Year retrospective · 2000s

2002

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.

Recorded events

10

top entries

Notable births

30

Notable deaths

30

Decade

2000s

Defining moment · 2002

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

The Ghriba synagogue bombing was carried out by Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar on the El Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia in 2002.

See april 11 in detail

Timeline

Defining events of 2002

  1. 2002 The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.

    2002 Islamist suicide bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia

    The Ghriba synagogue bombing was carried out by Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar on the El Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia in 2002.

  2. 2002 Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.

    Failed coup against President Hugo Chávez

    A failed coup d'état on 11 April 2002 saw Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, ousted from office for 47 hours before being restored to power. Chávez was aided in his return to power by popular support and mobilization against the coup by loyal ranks in the military. By early 2002, Chávez's approval rating had dropped to around 30%, with many business, church and media leaders being opposed to Chávez's use of emergency powers to bypass the National Assembly and institute significant government changes, arguing they were increasingly authoritarian.

  3. 2002 A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.

    Terrorist attack in Jerusalem

    A suicide bombing occurred on 12 April 2002 at a bus stop located at the entrance to the Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem's main fruit and vegetable market. The site of the attack was chosen in order to cause maximum number of casualties. 6 civilians were killed in the attack and 104 were injured.

  4. 2002 Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military.

    Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and various islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. 8 million in 2025. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is Caracas.

  5. 2002 Air China Flight 129 crashes on approach to Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, killing 129 people.

    2002 aviation accident in South Korea

    Air China Flight 129 (CCA129/CA129) was a scheduled international passenger flight, operated by Air China, from Beijing Capital International Airport to Gimhae International Airport in Busan. On 15 April 2002, the aircraft on this route, a Boeing 767, crashed into a hill named Mount Dotdae near Gimhae Airport, killing 129 of the 166 people on board.

  6. 2002 Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, into which armed Palestinians had retreated.

    Country in West Asia

    Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and to the east is Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea.

  7. 2002 Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany, before committing suicide.
  8. 2002 The MPLA government of Angola and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
  9. 2002 The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss to the International Space Station. Astronaut Jerry L. Ross also becomes the first person to fly on seven spaceflights.
  10. 2002 Khankala Mi-26 crash: A Russian Mil Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.

Arrivals

Born in 2002

Jake Fraser-McGurk 2002– Australian cricketer (born 2002)
Karl Hein 2002– Estonian footballer
Sadie Sink 2002– American actress (born 2002)
Loren Gray 2002– American social media personality (born 2002)
Emma Myers 2002– American actress (born 2002)
Anthony Elanga 2002– Swedish footballer (born 2002)
Anna Cramling 2002– Swedish chess player (born 2002)
Teden Mengi 2002– English footballer (born 2002)
Andrea Botez 2002– American-Canadian chess player (born 2002)
Leyre Romero Gormaz 2002– Spanish tennis player (born 2002)
Jamie Drysdale 2002– Canadian ice hockey player (born 2002)
Viktória Forster 2002– Slovak athlete (born 2002)

Farewells

Died in 2002

Simo Häyhä Finnish military sniper (1905–2002)
George Shevelov Ukrainian-American linguist (1908–2002)
Damon Knight American science fiction writer, editor and critic (1922–2002)
Byron White US Supreme Court justice and pro football player (1917–2002)
Billy Ayre English footballer and manager
Ruth Fertel American businesswoman (1927–2002)
Robert Urich American actor and producer (1946–2002)
Thor Heyerdahl Norwegian anthropologist and adventurer (1914–2002)
Reginald Rose American playwright and screenwriter (1920–2002)
Levi Celerio Filipino composer and lyricist
John R. Pierce American electrical engineer, scientist, and author
Alan Dale American singer (1925–2002)

On the charts

Culture of 2002

By month

Across the calendar of 2002

0 on record January 0 on record February 0 on record March 9 on record April 0 on record May 0 on record June 0 on record July 1 on record August 0 on record September 0 on record October 0 on record November 0 on record December

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The decade 2002 belongs to The 2000s The defining day of 2002 April 11 Step back 2001