic uncertainty. U.S. markets, in particular, saw the fall by 22.1% and the by 31.5%, driven by investor wariness over accounting irregularities at firms like WorldCom. This bear market reflected a broader shift toward , with reduced business investment and sluggish GDP growth averaging around 1.5-2% in the U.S. In response to eroding trust, the U.S. Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on July 30, 2002, imposing rigorous standards for financial reporting, internal controls, and auditor independence on public companies. The legislation aimed to curb fraudulent practices by requiring CEO and certification of financial statements and establishing the , thereby shifting market dynamics toward greater accountability at the cost of elevated compliance expenses, particularly for smaller firms. Over time, these measures contributed to restored investor confidence and fewer financial restatements, though initial implementation strained auditing resources.

Corporate Accountability Scandals and Responses

In 2002, a series of high-profile corporate exposed widespread , leading to massive investor losses, , and regulatory reforms aimed at restoring confidence in financial markets. The scandals primarily involved manipulation of to inflate earnings and conceal debts, often enabled by conflicts of interest with auditors and executives' self-enrichment. WorldCom's collapse exemplified the scale, with revelations of $11 billion in improperly capitalized expenses, marking it as one of the largest in U.S. history at the time. These events followed Enron's 2001 but accelerated in 2002, prompting swift legislative action. WorldCom, a major firm, disclosed on June 25, 2002, that it had misclassified $3.8 billion in line costs as capital expenditures, with further restatements uncovering additional irregularities totaling over $11 billion. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil charges against the company on June 26, 2002, leading to its Chapter 11 filing on July 21, 2002—the largest in U.S. history then, with $107 billion in assets. CEO faced indictment for orchestrating the scheme to meet expectations amid telecom sector declines. Tyco International revealed executive misconduct in early 2002, including unauthorized bonuses and loans to CEO and Mark Swartz, totaling over $150 million, alongside accounting irregularities that inflated operating income by $567 million from 1998 to 2002. The SEC sued the executives in September 2002 for , contributing to a sharp drop in Tyco's market value and necessitating financial restatements. Similarly, Adelphia Communications announced on March 27, 2002, $2.3 billion in previously undisclosed debt guaranteed by founder and family, who had siphoned company funds for personal use, including stock purchases and luxury assets. This led to the Rigas family's in July 2002 and Adelphia's filing in June 2002, the fifth-largest at the time. The scandals eroded trust in corporate governance and auditing firms like , which faced obstruction charges related to document destruction in 2002, ultimately contributing to its dissolution. In response, passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act () on July 30, 2002, establishing the (PCAOB) to regulate auditors, mandating CEO and CFO certification of , enhancing internal controls under Section 404, and prohibiting certain non-audit services by auditors to firms they audit. aimed to deter fraud through stricter disclosure rules and whistleblower protections, though implementation increased compliance costs for public companies. These measures addressed root causes like weak oversight and executive incentives misaligned with shareholder interests, marking a shift toward greater in U.S. corporate reporting.

Science and Technology

Biological and Genetic Breakthroughs

In July 2002, paleontologists announced the discovery of Sahelanthropus tchadensis, based on a nearly complete cranium (TM 266-01-060) unearthed in the Toros-Menalla region of , dated to approximately 7 million years ago. This fossil, potentially the oldest known hominin, exhibited features such as a reduced canine size and a position suggesting possible , challenging prior timelines for the divergence of human and chimpanzee lineages. The find expanded the geographic scope of early hominin evolution beyond to . On October 7, 2002, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Sydney Brenner, H. Robert Horvitz, and John E. Sulston for their pioneering research on genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Brenner's establishment of C. elegans as a model organism in the 1960s, Sulston's mapping of its cell lineage in the 1970s and 1980s, and Horvitz's identification of genes controlling apoptosis in the 1980s demonstrated that cell death is an actively regulated process conserved across species, with implications for understanding developmental disorders and diseases like cancer. Their work revealed over 100 genes involved in C. elegans development, where exactly 131 cells undergo programmed death out of 1090 somatic cells in the hermaphrodite. The Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium published a high-quality draft sequence of the mouse (Mus musculus) on December 5, 2002, spanning about 2.6 billion base pairs and identifying roughly 30,000 protein-coding genes. This assembly, primarily from the C57BL/6J strain using whole- with seven-fold coverage, achieved 99% homology with the in coding regions, enabling to annotate human genes and study mammalian evolution. The project highlighted rapid evolutionary changes in non-coding regions and provided a reference for modeling human genetic diseases, with the mouse's 2.5-2.6 gigabase differing from humans mainly in repetitive elements and expansions.

Engineering and Digital Innovations

![Envisat satellite model][float-right] In 2002, engineering advancements included the launch of , the European Space Agency's flagship , on March 1 from , , aboard an rocket. Weighing approximately 8.2 metric tons and measuring 26 meters in length with solar arrays deployed, Envisat incorporated ten sophisticated instruments, such as radar altimeters and synthetic aperture radars, enabling continuous monitoring of atmospheric composition, ocean topography, and land surface changes with unprecedented resolution and coverage. This polar-orbiting platform, designed for a nominal five-year mission at 800 km altitude, represented a pinnacle of satellite systems integration, combining microwave and optical sensors to support global environmental research despite challenges like data downlink constraints from its high instrument payload. High-performance computing saw a breakthrough with the , a vector developed by NEC Corporation for Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which became operational in in 2002. Comprising 5,120 processors interconnected via a high-speed fiber-optic network, it achieved a peak performance of 40 teraflops and a sustained 35.86 teraflops on the LINPACK benchmark, surpassing the previous leader by a factor of five and holding the top spot on the list until 2004. Primarily engineered for climate modeling and simulations, the system's architecture emphasized massive parallelism and vector processing efficiency, enabling detailed global simulations that informed disaster prediction and environmental forecasting, though its specialized design limited broader commercial applicability. In automotive engineering, General Motors unveiled the Hy-wire concept vehicle in January 2002 at the North American International Auto Show, pioneering a modular "skateboard" chassis integrating a 94-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell stack, electric drive-by-wire systems for steering, braking, and propulsion, and a detachable composite body. This front-wheel-drive prototype, with a range of about 200 km and top speed exceeding 160 km/h, demonstrated practical hydrogen refueling and zero-emission operation on public roads in Detroit and Washington, D.C., highlighting scalable fuel cell integration but underscoring persistent hurdles in hydrogen infrastructure and cost for mass production. The design's separation of powertrain from cabin influenced subsequent electric vehicle architectures, prioritizing safety and flexibility in vehicle configuration.

