The year in history
2002
Someone born in 2002 turns 24 in 2026
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. The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operations, and human rights concerns arose surrounding the treatment of suspected terrorists. Elsewhere, the Colombian conflict and the Nepalese Civil War represented some of the most severe militant conflicts, while the conflict between India and Pakistan was the only one between two sovereign nations. Religious tensions permeated the year, including violence between Hindus and Muslims in India during violent riots and other attacks and attacks on Jews in response to the Second Intifada. The Catholic Church grappled with scrutiny amid sexual abuse cases. Politics and religion throughout the rest of 2002 is still focused intently on the Muslim world and Islamic terrorism over the September 11 attacks the previous year.
What happened in 2002
The Euro is introduced as the official physical currency in the Eurozone countries. The first physical transactions are carried out on Réunion. The former currencies of all the countries that use the Euro cease to be legal tender on February 28.
Several Muslim-majority nations ban an issue of Newsweek International when it depicts Muhammad.
A mob attacks a train near Godhra, India, killing approximately 59 people. The state of Gujarat breaks out into riots, including the Gulbarg Society massacre on February 28 that kills approximately 69 people.
The South West State of Somalia is established as an autonomous territory in Somalia by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud.
Erfurt school massacre: An expelled student kills 16 people and commits suicide at a school in Erfurt, Germany.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup begins, taking place in South Korea and Japan.
2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes north-western Iran, killing over 200 people.
Former Argentine junta leader Leopoldo Galtieri is arrested for the kidnap, torture, and murder of 20 leftist guerillas during the Dirty War.
September 4 – Typhoon Rusa, the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, makes landfall, killing at least 236 people.
Former Republika Srpska president Biljana Plavšić pleads guilty to crimes against humanity for her involvement in the Bosnian genocide.
The culprits of the D.C. sniper attacks are arrested after they kill ten people in the United States over the previous three weeks.
The Hague Code of Conduct is signed to regulate intercontinental ballistic missiles internationally.