THE YEAR OF 2001
Died : JAN 1 Julius J Epstein, co-writer of the 1943 film Casablanca.
Died : 3 George Carman QC, British jury advocate to the stars.
Died : 6 Les Brown, US band leader. (88)
Died : 13 Dr Jack Shearer, Dean of Belfast, fundraiser - 'The Black Santa'
Died : 13 Willian Hewlett, launched a high-tech revolution from his garage.
Died : 16 Laurent Kabila, president of The Congo, assassinated.
Died : 17 Auberon Waugh, author and satirist.
Died : 18 Phyllis Craig, British born, Broadway's first topless star.
Died : 21 Jimmy Zambo 'The King', Hungarian pop idol.
Died : 28 Maria Jose of Savoy, Italy's last queen, Umberto II's wife. (94)
Died : 31 Johnnie Johnson (Air Vice-Marshall), Britain's WWII 'Top Gun'.
1 Crew of the ISS saw in the new year 15 times.
1 Greece became the 12th country to join the Euro currency club.
JAN 1 Ransom demanded in Sweden for paintings taken from a museum.
1 The 'morning after' contraceptive went on sale over the counter.
1 Warsaw unveiled world's tallest (540ft Culture Palace) clocktower
2 German army admitted it's first female combat soldiers.
2 Millions without electricity in northern India after grid failure
2 Most popular yr 2000 T-shirt 'You are the weakest link - Goodbye'
3 Harrods sale was opened by Charlotte Church.
3 Millennium Dome, open for whole of year 2000, had 6.5m visitors.
4 Hilary Clinton sworn in as first First Lady Senator (New York).
4 Jack and Chloe top the UK babies names league for the 4th year.
4 Mobile phones are now owned by 65% of the UK population.
5 Australia & NZ ban beef from EU because of 'Mad Cow Disease'.
5 India test flew it's first home produced fighter aircraft.
JAN 6 Daewoo Cars recalled 200 models due to a gearbox fault.