Space Exploration and Astronomical Findings

The Hubble Space Telescope underwent its third servicing mission, STS-109, launched on March 1, 2002, aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, during which astronauts installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys and replaced the solar arrays to extend the observatory's operational life. This mission enhanced Hubble's imaging capabilities, enabling subsequent high-resolution observations of distant celestial objects. International Space Station assembly advanced through multiple Space Shuttle flights in 2002, including STS-110 on April 8, which delivered the S0 truss segment via , forming the center spine for future structural elements. Subsequent missions in October and in November added the Starboard 1 and Port 1 truss segments, respectively, completing the initial and supporting ongoing crew rotations. NASA's orbiter, operational since 2001, detected extensive subsurface water ice deposits in Mars' polar regions in early 2002, with neutron spectrometer data indicating hydrogen concentrations equivalent to billions of cubic meters of water ice buried beneath a few centimeters of soil. This finding, announced on March 28, provided direct evidence of accessible water resources, informing future human exploration strategies. The launched on March 1, 2002, via , deploying the largest civilian at 8.2 metric tons, equipped with ten instruments for monitoring atmospheric, oceanic, and land changes. Concurrently, ESA's gamma-ray observatory lifted off on October 17 aboard a Proton rocket, designed to map high-energy sources like black holes and neutron stars across the sky. In astronomical discoveries, astronomers identified Quaoar (2002 LM60), a object approximately 1,200 kilometers in diameter, using ground-based telescopes and confirmed via Hubble imaging in October 2002, marking it as the largest solar system body found beyond at the time. Additionally, observations revealed the first confirmed extrasolar planet in a Jupiter-like orbit around a Sun-like star, with a mass about 0.8 masses and a 4.1-year period, detected through measurements announced in June.

Culture and Society

Entertainment and Media Milestones

![Eminem performing during the Anger Management Tour][float-right] In cinema, 2002 saw significant commercial successes, with directed by premiering on May 3 and achieving the highest domestic gross of $403,706,375, setting a record for opening weekend earnings at $114,844,116. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, followed as the second-highest earner domestically with $302,191,252. Other notable releases included Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, contributing to a year-end domestic total of approximately $9.5 billion. Music highlights featured Eminem's , released on May 28, which topped the year-end chart and sold over 7.6 million copies in the United States by year's end, marking it as the best-selling album of 2002. Other top albums included Creed's and Nelly's , reflecting dominance by rock and hip-hop genres on the charts. At the on December 9, Eminem won for top album, while Nickelback's "" took top Hot 100 single. Television saw the premiere of influential series such as on FX on March 12, establishing the network's entry into premium scripted drama. debuted on HBO on June 2, offering a critical examination of urban institutions. Reality programming advanced with 's first season launch on Fox on June 11, which drew massive audiences and launched careers like winner Kelly Clarkson's. The 54th Primetime Emmy Awards, held on September 22, recognized Friends as outstanding comedy series and in drama. Video games marked milestones with , released on October 27 for , achieving critical acclaim and commercial success as a landmark in open-world design. , launched on November 17 for , earned top scores for its first-person adventure innovation. These titles contributed to 2002 being regarded as a pivotal year for console gaming quality.

Sports Competitions and Records

The 2002 Winter Olympics took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, from February 8 to 24, featuring competitions in 15 disciplines across seven sports with participation from 77 nations and 2,399 athletes. Germany led the medal table with 36 medals, including 12 gold, while Norway secured the most golds with 13; the host United States finished with 34 medals, comprising 10 gold. Notable achievements included Canada's victories in both men's and women's ice hockey, marking their first Olympic golds in the sport since 1952 for men, and Croatian skier Janica Kostelić winning four medals, three of them gold, in alpine events. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen swept all four biathlon golds, a feat unmatched in Olympic history up to that point. The , co-hosted by and from May 31 to June 30, marked the first time the tournament was held in and involved 32 teams across 64 matches. claimed their fifth title with a 2-0 final over on June 30 in , propelled by Ronaldo's eight goals, the tournament's highest tally. secured with a 3-2 win over co-host , whose semifinal run as the first Asian team to reach that stage drew record crowds and sparked national fervor. The event saw 161 goals scored, averaging 2.52 per match, with controversies including refereeing decisions favoring hosts. In American professional leagues, the defeated the 20-17 in on February 3, ending the Rams' bid for a perfect postseason. The completed a by winning the 4-2 over the New Jersey Nets on June 12, led by and . Major League Baseball's Anaheim Angels clinched their first World Series title, defeating the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on October 27, highlighted by the ' American League-record 20 consecutive wins from August 10 to September 23. In the NFL, defensive end set the single-season sack record with 22.5, achieved in the final game against the on January 6. Athletics saw significant records in 2002, with American sprinter establishing a new men's 100 meters of 9.78 seconds at the Grand Prix in on September 14, surpassing Maurice Greene's mark by 0.02 seconds. British runner set the women's marathon of 2:15:25 in on October 13, improving her own previous best by over a minute. In tennis, of won the Australian Open men's singles on January 27, while defended her women's title against . Cycling's concluded on July 28 with securing his fourth consecutive victory, later marred by doping revelations but recorded as such at the time.

Artistic and Architectural Developments

In , the of 2002, held from March 7 to May 26 at the of American Art in New York, featured works by 111 artists across painting, sculpture, video, and performance, curated by Lawrence R. Rinder, Chrissie Iles, , and Debra Singer to highlight emerging trends in contemporary American art. Documenta 11, occurring from June 8 to September 15 in , , introduced a novel format with five "platforms" addressing globalization, democracy, and cultural interfaces, curated by , drawing over 600,000 visitors to examine art's role in complex global knowledge systems. The , awarded on December 8 at , went to for his multimedia works embracing poetic, logical, and fantastical elements, including installations and paintings that explored chance and scientific inspiration, with the jury praising their embrace of diverse media. Architecturally, the in , , was inaugurated on after construction costs exceeding $220 million, designed by Snøhetta as a modern homage to the ancient library with its inclined glass-paneled disc enclosing 8 million books and digital archives, symbolizing cultural revival amid regional emphasis on knowledge preservation. The (BedZED) in , completed occupancy in 2002 as the UK's first large-scale mixed-use eco-community of 100 homes, offices, and facilities, engineered by Bill Dunster to achieve zero emissions through passive solar design, heating, and car-free living to minimize carbon footprints. The Blur Building, a temporary fog-based pavilion by for Expo 02 on in , Switzerland, utilized 10,000 mist nozzles to generate a 100-meter-wide vapor cloud within a frame, creating an immersive, formless of atmosphere that challenged perceptual boundaries. Awards underscored innovation: the Royal Institute of British Architects' Stirling Prize was conferred on Wilkinson Eyre Architects for the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a 370-meter tilting pedestrian structure over the River Tyne, operational since 2001 but recognized in October 2002 for its engineering elegance in linking Newcastle and Gateshead. The 8th Venice Architecture Biennale, themed "NEXT" and curated by Deyan Sudjic from September 8 to November 3, showcased forward-looking projects in national pavilions, emphasizing emerging built environments post-digital and post-9/11 contexts. These developments reflected a shift toward sustainable, experiential, and globally contextual designs amid technological and environmental pressures.

