Dashed left edge = started before June 2002 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond June 2002
Events in June 2002 13
1928 – 2002Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002)Died 29 June 2002, aged 74Rosemary Clooney was an American pop and jazz singer whose 1951 hit 'Come On-a My House' launched a career of records, radio and film, including a lead role in White Christmas. A breakdown and personal troubles interrupted her career in the late 1960s before a jazz-focused comeback. She was the aunt of the actor George Clooney.
1940 – 2002John Gotti (1940-2002)Died 10 June 2002, aged 61John Gotti took over the Gambino crime family after ordering the 1985 murder of its boss Paul Castellano outside a Manhattan steakhouse. His expensive suits and repeated acquittals earned him the nicknames the Dapper Don and the Teflon Don. He was convicted of murder and racketeering in 1992 on the testimony of his underboss and died in a prison hospital.
1944 – 2002John Entwistle (1944-2002)Died 27 June 2002, aged 57John Entwistle was the bassist of The Who, whose fast, melodic, trebly playing on songs such as 'My Generation' made him one of rock's most admired bass players. Nicknamed the Ox for his stillness on stage amid the band's chaos, he also wrote several of their songs, including 'Boris the Spider'. He died in a Las Vegas hotel on the eve of a US tour.
1951 – 2002Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002)Died 5 June 2002, aged 50Dee Dee Ramone was the bassist and chief songwriter of the Ramones, the New York band widely regarded as founders of punk rock. He wrote or co-wrote many of their best-known songs, among them 'Rockaway Beach' and '53rd & 3rd', and shouted the count-in that opened their shows. He left the band in 1989 and died of a drug overdose.
2002Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth IIBritain marks the Queen's 50 years on the throneCelebrations through 2002 marked the 50th anniversary of Elizabeth II's accession on 6 February 1952, including extensive Commonwealth tours and a weekend of events in June with concerts at Buckingham Palace and a carriage procession. Around a million people gathered on the Mall. The jubilee year was overshadowed by the deaths of the Queen's sister and mother.
20022002 FIFA World CupFirst in AsiaThe first co-hosted World Cup; Ronaldo scored twice in the final to secure Brazil’s fifth title. Winner: Brazil.
20022002 World Cup group-stage exitInjury hampers Zidane as defending champions France crash outAs defending champions, France entered the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan as favorites, but Zidane suffered a thigh injury in a pre-tournament friendly and missed the first two group matches. He returned for the decisive game against Denmark but could not prevent elimination, as France finished last in their group without scoring a single goal. The shock exit remains one of the most stunning collapses by a defending champion in World Cup history.
2002French Open 2002Men: Albert Costa · Women: Serena Williams
2002The Wire premieresHBO begins its Baltimore crime dramaThe Wire, created by David Simon, premiered on HBO on 2 June 2002 with a season tracing a single drug investigation from both sides. Over five seasons it widened to the docks, city hall, schools and the press, building a portrait of institutional decay in Baltimore. Modestly watched at first, it came to be regarded as one of the finest television series ever made.
2002American Idol premieresFox launches a hit talent contestAmerican Idol first aired on the Fox network on 11 June 2002, adapting the British format Pop Idol with a public vote and a panel that included Simon Cowell. Kelly Clarkson won the first season that September. The show became the most-watched programme on US television for much of the decade and spawned versions worldwide.
2002Loya Jirga elects Hamid KarzaiAfghan grand assembly names a transitional governmentAn emergency Loya Jirga of some 1,500 Afghan delegates met in Kabul from 11 to 19 June 2002 and chose Hamid Karzai to lead a transitional administration for the next two years. The assembly followed the Bonn Agreement reached after the fall of the Taliban. It gave Karzai a broader mandate but left real power fragmented among regional commanders.
2002Arthur Andersen convicted over EnronOne of the big five accounting firms collapsesOn 15 June 2002 a Houston jury convicted the accounting firm Arthur Andersen of obstruction of justice for destroying documents related to its client Enron. The firm surrendered its licences and shed tens of thousands of jobs, ceasing to operate as an auditor. The US Supreme Court unanimously overturned the conviction in 2005, but the company never returned.
2002The Who's John Entwistle diesLas VegasThe bassist dies on the eve of a US tour, which goes ahead.