Timeline January 2002

Events in January 2002 23

• 1907 – 2002 Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002) Died 28 January 2002, aged 94 The Swedish author Astrid Lindgren created Pippi Longstocking, the super-strong, unruly girl who first appeared in 1945, along with Emil, the Bullerby children and many other characters. Her books have sold well over 150 million copies and been translated into around 100 languages. She was also a forceful campaigner for children's rights and animal welfare.
• 1916 – 2002 Camilo Jose Cela (1916-2002) Died 17 January 2002, aged 85 The Spanish writer Camilo Jose Cela won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1989. His 1942 novel The Family of Pascual Duarte, a grim tale of rural violence, helped revive the Spanish novel after the civil war, and The Hive portrayed the hunger of postwar Madrid. He was a divisive figure who had worked as a censor under Franco before serving as a senator in the democratic era.
• 1920 – 2002 Peggy Lee (1920-2002) Died 21 January 2002, aged 81 Peggy Lee was an American singer and songwriter known for a cool, understated delivery on hits such as 'Fever' and 'Is That All There Is'. She rose to fame with the Benny Goodman orchestra in the early 1940s before a long solo career. She also co-wrote songs for Disney's Lady and the Tramp and voiced several of its characters.
• 1930 – 2002 Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) Died 23 January 2002, aged 71 Pierre Bourdieu was among the most influential sociologists of the late 20th century. His concepts of cultural capital and habitus, set out in works such as Distinction, analysed how social hierarchies are reproduced through taste and education. In his later years he became a prominent public critic of neoliberal globalisation.
• 1932 – 2002 Dave Thomas (1932-2002) Died 8 January 2002, aged 69 Dave Thomas founded the Wendy's hamburger chain in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969 and built it into one of the largest fast-food companies in the world. A childhood spent partly in foster care led him to campaign for adoption reform. From 1989 he appeared in more than 800 folksy television adverts for the chain, an unusually long run for a company founder.
• 1938 – 2002 Robert Nozick (1938-2002) Died 23 January 2002, aged 63 The American philosopher Robert Nozick made his name with Anarchy, State, and Utopia in 1974, a libertarian argument for a minimal state that became the main counterpoint to John Rawls's liberalism. He ranged widely in later books across decision theory, ethics and the meaning of life. He taught at Harvard for more than three decades.
• 2002 Australian Open 2002 Men: Thomas Johansson · Women: Jennifer Capriati
• 2002 Marries Melia McEnery Married Melia McEnery in a ceremony at St Mary Magdalene Church in Ripley, Surrey; they have since had four daughters together.
• 2002 2002: Michael Schumacher Ferrari Schumacher won his fifth title in the most dominant season the sport had ever seen, clinching the championship at the French Grand Prix with six races remaining — the earliest in F1 history.
• 2002 – 2006 Chairman of Keidanren Served as chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), Japan's most powerful business lobby, giving him influence over national economic policy. He used the platform to advocate for corporate reform and globalisation.
• 2002 Co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on developing RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics — a direct descendant of the RNA biology his career had helped establish. Alnylam would go on to bring the first RNAi drug to market.
• 2002 – present Establishment of the Euro Currency Transition France officially replaced the franc with the euro, solidifying its role in the European Union.
• 2002 Euro coins and notes launched Single currency enters circulation Euro coins and banknotes entered circulation in 12 European countries on January 1, 2002, replacing national currencies including the Deutschmark, French franc and Italian lira.
• 2002 Gangs of New York Appeared in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, adding another legendary director to his filmography.
• 2002 – present Introduction of the Euro Currency Changeover Germany officially replaced the Deutsche Mark with the Euro as its national currency.
• 2002 – 2005 Irish Roots and Reggae Albums Released Sean-Nós Nua (2002), exploring traditional Irish music, and Throw Down Your Arms (2005), a reggae album reflecting her love of the genre.
• 2002 Kafka on the Shore Published Kafka on the Shore, featuring a 15-year-old boy who runs away from home and an ageing man who can talk to cats. It became an international bestseller and was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award.
• 2002 – 2006 Sitcom and Supporting Roles Appeared in the television sitcom Lovers (2002) and took supporting roles across film and TV, steadily building his craft during years of relative obscurity.
• 2002 Guantanamo Bay detention camp opens First terrorism suspects flown to Cuba On 11 January 2002 the United States flew its first 20 detainees from the war in Afghanistan to Camp X-Ray at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The offshore site was chosen to keep captives beyond the reach of US courts, and it became a lasting symbol of the war on terror. Hundreds more men were held there in the following years, many without charge.
• 2002 Mount Nyiragongo eruption Lava flows destroy much of Goma Mount Nyiragongo in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo erupted on 17 January 2002, sending fast-moving lava through the city of Goma to the shore of Lake Kivu. About 400,000 people fled, many crossing into neighbouring Rwanda, and a large part of the city centre was buried. Dozens were killed, some in an explosion at a petrol station engulfed by lava.
• 2002 Kmart files for bankruptcy Largest US retail bankruptcy to that point The discount chain Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 22 January 2002, then the largest retailer ever to seek court protection from creditors. The company closed hundreds of stores and cut tens of thousands of jobs before emerging from bankruptcy in 2003. It later merged with Sears but never regained its former scale.
• 2002 Murder of Daniel Pearl Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and killed in Pakistan Daniel Pearl, the South Asia bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, was abducted in Karachi on 23 January 2002 while researching Islamist militant networks. He was held for a week and then beheaded by his captors, who released a video of the killing in February. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed later admitted carrying out the murder.
• 2002 "Axis of evil" State of the Union address Bush links Iraq, Iran and North Korea In his State of the Union address on 29 January 2002, President George W. Bush described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an 'axis of evil' seeking weapons of mass destruction. The phrase framed US foreign policy for the following years and signalled the administration's growing focus on Iraq. It was widely criticised abroad, including by allies.