Social and Cultural Movements

The global justice movement, often termed anti-globalization by critics, gained momentum in 2002 through international gatherings and street protests targeting multilateral financial institutions like the World Bank, , and . Advocates argued these bodies enforced neoliberal policies that widened inequality and undermined sovereignty, drawing on empirical data from reports showing rising global wealth disparities amid trade liberalization; for instance, the for world income distribution had worsened from 0.635 in 1988 to 0.660 by 2000, correlating with structural adjustment programs in developing nations. Protests emphasized demands for , , and corporate accountability, though outcomes remained limited, with no major policy reversals from targeted summits. The second (WSF), held January 31 to February 5 in , , exemplified this momentum, attracting over 60,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Organized as a to the WEF's meeting, it featured panels on poverty alleviation, , and ecological limits to growth, with attendance tripling from the 2001 inaugural event due to grassroots networking via emerging online platforms and regional social forums. Brazilian municipal and state funding supported logistics, totaling about $1.3 million, enabling decentralized seminars that produced declarations against genetically modified organisms and of public services. Parallel protests disrupted economic summits: In , February 2, roughly 10,000 rallied against the WEF, highlighting post-9/11 corporate influence on policy amid heightened security measures. Barcelona saw demonstrations March 15-16 against EU trade policies, while hosted 10,000 peaceful marchers June 24-26 opposing World Bank environmental lending practices. In Washington, D.C., September 27-29, thousands protested IMF-World Bank meetings, resulting in hundreds of arrests during clashes over access to public spaces, underscoring tensions between free assembly rights and event security. The first European Social Forum (ESF), November 6-10 in , , drew tens of thousands, fostering cross-border alliances on and migration, and previewing anti-Iraq War mobilization. In the U.S., disability rights advanced via the Supreme Court's June 20 ruling, barring execution of intellectually disabled individuals as violative of the Eighth Amendment, a 6-3 decision citing evolving standards of decency and reduced culpability, building on decades of advocacy by groups like The Arc. These events reflected causal links between critiques and broader cultural shifts toward skepticism of elite-driven integration, though empirical assessments vary, with some data indicating globalization's role in lifting 200 million from between 1990 and 2002 via expanded markets.

Environment and Natural Phenomena

Weather Extremes and Natural Disasters

The most devastating weather-related event of 2002 was the Central European floods in August, triggered by persistent heavy rainfall from a stalled low-pressure system over the region, leading to record river levels on the , , and rivers. These floods affected , , the , and parts of , , and , with water levels in some areas reaching return periods of up to 500 years; over 110 fatalities occurred, and total economic losses exceeded €15 billion, including €3.1 billion in insured damages. In alone, the River inundated and other cities, displacing hundreds of thousands and causing widespread infrastructure failure despite prior flood defenses. Typhoon Rusa, the strongest storm to strike in 43 years, made landfall near on August 31 as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon with sustained winds of 170 km/h, exacerbated by its slow movement that dumped up to 876 mm of rain in 48 hours in some areas. The storm caused 233 deaths, primarily from flooding and landslides, destroyed over 17,000 homes, and inflicted approximately $4.2 billion in damages across , with additional impacts in from earlier passages. Rusa's orographic enhancement over Korea's mountainous terrain amplified rainfall, leading to the failure of dams and evacuation of over 100,000 people. A magnitude 7.9 strike-slip struck along the Denali Fault in central on November 3, rupturing 340 km of surface fault trace across the Susitna Glacier, Denali, and Totschunda faults, with shaking felt over 3,000 km away. No fatalities resulted due to the remote 230 km north of Anchorage, but the event triggered thousands of landslides, including large rock avalanches, and caused minor structural damage to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which withstood design stresses without rupture. This was North America's largest inland in nearly 150 years, highlighting the tectonic activity of the region's right-lateral fault system. In the United States, weather extremes included severe flooding in May from excessive spring rains, inundating thousands of acres of farmland in and , alongside 55 tornado-related fatalities nationwide—the second-highest annual toll—and 51 deaths from tropical cyclones, including Hurricane Lili's impacts in . Globally, Munich Re recorded elevated losses from geophysical events like earthquakes and weather extremes such as floods and storms, totaling over $50 billion insured worldwide, underscoring 2002 as a year of hydrological and seismic intensity without a dominant El Niño influence.

Conservation Efforts and Policy Responses

The launched the satellite on March 1, 2002, equipping it with ten instruments to monitor environmental parameters including atmospheric composition, ocean currents, and land vegetation, thereby enhancing data availability for global conservation strategies and climate research. The World Summit on Sustainable Development convened in , , from August 26 to September 4, 2002, producing the and a Plan of Implementation that emphasized integrating with , water and sanitation access, and biodiversity conservation through voluntary partnerships and targets like halving the proportion of people without access to clean water by 2015. On May 31, 2002, the European Union ratified the Kyoto Protocol, binding its member states to quantified greenhouse gas emission reduction targets averaging 8% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012, following Iceland's ratification on May 23 which met the protocol's threshold of 55 parties representing 55% of 1990 emissions. In the United States, President George W. Bush outlined the Clear Skies Initiative on February 14, 2002, proposing cap-and-trade systems to cut power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide by 73%, nitrogen oxides by 67%, and mercury by 69% over 15 years, as an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol which the administration had rejected in 2001 for exempting major developing emitters like China and India. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiated the Resource Conservation Challenge in September 2002, a voluntary program targeting reductions in waste generation, increased recycling rates, and sustainable materials management across sectors to minimize environmental impacts. Following the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker on November 19, 2002, off Galicia, Spain, which spilled about 63,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and contaminated 1,900 km of coastline, Spanish and French authorities mobilized cleanup efforts involving manual removal of oil from beaches, deployment of booms and skimmers at sea, and bioremediation techniques, though the incident prompted stricter EU regulations on single-hull tankers.

