The
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
against the United States by
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
, which
killed 2,977 people and instigated the global
war on terror
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...
, were a defining event of 2001.
The United States led a
multi-national coalition in an
invasion of Afghanistan
In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban government. The invasion's aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the September 11 attacks, and to deny it a safe base of operations ...
after the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
government did not extradite Al-Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...
. The invasion ended in December following a transfer of power to the
Afghan Interim Administration
The Afghan Interim Administration (AIA), also known as the Afghan Interim Authority, was the first administration of Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime and was the highest authority of the country from 22 December 2001 until 13 Jul ...
led by
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
.
Internal conflicts, political or otherwise, caused shifts in leadership in multiple countries, which included the
assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated in his office inside his official residence at the , Kinshasa on 16 January 2001. The assassin who killed him was his 18-year-old bodyguard ...
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
the
Second EDSA Revolution
The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...
in the Philippines,
the
massacre of the royal family by the crown prince in Nepal,
and
civil unrest
Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty m ...
in Argentina.
Other notable political events were an
escalation in the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...
,
the storming of the Indonesian parliament,
the
Hainan Island incident
The Hainan Island incident occurred on April 1, 2001, when a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air, resulting in an interna ...
between China and the United States,
an
insurgency in Macedonia,
and a
terrorist attack
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
on the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...
that began the
2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff
The 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff was a military standoff between India and Pakistan that resulted in the massing of troops on both sides of the India–Pakistan border, border and along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region of Kashmir ...
.
Major spaceflight and astronomical events in 2001 were numerous, such as the
first spacecraft landing on an asteroid,
the
deorbit
Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...
of the Russian station ''
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
'',
American entrepreneur
Dennis Tito
Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940) is an American engineer and entrepreneur. In mid-2001, he became the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space, when he spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of ISS EP-1, a visitin ...
becoming the first
space tourist
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism.
During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight s ...
,
the discovery of
28978 Ixion
28978 Ixion (, provisional designation ) is a large trans-Neptunian object and a possible dwarf planet. It is located in the Kuiper belt, a region of icy objects orbiting beyond Neptune in the outer Solar System. Ixion is classified as a plu ...
in the
Kuiper belt
The Kuiper belt () is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger—20 times ...
,
a flyby of
Io by the U.S.
''Galileo'' probe,
and the first discovery of an atmosphere on an
exoplanet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...
.
Other unique scientific achievements were the first sequence of the
human genome
The human genome is a complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as DNA within the 23 chromosome pairs in cell nuclei and in a small DNA molecule found within individual mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the n ...
,
the first self-contained
artificial heart
An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, experi ...
,
and the first
clone of a
human embryo
Human embryonic development, or human embryogenesis, is the development and formation of the human embryo. It is characterised by the processes of cell division and cellular differentiation of the embryo that occurs during the early stages of de ...
.
Notable deaths in 2001 included musicians
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
,
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, and
Joey Ramone
Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...
; politicians
Phoolan Devi
Phoolan Devi (1963–2001), popularly known as the Bandit Queen, was an Mallah woman who grew up in poverty in a village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Her family was in a land dispute which caused many problems in her youth and after b ...
,
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila () (27 November 1939 – 18 January 2001) or simply Laurent Kabila ( US: ), was a Congolese revolutionary and politician who was the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassinati ...
, and
Ahmad Shah Massoud
)
, branch = Jamiat-e Islami / Shura-e Nazar Afghan Armed Forces United Islamic Front
, serviceyears = 1975–2001
, rank = General
, unit =
, commands = Mujahideen commander during the Soviet–Afghan Wa ...
; writers
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...
and
R. K. Narayan
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mul ...
; athletes
Josef Bican
Josef "Pepi" Bican (25 September 1913 – 12 December 2001) was an Austrian-Czech professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the second-most prolific goalscorer in official matches in recorded history according to Rec.Sport.Soccer ...
,
Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
, and
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
; and royal figures King
Birendra of Nepal
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...
and his son
Dipendra,
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary ( fa, ثریا اسفندیاری بختیاری, Sorayâ Esfandiâri-Baxtiâri; 22 June 1932 – 26 October 2001) was Queen of the Imperial State of Iran as the second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom she mar ...
, and
Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark
Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark ( el, Σοφία, translit=Sofía; 26 June 1914 – 24 November 2001) was by birth a List of princesses of Greece, Greek and List of princesses of Denmark, Danish princess, as well as Electorate of Hesse, Pri ...
.
Health and society
The
world population
In demographics, the world population is the total number of humans currently living. It was estimated by the United Nations to have exceeded 8 billion in November 2022. It took over 200,000 years of human prehistory and history for the ...
on January 1, 2001 was estimated to be 6.190 billion people, and it increased to 6.272 billion people by January 1, 2002.
The average global
life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
was 66.8 years, an increase of 0.3 years from 2000.
The rate of
child mortality
Child mortality is the mortality of children under the age of five. The child mortality rate, also under-five mortality rate, refers to the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births.
It en ...
was 7.58%, a decrease of 0.26% from 2000. 28.25% of people were living in
extreme poverty
Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...
, a decrease of 0.88% from 2000.
The number of global refugees in 2001 was approximately 12 million. 500,000 were settled over the course of the year, but the same number of people were displaced in other locations, causing the number of refugees to remain largely unchanged. The largest sources of refugees were from Afghanistan and Macedonia. The number of
internally displaced persons
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
...
decreased from 21.8 million to 19.8 million in 2001, with the most affected areas being Afghanistan, Colombia, and Liberia.
The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) recognized
mental health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
as its health concern of focus in the 2001
World Health Report
The ''World Health Report'' (WHR) is a series of annual reports produced by the World Health Organization (WHO). First published in 1995, the ''World Health Report'' is WHO's leading publication. The reports were published every year from 1995 to 2 ...
. The WHO also began a five-year program to reduce
road injury fatalities following a warning of the problem's severity by the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
the previous year. The WHO's Commission on Macroeconomics and Health released a report in 2001 detailing how spending by developed nations could protect health in developing nations but that efforts to do so were impeded by the
anti-globalization movement
The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalis ...
.
2001 was designated as International Year of Volunteers by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.
Health incidents
An
ebola
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
outbreak continued from 2000 in Uganda until the final case was diagnosed on January 16. Another outbreak occurred in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo in October, which would continue until July 2002. An
outbreak
In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
of
foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...
occurred in the United Kingdom in 2001, beginning on February 19.
It affected thousands of farm animals and prompted the killing of millions of animals to contain the outbreak.
The largest ever recorded outbreak of
Legionnaires' disease
Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often '' Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Naus ...
occurred in July in
Murcia
Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...
, Spain. 449 cases were confirmed, with more than 800 suspected ones.
The September 11 attacks caused widespread
health effects
Health effects (or health impacts) are changes in health resulting from exposure to a source. Health effects are an important consideration in many areas, such as hygiene, pollution studies, occupational safety and health, ( utrition and health sc ...
in the people of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
relating to
air pollution
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...
by
carcinogens
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substan ...
and other harmful particles such as asbestos and metals. Approximately 400,000 people were exposed, and many would go on to suffer lifelong chronic illness as a result of exposure.
Conflicts
Internal conflicts
The
2001 insurgency in Macedonia
The 2001 insurgency in Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group, formed from veterans of the Kosovo War and Insurgency in the Preševo Valley, attacked Macedonian secu ...
began on January 22 when the
National Liberation Army (NLA) attacked a police station in
Tearce
Tearce ( mk, Теарце , sq, Tearcë) is a village located 12 km to the northeast of Tetovo, in northwestern North Macedonia, about 15 kilometres from the border with Kosovo. It is a seat of the Tearce municipality. Population 3,974 (200 ...
, about from the border with Kosovo, which escalated what had been smaller skirmishes along the border. The
Battle of Tetovo
, combatant3 =
, commander1 = Boris Trajkovski Ljubčo Georgievski Pande Petrovski Ljube Boškoski
, commander2 = Rahim Beqiri Hamdi Ndrecaj Gëzim Ostreni
, commander3 =
* George Robertson
* Guido Vent ...
was the first major offensive of the insurgency, launched by the NLA on March 14.
Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
would remain a major area of conflict for the duration of the insurgency.
Attempts to reach a ceasefire were
interrupted in June.