6 Holy Door at St Peter's in Rome, opened for Holy Year, was closed
7 John Kufuor sworn in as the new president of Ghana.
7 Staff at the Crown Prosecution Service went on strike.
7 US Congress (Gore as chairman) confirmed Bush as new president.
8 First of 50 million Hindu pilgrims arrived at Allahabad, India.
8 Irish Republic starts destroying 25000 cattle per week due to BSE
9 New roads and bridges opened for the Kumbh Mela festival, India.
9 Total lunar eclipse - best viewing Europe and Asia - UK 7:50pm
10 China launched test craft into orbit preparing for manned flights
10 Ganges full of whooping it up Hindus at the every 12yr Kunbh Mela
11 Half a million evacuated from smouldering Mt Merapi, Indonesia.
12 AOL and Time-Warner merger worth $100bn approved by US regulators
JAN 12 Number of people who used Eurostar Tunnel in 2000 - 7.66 million
13 China's Shenzou II spacecraft successfully carried out experiments
14 Millennium Wheel closed until February 9 for annual checkup
14 Over 4 million Hindus used the Ganges to 'wash away their sins'
14 Taiwan allowed in Chinese nationals for the first time in 50 yrs
15 Boris Becker's (tennis) ex-wife gets divorce settlement of £10m+
15 Earthquake in El Salvadore makes 100 000 homeless.
16 China's Shenzou II spacecraft successfully returned to earth
16 Italy found it's first BSE infected cow, destined for McDonald's
16 Kuwait's Constitutional Court said 'no' to votes for women.
17 Madrid pet owners queued for a blessing on San Anton's Day
17 The 50 yr tradition of pigeon food sellers in Trafalgar Sq ended
18 Parliament voted 387 to 174 to end fox hunting.
JAN 19 1 mil California homes suffer power cuts by troubled utilities
19 Afghanistan's Taleban Sports Minister bans boxing as 'dangerous'
19 China reported on it's animals in space - all returned alive.
19 Twin babies adopted on California internet taken into care in UK
20 A locket with George Washington's portrait sold for $1.2 million
20 Belgium legalised the possession of small amounts of cannabis
20 George W Bush inaugurated as 43rd president of the United States
20 US paid China $19 mil for the Yugoslav Embassy, bombed in 1999.
21 California governor gives $275m to bankrupted power companies
21 Gloria Arroyo elected as the Phillipines new president
22 A million chinese sign a protest against The Falun Gong sect.
22 Marilyn Monroe dress sold for $30k. (JFK's birthday treat).
23 Four Falun Gong members set themselves alight in Tiananmen Sq
JAN 24 ~Religious festival in the Ganges river in India became the
24 Clara Furse appointed as first female Head of The Stock Exchange
24 Spacecraft sent to Mir, preparing for controlled crash in Pacific
~ largest gathering ever on earth - 27 million took a bathe.
25 General Motors Europe-wide strike, 40 000 protest at job losses
25 Number of new cars built in the UK in the year 2000 was 1.63 mil
26 Joseph Kabila made Congo's president, replacing his dead father.
26 UK's year 2000 was most popular place for 100000 asylum seekers
27 Clothing store C&A closed all it's British stores after 80 years
27 First Holocaust Day - commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz.
27 Jennifer Capriati beat Martina Hingis to win the Australian Open
28 Aggassi beat Clement to win the Australian Open Tennis title
28 China saw it's first exhibition of nude photographs, at Guangzhou
JAN 28 Chinese New Year celebrates 'Year of the Snake in Winter'
28 Earthquake in West Indian state of Gujarat, 15 000 dead.
29 Baltimore Ravens beat NY Giants 34-7 to win US Superbowl
29 DaimlerChrysler closes 6 US factories.
29 First self-adhesive first and second class stamps on sale in UK
29 The Oxo and Bachelor brands sold to US Campbells by Unilever.
30 Film director Steven Spielberg received knighthood in Washington
31 Germany to slaughter 400 000 cattle to stop BSE disease spread.
31 Lybian Al Megrahi given a life sentence for the Lockerbie bombing
Died : FEB 1 Sir Robert Mahuta, New Zealand Maori leader.
Died : 2 David Heneker, lyricist. (Half a Sixpence, Expresso Bongo)
Died : 5 Eddie Parker, US pool player 'Fast Eddie'. (see film The Hustler)
Died : 8 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, co-pilot and wife of aviator Charles.
Died : 8 Dale Evans, singer-actress, wife of Roy Rogers.
Died : 19 Charles Trenet, composer of French chansons. (La Mer)
Died : 19 Dale Earnhardt, US motor racing driver, 190mph crash at Daytona.
Died : 20 Stanley Kramer, US film director. (High Noon) (16 Oscars)
Died : 25 Andrew Lynch, ex president of Canadian Newspaper Association.
Died : 26 Sir Donald Bradman, cricketer.
Died : 28 Stan Cullis, football manager.
1 AOL Time Warner announced it now has 23.7 million subscribers.
2 About 1 million fined £100 after failing to fill in tax returns
FEB 2 The German Shepherd was dropped as a police dog as 'too soft'