Health and Medicine

Epidemic Responses and Public Health Crises

In 2002, the faced its largest recorded outbreak of (WNV), an transmitted primarily by mosquitoes, resulting in 4,156 laboratory-confirmed human infections across 39 states and the District of Columbia, including 284 deaths from neuroinvasive disease such as and . This epidemic marked a significant expansion from prior years, with cases reported as early as in states like and , escalating through the summer and fall to peak in August and September. responses emphasized integrated vector management, including widespread aerial and ground-based spraying of insecticides like pyrethroids in affected urban and rural areas, dead bird surveillance as an early warning system (with over 2,590 WNV-positive crows reported), and blood donor screening implemented by December to prevent transfusion-related transmissions. These measures, coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments, reduced transmission in high-risk areas but highlighted gaps in preparedness for mosquito-borne diseases, as neuroinvasive cases disproportionately affected older adults and those with comorbidities. Concurrent with WNV's spread in , the first cases of , caused by the , emerged in Province, , on November 16, 2002, in Foshan City, initially presenting as clusters linked to animal markets and healthcare settings. By late December, at least 305 cases and 5 deaths were documented in the province, prompting local quarantines, hospital isolations, and rudimentary , though Chinese health officials underreported the outbreak's scale and zoonotic origins to avoid economic disruption, delaying broader alerts until 2003. This initial phase exposed vulnerabilities in 's centralized reporting system, where political incentives prioritized containment over transparency, allowing limited person-to-person transmission within families and hospitals but averting widespread domestic escalation by year's end through enhanced ventilation protocols and treatments for secondary infections. The (WHO) later cited these early events as a precursor to the 2002–2004 global outbreak, which infected over 8,000 people, underscoring the need for rapid international data-sharing absent in 2002's response. Other public health challenges in 2002 included ongoing surveillance, with CDC data revealing elevated incidences of vaccine-preventable illnesses like pertussis (9,771 cases) and invasive pneumococcal disease, prompting targeted drives and antimicrobial stewardship amid rising resistance concerns. These efforts reflected a broader U.S. focus on syndromic systems post-9/11 to detect or natural threats, though empirical evaluations showed limited efficacy against WNV's rapid dispersal due to climatic factors favoring mosquito proliferation. Globally, the SARS prelude highlighted causal links between and spillover events, informing later reforms, while WNV responses validated ecological interventions over reliance on unproven therapeutics, as no specific antiviral existed and supportive care yielded case-fatality rates of about 7% for severe infections.

Medical Research and Treatment Advances

In 2002, the in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to , , and John E. Sulston for their discoveries on genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death () in the nematode worm . Their work demonstrated how specific genes control cell proliferation and death, providing foundational insights into mechanisms underlying cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and developmental anomalies in humans, as homologous genes exist across species. RNA interference (RNAi), the process by which small RNA molecules silence , emerged as Science magazine's Breakthrough of the Year, enabling precise in research models. This technique, building on earlier discoveries, revolutionized by allowing scientists to study functions rapidly, with applications in probing cancer pathways, viral defenses, and differentiation. Researchers highlighted its potential to accelerate target identification, though early limitations included off-target effects and delivery challenges in therapeutic contexts. The U.S. (FDA) approved 18 new molecular entities, including , the first broad-spectrum effective against invasive and other life-threatening fungal infections resistant to prior agents like . Clinical trials showed achieved higher response rates (53% vs. 31%) and survival benefits in immunocompromised patients compared to standard therapies. , a partial mu- agonist, received initial FDA approval for dependence treatment, marking the first such indication for office-based prescribing under guidelines, with evidence of reduced withdrawal symptoms and misuse potential relative to full agonists like . Harvard Medical School researchers identified a biochemical pathway involving cytokines that drives cartilage breakdown and bone erosion in , linking inflammation to tissue destruction and informing targeted biologic therapies. Interventional cardiology advanced with improved drug-eluting stents, reducing restenosis rates in coronary interventions from over 20% to under 10% in trials, narrowing the procedural gap with . These developments emphasized empirical validation through randomized trials, prioritizing causal mechanisms over anecdotal outcomes.

Religion

Major Religious Events

The faced a profound crisis in 2002 when revelations of widespread by and institutional cover-ups erupted into public view, beginning with The Boston Globe's January 6 investigative report on the Archdiocese of Boston detailing the reassignment of abusive such as , who had molested over 130 children and was convicted in January for indecent assault on a boy. This Spotlight investigation uncovered documents showing that Cardinal Bernard Law and other officials had known of Geoghan's abuses since the 1980s yet shuffled him between parishes, prioritizing reputation over victim safety, a pattern echoed in subsequent reporting across U.S. dioceses including Phoenix and Providence where similar cover-ups involved dozens of . The prompted over 200 civil lawsuits in alone by mid-year, financial settlements exceeding $85 million nationwide, and the or of numerous , with the U.S. of Catholic Bishops acknowledging systemic failures in handling allegations. On April 23, convened a summit at the Vatican with U.S. cardinals to confront the issue, where he described the abuses as "an appalling sin" and urged , though critics noted the Holy See's prior awareness of cases dating back decades without decisive global action. The crisis culminated in Law's on December 13 as of , amid ongoing probes that revealed over 4,000 U.S. implicated in abuse claims since 1950. In a contrasting event of youth mobilization, the 17th occurred from July 23 to 28 in , , organized by the under Pope John Paul II's patronage as an international gathering to foster faith among young Catholics. The event featured catechetical sessions, vigils, and a closing on attended by an estimated 800,000 pilgrims, where the Pope, despite health challenges, delivered messages on themes from Matthew 5:13-14, emphasizing youth as "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" amid . Drawing participants from over 170 countries, it marked John Paul II's final and his third visit to , highlighting evangelization efforts post-9/11 with ecumenical elements including interfaith dialogues. Evangelical Christianity saw large-scale outreach through German Pentecostal missionary Reinhard Bonnke's gospel crusade in Ogbomoso, , in , which drew over 2.5 million attendees across five days and recorded approximately 1.8 million responses to salvation calls, underscoring Africa's role in global Pentecostal growth. This event, part of Bonnke's broader campaigns, emphasized mass conversions and healings in open-air settings, reflecting the rapid expansion of on the continent where surged amid socioeconomic challenges.