The
Ohrid Agreement
The Ohrid Framework Agreement ( mk, Охридски рамковен договор, Ohridski ramkoven dogovor) was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) and representatives of the Albanian ...
was signed on August 13,
and the
deployment
Deployment may refer to:
Engineering and software Concepts
* Blue-green deployment, a method of installing changes to a web, app, or database server by swapping alternating production and staging servers
* Continuous deployment, a software en ...
of NATO peacekeeping forces to Macedonia was authorized on August 21.
In Yugoslavia, the related
insurgency in the Preševo Valley
The Insurgency in the Preševo Valley was a year-long armed conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB). There were instances duri ...
by Albanian rebels escalated on February 5. The
Končulj Agreement
The Končulj Agreement is a colloquial name for two statements, signed by the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB) and the Republic of Serbia within FR Yugoslavia. The Končulj Agreement is the first agreement related t ...
, signed in May, mandated a ceasefire and resulted in the full demilitarization, demobilization, and disarmament of the
Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac
The Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac ( sq, Ushtria Çlirimtare e Preshevës, Medvegjës dhe Bujanocit, UÇPMB) was an Albanian militant group fighting for separation from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for three municipalit ...
(UÇPMB).
The
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...
continued with the
assassination
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
of President
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila () (27 November 1939 – 18 January 2001) or simply Laurent Kabila ( US: ), was a Congolese revolutionary and politician who was the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassinati ...
on January 16.
The
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...
moved toward peace talks in 2001, but talks were challenged by attacks on civilians by
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...
, including a train bombing on August 10 that killed 252 people.
The
insurgency
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...
following the
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...
continued in
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
, prompting Russia to respond with the
Alkhan-Kala operation
The Alkhan-Kala operation was a ''zachistka'' (russian: зачистка) operation by Russian forces in Alkhan-Kala, Chechnya, starting on 25 June 2001, during the Second Chechen War. The week-long sweep of Alkhan-Kala erupted into armed clashes ...
on June 25.
The
War of the Peters
The War of the Peters was a conflict primarily fought between the forces of Peter Par Jiek and Peter Gadet from June 2000 to August 2001 in Unity State, Sudan. Though both were leaders of local branches of larger rebel groups that were involve ...
continued into 2001 as a conflict between two commanders within the larger
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originate ...
, going on until a ceasefire was negotiated in August. The
Bandaranaike Airport attack
The Bandaranaike Airport attack was an assault by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Bandaranaike International Airport, on July 24, 2001. The attack was one of the boldest the LTTE mounted during its war with the Sri Lankan govern ...
was a deadly attack by the
Tamil Tigers
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
that took place as part of the ongoing
Eelam War III
Eelam War III is the name given to the third phase of armed conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
After the period of 100 days cease-fire the hostilities broke out on 19 April 19 ...
in Sri Lanka.
The
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...
began disarmament in October following decades of paramilitary attacks during
the Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
.
Two failed coup attempts took place in 2001: a group of junior officers sought to overthrow President
Pierre Buyoya
Pierre Buyoya (24 November 1949 – 17 December 2020) was a Burundian army officer and politician who served two terms as President of Burundi in 1987 to 1993 and 1996 to 2003. He was the second-longest serving president in Burundian history.
An ...
in Burundi while he was out of the country on April 18, and
André Kolingba
André-Dieudonné Kolingba (12 August 1936 – 7 February 2010) was a Central African politician, who was the fourth President of the Central African Republic (CAR), from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David ...
, a former president of the Central African Republic, led a military coup against his successor
Ange-Félix Patassé
Ange-Félix Patassé (January 25, 1937 – April 5, 2011) was a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé in the 2003 coup d'ét ...
on May 28, causing several days of violence.
International conflicts
The
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...
marked increased conflict between Israel and Palestine in 2001 when terrorists affiliated with
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
carried out several
suicide bombings and other attacks on Israeli citizens.
The Israeli government responded with temporary occupations,
targeted killings
Targeted killing is a form of murder or assassination carried out by governments outside a judicial procedure or a battlefield.
Since the late 20th century, the legal status of targeted killing has become a subject of contention within and be ...
,
and its first use of airstrikes against Palestine since 1967.
The Israeli and Palestinian governments agreed to a ceasefire on September 19.
Border clashes occurred between Bangladesh and India in April. The
2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff
The 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff was a military standoff between India and Pakistan that resulted in the massing of troops on both sides of the India–Pakistan border, border and along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region of Kashmir ...
began on December 13 after an
attack on the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...
by Pakistani militants.
Enforcement of the
Iraqi no-fly zones
The Iraqi no-fly zones conflict was a low-level conflict in the two no-fly zones (NFZs) in Iraq that were proclaimed by the United States, United Kingdom, and France after the Gulf War of 1991. The United States stated that the NFZs were intende ...
led to air strikes against Iraq in February and August by the United States and the United Kingdom.
September 11 attacks and War in Afghanistan
The September 11 attacks were committed against the United States by Al-Qaeda when 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and crashed two of them into the Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
, one into
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
, and one in a field in
Stonycreek Township,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. 2,977 people were killed, and the subsequent global war on terror made the attacks one of the events that defined 2001.
The United States demanded that the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
extradite Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and end
state-sponsored terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism is terrorist violence carried out with the active support of national governments provided to violent non-state actors. States can sponsor terrorist groups in several ways, including but not limited to funding terrorist ...
in Afghanistan. When these demands were not met, the United States led a
multi-national coalition in the invasion of Afghanistan on October 7, entering into the ongoing
Afghan Civil War.
The first major offensive was won by American and
Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...
forces during the
Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif
The fall of Mazar-i-Sharif (or Mazar-e-Sharif) in November 2001 resulted from the first major offensive of the Afghanistan War after American intervention. A push into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh Province by the United Islamic Front ...
on November 10.
The Northern Alliance took control of the city of
Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
during an
uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
on November 12,
and Al-Qaeda
surrendered the Afghan capital
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
to the Northern Alliance on November 13.
The Taliban
surrendered in
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
on December 6.
The United States and its allies
attacked the Al-Qaeda headquarters in
Tora Bora
Tora Bora ( ps, توره بوړه, "Black Cave") is a cave complex, part of the Spin Ghar (White Mountains) mountain range of eastern Afghanistan. It is situated in the Pachir Aw Agam District of Nangarhar, approximately west of the Khyber ...
in December, but Osama bin Laden escaped by the time the cave complex was captured by the forces on December 17.
An interim government of Afghanistan led by Hamid Karzai was formed on December 22.
Culture
Architecture and art
Museums that opened in 2001 include the
Ghibli Museum
The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine a ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, the
Neue Galerie New York
The Neue Galerie New York (German language, German for "New Gallery") is a museum of early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design located in the William Starr Miller House at 86th Street (Manhattan), 86th Street and Fifth Avenue i ...
, the
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin (''Jüdisches Museum Berlin'') was opened in 2001 and is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. On of floor space, the museum presents the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day, with new focuses ...
, and the
Leopold Museum
The Leopold Museum, housed in the Museumsquartier in Vienna, Austria, is home to one of the largest collections of modern Austrian art, featuring artists such as Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka and Richard Gerstl.
It contains the wo ...
in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. The
Kodak Theatre
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
opened in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
in November 2001, constructed to host the
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. The
Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa ( it, torre pendente di Pisa), or simply, the Tower of Pisa (''torre di Pisa'' ), is the ''bell tower, campanile'', or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result ...
reopened to the public on December 15 after 12 years of reconstruction.
Several iconic works of
photojournalism
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
were produced during the September 11 attacks, including ''
The Falling Man
''The Falling Man'' is a photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew of a man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. The Unidentified Man in the image was trapped on the uppe ...
'' and ''
Raising the Flag at Ground Zero
Raising may refer to:
* Raising (linguistics), a syntactic construction
* Raising (phonetics), a sound change
* Raising (metalworking), a metalworking technique
* Barn raising, a community event to erect the wooden framework for a building
* Fundra ...
''. ''
The Sphere
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' was one of many artworks damaged during the attacks. It was the only one to be recovered, and the sculpture continued to be displayed in its damaged form as a memorial. Notable paintings made in 2001 include ''
The Pupils
''The Pupils'' is a painting made in 2001 by the Belgian Michaël Borremans. It depicts three young men, each looking down at an upturned head, with thin white lines between the eyes of the heads above and below. The title plays with the two meani ...
