2001⚡ Event
El Salvador earthquake
The first of two large earthquakes in the span of a month struck El Salvador, killing at least 944 people and destroying over 100,000 homes.
disaster
What Happened in 2001?
Explore 248 historical moments from 2001 — 44 events, 204 birthdays, and 0 notable deaths.
Events in 2001(44)
2001⚡ Event
Wikipedia launched
Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launch Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
technology
2001⚡ Event
First Wikipedia Edit
The first edit to the internet encyclopedia Wikipedia was made.
technology
2001⚡ Event
Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation Incident
Five people attempted to set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, an act claimed to have been staged by the Chinese Communist Party to escalate persecution of Falun Gong.
politicsreligion
2001⚡ Event
Gujarat Earthquake
An earthquake in the Indian state of Gujarat killed at least 20,000 people, injured 167,000 others and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes.
disaster
2001⚡ Event
USS Greeneville Collides with Ehime Maru
The American submarine USS Greeneville collided with the Japanese training vessel Ehime Maru. The collision resulted in the sinking of the Ehime Maru and the deaths of nine people.
war
2001⚡ Event
Anna Kournikova worm released
The computer worm Anna Kournikova, which would affect millions of users worldwide, was released by a 20-year-old Dutch student.
technology
2001⚡ Event
NEAR Shoemaker lands on Eros
The NASA space probe NEAR Shoemaker touched down on Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
spacesciencetechnology
2001⚡ Event
Sampit conflict
Inter-ethnic violence between the Dayak and the Madurese broke out in Sampit, Indonesia. This caused more than 500 deaths and the displacement of 100,000 Madurese.
warpolitics
2001⚡ Event
Selby rail crash
A high-speed train crash occurred near Selby in North Yorkshire, England, killing 10 and injuring 82.
disastertechnology
2001⚡ Event
Shijiazhuang Bombings
A series of bomb blasts in Shijiazhuang, China, on March 16, 2001, resulted in the deaths of 108 people.
disasterlaw
2001⚡ Event
Mir Space Station Deorbited
The Russian space agency deorbited the Mir space station. It reentered Earth's atmosphere and broke up over the Pacific Ocean.
spacetechnology
2001⚡ Event
Same-sex marriage legalized in the Netherlands
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands, making it the first country in the world to do so.
lawpolitics
2001⚡ Event
Hainan Island incident
An American EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet collided off the coast of Hainan Island, leading to an international dispute.
warpolitics
2001⚡ Event
2001 Mars Odyssey Launch
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey, the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, launched from Cape Canaveral.
sciencespace
2001⚡ Event
Australia vs. American Samoa football match
In a FIFA World Cup qualifying match, Australia defeated American Samoa 31–0, the largest margin of victory recorded in international football.
sports
2001⚡ Event
Bangladesh–India border skirmishes
India and Bangladesh engaged in a six-day conflict over their disputed border, which concluded in a stalemate.
war
2001⚡ Event
Accra stadium disaster
Police fired tear gas to quell unrest at a football match in Accra, Ghana, causing a stampede that killed 126 people. The incident occurred at the Ohene Djan Stadium.
disastersports
2001⚡ Event
Dos Palmas kidnappings
Twenty tourists were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in Palawan, Philippines. This triggered a hostage crisis that lasted for over a year.
law
2001⚡ Event
Tropical Storm Allison
Tropical Storm Allison made landfall in Texas, causing approximately $8.5 billion in damage. It was the costliest Atlantic tropical cyclone that never reached hurricane strength.
disaster
2001⚡ Event
Timothy McVeigh Executed
Timothy McVeigh, who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Oklahoma federal building, was executed by lethal injection for using a weapon of mass destruction, among other charges.
law
2001⚡ Event
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation formed
Leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
politics
2001⚡ Event
Death of Carlo Giuliani
Carlo Giuliani, a 23-year-old Italian anti-globalist, was shot dead by a police officer during protests at the G8 summit in Genoa, Italy.
politics
2001⚡ Event
Megawati Sukarnoputri becomes President of Indonesia
Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in as the first female president of Indonesia following her predecessor's impeachment.
politics
2001⚡ Event
Phoolan Devi assassinated
Phoolan Devi, a serving Member of Parliament, was assassinated by shooting in New Delhi, India.
politicslaw
2001⚡ Event
Ian Thorpe's record at World Aquatics Championships
At the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Australian Ian Thorpe became the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single FINA world championship.
sportsentertainment
2001⚡ Event
Jerusalem restaurant bombing
A suicide bomber attacked a pizza restaurant in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, killing 15 people and wounding 130 others.
war
2001⚡ Event
Aaliyah's Death
On August 25, 2001, American singer Aaliyah and several members of her record company were killed when their overloaded aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in The Bahamas.
entertainmentdisaster
2001⚡ Event
Loyalists picket Catholic school in Belfast
Ulster loyalists resumed a picket outside a Catholic girls' primary school in the Protestant portion of Ardoyne, Belfast. This event is part of The Troubles.
politicsreligion
2001⚡ Event
Assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud
Two al-Qaeda attackers assassinated Ahmad Shah Massoud, a pivotal Afghan resistance leader. This occurred two days before the September 11 attacks in the United States.
politicswar
2001⚡ Event
September 11 attacks
Terrorists hijack four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon.
wardisastermilitary
2001⚡ Event
Bush condemns Islamophobia
American president George W. Bush delivered remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington condemning Islamophobia in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
politics
2001⚡ Event
Anthrax mailings begin
On September 18, 2001, five letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to various media outlets in the United States. This marked the beginning of a series of bioterrorism attacks.