3 For a brief moment near dawn some digital clocks read 5 4 3 2 1
4 Wreck of Bluebird, the boat in which Donald Campbell died, found
5 Halifax Bank buys ailing insurer Equitable Life for £1 billion
6 Ariel Sharon elected prime Minister of Israel.
6 John Lewis acquires e-tail buy.com from US parent company
6 The first Chinese vessel for 50 years sailed into Taiwan.
7 A 162.4 carat (£4m) diamond disappeared in transit in Switzerland
7 A Giant Squid (550lbs) pickled and preserved by Australian museum
7 Aer Lingus planes grounded in a one day cabin crew strike.
7 Cricketer Fred Truman memorabilia sold in auction for £50k
7 Metrocab, London black cab maker, put into receivership.
7 Thousands of Libyans threaten British Embassy over Lockerbie.
FEB 8 China executed a gang of 7 forgers of £55m in Chinese currency
8 Law passed allowing retailers to continue using Imperial Measures
8 Shuttle Atlantis left with £1bn Destiny science lab for the ISS
8 Suicide gunman opened fire outside the White House, no-one hurt.
9 Recorded shark attacks in the year 2000 were 79, 10 fatal.
10 Atlantis, with Destiny, docks with the ISS.
10 Heavy rain brings floods back to UK for the 3rd time this winter
10 Thousands evacuated in Indonesia as Mt Merapi volcano erupts.
11 Atlantis astronauts installed science lab Destiny onto the ISS
12 Ellen McArthur raced around the world in a yacht, came 2nd,
and became the youngest (24) and fastest woman to do so.
13 Spacecraft NEAR made the first landing on an asteroid, Eros
14 About 30 mil text phone messages and 12 mil cards sent today
FEB 14 An era ends as the last three wheeled Reliant Robin was produced
14 Astronauts Tom Jones and Rob Curbeam made USA's 100th space walk
15 Over 412 million mobile phones were sold worldwide last year.
15 Second case of Mad Cow Disease found in Italy
16 American Ass. for the Advancement of Science Conference opens
16 Over 412 million mobile phones were sold worldwide last year.
17 British and US jets bombed military targets in Iraq.
18 Space Shuttle Atlantis' return delayed due to bad weather.
19 Egg, the UK's pioneer internet bank, had 1st year loss of £155m.
19 Riot at huge Carandiru prison in Brasil, 5000 held hostage.
19 Start of London Fashion Week - at the Natural History Museum.
20 Actor Tom Courtenay knighted at Buckingham Palace (Dr Zhivago).
20 Vietnam's worst earthquake for 10 yrs in Lai Chau province.(R5.3)
FEB 21 Alexander McQueen named British Designer of the Year for 3rd time
21 Record number of new cardinals (44) created by Pope John Paul.
21 Shuttle Atlantis back on earth after 3 days bad weather delay.
22 Britain's first outbreak of foot and mouth disease for 20 years.
22 Irish band U2 took 3 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
23 Earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China. (R6.0)
23 Nigella Lawson named author of the year at British Book Awards
24 After 19 yrs Argentine planes and ships allowed back to Falklands
24 More earthquakes in El Salvador. (R5.2)
24 UK animal slaughter begins after foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
25 Belgium bans movement of sheep due to UK foot-and-mouth outbreak
25 LetsBuyIt.Com clicks back on after a £33 mil rescue package.
25 New Mini makes it's debut at The Geneva Motor Show.
FEB 25 Sale of personalised car plates (started 1989) exceeded £500 mil.
26 Bafta Best Actor Award to 14 yr old Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot.
26 Mozambique evacuates 80 000 due to flood threats.
26 Tornados rip across Mississippi and Arkansas.
27 Lieutenant General Sir Michael Willcocks appointed new Black Rod
27 Queen opens Portcullis House, MP's overpriced new office block.
28 Animals in 21 UK areas burnt after foot-and-mouth discovered.
28 Jeremy Beadle received the MBE from the Queen for charity work.
28 Train crash at 125mph, Selby, Yorkshire, 10 dead over 50 injured
Died : MAR 1 Joseph Cyril Bamford, founder of the JCB excavator company (84)
Died : 8 Dame Ninette de Valios, founder of The Royal Ballet.
Died : 13 Robert Ludlum, thriller writer. (sold over 110 mil of 20 novels)
Died : 17 Glenn Hughes, mustachioed singer with the Village People. (50)
Died : 19 John Phillips, singer. (Mamas & Papas) (65)
Died : 20 Ralph Thomas, British film director. (Doctor in the House)(85)
Died : 23 William Hanna, animator. (Hanna-Barbera - Yogi Bear, Tom & Jerry)
Died : 26 Brian Trubshaw, test pilot. (Concord, first UK A-bomb drop)