Faith-Based Conflicts and Dialogues

In , the Gujarat riots erupted on February 27 following the , in which a Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing 59 passengers. Retaliatory violence by Hindu groups against Muslims resulted in over 1,000 deaths, predominantly Muslims, the displacement of up to 100,000 people, and widespread destruction of Muslim homes and businesses, with reports of inadequate intervention by government forces. The conflict stemmed from longstanding Hindu-Muslim tensions exacerbated by the destruction of the mosque a decade earlier, highlighting communal fault lines where religious identity fueled cycles of retaliation. In Indonesia, the Malino II Accord, signed on February 13 by Christian and Muslim leaders in the Maluku Islands, formally ended a sectarian conflict that had raged since 1999, claiming thousands of lives through intercommunal violence between Christians and Muslims. The agreement committed parties to cease hostilities, disarm militias, and pursue reconciliation, though sporadic tensions persisted amid broader Islamist influences. Later that year, on October 12, , an Islamist militant group seeking to establish a , detonated bombs at nightclubs in , killing 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, in attacks explicitly motivated by against Western "infidels" and their allies. Nigeria experienced heightened religious violence in November, particularly in Kaduna, where riots sparked by a newspaper article perceived as insulting to led to clashes between and , resulting in 200 to 600 deaths, with Christian communities disproportionately targeted in organized attacks on the first day. The unrest reflected ongoing Christian-Muslim strife in northern , intensified by the implementation of sharia law in several states since 2000. In the Israeli-Palestinian context, the Second Intifada continued with religious undertones, as Islamist groups like conducted suicide bombings—such as the March 27 killing 30 Israelis—while Israeli operations like Defensive Shield in March-April targeted militant infrastructure in areas like amid heightened religious rhetoric from both Jewish and Muslim leaders. Efforts at gained prominence post-September 11, exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Day of Prayer for Peace in on January 24, where leaders from , , , , , and other faiths gathered to invoke divine aid against violence and , emphasizing religion's potential to promote mutual respect rather than division. The published "Interfaith Dialogue and " in May, arguing through contributions from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars that religious engagement at community and leadership levels could mitigate conflicts more effectively than secular approaches alone, drawing on case studies from regions like the and . These initiatives underscored a global push to harness faith communities for , though their impact remained limited amid persistent violence driven by doctrinal and territorial disputes. ![Operation Defensive Shield in Nablus][float-right]

Chronological Events

January

On January 1, 2002, euro banknotes and coins entered circulation in twelve European Union member states—Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain—replacing national currencies over a dual-currency period ending February 28. This monetary union step facilitated seamless transactions across borders, with over 15 billion coins and 7 billion notes produced, though initial shortages and exchange errors occurred due to high demand. The introduction boosted intra-eurozone trade but faced criticism for inflating prices in some sectors, as evidenced by consumer reports of rounded-up costs. On January 2, was sworn in as interim following the resignation of Adolfo Rodríguez Saá amid economic collapse, , and the 2001 banking freeze that restricted withdrawals and sparked riots. Duhalde's administration devalued the peso by 40%, defaulted on $132 billion in debt—the largest in history—and implemented emergency measures like utility subsidies, though these failed to stem exceeding 20% or restore confidence. Independent analyses attribute the crisis to chronic fiscal deficits, fixed exchange rates, and rather than external shocks alone. January 8: President signed the into law, mandating standardized testing, school accountability, and federal funding tied to performance for K-12 education, aiming to close achievement gaps but later criticized for narrowing curricula and increasing administrative burdens without proportional gains in outcomes. Data from the showed mixed results, with reading scores stagnating post-implementation. founder Dave Thomas died at age 69 from , having built the chain from one location in 1969 to over 6,000 outlets by emphasizing fresh beef and square patties. January 11: The first 20 and detainees, captured in during , arrived at U.S. Naval Base , , held in under indefinite military custody without formal charges, sparking debates on legal status and treatment. Subsequent reports documented harsh conditions including open-air cells and isolation, justified by U.S. officials as necessary for high-value threats but condemned by groups for violating ; empirical reviews found no systematic torture at intake but noted psychological strain. January 22: Kmart Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the largest U.S. retail insolvency at $5.3 billion in debt, triggered by aggressive discounting, inventory mismanagement, and competition from , leading to 285 store closures and eventual acquisition restructuring. January 23: Wall Street Journal reporter was abducted in Karachi, Pakistan, by militants linked to Richard Reid's shoe-bomb plot; he was beheaded on video four days later, highlighting journalist risks in post-9/11 regions and Islamist extremism's targeting of . January 29: In his address, Bush labeled , , and [North Korea](/page/North Korea) an "axis of evil" for pursuing weapons of mass destruction and supporting , framing them as threats to global security and justifying preemptive action, a later influencing the despite intelligence disputes over WMD claims. Declassified assessments revealed exaggerated threat portrayals, with 's program known but 's ambitions debated among analysts.

February

The XIX Olympic Winter Games opened on February 8, 2002, in , , , with U.S. President delivering the declaration to commence the event during the attended by athletes from 77 nations. The Games featured 2,399 athletes competing across 78 events in 15 disciplines, marking the debut of women's and the return of to the Olympic program. Highlights included American speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno's controversial short track relay disqualification on February 12, which awarded gold to amid crowd protests, and U.S. dominance in and . A judging scandal emerged in figure skating when French judge Marie-Reine Le Gouvne was accused of collusion with a Russian judge to favor the Russian pair for gold over the Canadian duo, leading the on February 15 to award a second to the — the first shared Olympic gold in the event's history. The Games concluded on February 24, with topping the with 35 medals, followed by and the ; overall, they generated economic benefits for through infrastructure investments but faced criticism for pre-Games bribery scandals in the bidding process. On , a Muslim mob attacked a train carrying approximately 1,700 Hindu pilgrims returning from , setting four coaches ablaze at railway station in , , killing 59 people mostly by burning or suffocation. The incident, attributed to premeditated amid communal tensions, ignited retaliatory violence across , escalating into riots that claimed over 1,000 lives, predominantly , in the following weeks. In the United States, the Enron scandal dominated financial news with congressional investigations intensifying; on February 12, the House Energy and Commerce Committee heard testimony on the company's collapse, revealing entities used to hide exceeding $13 billion. Whistleblower testified on February 14 before the same subcommittee, detailing warnings she issued in August 2001 about manipulations that inflated 's profits and stock value. The company's board released the Powers Report on February 1, confirming widespread fraud but attributing it to a few executives rather than systemic issues, a finding later contested in broader probes. On February 1, released a video depicting the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter , kidnapped in on January 23 while investigating Islamist militancy; Pearl, who identified as Jewish in the footage, was murdered on January 31. The execution underscored the rising threat of jihadist kidnappings and propaganda in the post-9/11 era.

March

On March 1, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched Envisat, its largest Earth observation satellite to date, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Weighing over 8 tonnes and equipped with ten instruments, Envisat was designed to monitor atmospheric composition, ocean and ice conditions, and land vegetation for environmental research, succeeding the ERS missions with enhanced capabilities for climate change studies. From March 1 to 18, coalition forces led by the conducted in the of eastern , targeting and remnants in the largest ground engagement of the early war phase. Involving approximately 2,000 U.S., Afghan, and allied troops, the operation aimed to encircle and eliminate enemy fighters estimated at 150–300, but intelligence underestimated their numbers and resolve, leading to fierce resistance including anti-aircraft fire and ambushes. Coalition casualties included 8 U.S. deaths—among them from the on March 4, where a was downed and Technical Sergeant John Chapman posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for combat actions—and several wounded, with enemy losses reported at 100 to over 500 based on body counts and intelligence assessments. The operation highlighted challenges in inter-allied coordination and reliance on air support, marking a shift from initial rapid advances to sustained efforts. Presidential elections in Zimbabwe occurred from March 9 to 11, resulting in incumbent of ZANU-PF securing 56.2% of the vote against 41.9% for opposition leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), with turnout at about 52%. The process was marred by pre-election violence, including beatings and arrests of opposition supporters, restrictions on independent media, and the barring of many international observers from the and , leading the U.S. State Department to describe it as fundamentally flawed and not free or fair due to intimidation and irregularities that prevented thousands from voting. Post-election violence continued, exacerbating political tensions amid economic decline.

