Events in History in 2001
- Jan 15 Wikipedia a free Wiki or content encyclopedia is launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger
- Feb 12 NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
- Feb 15 First draft of the complete human genome is published in the journal "Nature"
- Apr 1 Netherlands becomes the first country in the world to make same-sex marriage legal
- Sep 11 Attempt by passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 to retake control of their hijacked plane from terrorists causes plane to crash in Pennsylvania field killing all 64 people on board
- Sep 11 Terrorists hijack a passenger plane and crash it into the Pentagon causing the deaths of 125 people
- Sep 11 Two passenger planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists crash into New York's World Trade Towers causing the collapse of both and deaths of 2,606 people
- Sep 20 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, US President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror"
- Oct 7 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan starts with an air assault and covert operations on the ground
- Oct 8 US President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security
- Oct 23 The Provisional Irish Republican Army of Northern Ireland commences disarmament after peace talks
- More Events in History
Historical Figures Born in 2001
- Jan 31 Ahed Tamimi, Palestinian activist who slapped Israeli officer, born in Nabi Salih, West Bank
- Jun 10 Sasha [Natasha] Obama, American daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jun 29 Elsa Majimbo, Kenyan internet comedienne, born in Nairobi, Kenya
- Oct 7 Princess Senate Seeiso, daughter of King Letsie III of Lesotho, born in Maseru, Lesotho
- Oct 25 Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, heir apparent to the Belgian throne, born in Erasmus Hospital, Anderlecht, Brussels
More Birthdays in History
Historical Marriages in 2001
- Feb 2 Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg (54) weds media tycoon Barry Diller
- May 17 Fourth line of succession to the Dutch throne Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (31) weds Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (35) in The Hague, Netherlands
- Aug 25 Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (28), eldest son of King Harald V weds commoner Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby (28) at Oslo Cathedral in Norway
More Weddings in History