2002

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

2002 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec
Arts
Architecture - Art - Literature - Music (Country, UK) - Film - Television - Home video
Politics
Elections - Int'l leaders - Politics - State leaders - Sovereign states
Science and technology
Archaeology - Aviation - Birding/Ornithology - Meteorology - Rail transport - Science - Spaceflight
Sports
Sport - Australian Football League - Baseball - Football (soccer) - Ice Hockey - Motor Racing - Tennis
By place
Africa - Argentina - Australia - Canada - Denmark - India - Iraq - Ireland - Japan - Luxembourg - Malaysia - Mexico - New Zealand - Philippines - Singapore - South Africa - Switzerland - United Kingdom -Wales - Zimbabwe
Other topics
Deaths - Awards - Gay rights - Games - Law - Religious leaders - Video gaming
Birth and death categories
Births - Deaths
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Establishments - Disestablishments
Works category
Works

**2002 in other calendars**
Gregorian calendar	2002 MMII
Ab urbe condita	2755
Armenian calendar	1451 ԹՎ ՌՆԾԱ
Chinese calendar	4698 – 4699 辛巳 – 壬午
Ethiopian calendar	1994 – 1995
Hebrew calendar	5762 – 5763
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	2057 – 2058
- Shaka Samvat	1924 – 1925
- Kali Yuga	5103 – 5104
Iranian calendar	1380 – 1381
Islamic calendar	1423 – 1424

For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album).

2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:

International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains
Year of the Outback in Australia
National Science Year in the United Kingdom
Autism Awareness Year in the United Kingdom

See also Encyclopedia Jr's almanac of events for this year.

Events

January

January 1 - The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially enters into force.
January 3 - The University of Miami defeats Nebraska 37-14 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to win college football's national championship.
January 5 - Charles Bishop, a 15 year-old student pilot, crashes a light aircraft into a Tampa, Florida building, evoking fear of a copycat 9/11 terrorist attack.
January 9 - The United States Department of Justice announces it will pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.
January 10 - Enrique Bolaños begins his 5-year term as President of the Republic of Nicaragua.
January 13 - U.S. President George W. Bush faints after choking on a pretzel at a football game.
January 14 - The asylum case of Adelaide Abankwah comes to trial in New York.
January 16
- A student shoots 6 people at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, killing 3.
- U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announces that American Taliban member John Walker Lindh will be tried in the United States.
- The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo on and freezes the assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the Taliban.
January 17 - The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo displaces an estimated 400,000 people.
January 18 - A Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying anhydrous ammonia derails outside of Minot, North Dakota, killing 1.
January 22
- AOL Time Warner brings a federal suit against Microsoft seeking damages. The suit alleges that the market for AOL's Netscape Navigator Internet browser was harmed when Microsoft started to give away a competing browser.^{Confirmation needed}
- Kmart Corp becomes the largest retailer in American history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- Clyde Hood is sentenced to 14 years in prison for the Omega Trust fraud.^{Confirmation needed}
January 23 - Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Pakistan, accused of being a CIA agent by his captors.
January 24 - Terrorist suspect John Walker Lindh's hearing begins.^{Confirmation needed}
January 27 - Several explosions at a military dump in Lagos, Nigeria kill more than 1,000.^{Confirmation needed}
January 31 - A large section of the Antarctic Larsen Ice Shelf begins disintegrating, eventually consuming about 3,250 km² (1,254 miles²) over a 35-day period

February

February 1 - Kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is murdered in Karachi, Pakistan.
February 2 - Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands marries Máxima, Princess of Orange in Amsterdam.
February 3
- Costa Rica holds presidential and congressional elections.
- The New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17, in Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
February 8 - February 24 - The 2002 Winter Olympics open in Salt Lake City, Utah.
February 12
- The trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
- Nuclear waste: The U.S. Secretary of Energy makes the decision that Yucca Mountain is suitable to be the United States' nuclear repository.
February 13 - Queen Elizabeth II gives former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani an honorary knighthood.
February 16 - Rachel Thaler, 16, is blown up at a pizzeria in an Israeli shopping mall following a suicide bombing attack on a crowd of teens.