1 Earthquake (Sleepless) in Seattle, little damage. (R6.8)
1 National Viewers and Listeners Ass. re-launched as Mediawatch-UK
1 Singer Louise re-joined the Girl Guides - as worldwide ambassador
2 France bans all Irish meat imports to prevent foot-and-mouth.
2 J K Rowling (Harry Potter books) received an OBE from the Queen.
MAR 3 Auction of the contents of the Millennium Dome raised £3.5 million
3 Earthquake on Java Island. (R5.7)
3 Schumaker qualified 1st in F1's first race of the season in Oz.
3 UK's lowest march temp in 36 yrs at Altnaharra, Scotland, -21C.
3 Zambezi River, Mozambique floods, 100 000 evacuated.
4 IRA car bomb exploded outside BBC TV London centre, no-one hurt.
4 Michael Schumaker wins the first 2001 F1 GP in Oz in a Ferrari.
5 A rushing crowd at a religious festival in Mecca killed 37.
5 Dartmoor brings the foot-and-mouth outbreak number to 71 areas.
5 UK minimum wage raised from £3.70 to £4.10.
5 US coastguards off Mexico seized 8.8 tons of cocaine worth $500m
6 A 15 yr old student in San Diego shot 2 others dead, 13 wounded.
6 First e-petition was sent to Downing Street.
MAR 6 Michael Jackson addressed the Oxford Union on children's rights.
6 The City of London was named as Britain's cleanest city.
7 Gordon Brown detailed his last budget before the elections.
7 Minister for Road Safety in W.Australia lost her driving licence.
7 Sword used in the film Braveheart by Mel Gibson sold for £90 000.
8 Average annual pay was £21,842.
8 Donald Campbell's Bluebird raised at Coniston Water after 34 yrs
8 Shuttle Discovery took off with a replacement crew for the ISS.
9 Eurobird satellite put up by Ariane-5 sending TV to 5.5m UK homes
10 Bell labs announce creation of the first plastic superconductor.
10 Giant balloon launched by NASA in Australia to the edge of space.
10 New crew arrive at the ISS, 1 Russian 2 US, including Susan Helms
10 USS Winston Churchill launched. (only US ship named after non-US)
MAR 11 Cars were banned for the day in 270 Italian cities.
11 Tesco announce they have found a vaccine for salmonella in eggs
11 The 4th (first 1919) London-Sydney Air Race began at Biggin Hill.
11 The National Museum of Australia opened in Canberra.
12 All 38 pilots in London-Sydney Air Race arrived safely in Cannes
12 Prudential Insurance took over American General for £18bn.
12 The revolutionary pump up Gossard Ultrabra Airotic was launched.
12 Zapatista rebels marched peacefully into Mexico City for talks.
13 An anonymous donor gave $360m to Washington's Rensselaer Poly.
13 First heat-sensitive stamps issued in the UK. (British weather)
14 Dennis the Menace of the Beano (D C Comics) is 50 years old.
14 The London-Sydney Air Race arrived at Cairo with 35 small craft.
15 Editor of Russian Playboy magazine was shot and seriously hurt.
MAR 16 Comic Relief held Red Nose Day and raised £45 mil. It is held regularly every other year
16 Foot-and-mouth outbreaks reported in Argentina.
17 Irish St Patrick's Day parades cancelled due to foot-and-mouth.
17 Saudi soldiers freed 130 passengers onboard hijacked Russian jet.
17 The Eden Biospheres, 29000 sq mt of EFTE foil, opened in Cornwall
18 Ferrari 1st & 2nd as Michael Schumaker won the Malaysian F1 GP.
19 First socialists for 100 years take over Paris council.
19 Inverness officially became Scotland's 5th city.
20 Accidental deaths at home average 76 per week, road deaths 66 pw.
20 Controlled blackouts across California as power crisis worsens.
21 Shuttle Discovery returned the first ISS crew to Earth.
21 The RS-01 robot dog by UK's RoboScience Ltd, launched at £20 000.
21 World's biggest oil platform sank off Brasil with 1.5m ltr oil.
MAR 22 NZ coast guards tried to warn 30 Samoan fishing boats about Mir.
