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[†]
2002Lee Eunsang, South Korean singer[†]
Lee Eun-sang, also known by the mononym Eunsang, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is currently a member of Younite. He is also a former member of X1 which debuted in 2019. He debuted as a solo artist on August 31, 2020, with his single album Beautiful Scar.
2002Jacques Massu, French general (born 1908)[†]
Jacques Émile Massu was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez Crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later denouncing their use of torture.
2002Sally Hoyt Spofford, American ornithologist (born 1914)[†]
Sally Hoyt Spofford was an American ornithologist who was long associated with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. In retirement, she was involved in conservation and birding in Arizona, known as the "doyenne of southern Arizona's birding community". She authored some 50 articles on bird behavior and co-authored the books Enjoying Birds in Upstate New York (1963) with O. S. Pettingill Jr. and Enjoying Birds Around New York City (1966) with Pettingill and R.S. Arbib Jr. She was a member of the American Ornithologists' Union from 1940 onward.
2002Approximately 50 Chechen terrorists and 150 hostages die when Russian special forces troops storm a theater building in Moscow, which had been occupied by the terrorists during a musical performance three days before.[†]
The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater in Moscow by Chechen terrorists on 23 October 2002, resulting in the taking of 912 hostages. The attackers, led by Movsar Barayev, claimed allegiance to the Islamist separatist movement in Chechnya. They demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and an end to the Second Chechen War. The crisis was resolved when Russian security services released sleeping gas into the building, and subsequently stormed it, killing all 40 hostage takers. 132 hostages died, largely due to the effects of the gas.
Russian special forces burst into Moscow theater held by Chechen guerrillas after rebels begin killing some of more than 600 hostages they had seized; government forces pour into theater in pre-dawn raid after panicked hostages run out, evidently as guerrillas begin to carry out their threats to kill hostages; it is not immediately clear how many people are killed in police raid, which begins with series of thunderous explosions, punctuated by bursts of gunfire, then quiet; one hostage says Russian forces filled theater with gas that put those inside to sleep; it is not clear what substance was; Russia's official television network shows film of scene inside theater, including grim scenes of raid's bloody aftermath and bodies of several guerrillas; at last 70 ambulances speed in and out of area, ferrying wounded to hospitals; 10 hostages are reported killed, but many more are treated inside theater and at hospitals; toll could rise; several guerrillas are reported to have escaped, and two are captured on street outside theater; photos; diagrams (L)
Application process for government effort to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for every Sept 11 victim has yielded something far more unexpected and indelible: impulse to create intimate minibiographies about dead, based on interviews, photos or videotapes; most important motivation to assemble narratives may not be push for more compensation but timeless and therapeutic resonance in telling full story of life, love and loss beyond cold, raw numbers; some relatives of deceased comment; photos (M)
New York Times/CBS News Poll shows legal maneuvering that allowed former Sen Frank R Lautenberg to replace Sen Robert G Torricelli as Democratic nominee on ballot in New Jersey's US Senate race has strengthened Democrats' chances of retaining seat; many polls showed that Republican nominee Douglas R Forrester opened sizable lead before Torricelli resigned from race on Sept 30, causing Democratic leaders in Washington to worry that race might cost part its single-seat margin in Senate; poll finds Lautenberg has support of 48 percent of likely voters, while Forrester is favored by 36 percent, with 13 percent undecided; photos (M)
George Vecsey Sports of The Times column discusses San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker, whose son Darren ran onto field during tag play at home plate during Game 5 of World Series; Darren was almost run into by player trying to score; photos (M)
Members of Securities and Exchange Commission split bitterly over qualifications and competency of new leadership of board overseeing accounting profession; vote is 3 to 2 to approve selection of William H Webster to head new board; Democrats on commission say Webster lacks credentials to lead accounting board; say he has no recent experience in accounting issues; handling of selection process leaves SEC Chmn Harvey L Pitt further politically wounded after year of missteps; choice of Webster over John H Biggs, who is considered by some to be too aggressive a reformer, is widely criticized by leading members of Wall Street and by Sen Paul S Sarbanes, main author of law creating new board; Pitt seems to retain support of White House; brief sketches of new members of Accounting Standards Board: Webster, Kayla J Gillan, Daniel L Goelzer, Willis D Gradison Jr and Charles D Niemeier; photos (M)
Egyptian satellite television channel will broadcast series that incorporates ideas from document that has been pillar of anti-Semitic hatred for century, infamous czarist forgery 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'; document appears to be gaining new foothold in part of Arab world; series, Horse Without a Horseman, traces history of Middle East from 1855 to 1917 through eyes of Egyptian who fought British occupiers and Zionist movement; episodes will be shown nightly through Islamic holy month of Ramadan, guaranteeing maximum viewership; potential audience numbers in tens of millions; 'Protocols,' which purports to depict Jewish leaders plotting world dominion, has long been recognized as fabrication by czarist secret police; still, show's backers say they are keeping open mind about its authenticity; Abraham Foxman of Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith says anti-Semitic writings and images are on rise in Arab world (M)
Montgomery County, Md, charges each of two sniper suspects with six counts of first-degree murder; rivalry among federal and local prosecutors to be first to try case is evident; State's Atty Douglas F Gansler, Montgomery County prosecutor, contends his county should hold first trial because 6 of sniper's 10 fatalities occurred there; federal officials who are holding two suspects are privately critical of Gansler's pre-emptive move, saying it ignores question of which jurisdiction--federal, District of Columbia, Maryland or Virginia--offers best likelihood of capital punishment in event of conviction; suspects, John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, were arrested after three-week manhunt in which 10 people were killed and 3 others wounded in series of single-shot attacks across Washington region; photo (M)
As Expected, S.E.C. Splits On Accounting Board Head The new board overseeing the accounting profession got off to a troubled start when the members of the Securities and Exchange Commission split over the qualifications and competency of the board's new leadership. They voted 3 to 2 to approve the selection of William H. Webster, the former director of the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., to head the new board. While the three Republicans on the commission hailed Mr. Webster for his integrity and extensive background in law enforcement, the commission's two Democrats said he lacked the credentials to head an accounting board. They emphasized that he had no recent experience in accounting issues and lamented the perception that the Republicans had caved to the accounting profession, whose lobbyists had complained that an earlier choice of some of the commissioners, John H. Biggs, had been too aggressive as a reformer. [Page A1.]
Standard & Poor's cuts Ford Motor long-term debt rating to lowest level ever, citing competitive pressures that it fears will hinder company's restructuring and comeback plans; says outlook for Ford remains 'negative,' designation that dismays analysts more than debt downgrade; Ford executives, however, promise $7 billion annual operating profit by 2005; new long-term debt rating is two steps above junk status (M)
Trainers prepare colts for Breeders' Cup Juvenile race, which triggers one of horse racing's most infamous jinxes; no Juvenile winner has ever gone on to win Kentucky Derby; photo (M)
Bush and Jiang on Korea President Bush and President Jiang Zemin of China vowed to work together to persuade North Korea to abandon its newest nuclear weapons project. PAGE A8 U.S. Presses Council on Iraq The United States pressed the Security Council to approve its tough resolution on Iraq, while French and Russian texts sought to moderate the military threat. PAGE A8