Artists concept of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft

February 19 - NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
February 20
- In Reqa Al-Gharbiya, Egypt, a fire on a train injures over 65 and kills at least 370.
- In most of the world, at 20:02 (8:02 PM) the local time, date (written as day/month), time, and year are all 2002, making each of them alone, any 2 together, and the combination of all 3, all palindromes.
February 22
- Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.
- A Norwegian-facilitated ceasefire begins in Sri Lanka.
February 23 - FARC kidnaps Ingrid Betancourt in Colombia while she campaigns for the presidency.
February 27 - A series of riots leaves hundreds dead, after 59 Hindu pilgrims die aboard a train burned by a Muslim mob in Godhra, India.
February 28 - The ex-currencies of all euro members officially (at EU-level) cease to be legal tender.

March

Hubble Space Telescope after servicing by the crew of STS-109

March 1
- U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: In eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda begins.
- Continuing violence in Ahmedabad kills 28; police shoot and kill 5 rioters.
- The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 km above the Earth using an Ariane 5 on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500kg.
- Space Shuttle Columbia flies the Hubble Space Telescope service mission (STS-109), its last mission before STS-107.
- The Peseta is discontinued as the official currency of Spain and is replaced with the euro (€).
March 3 - São Tomé and Príncipe hold legislative elections.
March 6 - France agrees to return the remains of Saartjie Baartman to South Africa.
March 10
- Colombia holds legislative elections.
- Togo holds parliamentary elections.
March 11 - BBC 6 Music, the first new BBC music radio station in decades, is launched.
March 12 - In Houston, Texas, Andrea Yates is found guilty of drowning her 5 children on June 20, 2001. She is later sentenced to life in prison.
March 14 - 125 vehicles are involved in a massive pile up on Interstate 75 in Ringgold, Georgia
March 17
- Portugal holds parliamentary elections.
- In Islamabad, Pakistan, the International Protestant Church attack occurs.
March 19 - US Attack on Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda ends (started on March 1) after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, with 11 allied troop fatalities.
March 21 - In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with 3 other suspects are charged with murder in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
March 27 - Netanya suicide attack: A suicide bomber kills 28 people in Netanya, Israel.
March 29 - Filipino actor Rico Yan is found dead inside his cottage in a resort in Palawan.
March 30 - Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother dies.
March 31 - Ukraine holds parliamentary elections.

April

April 1
- The N television station was launched by Viacom.
- Maryland defeated Indiana 64-52 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
April 2 - Israeli forces besiege the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, when militants take shelter there.
April 9- The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother takes place in Westminster Abbey, London.
April 15
- An Air China Boeing 767-200 crashes into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near Pusan, South Korea, killing 128.
- The Alameda Corridor transportation project in Los Angeles, California opens to rail traffic, ceasing operations of through freight trains on the 120-year-old BNSF Harbor Subdivision.
April 16
- Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder becomes the seventh CEO of the Volkswagen automobile company, succeeding Dr. Ferdinand Piech.
- Chitty takes to the air at the world premiere of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - The Stage Musical" at the London Palladium.
April 17 - Four Canadian infantrymen are killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire from 2 US F-16s.
April 18 - A new insect order, Mantophasmatodea, is announced.
April 21 - The first round of the French presidential election, 2002 results is a runoff between Jacques Chirac and the leader of the main French far-right party, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
April 22 - At a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Director-General Jose Bustani is fired.
April 25
- Soyuz TM-34: South African Mark Shuttleworth blasts off from the Baikonur cosmodrome; he had paid £15 million for the trip.
- Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of the R&B group TLC dies in a car crash in La Ceiba, Honduras, at the age of 30. Fellow band members Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chili" Thomas vow to complete TLC's fourth studio album, which they had begun working on prior to Lopes' untimely death.
April 26 - Robert Steinhäuser opens fire on his former teachers and other students in Erfurt, Germany and then kills himself; 16 are dead.
April 27 - The Laughlin, Nevada River Run Riot leaves 3 dead.
April 30 - Pakistan: Pakistani voters approve a referendum granting a 5-year term for Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf.