April

Operation , an Israeli military operation in the initiated on March 29 in response to escalating Palestinian suicide bombings that killed dozens of Israeli civilians, intensified in April with incursions into major cities including , , and . The Battle of , fought from April 1 to 11 in the densely populated , involved close-quarters combat where Israeli forces aimed to dismantle militant infrastructure; 23 Israeli soldiers and 52 Palestinians were killed, with Israeli officials stating most Palestinian fatalities were armed fighters. Concurrently, on April 2, around 200 armed Palestinians entered the in seeking refuge, prompting an Israeli siege that endured until May 10 amid negotiations over militants' surrender and deportation of 13 suspects to foreign countries. On April 4, the Angolan government declared the end of the 27-year civil war against UNITA rebels, following the February killing of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi and a subsequent unilateral ceasefire; the conflict, rooted in Cold War proxy dynamics, had resulted in an estimated 800,000 deaths and displaced millions. A brief coup d'état in Venezuela unfolded from April 11 to 13, when military officers and opposition leaders ousted President Hugo Chávez amid protests against his policies; Chávez was held for 47 hours before loyalist troops and mass demonstrations reinstated him, with at least 19 deaths reported during the unrest, including opposition demonstrators fired upon near the presidential palace. The first round of France's on produced a political shock, as incumbent secured 19.9% of the vote while National Front chairman obtained 16.9%, eliminating Socialist Prime Minister (16.2%) and advancing Le Pen to the runoff; the outcome, attributed to vote fragmentation among mainstream candidates, sparked nationwide protests against Le Pen's anti-immigration platform. On April 26, 19-year-old Robert Steinhäuser, recently expelled from Erfurt's Gutenberg-Gymnasium for forging documents, perpetrated a at the school, methodically killing 16 people—13 teachers, 2 students, and 1 policeman—before taking his own life with a self-inflicted ; the attack, using a and legally obtained by his father, highlighted gaps in German gun laws despite strict regulations.

May

On May 5, the second round of the French presidential election resulted in incumbent President winning re-election with approximately 82% of the vote, defeating National Front leader who received about 18%; the outcome followed Le Pen's unexpected advancement from the first round, prompting widespread protests against his platform. On May 6, established , with the aim of developing reusable rockets to lower the cost of space travel and enable human settlement on Mars. On May 10, former FBI agent was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole after pleading guilty to 15 counts of for providing to the and over two decades, compromising U.S. through the betrayal of intelligence sources and methods. On May 20, East Timor, administered by the Transitional Administration since 1999 following a violent for separation from , achieved full independence as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, becoming the first new sovereign nation of the ; the U.S. formally recognized it on the same day. On May 31, the commenced in and , the first time the tournament was co-hosted in , featuring 32 teams and drawing global viewership exceeding 26 billion over its duration.

June

On June 6, President addressed the nation, proposing the establishment of a new cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security to consolidate federal agencies responsible for protecting the United States from terrorist threats, marking a key step in reorganizing government response to the . The Emergency Loya Jirga in Afghanistan convened from June 11 to 19, with former King Mohammed Zahir Shah opening the assembly and nominating interim leader to head the transitional administration. Delegates confirmed Karzai as chairman on , solidifying his role in the post-Taliban government and advancing the Bonn Agreement's framework for political transition. This traditional grand council, attended by over 1,000 delegates including women and representatives from various ethnic groups, aimed to foster national unity amid ongoing security challenges. On June 13, the formally withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with , effective six months after President Bush's December 2001 announcement, to pursue development of systems unconstrained by treaty limitations. The move, justified by evolving threats including rogue states and , drew criticism from some allies but aligned with Bush administration priorities for . The 28th G8 Summit occurred June 26–27 in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, where leaders from the Group of Eight nations pledged $50 billion in aid over 10 years to African development and launched the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, committing $20 billion to non-proliferation efforts, particularly targeting former Soviet states. Discussions emphasized counterterrorism cooperation following the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. In sports, the advanced through quarterfinals on June 21–22, with defeating 2–1 and eliminating the 1–0, setting up semifinals that highlighted South Korea's upset victory over on penalties June 22. Heavyweight boxing saw knock out in the eighth round on June 8 in , in a high-profile bout drawing over 15,000 spectators.

July

On July 1, the of the entered into force after ratification by 60 states, enabling the court to prosecute individuals for , , war crimes, and the crime of aggression. That same day, a over Überlingen, , between Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 and a cargo flight killed all 71 people aboard both aircraft due to errors and a software malfunction in the . July 4 marked a terrorist attack at when Egyptian immigrant Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, armed with a knife and .45-caliber pistol, killed two Israeli nationals at the El Al ticket counter and wounded four others before being shot dead by an El Al security guard; the FBI classified the incident as an act of terrorism motivated by anti-Israel sentiment. On July 9, the was officially inaugurated in , , succeeding the Organization of African Unity, with South African President elected as its first chairperson; the new organization aimed to promote , peace, and across the continent. July 21 witnessed the largest corporate in U.S. at the time when WorldCom Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection with $107 billion in assets, following revelations of $3.8 billion in accounting fraud that inflated earnings; the scandal, involving improper capitalization of operating expenses, eroded investor confidence amid a broader wave of corporate malfeasance. The U.S. expelled Congressman (D-OH) on by a 420-1 vote, the first such expulsion since 1861, after his conviction on 10 counts including , , , and obstruction of justice; Traficant, who represented himself in trial, received an eight-year prison sentence shortly after. From July 24 to 28, nine coal miners were trapped 240 feet underground in the flooded Quecreek Mine in , after breaching an adjacent abandoned mine filled with 150 million gallons of water; rescuers pumped out over 40 million gallons and drilled relief shafts, successfully extracting all nine alive after 77 hours in a miracle of coordination involving federal, state, and local agencies. On July 27, a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet crashed into spectators during an air show in , , killing 77 on the ground and the pilot, due to the aircraft's unauthorized low-altitude maneuver exceeding performance limits. President signed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act into law on July 30, establishing new standards for public company audits, corporate responsibility, and financial disclosures to combat accounting fraud in response to scandals like and WorldCom; the act created the and imposed severe penalties for executive certification failures.