'' by
Michaël Borremans
Michaël Borremans (born 1963) is a Belgian painter and filmmaker who lives and works in Ghent. His painting technique draws on 18th-century art as well as the works of Édouard Manet and Degas. The artist also cites the Spanish court painter Di ...
in Belgium, ''
They Could Still Serve
''They Could Still Serve'' is a 2001 painting by Ellen Gallagher. It is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, New York in the United States. ''They Could Still Serve'' represents Gallagher's biggest focused body of work ...
'' by
Ellen Gallagher
Ellen Gallagher (born December 16, 1965) is an American artist. Her work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is held in the permanent collections of many major museums. Her media include painting, works on paper, film and ...
in the United States, and ''
Traditional Chinese Studies Institute
''Traditional Chinese Studies Institute'' () is a 2001 oil painting by Chinese painter Chen Danqing. It portrays five masters of Chinese language and literature who taught at Tsinghua University, Zhao Yuanren, Liang Qichao, Wang Guowei, Che ...
'' by
Chen Danqing
Chen Danqing (born 11 August 1953, Shanghai, China) is a Chinese-American artist, writer, and art critic. He is well known for his realist paintings of Tibetans. Chen graduated from China Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Life
Chen Danqing's fa ...
in China.
Media
The highest-grossing films in 2001 were
''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', and ''
Monsters, Inc.
''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American computer-animated Monster movie, monster comedy film produced by Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, B ...
'' The highest-grossing non-English film was
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...
's
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
''
Spirited Away
is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distribut ...
'', which was the 15th highest-grossing film of the year. The inaugural entries of the ''Harry Potter'' and ''Lord of the Rings'' film franchises prompted a shift in both the film and literary communities by propelling
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
into mainstream culture, popularizing
young adult novels
Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults.
The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
, and reforming the
blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Bl ...
to promote
film franchises
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
and cater to
fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
communities.
In music, 3.2 billion units were sold with a value of US$33.7 billion.
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format.
The sta ...
and
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the Compact Disc (CD) format.
The SACD format allows multiple aud ...
first rose to prominence in 2001, with approximately 600 titles available in these formats. Portable music grew in popularity after
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
released the
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
media library on January 9
and the first
iPod
The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...
music player device on October 23.
Worldwide, the best-selling albums were ''
Hybrid Theory
''Hybrid Theory'' is the debut studio album by American Rock music, rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000, through Warner Bros. Records. Recorded at NRG Recording Studios, NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, North Holl ...
'' (2000) by
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
, ''
No Angel
''No Angel'' is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Dido. Originally released on 1 June 1999 in the United States, the album found a mass audience when it was released worldwide in February 2001. By 2003, the album had sold mo ...
'' (1999) by
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
, and
''Survivor'' (2001) by
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
.
The best-selling non-English album was ''
Cieli di Toscana'' (; 2001) by Italian
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
Andrea Bocelli, which topped the charts in the Netherlands and Sweden and was the 23rd best-selling album globally.
Three major video game systems were released in 2001: the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance by Nintendo, and the Xbox by Microsoft. Sega, which had been a major competitor in the video game hardware market to this point, ended its involvement in the market after the failure of the Dreamcast. The year 2001 is remembered for its influence on the video game industry with the release of many games recognized as classics. Many video games released in 2001 defined or redefined their respective genres, including hack and slash game ''Devil May Cry'', first-person shooter game ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and open world Action-adventure game, action-adventure game ''Grand Theft Auto III'', which is regarded as an industry-defining work.
Bratz, an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment, debuted on May 21.
Sports
NASCAR driver
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
, described as the greatest driver in the sport's history, died in a Death of Dale Earnhardt, crash during the 2001 Daytona 500 on February 18.
The World Wrestling Federation agreed to purchase its largest rival, World Championship Wrestling, on March 23. In April, golf player Tiger Woods became the only player to achieve a "Tiger Slam" after winning the 2001 Masters Tournament, in which he consecutively won all four championship golf titles outside of a single calendar year. The world record for largest victory in an international football match was set by Australia men's national soccer team, Australia in a Tonga 0–22 Australia, 0–22 victory against Tonga national football team, Tonga on April 9. Australia set this record again with a Australia 31–0 American Samoa, 31–0 victory against American Samoa national football team, American Samoa on April 11. The unbalanced nature of these matches prompted changes to the FIFA qualification process. The "Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman, Thunder in Africa" boxing match ended in a major Upset (competition), upset after Hasim Rahman defeated champion Lennox Lewis on April 22. Lewis would go on to win a rematch on November 11.
Disasters
Accidents
Two major Crowd crush, crowd crushes took place at sporting events in 2001. 43 people were killed during the Ellis Park Stadium disaster on April 11 in Johannesburg, South Africa after Ellis Park Stadium was overcrowded, and 126 people were killed during the Accra Sports Stadium disaster on May 9 in Accra, Ghana during an ongoing sports riot.
Major structural failures in 2001 included the Hintze Ribeiro disaster, collapse of the Hintze Ribeiro Bridge in Portugal on March 4, killing approximately 70 people, and the Versailles wedding hall disaster, collapse of a wedding hall on May 24 in Jerusalem, Israel, killing 23 people. 44 people were killed in Myojo 56 building fire, a building fire, the fifth-deadliest in post-war Japanese history,
on September 1 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. 31 people were killed when a fertilizer factory Toulouse chemical factory explosion, exploded on September 21 in Toulouse, France. The explosion was caused by a chemical spill amid unsafe storage practices. At least 291 people were killed in Lima, Peru on December 29 after a List of fireworks accidents and incidents, firework accident caused a Mesa Redonda fire, fire in a shopping center.
The deadliest List of rail accidents (2000–2009)#2001, rail accidents in 2001 include a 2001 Nvoungouti train collision, train collision that killed at least 30 people in the Republic of the Congo on January 12, a Kadalundi train derailment, train derailment over a bridge that killed 59 people in Kadalundi on June 22, a 2001 Jakarta train collision, train collision that killed 31 people in Jakarta on September 2, and a Ketanggungan Barat railway collision, train collision that killed 42 people at the Ketanggungan Barat railway station in Indonesia on December 25. The deadliest List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft#2001, aircraft accidents in 2001 include Vladivostok Air Flight 352, a Vladivostok Air crash at International Airport Irkutsk, Russia, which killed 145 people on July 4, Linate Airport disaster, a collision at Linate Airport in Milan, Italy, which killed 118 people on October 8, and American Airlines Flight 587, an American Airlines crash in Queens, New York City, which killed 265 people on November 12.
Natural disasters
![ElSalvadorslide](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/ElSalvadorslide.jpg)
There were four earthquakes in 2001 that caused significant casualties. El Salvador was struck by two of them: January 2001 El Salvador earthquake, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on January 13 and February 2001 El Salvador earthquake, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake on February 13, which resulted in the deaths of at least 944 and 315 people respectively.
2001 Gujarat earthquake, A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Gujarat, India, on January 26 killed between 13,805 and 20,023 people, and destroyed nearly 340,000 buildings.
2001 southern Peru earthquake, An 8.4-magnitude earthquake, then the strongest that had occurred globally since 1965 Rat Islands earthquake, 1965, killed at least 77 people in Peru on June 23.
2001 Kunlun earthquake, A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck China with an epicenter near Kokoxili, close to the border between Qinghai and Xinjiang, on November 14, but it occurred in a sparsely populated mountainous region and there were no casualties.
The 2001 Atlantic hurricane season was slightly more active than normal, including 15 tropical storms and hurricanes. The deadliest storms were Tropical Storm Allison in June, Hurricane Iris in October, and Hurricane Michelle in November. All three of these storms had their names List of retired Atlantic hurricane names, retired by the World Meteorological Organization. Tropical Storm Allison was the deadliest tropical storm to hit the United States without reaching hurricane strength.The 2001 Pacific typhoon season was slightly larger than average, including 28 tropical storms, 20 typhoons, and 11 intense typhoons. The most powerful storms were Typhoon Podul (2001), Typhoon Podul in October and Typhoon Faxai (2001), Typhoon Faxai in December.
Economy
A minor economic decline took place among many developed economies in 2001. The United States saw a recession from March to November after a correction of the dot-com bubble, an over-valued tech industry. Further economic disruption ocurred in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. European economies also saw stalled growth in 2001, with Germany entering a brief recession toward the end of the year. Argentina's years-long economic crisis reached its peak in December when a bank run prompted the freezing of deposits, in turn causing widespread social unrest and the resignation of the President of Argentina. Overall, 2001 marked a decline in international trade by about 1.5%, which was a significant contrast from the 11% increase in 2000. This was the first negative growth in international trade since 1982. IT industries and the dot-com crash are attributed for the decline in trade.