May

The Flag of East Timor

May 3-May 5 - Spider-Man (film) is the first film to open $100+ million on the first weekend in theatres.
May 4 - In Germany, BV Borussia Dortmund wins the Bundesliga title after a 2-1 victory over SV Werder Bremen.
May 5 - In the second round of the French presidential election, Jacques Chirac is reelected.
May 6 - In the Netherlands, politician Pim Fortuyn is killed by Volkert van der Graaf.
May 7 - Gay Canadian teenager Marc Hall is granted a court injunction ordering that he be allowed to attend his high school prom with his boyfriend.
May 9
- The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected militants among them deported to several different countries.
- In Kaspiysk, Russia, a remote-control bomb explodes during a holiday parade, killing 43 and injuring at least 130.
May 10
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is founded.
- FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for selling American secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
May 12
- Former President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a 5-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first U.S. President, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.
- The Russian Shuttle Buran is destroyed when the roof of the hangar collapses, killing 8 workers.
May 15 - The Netherlands holds elections for the Lower House.
May 16 - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is released in theaters.
May 18 - Wrestler Davey Boy Smith suffers a fatal heart attack while on holiday in Invermere, British Columbia.
May 20 - East Timor regains its independence.
May 21 - The US State Department releases a report naming 7 state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
May 22
- In Washington, DC, Chandra Levy's remains are found in Rock Creek Park.
- American civil rights movement: 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murders of 4 girls.
May 23
- Irish Football Captain Roy Keane is sent home from the Training Camp in Saipan, by Manager Mick McCarthy, after an argument over training arrangements. This causes a huge media sensation in Ireland and Britain. Many people split over the 2 sides and some call it the Second Irish Civil War.
- Estonia hosts the first Eurovision Song Contest in a former Soviet republic.
May 25
- The Boston Celtics come back from 26 points down to defeat the New Jersey Nets in Game 3 of the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference Finals.
- China Airlines Flight 611 breaks up near the Penghu Islands at Taiwan Strait, killing all 225 people on board.
May 26 - The Mars Odyssey finds signs of huge water ice deposits on the planet Mars.
May 28
- Washington DC's medical examiner declares that Chandra Levy's death was the result of homicide.
- The Eminem Show, Eminem's 3rd solo album, is released.
May 31 - The 2002 FIFA World Cup begins, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

June

Concorde leads the Red Arrows over London in a fly past for Queen Elizabeth II on her Golden Jubilee

June 1 - The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Sacramento Kings 112-106, to win Game 7 of the National Basketball Association's 2002 Western Conference Finals.
June 3 - The "Party in the Palace" takes place at Buckingham Palace, London for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations.
June 4
- Quaoar is discovered.
- Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh ride in the gold state coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a special service marking the Queen's 50 years on the throne. In New York, the Empire State Building is lit in purple for her honour.
June 5
- Mozilla 1.0, the first 'official' version, is released.
- Elizabeth Smart, 14, is kidnapped from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
June 6 - An object with an estimated diameter of 10 metres collides with Earth. The collision occurs over the Mediterranean Sea, at approximately 34°N 21°E, and the object detonates in mid-air.
June 8 - Serena Williams defeats her sister Venus Williams in straight sets to win the 2002 French Open.
June 10 - An annular solar eclipse occurs.
June 11 - Antonio Meucci is recognized as the first inventor of the telephone by the United States Congress.
June 12 - The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the New Jersey Nets 4 games to 0 to win the 2002 NBA Finals.
June 13 - The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4 games to 1 in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.
June 14 - In Karachi, Pakistan, a car bomb in front of the U.S. Consulate kills 12 Pakistanis and injures 50.
June 18 - Arizona experiences its worst forest fire, burning 462,606 acres (1,872 km²) near the Mogollon Rim.
June 19 - Total Nonstop Action Wrestling makes its debut on Pay-Per-View (the first weekly wrestling show on PPV).
June 24 - The Igandu train disaster in Dodoma Region, Tanzania, kills 281 people in the worst rail accident in African history.
June 30 - Brazil defeat Germany 2-0 to win the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