22 Over a million gather at the Aztec Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico.
23 British stock market shares fell £60bn, biggest ever 1 day fall.
23 Gordon Banks, England's 1966 goalie, sold his medal for £124 750.
23 Russian space station Mir (137 ton) in a controlled Pacific crash
24 Cambridge won 147th University Boat Race after a restart.(19m59s)
24 Marilyn Monroe's dress in The Prince & The Showgirl sold for £13k
24 Ravenhead factory where the dimpled pint beer mug was made closed
25 Clocks went forward 1 hour from GMT for British Summer Time.
25 Earthquake hit SW Japan, 2 dead. (R6.4)
25 Parts of Paris and large areas of NW France flooded by heavy rain
26 British Post Office changed it's name to Consignia.
26 Gladiator won major awards at the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles.
MAR 26 Toyota unveiled it's F1 car, their first entry into F1, for 2002.
27 Belgian train crash (8 dead) caused by language barrier.
27 John Lennon's 1969 stretch Mercedes auctioned for £500k in London
28 China's latest census put the population at 1.3 billion.
29 Greece opened a new airport at Athens, The Eleftherios Venizelos.
29 Satellite based Iridium Mobile Phones relaunched after bankruptcy
30 Biggest sunspot for 10 years appeared, 14 x the Earth's surface.
30 Britain Jim Shekhdar first person to row across the Pacific.
30 US withdrew from the Kyoto accord on greenhouse gas emissions.
31 Ex Yugoslav President Milosevic held under house arrest.
31 Foot-and-mouth spreads, affected farms increase by 60 to 841.
31 Milosevic states from Belgrade villa "You'll never take me alive"
Died : APR 1 John Lewis, US jazz pianist. (80)
Died : 11 Beatrice Straight, actress. (86)
Died : 11 Harry Secombe, singer, comedian, goon.
Died : 11 Nyree Dawn Porter OBE, NZ born actress. (61)
Died : 13 Jiommy Logan, real name James Short, Scottish entertainer. (73)
Died : 16 Joey Ramone, singer, with 70s band The Ramones. (49)
Died : 28 Michele Alberto, F1 race driver, killed in testing.
Died : 30 Babu Chhiri, Sherpa guide, record Everest climb of 17hrs.
1 Coulthard (McLaren) won the Brasil F1 GP, Schumaker 2nd.
1 Hear'Say first to have a first single and album both at number 1.
1 Marks & Spencer close 38 European stores to concentrate on the UK
1 Slobodan Milosovic arrested in Belgrade without a fight.
2 US spy plane forced to land in China after mid-air collision.
APR 3 Devil's Chimney (100ft tower at Beachey Head) fell into the sea.
3 Pay website alternative to the outlawed napster site started.
4 Chile voted to abolish the death penalty.
4 Unemployment in Germany was 3.8 mil, 10% of the workforce.
5 Australian police fired teargas at an illegal immigrant camp.
5 British government granted 18 new off-shore wind power licences.
5 Hollywood offered $30k for return of stolen Spiderman costumes.
5 Massachusetts Tech made all of it's courses free on the Internet.
5 Tesco won it's court fight to sell cut-price Levi jeans.
6 Since 1992 63 planets have been discovered orbiting other suns.
6 Stakeholder pensions went on sale - whoopee !
7 California's biggest (13 mil homes) power company went bankrupt.
7 England-Australia Air Race ended in Sydney.
APR 7 Of 40 Grand National starters, 4 finished. Red Marauder won.
8 Annette Hicks of Cornwall was made Milkman of the Year.
8 NASA launched it's 2001 Mars Odyssey, due to orbit Mars for 2 yrs
9 First 3D advertising poster went up in the UK, for women's bras.
9 Tiger Woods won the US Masters. (first to win 4 prof titles)
9 UK's Powergen taken over by German E-ON for £10 billion.
10 London Eye free ride for 500 kids launches child poverty campaign
10 Tesco, the UK's biggest grocer, announced a profit of £1.07 bn.
11 Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in a World Cup qual match.