Greece became the 12th country to join the Eurozone on January 1.
America Online (AOL), a U.S. online service provider, was at the apex of its popularity and purchased the media conglomerate Time Warner. The deal took effect on January 11, in the largest merger in history at that time.
AOL would rapidly shrink thereafter, partly due to the decline of dial-up and rise of broadband, and the deal would fall apart before the end of the decade, which would be regarded as one of the world's greatest business failures. The Enron scandal took place in October 2001 when Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, was found to be committing fraud, bringing about the criminal conviction of several executives and causing the company to undergo the largest bankruptcy at that point in U.S. history. The national airlines of Belgium and Switzerland (Sabena and Swissair, respectively) ended operations in 2001.
Politics
Freedom House recognized 63% of national governments as electoral democracies by the end of 2001, with the Gambia and Mauritania being recognized as democracies following peaceful transfers of power. Peru also saw a significant expansion of civil rights, emerging from the authoritarian rule of Alberto Fujimori. Argentina, Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe underwent significant democratic backsliding in 2001, with Liberia and Zimbabwe recognized as authoritarian governments by the end of the year. 64.65% of the world's population lived in countries that generally respected human rights, while 35.35% lived in countries that denied political rights and civil liberties.
Islamic terrorism became the predominant global political concern amidst the September 11 attacks and the War on Terror. Islamic extremism was identified as a major threat to democracy and human rights, both in the Muslim world through the implementation of Islamism and in the rest of the world through terrorism.
Domestic
![Taller Buddha of Bamiyan before and after destruction](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Taller_Buddha_of_Bamiyan_before_and_after_destruction.jpg)
The Islamic State of Afghanistan was the ''de jure'' government of Afghanistan in 2001, but for several years it had operated as a government in exile while the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001), Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan held ''de facto'' control over most of the country. Despite pleas from the international community to spare them, the Taliban proceeded to destroy the Buddhas of Bamiyan starting on March 2, having declared that they are idols.
The Islamic State of Afghanistan was restored to power following the invasion of Afghanistan with the appointment of president Hamid Karzai on December 22.
The
Second EDSA Revolution
The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...
took place in the Philippines in January. Protests amid a corruption scandal and the resulting Impeachment of Joseph Estrada, impeachment of President Joseph Estrada caused the president to announce his resignation, and he was succeeded by Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on January 20.
Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident, A self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, China, on January 23. Five members of the Falun Gong, a religious movement banned in mainland China, are alleged to have set themselves on fire, but details surrounding the incident are disputed by Falun Gong sources. Thousands of protesters stormed the Indonesian parliament building on January 29.
The 1998–2002 Argentine great depression, Argentine great depression escalated with December 2001 riots in Argentina, rioting on December 19, prompting President Fernando de la Rúa to resign two days later.
Two former heads of government were arrested in 2001: President Slobodan Milošević of Serbia (1997–2000) was arrested on April 2 for his role in the Srebrenica massacre,
and President Carlos Menem of Argentina (1989–1999) was arrested on June 7 for Argentine arms trafficking scandal, arms trafficking.
Ghana underwent its first peaceful transfer of power since 1979 when John Kufuor was sworn in as President of Ghana on January 7. The Netherlands became the first modern country to legalize same-sex marriage on April 1.
The King of Nepal, royal family of Nepal was Nepalese royal massacre, killed on June 1 by Crown Prince
Dipendra, who effectively became king upon his father's death. King Dipendra died days later and was succeeded by his uncle Gyanendra of Nepal, Gyanendra.
The Constitution of the Comoros was 2001 Comorian constitutional referendum, amended on December 24, creating a federal government with a rotating presidency and granting increased autonomy to the three island administrations.
International
![Flag of the African Union](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Flag_of_the_African_Union.svg)
Two major regional organizations were announced in 2001: The African Union was established on May 26 as a pan-African forum to promote unity between African countries, including cooperation in economic and security issues. It would take effect in 2002, replacing the Organisation of African Unity.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was announced on June 15 to facilitate political and economic cooperation between Asian countries.
Three countries joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001: Lithuania on May 31,
Moldova on July 26, and China on December 11. The WTO began the Doha Development Round in November to negotiate lower trade barriers between countries and integrate developing nations into the global economy.
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was signed on May 22 to limit the production of Persistent organic pollutant, persistent organic pollutants.
The World Conference against Racism 2001 began on August 31, in Durban, South Africa, under the auspices of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. Israel and the United States withdrew from the conference on September 3 over objections to a draft resolution document equating Zionism with racism and singling out the Jewish state for war crimes. The Aarhus Convention agreement took effect on October 30, establishing the right to environmental information and environmental justice for European and Central Asian countries. The Convention on Cybercrime, the first international treaty to address cybercrime, was signed on November 23.
A Hainan Island incident, diplomatic incident occurred between China and the United States when military planes of the two countries collided on April 1.
Science and technology
The Human Genome Project released the first draft of its
human genome
The human genome is a complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as DNA within the 23 chromosome pairs in cell nuclei and in a small DNA molecule found within individual mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the n ...
sequence on February 12.
The first self-contained
artificial heart
An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, experi ...
was implanted on July 2.
Several accomplishments were made in the field of cloning in 2001, including the clone of a gaur the clone of a mouflon, and the first clone of a human embryo.
![ISS-02 Soyuz TM-32 Taxi crewmembers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/ISS-02_Soyuz_TM-32_Taxi_crewmembers.jpg)
There were only 57 successful orbital spaceflights in 2001, the fewest since 1963. Eight of these launches were crewed missions. Two failed spaceflights also took place. The ''NEAR Shoemaker'' made the first successful landing of a spacecraft on an asteroid on February 12.
The ''
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
'' space station was Deorbit of Mir, deorbited and destroyed on March 23.
The ''2001 Mars Odyssey'' orbiter was launched on April 7 and arrived at Mars on October 24.
American entrepreneur
Dennis Tito
Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940) is an American engineer and entrepreneur. In mid-2001, he became the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space, when he spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of ISS EP-1, a visitin ...
became the first
space tourist
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism.
During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight s ...
on April 28 aboard the Russian Soyuz TM-32.
28978 Ixion
28978 Ixion (, provisional designation ) is a large trans-Neptunian object and a possible dwarf planet. It is located in the Kuiper belt, a region of icy objects orbiting beyond Neptune in the outer Solar System. Ixion is classified as a plu ...
was discovered on May 22.
The Genesis (spacecraft), ''Genesis'' probe was launched on August 8 to collect solar wind samples.
''Deep Space 1'' carried out a flyby of 19P/Borrelly, Comet Borrelly on September 22,
and
''Galileo'' carried out a flyby of
Io on October 15.
An atmosphere was discovered on an
exoplanet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...
for the first time on November 27.
Apple Inc. released the Mac OS X operating system for Mac (computer), Mac computers on March 24. 3G wireless technology first became available on October 1 when it was 3G adoption, adopted by Japanese telecommunications company NTT Docomo. Microsoft released the Windows XP operating system to retail on October 25. The Segway, a self-balancing personal transporter invented by Dean Kamen, was unveiled on December 3 after months of public speculation and media hype,
on the ABC News morning program ''Good Morning America''.
Events
January
* January 1 – Greece becomes the 12th country to join the Eurozone.
* January 9 –
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
launches
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, a software program that acts as a Media player (software), media player, media library, and the client app for the iTunes Store.
* January 11 – The merger of AOL and Time Warner, the largest business merger in history at that time, takes effect.
* January 13 – A January 2001 El Salvador earthquake, 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 944 people and causing massive landslides, which leaves thousands of those affected homeless.
* January 15 – Wikipedia is launched.[Kock, N., Jung, Y., & Syn, T. (2016)]
Wikipedia and e-Collaboration Research: Opportunities and Challenges.
International Journal of e-Collaboration (IJeC), 12(2), 1–8.
* January 16 – Assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila: The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is shot in his office during the Second Congo War
The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...
and rushed to Harare in Zimbabwe for medical treatment; his death will be announced two days later. His son Joseph Kabila will be sworn in as his replacement the following week.
* January 20
** George W. Bush, a former governor of Texas, is First inauguration of George W. Bush, sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States.
** Impeachment proceedings against Philippine President Joseph Estrada end prematurely as he is peacefully overthrown in the Second EDSA Revolution
The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...
. Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo succeeds him as president.
* January 21 – Taba Summit: Talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority begin in Egypt.
* January 22 – The 2001 insurgency in Macedonia
The 2001 insurgency in Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group, formed from veterans of the Kosovo War and Insurgency in the Preševo Valley, attacked Macedonian secu ...
begins when a police station is shelled by the National Liberation Army in Tearce
Tearce ( mk, Теарце , sq, Tearcë) is a village located 12 km to the northeast of Tetovo, in northwestern North Macedonia, about 15 kilometres from the border with Kosovo. It is a seat of the Tearce municipality. Population 3,974 (200 ...
, near the border with Kosovo.
* January 26 – A 7.7 2001 Gujarat earthquake, Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''), leaving thousands of people dead and more than 166,000 others injured.
* January 29 – Corruption scandals surrounding Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid prompt thousands of protesters to storm the Indonesian MPR/DPR/DPD building, parliament building.
February
* February 6 – 2001 Israeli prime ministerial election: Ariel Sharon of the Likud party is elected Prime Minister of Israel.
* February 9
** Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision, ''Ehime Maru'' and USS ''Greeneville'' collision: The submarine USS Greeneville (SSN-772), USS ''Greeneville'' accidentally strikes and sinks the Japanese training vessel ''Ehime Maru'' near Hawaii, resulting in nine deaths, including several students and teachers.
** 2001 Kot Charwal massacre: Militants kill 15 people in their homes in Rajouri district, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir.
* February 12
** The ''NEAR Shoemaker'' spacecraft touches down in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, a near-Earth object, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
** The Human Genome Project publishes the first draft of its human genome
The human genome is a complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as DNA within the 23 chromosome pairs in cell nuclei and in a small DNA molecule found within individual mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the n ...
sequence.
* February 13 – A February 2001 El Salvador earthquake, 6.6-magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 315 people.
* February 16 – Iraq disarmament crisis: British and U.S. forces February 2001 airstrike in Iraq, carry out bombing raids to disable Iraq's air defense network.
*February 19 – The 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak begins.
* February 22 – The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) sentences three Bosnian Serb soldiers to prison for wartime sexual violence, recognizing it as a war crime for the first time.
* February 25 – Sampit conflict: Mass ethnic violence begins in Sampit, Indonesia, killing hundreds of people.
March
* March 2 – Despite pleas from the international community to spare them, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001), Taliban government of Afghanistan begins destroying the Buddhas of Bamiyan, having declared that they are Idolatry in Islam, idols.
* March 4 – The Hintze Ribeiro Bridge Hintze Ribeiro disaster, collapses in northern Portugal, killing 59 people.
* March 14 – Battle of Tetovo
, combatant3 =
, commander1 = Boris Trajkovski Ljubčo Georgievski Pande Petrovski Ljube Boškoski
, commander2 = Rahim Beqiri Hamdi Ndrecaj Gëzim Ostreni
, commander3 =
* George Robertson
* Guido Vent ...
: Violence erupts between Albanian rebels and Macedonian soldiers in Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
. Conflict in Tetovo will continue for months during the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia.
* March 16 – Shijiazhuang bombings: 108 people are killed in a series of bombings in Shijiazhuang, China.
* March 22 – ''Kenyanthropus'' is Species description, described as an early Hominidae, hominid after the discovery of remains in Kenya.
* March 23 – The Deorbit of Mir, deorbit of Russian space station ''Mir'' is processed, with debris falling into the South Pacific Ocean after the station Atmospheric entry, enters the atmosphere and is destroyed.
* March 28 – The United States declares its intention to end involvement in the Kyoto Protocol.
April
* April 1
** The Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands, Act on the Opening up of Marriage goes into effect in the Netherlands, which becomes the first modern country to legalize same-sex marriage.
** Hainan Island incident
The Hainan Island incident occurred on April 1, 2001, when a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air, resulting in an interna ...
: A Chinese fighter jet collides with a U.S. Lockheed EP-3, EP-3E surveillance aircraft, which is forced to make an emergency landing in Hainan, China. The U.S. crew is detained for 10 days and the Shenyang J-8, F-8 Chinese pilot, Wang Wei, goes missing and is presumed dead.
* April 2 – Former President of Serbia and Montenegro Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces to be tried on charges of crimes against humanity.
* April 7 – The NASA orbiter ''2001 Mars Odyssey'' launches on a Delta II rocket.
* April 17
** Nông Đức Mạnh is chosen as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
** Israel occupies an area in the Gaza Strip, killing two people. Israeli forces withdraw the same day after the United States denounces the attack.
* April 26
** Junichiro Koizumi becomes the 86th Prime Minister of Japan.
** The Parliament of Ukraine votes to dismiss Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko.
* April 28
** The Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-32 lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying the first space tourist
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism.
During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight s ...
, American entrepreneur Dennis Tito
Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940) is an American engineer and entrepreneur. In mid-2001, he became the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space, when he spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of ISS EP-1, a visitin ...
, and two Russian cosmonauts.
** Vejce ambush: Eight Macedonian soldiers are killed in an ambush by the NLA near Vejce, a village in the Šar Mountains, Macedonia. It represents the heaviest death toll for the government forces in a single incident during the insurgency.
May
* May 7 – In Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, an attempt is made to reconstruct the historic 16th-century Ferhat Pasha Mosque (Banja Luka), Ferhadija Mosque. Serbian nationalism, Serbian nationalists respond with riots and mass violence against Bosnian Muslims.
* May 13 – The House of Freedoms coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi wins the 2001 Italian general election, Italian general election.
* May 18 – 2001 HaSharon Mall suicide bombing: A Hamas suicide bomber kills six people in Netanya, Israel. The Israeli government responds with the first use of airstrikes against Palestine since 1967.
* May 22
** 28978 Ixion
28978 Ixion (, provisional designation ) is a large trans-Neptunian object and a possible dwarf planet. It is located in the Kuiper belt, a region of icy objects orbiting beyond Neptune in the outer Solar System. Ixion is classified as a plu ...
, a large trans-Neptunian object and a List of possible dwarf planets, possible dwarf planet, is discovered during the Deep Ecliptic Survey.
** The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is adopted by 127 countries to limit pollution internationally.
* May 24
** Sherpa Temba Tsheri, 15, becomes the youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
** The Versailles Wedding Hall Versailles wedding hall disaster, collapses in Jerusalem, Israel, killing 23 people and injuring 380 others.
* May 26 – The African Union is formed to replace the Organisation of African Unity. It will begin operation the following year.
* May 28 – 2001 Central African Republic coup d'état attempt: Central African forces led by André Kolingba
André-Dieudonné Kolingba (12 August 1936 – 7 February 2010) was a Central African politician, who was the fourth President of the Central African Republic (CAR), from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David ...
carry out a failed attempt to overthrow the government of the Central African Republic. Dozens are killed in the ensuing violence.
* May 31 – Research into Crohn's disease confirms that it is identified with mutation of the NOD2 gene.
June
* June 1
** Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal kills his father, the king, his mother and other members of the royal family with an assault rifle and then shoots himself in the Nepalese royal massacre. Dipendra is recognized as King of Nepal while in a coma.[
** Dolphinarium discotheque massacre: A Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 people, mostly teenagers, in the Dolphinarium disco in Tel Aviv, Israel.
* June 4 – Gyanendra of Nepal, Gyanendra ascends the throne of Nepal on the death of his nephew, Dipendra.][
]
* June 5 – Tropical Storm Allison hits the U.S. state of Texas, severely flooding Houston and killing 23 people.
* June 7
** 2001 United Kingdom general election: Tony Blair and the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party win a second landslide victory.
** Former Argentinian president Carlos Menem is arrested on suspicion of illegal arms sales.
* June 12 – Aračinovo crisis: Albanian rebels violate a 24-hour cease fire with Macedonian soldiers.
* June 15 – Declaration to establish the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is signed.
* June 19
** Syria withdraws thousands of forces from a decades-long military presence in Beirut, Lebanon.
** Germany enacts a program to compensate Holocaust survivors that were subject to slave labor.
** A missile hits a soccer field in northern Iraq, killing 23 people and wounding 11 more. According to U.S. officials, it is an Iraqi missile that malfunctioned.
* June 21 – The world's longest trains, longest train is run by BHP Iron Ore between Newman and Port Hedland in Western Australia (a distance of ); the train consists of 682 loaded iron ore wagons and 8 GE AC6000CW locomotives, giving a gross weight of almost 100,000 tonnes and moves 82,262 tonnes of ore; the train is long.