August

Heavy rainfall from early August led to catastrophic flooding across , particularly along the and rivers. The event, one of the worst in the region in centuries, affected , the , , and other countries, resulting in at least 113 deaths and damages exceeding €15 billion. In the , experienced severe inundation as the River overflowed on August 13, prompting mass evacuations and the deployment of military sandbag barriers. reported the highest economic losses, with the River reaching record levels not seen since 1845 in some areas. On August 1, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General offering to allow the return of weapons inspectors without conditions, marking the first such proposal since their withdrawal in 1998. The responded cautiously; Annan met with Iraqi officials on August 5, but the Security Council rebuffed immediate resumption, demanding stronger assurances amid doubts over Iraq's compliance history. U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary , dismissed the offer as unreliable, citing Iraq's prior obstructions of inspections. Typhoon Rusa intensified and made landfall near Seoul, South Korea, on August 31, bringing record rainfall of up to 1 meter in some areas and triggering landslides and floods. The storm, the strongest to hit the peninsula in decades, caused over 250 deaths, displaced hundreds of thousands, and inflicted approximately $5 billion in damages, primarily from destroyed infrastructure and agriculture. In North Korea, the typhoon also triggered flooding in Kangwon Province, exacerbating food shortages.

September

On September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the was observed globally with commemorations, including a minute of silence in the and ceremonies at Ground Zero in where officials interred steel remnants from the collapsed World Trade Center towers. The event underscored ongoing U.S.-led efforts, with heightened security measures worldwide amid persistent threats from Islamist extremism. In the context of building a case for military action against , President delivered a speech on outlining Saddam Hussein's regime as a threat due to its weapons of mass destruction programs and history of aggression, framing it as a danger to global stability. On September 12, Bush addressed the , accusing of 16 years of systematic defiance of UN Security Council resolutions on disarmament and calling for renewed inspections to verify compliance. By September 20, U.S. military planners under General had presented detailed invasion strategies to Bush, signaling accelerated preparations amid a buildup of American forces and equipment in the Gulf region. A catastrophic natural disaster struck North Ossetia, , on September 20 when the surged, triggering a massive ice-rock down the Genaldon Valley that buried the Karmadon gorge, killing an estimated 128 people including a geological survey team and destroying over 20 kilometers. The event, caused by a combination of glacial instability and seismic activity, was one of the deadliest glacier-related incidents in modern history, with the flow reaching speeds over 200 km/h and volumes exceeding 100 million cubic meters. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a suicide bombing on September 19 targeted a bus on in , killing six Israeli civilians and injuring over 50, as part of ongoing militant attacks amid the Second Intifada. acceded to the on September 10, becoming the 190th member state after a 1992 narrowly approved membership despite historical neutrality. In sports, Pete Sampras defeated Andre Agassi in the men's US Open tennis final on September 8, securing his 14th Grand Slam title and fifth US Open victory before retiring from the tournament. The Oakland Athletics baseball team extended their winning streak to 20 games on September 23, tying an American League record during a season marked by the "Moneyball" analytical approach to roster management. Astronomers at the announced on September 5 the discovery of Quaoar, a large object with a of approximately 1,100 kilometers, challenging prior estimates of the size distribution in the outer solar system and named after a deity. The finding, based on observations from , highlighted the region's potential for additional candidates beyond .

October

On October 2, 2002, the Beltway sniper attacks began in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo carrying out five shootings that killed five people and wounded none within a 15-hour span across Maryland and Washington, D.C. The attacks, involving random shootings from a modified Chevrolet Caprice sedan, continued sporadically through the month, ultimately claiming 10 lives and injuring three others before the perpetrators' arrest on October 24 near Myersville, Maryland. The U.S. passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Resolution on October 10, 2002, by a vote of 296 to 133, followed by approval on October 11 by 77 to 23. President signed the resolution into law on October 16, granting authority for military action against under the premise of eliminating weapons of mass destruction and addressing threats posed by Saddam Hussein's regime. On October 12, 2002, coordinated suicide bombings struck the tourist district of Kuta in , , targeting the Sari Club nightclub, Paddy's Pub, and a parked van; the attacks by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and injured 209 others. The blasts, using truck bombs loaded with and other explosives, represented the deadliest terrorist incident in Indonesian history and prompted international cooperation. The commenced on October 23, 2002, when approximately 40-50 militants, led by , seized the Dubrovka Theater during a performance of the musical , taking over 850 hostages and demanding Russian withdrawal from and an end to the Second Chechen War. Russian special forces responded on October 26 by pumping an aerosolized derivative gas into the building to incapacitate the militants, followed by a raid that killed all hostage-takers but resulted in at least 130 hostage deaths, primarily attributed to the gas's effects and inadequate medical response.

November

On November 5, the conducted midterm elections for the , , and various state offices, resulting in Republican gains of eight House seats and two Senate seats, bucking the historical trend of the president's party losing congressional seats in midterms. This outcome strengthened Republican control of both chambers amid post-9/11 concerns and economic recovery efforts. On November 8, the unanimously adopted Resolution 1441, declaring in material breach of prior disarmament obligations and offering a final opportunity for compliance through enhanced inspections, with threats of serious consequences for non-cooperation. The resolution, supported by all 15 council members including , required to submit a comprehensive weapons declaration within 30 days and authorized immediate access for inspectors. It marked a diplomatic escalation in efforts to verify 's elimination of weapons of mass destruction programs, following years of perceived defiance under .
On November 13, the Greek-owned oil tanker Prestige, carrying 77,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, suffered structural failure and began leaking approximately 1,900 tonnes off the coast of Galicia, Spain, during a storm; the vessel broke apart and sank on November 19 at a depth of about 3,800 meters, releasing an estimated 63,000 tonnes of oil in total. The spill contaminated over 1,000 kilometers of Spanish coastline, affecting fisheries, tourism, and wildlife, and prompted widespread protests against the government's initial decision to tow the damaged ship away from shore. Cleanup efforts mobilized thousands and cost billions of euros, marking one of Europe's worst maritime environmental disasters. On November 15, was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of China at the 16th National Congress, succeeding and consolidating power for a new leadership generation focused on economic stability and measures. This transition emphasized continuity in market reforms while addressing social inequalities and party discipline. Beginning November 21, riots erupted in , , following a newspaper article criticizing the pageant as un-Islamic and immoral, resulting in over 200 deaths from clashes between and , , and police action; the contest was relocated to . The violence highlighted sectarian tensions exacerbated by media provocations and rapid urbanization in northern . On the same day, formally invited seven former or Soviet states—, , , , , , and —to begin accession talks, expanding the alliance eastward in response to post-Cold War security dynamics. This move, agreed at the Prague Summit, aimed to integrate into collective defense structures.

