2002 facts for kids
2002 (also known as MMII in Roman numerals) was a special year. It was a year filled with many important events around the world.
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Important Events
- January 1 – The Treaty on Open Skies officially started. This agreement, first signed in 1992, allows countries to fly over each other's land to check on military activities.
- January 1 – New Euro money, both notes and coins, began to be used in many European countries. These included France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, the Republic of Ireland, and the Netherlands.
- January 5 – A small plane crashed into a building in Tampa, Florida. This caused worry about attacks like those on September 11, 2001.
- January 10 – Enrique Bolaños became the new President of Nicaragua.
- January 16 – The UN Security Council decided to stop selling weapons to Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. They also froze their money.
- January 17 – Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, erupted. This disaster left about 400,000 people without homes.
- January 23 – A reporter for the Wall Street Journal named Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Pakistan.
- January 31 – A very large part of the Antarctic Larsen Ice Shelf started to break apart. Over 35 days, it lost about 3,250 square kilometers (1,254 square miles) of ice.
- February 8-24 – The 19th Olympic Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Athletes from all over the world competed in winter sports.
- April 28 – The Green Party of Pakistan was officially formed.
Nobel Prize Winners
The Nobel Prizes are very famous awards given to people who have made amazing discoveries or contributions. In 2002, these people won:
- Chemistry – John B. Fenn, Koichi Tanaka, and Kurt Wüthrich.
- Economics – Daniel Kahneman and Vernon L. Smith.
- Literature – Imre Kertész.
- Medicine – Sydney Brenner, H. Robert Horvitz, and John E. Sulston.
- Peace – Jimmy Carter.
- Physics – Raymond Davis Jr., Riccardo Giacconi, and Masatoshi Koshiba.
People Who Passed Away
Many famous people passed away in 2002, including:
- January 8 – Dave Thomas, who started the fast food restaurant Wendy's.
- February 13 – Waylon Jennings, a well-known American country music singer.
- April 5 – Layne Staley, an American singer from the band Alice in Chains.
- May 18 – Davey Boy Smith, a British professional wrestler.
- October 13 – Stephen E. Ambrose, an American historian and writer.
- December 22 – Joe Strummer, a British musician from the band The Clash.
Movies You Might Know
Many exciting movies were released in 2002:
- Chicago
- Collateral Damage
- Die Another Day
- D-Tox
- Frida
- Gangs of New York
- Punch-Drunk Love
- The Pianist
- 8 Mile
- Minority Report
- Spider-Man
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- The Master of Disguise
- The Bourne Identity
- The Time Machine
- xXx
- The Ring
Popular Songs
Here are some of the hit songs from 2002:
- Don't Say Goodbye – Paulina Rubio
- Escape – Enrique Iglesias
- I'm Gonna Be Alright - Jennifer Lopez
- Lose Yourself – Eminem
- A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton
- Beautiful – Christina Aguilera
- Somewhere Out There – Our Lady Peace
- Everyday – Bon Jovi
- Headstrong – Trapt
- Up! – Shania Twain
- Landslide – Dixie Chicks
- Cry – Faith Hill
- Foolish – Ashanti
- Hot in Herre – Nelly
Images for kids
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Robert Uich
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Tita Merello
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See also
In Spanish: 2002 para niños
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2002 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.