11 EU and USA end the banana import wars.
11 UK prostitution is worth £770 mil per year, taxes lost £250 mil.
11 Upper House of Holland's Parliament voted to legalise euthanasia.
12 Production of Guinness was halted by strikes in Irish breweries.
APR 12 The biggest market for Scotch whiskey was Spain.
12 The Queen distributed Maundy Money to 150 pensioners.
12 UK's last millennium project opened, the Magna Centre, Yorks.
13 Dubravko Rajcevic jailed for 2 yrs for stalking Martina Hingis.
13 Earthquake in Yunnan province of China (R5.9), 2 dead.
13 Race riot in Cincinnati after police shoot a black man.
14 Russia's independent TV station taken over by gas firm Gazprom.
14 Ten prisoners died on hunger strike over reform in Turkish jails.
15 Manchester United won the Premiership title. (3rd in a row)
15 Ralph Schumaker won the Italian (Imola) F1 GP in a Williams-BMW.
15 US Boeing and Russia's RKA Space sign deal to launch satellites.
16 Anne Robinson and her show The Weakest Link debuted in the USA.
16 Number of laptop computers lost by Defence Ministry staff - 204.
APR 17 ISP America Online subscriber numbers passed 29 million.
18 Anne Robinson and her Weakest Link show no 1 in the US ratings.
18 Bombers who caused the death of 108 sentenced to death in China
18 India successfully launched it's first satellite into orbit.
19 NASA unveiled the world's fastest plane, the X-43A, at 7200 mph.
19 US and China were still negotiating the return of US spy plane.
20 Endeavor went into orbit carrying a robot arm for the IS Station.
20 Summit of the Americas with 34 heads of state began in Quebec.
20 Ten survivors of the Oklahoma bomber will witness his execution.
21 A boat with 120 illegal immigrants was intercepted off Australia.
21 British and US jets attacked military targets in South Iraq.
21 China executed 28 murderers and rapists today in crime crackdown.
21 Mobile phone industry down-sized by 100 000 workers in 10 weeks.
APR 22 Abdelkader El Mouaziz from Morocco won the 21st London Marathon.
22 Archbishop Peter Hollingworth was made new Governor of Australia.
22 Robson Walton (ASDA supermarkets) named as world's richest man.
22 World's biggest pearl found off Burma, weight 169g, length 6.2cm.
23 Sydney, Australia, transport strike allowed 1 mil to travel free.
24 General strike in Bangladesh urging PM Sheikh Hasina to resign.
24 Swiss post office issued a chocolate smelling stamp.
25 Australian strippers started a trade union.
25 CEO of Cisco Systems takes a salary of $1 to save job cuts.
25 NBC celebrated as UK's Weakest Link was rated no 1 for a 2nd week
26 BBC chairman Chris Bland replaced BT chairman Iain Vallance.
26 First 15 "people's peers" created as a step in Lords reform.
26 Junichiro Koizumi voted Japan's Prime Minister. (11th in 13 yrs)
APR 27 Number change (start with 07) for 4 mil old mobile phones.
27 Peruvian city discovered from 4600 BC, about equal to Egypt.
28 Capital FM's Party in the Park (Hyde), sold out to 100k in 5 hrs.
28 US space tourist Denis Tito paid $20mil for Soyuz seat to the ISS
29 China made it illegal to live with anyone other than spouse.
29 Count Me In, the UK's 10 year census day, at a cost of £255 mil.
29 Petrol bombs thrown at Stoke v Oldham football match, 14 arrested
29 Saudi Arabia banned 200 000 web sites.
30 A 100 yr old wreck holding 600 tons of silver found near China.
30 Nelson Mandela made a freeman of Leeds during his first UK visit.
Died : MAY 3 Ted Rogers, entertainer, game show host. (3-2-1)
Died : 5 Sir Gordon Richards, jockey.
Died : 12 Douglas Adams, author. (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Died : 13 Alexei Tupolev, Russian aircraft and space shuttle designer. (76)
Died : 13 Perry Como, singer (crooner). (Magic Moments) (87)
Died : 23 Frank Slaughter, writer. (sold 60 mil of 62 books)
Died : 29 Victor Kiam, owner of Remington (electric razors).