July

July 1
- A Russian passenger jet and a cargo plane collide over the town of Uberlingen in Southern Germany; 72 are dead (see Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937).
- Wendy J. Hamilton becomes president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
July 3 - Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is released, the third game set in the Warcraft Universe.
July 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq once again rejects new U.N. weapons inspections proposals.
July 9 - The Organization of African Unity is officially disbanded and replaced by the African Union.
July 10 - At a Sotheby's auction, Peter Paul Rubens' painting "The Massacre of the Innocents" is sold for £49.5million (US$76.2 million) to Lord Thomson.
July 13 - A lighting strike sets off the Sour Biscuit Fire in Oregon and northern California, which is left to burn 499,570 acres (2,022 km²).
July 14 - During Bastille Day celebrations, Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt unscathed.
July 15 - In Washington, DC, "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to aiding the enemy and possession of explosives during the commission of a felony. Lindh agrees to serve 10 years in prison for each charge.
July 19 - K-19: The Widowmaker starring Harrison Ford is released.
July 21 - Telecommunications giant WorldCom files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (the largest such filing in United States history).
July 27
- Helen Clark, leader of the Labour Party, is re-elected in a historic landslide victory over the Right Wing in the New Zealand general election.
- A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes at an air show in Ukraine, killing 78 and injuring more than 100 others (the largest air show disaster in history).

August

The Last Toyota Supra is made at the Tahara plant in Japan.
Central Europe is ravaged by floods.
August 6 - Cambridgeshire Police make an appeal for the safe return of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who vanished in Soham two days ago.
August 10 - Turkmenistan adopts a law to rename all the months and most of the days of week according to Ruhnama, a book written by Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov.
August 12 - In Arlington, Virginia, US Airways declares bankruptcy.
August 17 - Cambridgeshire Police believe that 2 bodies found today in a ditch near Thetford are those of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
August 19 - In Baghdad, Iraq, international terrorist Abu Nidal is found dead of several gunshot wounds.
August 21 - Forensic experts confirm that the bodies found 4 days ago are those of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Soham school caretaker Ian Huntley is charged with their murders and is detained under the Mental Health Act, while his girlfriend Maxine Carr is charged with perverting the course of justice.

September

Gerhard Schröder

September 1 - The Tau Upsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi calls its first working meeting to order as an established chapter, at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.
September 2
- The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, successor of the 1972 Conference on the Human Environment, 1983 World Commission on Environment and Development, and the 1992 Conference on Environment and Development, officially opens.
- WWE crowns its first World Heavyweight Champion when Eric Bischoff awards the belt to Triple H, who was the original Number One Contender for the WWE Championship but his opponent Brock Lesnar refused to defend the belt of the Raw brand.
September 3 - Consolidated Freightways, the third largest U.S. trucking firm, files for bankruptcy.
September 5
- A car bomb kills at least 30 people in Afghanistan, and an apparent assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai fails the same day.
- The Sour Biscuit Fire in Oregon and northern California, which burned 499,570 acres (2,022 km²), is finally contained.
September 8 - Typhoon Sinlaku causes huge waves on the Qiantangjiang River in Sheijang Province, China.
September 10 - Switzerland, known for its neutrality, finally joins the United Nations.
September 11 - The World Summit on Sustainable Development comes to a close.
September 12 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the U.N., and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq, or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act.
September 15 - The Swedish parliamentary election leaves Prime Minister Göran Persson and the Social Democrats in power.
September 18 - The body of missing school girl Amanda Dowler Is found in Yateley heath in Hampshire.
September 19 - Civil war starts in Côte d'Ivoire.
September 20 - The Kolka-Karmadon rock ice slide occurs.
September 22
- The German federal election leaves Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, his Social Democrats and the Greens in power.
- The last game is played at Cinergy Field, where the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3.
September 25 - The Vitim event, a possible bolide impact in Siberia, Russia.

October

October 2
- Ai no uta by Psycho le cemu debuts.
- Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.S. Congress passes a joint resolution, which explicitly authorizes the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he deems necessary and appropriate, against Iraq.
- The Beltway sniper attacks begin with 5 shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland.
October 7 - The discovery of Quaoar is announced.
October 8 - A judge decides that Ian Huntley is fit to stand trial for the murders of two 10-year-old girls, and he is set to be transferred from Rampton Hospital to a mainstream prison later this week.
October 11 - Myyrmanni bombing: A lone bomber explodes a home-made bomb in the Myyrmanni shopping mall north of Helsinki, Finland; the casualties include himself.
October 12 - Bali bombing: Terrorists detonate massive bombs in 2 nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202 and injuring over 300.
October 16 - Iraq disarmament crisis: George W. Bush signs the Iraq War Resolution.
October 24 - The Beltway snipers, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, are arrested.
October 25 - U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, his family and staff, are killed by a plane accident at Eveleth, Minnesota.
October 27 - The Anaheim Angels defeat the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.
October 29 - The American rock band Nirvana releases their self-titled Greatest Hits album, including "You Know You're Right", the unreleased studio song which led to much legal wrangling with the widow of former frontman Kurt Cobain. Courtney Love, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic took over a year trying to reach an agreement over the valuable song. Since this Nirvana has had two releases: a box set entitled With the Lights Out and Sliver: Best of the Box.