disasterlaw
2001⚡ Event
Murder of Ross Parker
Several British Muslim youths in Peterborough, England, murdered 17-year-old Ross Parker. This led to debate over whether the British media failed to cover racially motivated crimes with white victims.
law
2001⚡ Event
Milan Linate Airport disaster
Scandinavian Airlines Flight SK686 collided on take-off with a Cessna Citation II business jet at Linate Airport in Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.
disastertechnology
2001⚡ Event
Assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi
Rehavam Ze'evi, the Israeli minister of tourism, was assassinated in revenge for the killing of PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa.
politicslaw
2001⚡ Event
Grand Theft Auto III Released
Grand Theft Auto III was released, helping to popularize open-world and mature-content video games.
entertainmenttechnology
2001⚡ Event
Windows XP released
Windows XP, one of the most popular and widely used versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, was released for retail sale.
technology
2001⚡ Event
Patriot Act signed into law
President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law on October 26, 2001. This act significantly expanded the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies.
lawpolitics
2001⚡ Event
American Airlines Flight 587 crash
American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into residential buildings near New York City, killing all 265 people on board and on the ground.
disaster
2001⚡ Event
First exoplanet atmosphere measured
Astronomers announced the detection of sodium in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b. This marked the first time an exoplanet atmosphere was measured.
sciencespace
2001⚡ Event
Enron Files for Bankruptcy
The Texas-based energy firm Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, less than two months after disclosing accounting violations. This evaporated nearly $11 billion in shareholder wealth.
economicslaw
2001⚡ Event
Afghan Interim Government Formed
On December 22, 2001, Burhanuddin Rabbani of the Northern Alliance handed over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by Hamid Karzai.
politics
2001⚡ Event
Shoe Bomb Attempt
On December 22, 2001, Richard Reid unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb hidden in his shoe on a transatlantic flight from Paris to Miami.
lawdisaster
Born in 2001(204)
2001🎂 Birth
Peter Mamouzelos
Australian rugby league player Peter Mamouzelos was born.
sportsentertainment
2001🎂 Birth
Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Elisabetta Cocciaretto is an Italian tennis player.
sportsentertainment
2001🎂 Birth
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a Georgian footballer, was born on February 12, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Tanguy Coulibaly
Tanguy Coulibaly, a French footballer, was born on February 18, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., an American basketball player, was born on February 18, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Birth of Nico Mannion
Nico Mannion, an Italian-American basketball player, was born.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Kyle Hamilton
Kyle Hamilton, an American football player, was born on March 16, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Trevor Zegras
Trevor Zegras, an American ice hockey player, was born on March 20, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Birth of Artūrs Šilovs
Artūrs Šilovs, a Latvian ice hockey player, was born on this day.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Birth of Anzor Alem
Anzor Alem, a Congolese actor and singer, was born.
artsentertainmentmusic
2001🎂 Birth
Johnny Beecher
Johnny Beecher, an American ice hockey player, was born on April 5, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Violette Dorange
Violette Dorange is a French professional round-the-world sailor.
explorationsports
2001🎂 Birth
Julien Alfred
Julien Alfred is a Saint Lucian sprinter who won a medal in the 100m at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 5, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Dixie D'Amelio
Dixie D'Amelio, an American social media personality and singer, was born on August 12, 2001.
entertainment
2001🎂 Birth
Avishag Semberg
Avishag Semberg, Israeli Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist, was born.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Paige Bueckers
Paige Bueckers, an American basketball player, was born on this date.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Alofiana Khan-Pereira
Alofiana Khan-Pereira, an Australian rugby league player, was born.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
TyTy Washington Jr.
TyTy Washington Jr. is an American professional basketball player.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Jalen McMillan
Jalen McMillan, an American football player, was born on December 7, 2001.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Facundo Pellistri
Facundo Pellistri, a Uruguayan footballer, was born on December 20, 2001.
sports
Deaths in 2001(0)
No deaths recorded for 2001.
Dates in 2001
January 1January 2January 5January 8January 9January 10January 12January 13January 14January 15January 17January 21January 23January 25January 26January 29February 2February 3February 5February 7February 8February 9February 10February 11February 12February 13February 16February 18February 19February 25February 28March 1March 3March 4March 6March 9March 12March 13March 14March 15March 16March 17March 20March 22March 23March 24March 26March 27March 28March 30April 1April 4April 5April 6April 7April 9April 11April 13April 15April 16April 17April 19April 26April 28May 3May 4May 8May 9May 12May 14May 18May 19May 22May 23May 24May 25May 27May 29May 31June 2June 3June 4June 5June 6June 10June 11June 13June 15June 21June 22June 25June 29July 1July 10July 12July 13July 16July 18July 20July 23July 24July 25July 27July 28August 1August 5August 9August 11August 12August 16August 19August 22August 24August 25August 26August 27August 28August 31September 3September 4September 5September 6September 8September 9September 10September 11September 12September 16September 17September 18September 21September 23September 25September 26September 27October 1October 3October 6October 7October 8October 9October 11October 13October 14October 16October 17October 20October 22October 23October 25October 26October 28November 1November 2November 3November 6November 7November 12November 15November 17November 18November 20November 21November 22November 23November 26November 27December 1December 2December 7December 8December 12December 13December 14December 16December 18December 20December 22December 24December 26December 27December 28December 31
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened in 2001?
- 2001 saw 248 notable historical moments, including 44 events, 204 famous birthdays, and 0 notable deaths.
- What were the biggest events of 2001?
- Key events of 2001 include: El Salvador earthquake, Wikipedia launched, First Wikipedia Edit.
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