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[†]
2002Chet Holmgren, American basketball player[†]
Chet Thomas Holmgren is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star recruit and the top-ranked player of the 2021 class, Holmgren played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and was drafted second overall by the Thunder in the 2022 NBA draft. He stands 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and plays the center and power forward positions.
2002Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (born 1908)[†]
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh was a Bahraini writer and poet, generally considered to be one of Bahrain's greatest poets and one of the leaders of the Bahraini literary movement in the 20th century.
Indiana Pacers defeat New Jersey Nets, 97-74, in Game 4 of Eastern Conference series; series is tied, 2-2; photos (M)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will revive system implemented by former Mayor Ed Koch to consult Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary and City Bar Association for recommendations for judicial appointments; mechanism was rejected by Mayor Giuliani; Fund for Modern Courts official Steven Zeidman hails bid to keep politics out of judicial selection (M)
Environmentalists press golf industry to follow earth friendly practices in golf course development; several new approaches are being implemented; some golf clubs are using carp rather than algicides to keep ponds cleaner; others try to attract bats and bluebirds for pest control; willingness of golf industry to work with environmentalists marks sea change in attitude; photos (M)
Toronto Maple Leafs defeat New York Islanders, 4-2, in Game 7 to win Eastern Conference playoff series, 4-3; photos (M)
Ontario, home of more than third of all Canadians and 40 percent of Canada's economic activity, will open its electricity market; move, which is described as deregulation but in reality keeps market tightly regulated under different rules, will make it easier for American and Canadian power companies to sell their electricity across border; closer integration of two countries' power grids will reinforce growing trade and investment that have resulted from 1988 bilateral free trade deal, which was bolstered six years later by North American Free Trade Agreement; several smaller Canaedian provinces, including British Columbia and Quebec, are already allowing electricity imports from US (M)
George Vecsey Sports of The Times column argues that China's attempt to extert control over basketball player Yao Ming's financial future is an archaic and unreasonable example of indentured servitude; photo (M)
Gary Thompson finds tiny storefront in Greenwich Village and opens BB Sandwich Bar, which serves only one thing: cheese steaks; photo (M)
Jorge and Joanne Lopes claim $58.9 million share of multistate lottery some nursing home workers mistakenly thought they had won, news conference; have already assembled team of lawyers to manage fortune and set up company for tax purposes; photos (M)
The Justice Department arrested the head of an Islamic charity in Chicago, saying that he and his organization had funneled money to Al Qaeda and had close ties to Osama bin Laden. Enaam M. Arnaout, 39, the Syrian-born director of the Benevolence International Foundation, was charged with lying under oath. Article, Page A22.
Mike Tyson prepares on Hawaiian island of Maui for heavyweight championship bout against titleholder Lennox Lewis (M)
Priorat region of Spain is producing powerful wines with soft hearts; region's dense red wines are sought all over world, putting Spain's more famous wine name, Rioja, on notice; photos (M)
Andersen Trial in Phoenix Opens With Views of Fraud A civil trial against Arthur Andersen began in Phoenix with a lawyer for the plaintiffs, a Baptist foundation whose books the firm audited, maintaining that Andersen had ignored warnings that the charity was a Ponzi scheme years before it collapsed. Andersen's lead lawyer told the jury that the firm was a victim of fraud and that by Dec. 5, 1996, ''every member of the board'' of the foundation knew of the fraud, as did lawyers and accountants who worked for it. [Page C8.]