1 Anti-capitalism demo in London - 92 arrested.
1 The Beaver, extinct in the UK for 1000 yrs, was re-introduced.
2 Pres Bush's daughter Jenna (19) in court for illegal drinking
2 Vodafone bought BT's share of Japan and Spain's Telecom for £5 bn
3 Bootleg tickets for Madonna's July 4th London concert cost £1000.
3 Oxford University create's world's first internet institute.
MAY 3 World War II bomb unearthed on Okinawa in Japan, 5000 evacuated.
4 Bank of Scotland and Halifax in £28bn merger to form HBOS plc.
4 Greece was paid it's first visit by a Pope in 13 centuries.
4 Ken Dodd made Freeman of City of Liverpool for work in charity.
4 Pioneer 10 sent signal from 7 billion miles away. (launched 1972)
4 USA voted off UN Human Rights Commission, first time since 1947.
5 Scottish soft drink (hangover cure) Irn-Bru's 100 th birthday.
6 Mexican govt offered food vouchers for handing over illegal guns.
6 The first space tourist, Dennis Tito, landed safely back on Earth
7 Australia opened it's first, legal, heroin injection centre.
7 China executed 5 drug smugglers. (drug "ice" to the Phillipines)
7 Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs returned to England from Brasil.
7 Ronnie O'Sullivan became World Snooker Champion.
MAY 8 Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats 20th birthday. (grossed £125m)
8 Billie Piper(18) married Chris Evans(35), in secret in Las Vegas
8 Bugs bunny had 12 of his cartoons banned for being racist.
8 More blackouts ordered in California's power crisis.
8 The US was voted off UN's International Narcotic Control Board.
9 Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco set up a free trade zone.
9 Start of the 54th Cannes Film Festival.
10 BT make a £6bn rights share issue to reduce their £30bn debts.
10 Electrical storm causes power failure in 30000 homes in Kent.
10 Gagarin's official report on first space flight sold for £121k.
11 Over 500 Rolls-Royces were recalled after one exploded in the US.
11 Tate Modern Art Museum had 5.25 mil visitors in it's first year.
12 Denise Quinones August (Puerto Rico), won the 50th Miss Universe.
MAY 12 First win for Estonia in Eurovision Song Contest with "Everybody"
12 Liverpool bt Arsenal 2-1 in FA Cup at Millennium Stadium, Wales.
12 The world's last swanherd, Dick Dalley (65) of Dorset, retired.
13 David Coulthard won the Austrian F1 GP in a McLaren.
13 Dumfries in Scotland shaken by an earthquake. (R2.9)
13 Over 7500 women stripped to their bras on a London charity walk.
14 General Election in Italy won by Silvio Berlusconi (conservative)
15 A Russian Proton-K rocket blasted off with an American satellite
15 US coastguards record haul of 13 tons of cocaine worth $500m.
16 Ceramic sculpture of Michael Jackson by Jeff Koons sold for £4m.
16 There were 28 million people employed in the UK, the highest ever
16 There were 525k people unemployed and not elligible for benefit.
16 There were 976k people unemployed claiming benefit.
MAY 17 Deputy PM John Prescott in a punch-up during election campaign.
17 Jenna Bush (Presidents daughter) sentenced for underage drinking.
17 The X-box (MS) and GameCube (Nintendo) launched at E3 in LA.
18 All 1.2m chickens in Hong Kong killed to stop bird flu spreading.
18 New generation (2.5 G) mobile phones went on sale.
19 China sentenced 8 to death for kidnapping and selling 40 children
19 Liverpool won the FA Cup 4-0 against Charlton Athletic.
19 Russias TU-144 "Concordski" was put up for sale on the web @ £7m
20 Jelena Dokic won her first WTA title at the Rome Masters Series.
20 The Weakest Link computer game launched by Anne Robinson in LA.
21 China executed 29 people in a crackdown on crime.
21 Ford USA recalled 50 000 Explorers due to possible tyre fault.
21 Italian film The Son's Room won the Palme D'Or at Cannes Festival
MAY 22 Jennifer Lopez voted World's Sexiest Woman by FHM readers.