* June 23 – An 8.4 2001 southern Peru earthquake, southern Peru earthquake shakes coastal Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). A destructive tsunami follows, leaving at least 77 people dead, and 2,687 others injured.
* June 25 – Alkhan-Kala operation
The Alkhan-Kala operation was a ''zachistka'' (russian: зачистка) operation by Russian forces in Alkhan-Kala, Chechnya, starting on 25 June 2001, during the Second Chechen War. The week-long sweep of Alkhan-Kala erupted into armed clashes ...
: Russian forces carry out a Zachistka, ''zachistka'' operation in Alkhan-Kala, Grozny, Chechnya, during the Guerrilla phase of the Second Chechen War (2001), Second Chechen War. Chechen warlord Arbi Barayev is killed.
July
* July 2 – The world's first self-contained artificial heart
An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, experi ...
is implanted in Robert Tools in the United States.
* July 4 – Vladivostok Air Flight 352 crashes on approach while landing at Irkutsk Airport, Russia, killing all 145 people aboard.
* July 7 – 2001 Bradford riots: Ethnic violence is provoked in Bradford, England, by the far-right National Front (UK), National Front and far-left Anti-Nazi League.
* July 13 – The International Olympic Committee chooses Beijing to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.
* July 14 – Agra Summit: India and Pakistan begin talks to improve relations. The summit ends inconclusively on July 16.
* July 16 – China and Russia sign the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship.
* July 20–July 22, 22 – The 27th G8 summit takes place in Genoa, Italy. Massive demonstrations, drawing an estimated 200,000 people, are held against the meeting by members of the anti-globalization movement
The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalis ...
. One demonstrator, Death of Carlo Giuliani, Carlo Giuliani, is killed by a policeman, and several others are injured.
* July 23 – Megawati Sukarnoputri is Inauguration of Megawati Sukarnoputri, inaugurated as the first female president of Indonesia.
* July 24
** Bandaranaike Airport attack
The Bandaranaike Airport attack was an assault by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Bandaranaike International Airport, on July 24, 2001. The attack was one of the boldest the LTTE mounted during its war with the Sri Lankan govern ...
: The Tamil Tigers bomb the Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
** Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, deposed as the last Tsar of Bulgaria when a child, is sworn in as the democratically elected 48th List of Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
* July 28 – Alejandro Toledo becomes the President of Peru.
August
* August 2 – The ICTY convicts Bosnian Serb General Radislav Krstić on the charge of genocide for his role in the Srebrenica massacre.
* August 3 – 2001 Kishtwar massacre: 17 Hindus in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, are killed by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants.
* August 6 – Erwadi fire incident: 28 mentally ill persons bound by chains are burnt to death at a faith-based institution at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu, India.
* August 8
** The Genesis (spacecraft), ''Genesis'' probe is launched from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17.
** Albanian rebels Karpalak ambush, ambush a convoy of the Army of North Macedonia, Army of the Republic of Macedonia near Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
, North Macedonia, killing 10 soldiers.
* August 9 – A Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem is Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing, bombed by a Palestinian Hamas terrorist, killing 15 civilians and injuring 130 others.
* August 10
** 2001 Angola train attack: 252 people are killed by UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...
in an attack on a train during the Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...
.
** The United States and the United Kingdom bomb air force installations in Iraq in response to attacks on American and British planes.
* August 13 – Macedonian and Albanian representatives sign the Ohrid Agreement
The Ohrid Framework Agreement ( mk, Охридски рамковен договор, Ohridski ramkoven dogovor) was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) and representatives of the Albanian ...
to reduce conflicts during the insurgency.
* August 21 – Operation Essential Harvest: NATO sends a military forces to the Republic of Macedonia in response to the ongoing insurgency.
* August 28 – A Targeted killing, targeted Israeli strike kills Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa. Palestinian militants respond by firing on Israeli civilians. Israeli forces occupy Beit Jala, Palestine to combat the militants.
September
* September 7 – 2001 Jos riots: Clashes between Christian and Muslim rioters begin in Jos, Nigeria. The conflict will continue until September 17, during which time hundreds of people will be killed.
* September 9
**A suicide bomber kills Ahmad Shah Massoud
)
, branch = Jamiat-e Islami / Shura-e Nazar Afghan Armed Forces United Islamic Front
, serviceyears = 1975–2001
, rank = General
, unit =
, commands = Mujahideen commander during the Soviet–Afghan Wa ...
, military commander of the Afghan Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...
.
**68 people Pärnu methanol poisoning incident, die of methanol poisoning in Pärnu County, Estonia.
* September 11 – Approximately 2,977 victims are killed or fatally injured in the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
after American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 are hijacked and crash into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
, American Airlines Flight 77 is hijacked and crashes into the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
, and United Airlines Flight 93 is hijacked and crashes into grassland in Shanksville, Pennsylvania as a result of passengers fighting to regain control of the airplane. The Twin Towers collapse as a result of the crashes.
* September 18 – The 2001 anthrax attacks begin in the United States, which cause five fatalities and 17 other infections.
* September 19 – Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat forbids Palestinian soldiers from firing on Israeli forces, even in self-defence. Israel agrees to a ceasefire.
* September 20 – In an address to a joint session of United States Congress, Congress, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a war on terror
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...
, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).
*September 22 – American spacecraft ''Deep Space 1'' flies within of 19P/Borrelly, Comet Borrelly.
* September 27 – Zug massacre: In Zug, Switzerland, Friedrich Leibacher shoots 18 people, killing 14 of them and then himself.
October
* October 1 – Jaish-e-Mohammed militants 2001 Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly car bombing, attack the state legislature building in Srinagar, Kashmir, killing 38 people.
* October 2 – Swissair, the national airline of Switzerland, seeks bankruptcy protection and grounds its entire fleet, stranding thousands of people worldwide.
* October 4
** Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 is accidentally shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force over the Black Sea en route from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Novosibirsk, Russia; all 78 people on board are killed.
** 2001 Kodori crisis: Fighting escalates between Georgia and the breakaway state Abkhazia.
* October 7 – United States invasion of Afghanistan: In response to the September 11 attacks, Afghanistan is invaded by a Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, US-led coalition, beginning the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), War in Afghanistan.
* October 8
** Linate Airport disaster: A twin-engine Cessna and Scandinavian Airlines jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.
** Hurricane Iris hits Belize, causing $250 million (2001 USD) in damage.
* October 13 – American scientists create the first successful clone of a human embryo.
* October 15 – NASA's ''Galileo'' spacecraft passes within of Jupiter's moon Io.
* October 16 – American planes misidentify and bomb a Red Cross facility in Afghanistan. A similar error occurs again on October 27.
* October 17 – Assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi: Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi is assassinated by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
* October 19 – An Indonesian fishing boat, the ''SIEV X'', sinks on route to Christmas Island. 353 people are killed, most of whom are asylum seekers.
* October 23 – Apple Inc. introduces the iPod
The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...
, a portable media player and multi-purpose mobile device. The company will sell an estimated 450 million iPod products by May 2022.
* October 25 – Citing connotations with the Rwandan genocide, the government of Rwanda adopts Flag of Rwanda, a new national flag for the country.
November
* November 4 – Hurricane Michelle hits Cuba, where the storm is the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall on the island in more than Hurricane Fox (1952), 49 years. It is the costliest hurricane in Cuban history to this point with an estimated $2 billion in damage.
* November 7 – Sabena, the national airline of Belgium, goes bankrupt.
* November 10
** 2001 Australian federal election: The Coalition (Australia), Coalition government, led by John Howard, is re-elected with a slightly increased majority, defeating the Australian Labor Party, Labor Party led by Kim Beazley.
** Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif
The fall of Mazar-i-Sharif (or Mazar-e-Sharif) in November 2001 resulted from the first major offensive of the Afghanistan War after American intervention. A push into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh Province by the United Islamic Front ...
: American and Northern Alliance forces take Mazar-i-Sharif in the first major offensive of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), War in Afghanistan.
* November 11 – Two French journalists, Pierre Billaud and Johanne Sutton, and a German colleague, Volker Handloik, are killed in Afghanistan during an attack on their convoy.
* November 12
** American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in Queens, New York City, minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people on board.
** 2001 uprising in Herat: Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...
forces take the city of Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
from the Taliban.