December

On December 4–5, a severe struck central , depositing up to one inch of ice and causing widespread power outages affecting over one million customers, with 24 fatalities reported from accidents and . The event disrupted transportation and infrastructure across multiple states, marking one of the worst ice storms in the region's history. Tensions over Iraq escalated as United Nations weapons inspectors, led by Hans Blix, briefed the Security Council on December 19 regarding Iraq's December 7 declaration on weapons programs. Blix noted that while inspections had found no prohibited items to date, the declaration was incomplete and lacked new substantive information on biological, chemical, or long-range missile activities, urging fuller Iraqi cooperation to resolve outstanding issues. This assessment, amid ongoing U.S. and British pressure for , highlighted discrepancies in Iraq's accounting of past programs but no immediate evidence of active stockpiles. In U.S. politics, Majority Leader resigned on December 20 following backlash over remarks at a event honoring Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday, where Lott stated that the U.S. would have been better off had and the supported Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign. Despite Lott's apologies framing the comments as a poor choice of words rather than endorsement of segregation, the statements drew criticism from Republicans, Democrats, and civil rights groups for evoking opposition to civil rights advancements, leading to loss of party support and his replacement by . Military confrontations in intensified on December 23 when an Iraqi MiG-25 fighter intercepted and shot down a U.S. MQ-1 Predator conducting surveillance in the southern , marking the first loss of a drone to a manned enemy aircraft. U.S. Central Command confirmed the incident, with the drone operating approximately 100 miles southeast of before contact was lost after Iraqi aircraft fired missiles. The month closed with a major terrorist attack in on December 27, when three Chechen militants drove explosive-laden trucks into the pro-Russian government headquarters in , detonating bombs that killed at least 83 people, including officials and civilians, and wounded over 140 others. Russian authorities attributed the suicide operation to separatist rebels amid the ongoing , with the blasts causing extensive structural damage to the compound.

Awards and Recognitions

Nobel Prizes

The Nobel Prizes in 2002 recognized achievements in physics, chemistry, or , , , and economic sciences, as selected by the respective Nobel Committees and awarded on December 10 in (except the Peace Prize in ). In Physics, the prize was divided: one half jointly awarded to of the and of for their pioneering contributions to , particularly the detection of cosmic neutrinos, which confirmed theories of production; the other half to of the for his pioneering contributions to that led to the discovery of cosmic sources, advancing . In Chemistry, the prize was awarded jointly to John B. Fenn of the and of for their development of soft desorption ionization methods for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules, enabling detailed study of large biomolecules; and to of for his development of for determining the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules in solution. In Physiology or Medicine, the prize was jointly awarded to and John E. Sulston of the and of the for their discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and (), providing insights into how genes control cell fate and development, with implications for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. In Literature, the prize was awarded to of for his writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history, particularly his Fatelessness depicting survival and totalitarianism's dehumanizing effects. The Peace Prize was awarded to , former , for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advance democracy and human rights, and promote economic and social development, including post-presidency mediation in disputes like the follow-up and . In Economic Sciences, the prize was awarded to of the and for integrating insights from psychological research into economic science, especially human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty, challenging classical economic assumptions of rational actors through and foundations.

Other Prestigious Awards

The A.M. Turing Award, recognizing major contributions of lasting importance to , was presented in 2002 to Ronald L. Rivest, , and Leonard M. Adleman for their invention of the RSA public-key cryptosystem, a foundational enabling secure data transmission that underpins modern digital security protocols. In mathematics, the —the highest honor for mathematicians under age 40—was awarded at the in on August 20, 2002, to of the for proving key components of the in the context of function fields over finite fields, advancing connections between and ; and to of the Institute for Advanced Study for developing the of schemes and , providing new tools for proving results in via higher-category methods. The Pulitzer Prizes for Letters, announced on April 8, 2002, included awards in fiction to Richard Russo for Empire Falls, a novel depicting economic decline and family dynamics in a Maine mill town; in history to Louis Menand for The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America, 1865–1919, tracing the origins of pragmatism through figures like William James and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.; and in biography or autobiography to David McCullough for John Adams, detailing the second U.S. president's life and correspondence.

Notable Births and Deaths

Notable Births

Jenna Ortega, an American actress recognized for her leading role as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series Wednesday (2022), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, was born on September 27, 2002, in Coachella Valley, California. Finn Wolfhard, a Canadian actor best known for portraying Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present) and Richie Tozier in the film It (2017), was born on December 23, 2002, in Vancouver, British Columbia. , an American dancer and actress who gained prominence through the reality series (2011–2016) and her choreography in Sia music videos such as "," was born on September 30, 2002, in , . In sports, , a professional basketball player for the in the WNBA who set the league's single-season assists record with 337 in 2024, was born on January 22, 2002. Léon Marchand, a French swimmer who won four gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including the 200m and 400m individual medley, was born on May 17, 2002. Ansu Fati, a Spanish professional footballer playing as a forward for Brighton & Hove Albion and formerly , where he became the youngest scorer in history at age 16 in 2019, was born on October 31, 2002.

Notable Deaths

February 9: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930–2002), younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and a prominent member of the British royal family, died peacefully in her sleep at King Edward VII's Hospital following a stroke that led to cardiac problems. February 13: Waylon Jennings (1937–2002), pioneering country music artist central to the "outlaw country" genre with hits like "Luckenbach, Texas" and collaborations with Willie Nelson, died from diabetes-related complications at age 64. March 27: (1906–2002), Austrian-American screenwriter and director who won six for films including and , died at age 95 after a career spanning caustic comedies and . March 30: Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900–2002), widow of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II, died peacefully in her sleep at Royal Lodge, Windsor, at age 101. April 25: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (1971–2002), rapper, songwriter, and member of the Grammy-winning R&B group TLC, responsible for sales exceeding 65 million albums worldwide, died in a car crash in at age 30. May 6: (1948–2002), sociologist-turned-politician who led the anti-immigration party and challenged Dutch establishment views on multiculturalism, was assassinated by gunfire outside a radio studio in , marking the first political murder in the since 1672. July 2: Rod Steiger (1925–2002), versatile American actor who earned an Academy Award for Best Actor in In the Heat of the Night (1967) and starred in over 100 films including On the Waterfront, died from pneumonia and kidney failure at age 77. October 9: Aileen Wuornos (1956–2002), convicted of murdering seven men between 1989 and 1990 whom she claimed had attempted to assault her as a sex worker, was executed by lethal injection in Florida State Prison after waiving further appeals. October 25: Richard Harris (1930–2002), Irish actor and singer nominated for three Academy Awards for roles in This Sporting Life and The Field, and known as Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, died from Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 72. November 18: James Coburn (1928–2002), rugged American actor iconic in action films like The Magnificent Seven and Our Man Flint, who won a supporting actor Oscar for Affliction (1998) late in his career, died of a heart attack at age 74.
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