November

The Department of Homeland Security is formed in response to terrorist concerns in the United States.

November 5 - U.S. Elections: The Republican Party maintains control of the House of Representatives and regains control of the Senate.
November 6 - The U.S. Federal Reserve System drops its primary discount rate by 50 basis points to 0.75%, putting the real interest rate solidly below the inflation rate.
November 7 - Iran bans the advertising of U.S. products.
November 8 - Iraq disarmament crisis: – The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves UN Security Council Resolution 1441, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences".
November 9 - In Los Angeles, California, television and film actor Merlin Santana is shot to death while sitting in the passenger seat of a friend's car parked on the 3800 block of Victoria Avenue.
November 13
- Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq agrees to the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1441.
- The oil tanker Prestige sinks off the Galician coast, causing a huge oil spill.
November 14 - Argentina defaults on a US$805 million World Bank loan payment.
November 15
- Hu Jintao becomes General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.
- The film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is released into theatres.
November 15 - Myra Hindley, who was involved in the murders of five children in the Moors Murders between 1963 and 1965, dies in hospital at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack. Hindley, 60, had been in prison for 36 years and had spent more than a decade campaigning to be released from prison. She had been told by successive Home Secretaries that she must remain in prison for the rest of her life, but had appeared to be on the verge of freedom after continued reports that politicians would soon lose their powers to set minimum terms for convicted murderers.
November 16 - A Campaign against Climate Change march takes place in London from Lincoln's Inn Fields, past Esso offices to the United States Embassy.
November 18 - Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.
November 21 - NATO Summit in Prague: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are invited to join NATO.
November 22 - In Nigeria, more than 100 people are killed at an attack aimed at the contestants of the Miss World contest.
November 24 - Home Secretary David Blunkett announces that four convicted child sex murderers will serve a minimum of 50 years in prison before they can be considered for parole. The ruling means that Roy Whiting, Howard Hughes, Timothy Morss and Brett Tyler are set to remain in prison until they are at least 92, 80, 82 and 79 respectively.
November 25 - U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 (the Senate passed the bill 90-9 on November 19).
November 26 - Legislation by the European Court of Human Rights and Law Lords, ruling in favour of convicted murderer Anthony Anderson, officially ends the right of the Home Secretary to set minimum terms for convicted murderers.

December

December 4 - A total solar eclipse occurs.
December 7 - Iraq disarmament crisis: As required by the recently passed U.N. resolution, Iraq files a 12,000 page weapons declaration with the U.N. Security Council. Although it is supposed to be a complete declaration, it is seen as incomplete by the Security Council and weapons inspectors.
December 10 - The High Court of Australia hands down its judgement in the Internet defamation dispute in the case of Gutnick v Dow Jones.
December 12 - Wiktionary, a free content Wiki dictionary, goes online.
December 18 - Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is released into theaters.
December 24 - In Modesto, California, Scott Peterson, an agricultural chemical salesman, reports that his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, is missing (he will later be convicted of her death).
December 27 - A suicide truck-bomb attack destroys the headquarters of Chechnya's Moscow-backed government, killing 72 people.
December 29
- The Communist New People's Army blows up a bust of Ferdinand Marcos in Benguet, Philippines.
- Cincinnati's Cinergy Field is demolished.

Unknown Date

Naruto (anime) is created by Studio Pierrot.
American Prohibition Foundation incorporated.
Games Convention

List of Events by Month

2006: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2005: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2004: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2003: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2002: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2001: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2000: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
1999: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
1998: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
1997: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Births

April 30 - Miguel Urdangarín y de Borbón, grandson of Juan Carlos I of Spain.
June 8 - Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg
July 22- Prince Felix of Denmark, Prince of Denmark
August 2 - Kara and Shelby Hoffman, American actresses