* November 14 – Fall of Kabul (2001), Fall of Kabul: Northern Alliance forces take the Afghan capital Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
.
* November 15 – Microsoft enters the Video game console, gaming console market with the release of the Xbox (console), Xbox, a Sixth generation of video game consoles, sixth-generation gaming console, in the United States.
* November 18 – The Leonids meteor shower occurs in its heaviest concentration in decades as Earth passes through a debris cloud.
* November 23 – The Convention on Cybercrime is signed in Budapest, Hungary.
* November 27 – A hydrogen atmosphere is discovered on the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b, nicknamed Osiris, by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is the first atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet.
December
* December – Dasht-i-Leili massacre: Hundreds of Taliban prisoners are killed by the forces of Abdul Rashid Dostum.
* December 1
** The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty produces a report on responsibility to protect.
** A series of Ben Yehuda Street bombings, bombings in Zion Square are carried out by Hamas. Ten people are killed and hundreds more are injured.
* December 2
** Enron files for Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code, Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection five days after Dynegy cancels a US$8.4 billion buyout bid (to this point, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history).
** Haifa bus 16 suicide bombing: A Hamas militant carries out a suicide bombing in Haifa, Israel, killing 15 people.
* December 5 – 2001 Sayyd Alma Kalay airstrike: An American airstrike mistakenly targets a friendly position, killing 11 people in a friendly fire incident.
* December 6 – Fall of Kandahar: The Taliban surrenders in Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
, its final stronghold.
* December 13
** 2001 Indian Parliament attack: Nine people and five terrorists are killed in a terrorist attack in New Delhi, leading to the 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff
The 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff was a military standoff between India and Pakistan that resulted in the massing of troops on both sides of the India–Pakistan border, border and along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region of Kashmir ...
.
** U.S. President George W. Bush announces the American withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
** Sirajuddin of Perlis becomes the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia.
* December 17 – Battle of Tora Bora: American forces take Tora Bora
Tora Bora ( ps, توره بوړه, "Black Cave") is a cave complex, part of the Spin Ghar (White Mountains) mountain range of eastern Afghanistan. It is situated in the Pachir Aw Agam District of Nangarhar, approximately west of the Khyber ...
, a cave complex and the headquarters of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden escapes during the battle and goes into hiding.
* December 19 – A record-high Atmospheric pressure, barometric pressure of 1085.6 Pascal (unit), hPa (32.06 Inch of mercury, inHg) is recorded at Tosontsengel, Zavkhan, Mongolia.
* December 22
** Battle of Amami-Ōshima: A Japan Coast Guard ship and an armed North Korean vessel engage in conflict near the Japanese island of Amami Ōshima, in the East China Sea. The encounter ends in the sinking of the North Korean vessel that is later determined to have been a Spy ship, spy craft by the Japanese authorities.
** Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
* December 27
** China is granted permanent Most favoured nation, normal trade status with the United States.
** Tropical Storm Vamei forms within 1.5 degrees of the equator. No other tropical cyclone in recorded history has come as close to the equator.
Births
January–April
* January 1 – Angourie Rice, Australian actress
* January 3 – Deni Avdija, Israeli basketball player
* January 9 – Rodrygo, Brazilian footballer
* January 9 – Eric García (footballer, born 2001), Eric García, Spanish footballer
* January 15 – Alexandra Agiurgiuculese, Romanian-Italian rhythmic gymnast
* February 13 – Kaapo Kakko, Finnish ice hockey player
* February 19 – David Mazouz, American actor
* February 24 – Ramona Marquez, British actress
* March 4 – Freya Anderson, English freestyle swimmer
* March 10 – Alyssa Carson, American space enthusiast and undergraduate student
* April 6 – Oscar Piastri, Australian racing driver
May–August
* May 8 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
* May 31 – Iga Świątek, Polish tennis player
* June 4 – Takefusa Kubo, Japanese footballer
* June 12 – Théo Maledon, French basketball player
* July 10 – Isabela Moner, American actress and singer
* August 12 – Dixie D'Amelio, American social media personality
* August 22 – LaMelo Ball, American basketball player
September–December
* September 3 – Kaia Gerber, American model and actress
* September 5 – Bukayo Saka, English footballer
* September 6 – Freya Allan, English actress
* September 25 – Cade Cunningham, American basketball player
* October 1 – Mason Greenwood, English footballer
* October 13 – Caleb McLaughlin, American actor
* October 14 – Rowan Blanchard, American actress
* October 25 – Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, daughter and Heiress Apparent of Philippe of Belgium, Philippe, King of the Belgians
* December 1 – Aiko, Princess Toshi of Japan
* December 18 – Billie Eilish, American singer
* December 28 – Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Canadian actress
Deaths
January
* January 1 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
* January 2 – William P. Rogers, American diplomat (b. 1913)
* January 7 – Charles Helou, 9th president of Lebanon (b. 1913)
* January 9 – Paul Vanden Boeynants, 2-time prime minister of Belgium (b. 1919)
* January 12
** Adhemar da Silva, Brazilian athlete (b. 1927)
** Bill Hewlett, American businessman (b. 1913)
* January 18 – Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila () (27 November 1939 – 18 January 2001) or simply Laurent Kabila ( US: ), was a Congolese revolutionary and politician who was the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassinati ...
, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1939) (see assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated in his office inside his official residence at the , Kinshasa on 16 January 2001. The assassin who killed him was his 18-year-old bodyguard ...
)
* January 27 – Marie-José of Belgium, last Queen of Italy (b. 1906)
* January 31 – Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian writer (b. 1923)
February
* February 4
** J. J. Johnson, American jazz trombonist (b. 1924)
** Iannis Xenakis, Greek composer (b. 1922)
* February 6 – Trần Văn Lắm, South Vietnamese diplomat and politician (b. 1913)
* February 7 – Dale Evans, American actress, singer, and songwriter (b. 1912)
* February 9 – Herbert A. Simon, American economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
* February 10 – Lewis Arquette, American film actor, writer and producer (b. 1935)
* February 13 – Ugo Fano, Italian-born American physicist (b. 1912)
* February 18
** Balthus, French painter (b. 1908)
** Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
, American auto racing driver (b. 1951) (see Death of Dale Earnhardt)
* February 19
** Stanley Kramer, American film director (b. 1913)
** Charles Trenet French singer and songwriter (b. 1913)
* February 20 – Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
* February 24 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician (b. 1916)
* February 25 – Sir Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
, Australian cricketer (b. 1908)
March
* March 4 – Harold Stassen, American politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1907)
* March 10 – Michael Woodruff, British surgeon and organ transplantation pioneer (b. 1911)
* March 12 – Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927)
* March 15 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (b. 1909)
* March 18 – John Phillips (musician), John Phillips, American singer-songwriter (b. 1935)
* March 20 – Ilie Verdeț, 51st prime minister of Romania (b. 1925)
* March 22 – William Hanna, American animator and businessman (b. 1910)
* March 29 – John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer (b. 1920)
* March 31 – Clifford Shull, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
April
* April 2 – Jennifer Syme, American actress (b. 1972)
* April 7
** David Graf, American actor (b. 1950)
** Beatrice Straight, American actress (b. 1914)
* April 11 – Sir Harry Secombe, Welsh entertainer (b. 1921)
* April 14 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director (b. 1927)
* April 15 – Joey Ramone
Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...
, American musician and singer (b. 1951)
* April 20
** Va'ai Kolone, Prime Minister of Samoa (b. 1911)
** Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)
* April 25 – Michele Alboreto, Italian racing driver (b. 1956)
* April 29 – Barend Biesheuvel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1971–1973) (b. 1920)
May
* May 11 – Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...
, English author (b. 1952)
* May 12 – Perry Como, American singer (b. 1912)
* May 13
** Jason Miller (playwright), Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (b. 1939)
** R. K. Narayan
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mul ...
, Indian novelist (b. 1906)
* May 17 – Jacques-Louis Lions, French mathematician (b. 1928)
* May 22 – Jenő Fock, 49th prime minister of Hungary (b. 1916)
* May 24 – Javier Urruticoechea, Spanish footballer (b. 1952)
* May 26 – Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
* May 31 – Arlene Francis, American actress and game show panelist (b. 1907)
June
* June 1
** Nkosi Johnson, South African AIDS awareness campaigner (b. 1989)
** Nepalese royal massacre:
*** Queen Aishwarya of Nepal (b. 1949)
*** King Birendra of Nepal
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...
