A Month-by-Month History of the Past Decade: 2002-2003
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The decade of the 2000s has been a tumultuous turn of events that will be remembered far into the future. We have had many accomplishments, including the mapping of the human genome, the discovery of water on the moon, and movements towards peace on the planet. Unfortunately, negative events accompany us on our march of progress, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. We’ve also suffered through terrorist attacks such as 9/11, 7/7, and tragically, countless many others which have led to the greater tragedy of a population living in constant fear. So, we have a long way to go for humanity to become as great as it can be, but I believe this decade was a definitive step in the right direction. As such, I have collected one event from each of the last 120 months so that we don’t forget where we came from. Enjoy this month-by-month history of the first decade of the third millennium.
2002
January: The Euro, utilized in accounting since 1999, begins circulation in banknotes and coins in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands.
February: The trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
March: A coalition led by the U.S. launches Operation Anaconda, a definitive attempt to destroy the Taliban and capture Osama bin Laden.
April: A military coup d’état against the leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez fails.
May: FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for selling American secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
June: The United Kingdom celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
July: The International Criminal Court is established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Crimes committed on or after this date may be prosecuted by the court.
August: A 100-year flood caused by over a week of continuous heavy rains ravaged Europe, killing dozens, dispossessing thousands, and causing damage of billions of euros in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Croatia.
September: Switzerland, synonymous with neutrality, finally joins the United Nations.
October: The Beltway sniper attacks take place in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC, resulting in the deaths of 10 people, with 3 critically injured. Two people, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, a minor, were found guilty of the attacks. Malvo was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences and Muhammad was executed this past November.
November: President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947.
December: A suicide truck-bomb attack destroys the headquarters of Chechnya’s Moscow-backed government, killing 72.
Official Golden Jubilee portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for Canada
2003
January: The Supreme Court of the United States allows the extension of copyright terms in the U.S. in the case of Eldred v. Ashcroft.
February: Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas, killing the seven astronauts on board. The disaster, the 2nd fatal accident in the space shuttle era, caused the suspension of the space shuttle program for 2 years.
March: Despite a lack of support from the United Nations, the U.S., U.K., and six other nations invade Iraq. The threat of war and the subsequent invasion led to 3000 worldwide protests in which 36 million people participated. This includes the February 2003 protests in Rome, which the Guinness Book of Records lists as the world’s largest ever anti-war rally.
April: The Human Genome Project is completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
May: A major severe weather outbreak spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; 393 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
June: In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court declares sodomy laws unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas. This was the first logical step towards the legalization of gay marriage.
July: Washington Post columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative, sparking what would be known as the Plame Affair.
August: NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
September: The Hubble Space Telescope began the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, the deepest image of the universe ever taken. It goes back 13 billion years and captured over 10,000 galaxies.
October: California voters recalled Governor Gray Davis from office and elected actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him.
November: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, rules anti-same-sex marriage laws unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
December: A mad cow disease outbreak in the state of Washington prompts many countries around the world to stop importing American beef.
Partial view of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field
A big thanks to Wikipedia, without whom this timeline would have taken months. Also, I realize that according to the Gregorian calendar the decade doesn’t actually end until December 31, 2010, but I didn’t want to wait a year to do this. Besides, I will never consider the year 2000 to be a part of the 1990s, so there’s my logic. If you enjoyed this post, you should follow EiH on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed.
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