On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
In 2002, the world population was approximately 6,337,730,342 people[†]
2002Sylvia Rivera, American transgender LGBT activist (born 1951)[†]
Sylvia Rivera was an American gay liberation and transgender rights activist who was also a noted community worker in New York. Rivera, who identified as a drag queen for most of her life and later as a transgender person, participated in demonstrations with the Gay Liberation Front.
2002NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.[†]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the American space development effort a distinct civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications in space science. It has since led most of America's space exploration programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the 1968–1972 Apollo program missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA supports the International Space Station (ISS) along with the Commercial Crew Program and oversees the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System for the lunar Artemis program.
Article on lodge in Beijing's Forbidden City, which was built in 1796 as retirement home for Emperor Qianlong; lodge, filled with decorative arts, survived ravages of Cultural Revolution and is being prepared for conservation in collaboration by Chinese government and World Monuments Fund; photos (M)
As Global Crossing, troubled telecommunications company, made its long tumble toward bankruptcy, it became big campaign contributor in New York--giving more than $200,000 in 18 months, most of it to Gov George E Pataki and his allies; Global Crossing and its executives, already big contributors to federal campaigns and candidates in their home base of California, began making contributions to New York State political action committees in 1999, when company bought Frontier Corp, phone company based in Rochester; at time of contributions, Global Crossing was seeking state's permission to sell Frontier and most of its assets to Citizens Communication of Connecticut for $3.6 billion in cash (M)
Boston Symphony Orchestra announces Tanglewood season schedule, which begins July 5 (S)
Serge Schmemann news analysis says truth about pairs figure skating scandal is obscured behind conflicting statements; holds that money, national rivalries and human drama are what define Olympics, create heroes and villains and make modern Olympic games successful; notes that even ancient games were abandoned as pagan, political spectacle; photo (M)
Anthony Tommasini reviews Munich Philharmonic Orchestra concert conducted by James Levine; photo (M)
US forces apparently open new phase in war in Afghanistan with bombing raids Afghan commanders around Kabul say were aimed at clashing militia forces rather than at Taliban or Al Qaeda; US Central Command reports warplanes dropped precision-guided bombs when 'enemy troops' attacked forces loyal to eight-week-old Kabul government near southeastern city of Khost; bombing raids place US for first time in position of using American air power in defense of government of Hamid Karzai, pro-American leader of new administration; US policy since fall of Taliban has been to offer strong political and economic support to Karzai government, which recently announced it would request American air strikes if needed to end clashes between armed factions that control much of Afghanistan outside Kabul; map (M)
Credit Suisse First Boston is planning major shakeup of its investment banking group's top management; First Boston's chief executive John J Mack is close to deal to hire Walid Chammah, head of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter's debt capital markets group, as co-head of First Boston's investment banking group; opening would be created by Charles Ward, one of First Boston's top investment bankers, who is quietly finalizing plan to become president of Lazard; Hamilton E James, other co-head of First Boston's investment banking group, will become chairman of group and be replaced by Adebayo Ogunlesi, who currently runs First Boston Boston's energy group, as other co-head of group (M)
Ben Brantley reviews Wooster Group production of play To You, The Birdie! (Phedre), based on Paul Schmidt's translation of Racine's Phedre, directed by Elizabeth Le Compte; Frances McDormand, Kate Valk and Willem Dafoe star; photos (M)
United Airlines reaches tentative agreement with leaders of International Association of Machinists, union representing its aircraft mechanics, averting possible strike planned for Feb 20; strike would have been ruinous for United, which lost record $2.1 bilion last year; union to vote on March 5; mechanics will get 37 percent increase, and will receive increase in retroactive pay of about $4,000 per worker to average total of about $16,500 (M)
United Averts a Strike United Airlines reached a tentative agreement with the leaders of the union representing its 13,000 aircraft mechanics, who were threatening a walkout tomorrow. PAGE C1 Berenson Sentence Upheld Peru's Supreme Court upheld a 20-year prison term for Lori Berenson, the New York woman convicted in June of collaborating with a Marxist rebel group. PAGE A4
Comment on plight of out-of-work New Yorkers whose unemployment beneifts are running out after six months of fruitless job hunting; many of them belong to surprising group: experienced, college-educated professionals who worked in Manhattan; example cited of 31-year-old Linda Bonanno, who worked her way up to senior media buyer at major Madison Ave firm before she lost her job last July in advertising slump; she applied for every job she could find, with no luck, and is now living with her parents; photo (M)
Officials at Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City unveil plans for new scoring system designed to limit threat of collusion between judges, issue that has dominated games, even as figure skating scandal continues roiling French judge; International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta says proposal would put 14 judges on panel instead of 9; only 7 of 14 marks would be picked by computer, with not even judges knowing whose scores are included; Cinquanta calls proposal 'total revolution' in history of union; says it will reduce to minimum prospect of bloc judging; move follows suspension of French judge Marie Reine Le Gougne for misconduct after voting to award gold medal to Russians Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze instead of Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier in pairs competition (M)