(b. 1944)
*** Prince Nirajan of Nepal (b. 1978)
*** Princess Shruti of Nepal (b. 1976)
* June 2 – Imogene Coca, American actress (b. 1908)
* June 3 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (b. 1915)
* June 4 – King Dipendra of Nepal (b. 1971)
* June 7 – Víctor Paz Estenssoro, 45th President of Bolivia (b. 1907)
* June 10 – Leila Pahlavi, Iranian princess (b. 1970)
* June 11
** Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist (b. 1968)
** Amalia Mendoza, Mexican singer and actress (b. 1923)
* June 15 – Henri Alekan, French cinematographer (b. 1909)
* June 17 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
* June 21
** John Lee Hooker, American musician (b. 1917)
** Soad Hosny, Egyptian actress (b. 1942)
** Carroll O'Connor, American actor (b. 1924)
* June 22 – Luis Carniglia, Argentine footballer and manager (b. 1917)
* June 23 – Corinne Calvet, French actress (b. 1925)
* June 27
** Tove Jansson, Finnish author and illustrator (b. 1914)
** Jack Lemmon, American actor and director (b. 1925)
** Joan Sims, English actress (b. 1930)
* June 28 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher (b. 1902)
* June 29 – Maximos V Hakim, Egyptian patriarch (b. 1908)
* June 30
** Chet Atkins, American guitarist and record producer (b. 1924)
** Joe Fagan, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
** Joe Henderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (b. 1937)
July
* July 1 – Nikolay Basov, Soviet physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
* July 10 – Álvaro Magaña, 38th President of El Salvador (b. 1925)
* July 11 – Herman Brood, Dutch musician (b. 1946)
* July 17 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (b. 1917)
* July 21 – Sivaji Ganesan, Indian actor (b. 1928)
* July 25 – Phoolan Devi
Phoolan Devi (1963–2001), popularly known as the Bandit Queen, was an Mallah woman who grew up in poverty in a village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Her family was in a land dispute which caused many problems in her youth and after b ...
, Indian politician (b. 1963)
* July 22 – Maria Gorokhovskaya, Soviet gymnast (b. 1921)
* July 25 – Josef Klaus, 16th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1910)
* July 28 – Ahmed Sofa, Bengali writer (b. 1943)
* July 29 – Edward Gierek, Polish politician (b. 1913)
* July 31
** Poul Anderson, American author (b. 1926)
** Francisco da Costa Gomes, 15th President of Portugal (b. 1914)
August
* August 4 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, writer, producer, and musician (b. 1937)
* August 6
** Larry Adler, American musician (b. 1914)
** Jorge Amado, Brazilian writer (b. 1912)
** Dương Văn Minh, 4th and final President of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) (b. 1916)
** Wilhelm Mohnke, German general (b. 1911)
* August 11 – Carlos Hank González, Mexican politician (b. 1927)
* August 15 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (b. 1972)
* August 19 – Donald Woods, South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist (b. 1933)
* August 20
** Fred Hoyle, British astronomer and writer (b. 1915)
** Kim Stanley, American actress (b. 1925)
* August 23 – Kathleen Freeman, American actress (b. 1919)
* August 24 – Jane Greer, American actress (b. 1924)
* August 25 – Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
, American singer and actress (b. 1979) (see 2001 Marsh Harbour Cessna 402 crash)
* August 26 – Marita Petersen, 8th prime minister of Faroe Islands (b. 1940)
* August 27 – Abu Ali Mustafa, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP leader (b. 1938)
* August 30 – A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury, 9th president of Bangladesh (b. 1915)
September
* September 2
** Christiaan Barnard, South African cardiac surgeon (b. 1922)
** Troy Donahue, American actor (b. 1936)
* September 3
** Pauline Kael, American film critic (b. 1919)
** Thuy Trang, Vietnamese American actress (b. 1973)
* September 9 – Ahmad Shah Massoud
)
, branch = Jamiat-e Islami / Shura-e Nazar Afghan Armed Forces United Islamic Front
, serviceyears = 1975–2001
, rank = General
, unit =
, commands = Mujahideen commander during the Soviet–Afghan Wa ...
, Afghan military commander (b. 1953)
* September 11 – 2,996 people (2,977 victims and 19 hijackers) who died in the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
(see Casualties of the September 11 attacks)
* September 12 – Victor Wong (actor, born 1927), Victor Wong, Chinese-American actor (b. 1927)
* September 14 – Dorothy McGuire, American actress (b. 1916)
* September 20 – Marcos Pérez Jiménez, 51st President of Venezuela (b. 1914)
* September 22 – Isaac Stern, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1920)
* September 29
** Gloria Foster, American actress (b. 1933)
** Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, 2nd President of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) (b. 1923)
October
* October 5 – Mike Mansfield, American politician and diplomat (b. 1903)
* October 8 – Javed Iqbal (serial killer), Javed Iqbal, Pakistani serial killer (b. 1956)
* October 9 – Herbert Ross, American actor, choreographer, director, and producer (b. 1927)
* October 15 – Chang Hsueh-liang, Chinese military figure (b. 1901)
* October 17
** Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete (b. 1922)
** Rehavam Ze'evi, Israeli general and politician (b. 1926) (see assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi)
* October 21 – Bertie Mee, English football player and coach (b. 1918)
* October 22 – Georgy Vitsin, Soviet and Russian actor (b. 1917)
* October 24 – Jaromil Jireš, Czechoslovak filmmaker (b. 1935)
* October 25 – Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary ( fa, ثریا اسفندیاری بختیاری, Sorayâ Esfandiâri-Baxtiâri; 22 June 1932 – 26 October 2001) was Queen of the Imperial State of Iran as the second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom she mar ...
, Queen consort of Iran (b. 1932)
November
* November
** Mohammed Atef, Al-Qaeda leader (b. 1944)
** Ravindra Kaushik, Indian spy (b. 1952)
* November 1 – Juan Bosch (politician), Juan Bosch, President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1909)
* November 3 – Sir Ernst Gombrich, Austrian-born art historian (b. 1909)
* November 5 – Gholam Reza Azhari, 73rd prime minister of Iran (b. 1912)
* November 6 – Anthony Shaffer (writer), Anthony Shaffer, English novelist and playwright (b. 1926)
* November 9 – Giovanni Leone, 37th Prime Minister of Italy and 6th President of Italy (b. 1908)
* November 10 – Ken Kesey, American author (b. 1935)
* November 12 – Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, American-born Hindu guru (b. 1927)
* November 14 – Juan Carlos Lorenzo, Argentine footballer and coach (b. 1922)
* November 24
** Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Sophie, Princess of Greece and Denmark (b. 1914)
** Melanie Thornton, American singer (b. 1967) (see Crossair Flight 3597)
* November 29 – George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, English musician (b. 1943)
December
* December – Kira Ivanova, Soviet–Russian figure skater (b. 1963)
* December 5 – Peter Blake (sailor), Sir Peter Blake, New Zealand yachtsman (b. 1948)
* December 8 – Betty Holberton, American computer scientist (b. 1917)
* December 10 – Ashok Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1911)
* December 12 – Josef Bican
Josef "Pepi" Bican (25 September 1913 – 12 December 2001) was an Austrian-Czech professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the second-most prolific goalscorer in official matches in recorded history according to Rec.Sport.Soccer ...
, Czech–Austrian footballer (b. 1913)
* December 13 – Rufus Thomas, American singer (b. 1917)
* December 18 – Gilbert Bécaud, French singer-songwriter (b. 1927)
* December 20 – Léopold Sédar Senghor, first president of Senegal (b. 1906)
* December 23 – Jelle Zijlstra, Dutch politician and economist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1918)
* December 26 – Sir Nigel Hawthorne, British actor (b. 1929)
* December 31
** John Grigg (writer), John Grigg, British writer (b. 1924)
** Eileen Heckart, American actress (b. 1919)
** Harshad Mehta, Indian stockbroker (b. 1954)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Eric Allin Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Carl Wieman
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – William Standish Knowles, Ryōji Noyori, and Karl Barry Sharpless
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Leland H. Hartwell, Tim Hunt, and Paul Nurse
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – V. S. Naipaul
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, Kofi Annan
* Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – George Akerlof, Michael Spence, and Joseph Stiglitz
References
Further reading
*
*
"Review: ''The Year Everything Changed: 2001'' by Phillipa McGuinness
by Miriam Cosic, ''The Australian'', June 9, 2018
External links
2001 – The Year in Review
''Financial Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:2001
2001,