22 Pizza Hut claim first pizza in space on Russian ISS supply rocket
22 The Monster Raving Loony Party launched their (blank) manifesto.
23 Belgian Tintin books were first published - in China.
23 Deadline passed for candidates in the Election, total 3294.
23 Ford decided to replace 13 million faulty Firestone tyres.
23 Original manuscript of On The Road by Jack Kerouac sold for £1.8m
24 Britain's first submarine, Holland 1, re-launched after 100 yrs.
24 Craig David won 3 Ivor Novvello awards.
25 Jaguar's Halewood factory opened where new X-Type is to be made.
25 Sherman Bull (62) became the oldest man ever to climb Everest.
25 US Erik Weihenmeyer became the first blind man to climb Everest.
26 BT sold UK Yellow Pages to owners of US Yellow Book, for £2.14bn.
MAY 26 Levi Strauss paid £36k for a pair of 1880s jeans over the www.
26 World's first sea-to-sea canal, The Forth & Clyde, was re-opened.
27 French train sets new world record, 1067 km in 3 hr 29m, 306 kph.
27 Schumaker won Monaco F1 GP (Ferrari), Barrichello 2nd (Ferrari).
28 Amnesty International's 40th birthday.
28 Petrol bombs thrown in race riots involving Asians in Oldham.
29 Champion, a Basenji, was voted best in show at Crufts Dog Show.
29 Kiev parliament in the Ukraine approved Anatoliy Kinakh as PM.
29 Vodafone announced profits of £4.03 billion.
30 EC fined Volkswagon £18 million for price fixing the Passat model
30 World's first 3G mobile service started with 3300 phones in Tokyo
31 Fiat recalled 70 000 Puntos with a steering column problem.
31 The last UK C&A stores closed ending 80 years of trading.
Died : JUN 2 Hank Ketcham, creator of Dennis the Menace cartoon. (81)
Died : 2 King Birendra of Nepal, shot along with 9 others by his son.
Died : 4 Abe Silverstein, ex NASA director. (man who named Apollo, Apollo)
Died : 4 Anthony Quinn, Mexican born actor. (Zorba the Greek) (86)
Died : 4 King Dipendra of Nepal, king for 2 days, shot hiself.
Died : 11 Timothy McVeigh, Oklahoma bomber, killed 168 people, executed.
Died : 19 Juan Raul Garza, US drug dealer, by federal execution - injection
Died : 22 John Lee Hooker, blues man.
Died : 28 Jack Lemmon, actor. (76)
Died : 28 Joan Sims, Carry-On actress.
1 Earthquake off the north coast of Cornwall, England. (R3.6)
1 Pres. Bush's twin daughters (19) charged with alcohol violations.
2 Prince Dipendra of Nepal killed his parents, brother and sister.
JUN 2 Redundancy deal at Guinness - 2 free bottles a day for 10 years.
2 US WWII planes were on show at the 39th Biggin Hill Airshow.
3 A 1950's De Haviland Vampire crashed at Biggin Hill Air Show.
3 Hypersonic X-43A plane test aborted by NASA in mid-flight.
4 Alejandro Toledo elected Peru's new president.
4 Gyanedra became Nepal's new king after 9 died in a family feud.
4 Second aircrash in 2 days at Biggin Hill Airshow, US King Cobra.
5 State of Nevada voted to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.
6 Elton John sold 20 of his luxury cars at Christies auction.
7 A 200mph train link was opened from Paris to Marseilles.
7 Voting day in the Blair (lab) v Haigh (con) General Election.
8 Eire referendum on proposed enlargement of EU, only a 15% voted.
8 Green Party share of the vote was 3.13%, Labour's was only 25%.
JUN 8 Labour Party and Tony Blair won second term in a General Election
8 Only 59% voted in the General Election, the lowest since 1918.
8 William Haigh resigned as Conservative Party Leader.
9 Galileo won the Derby at Epsom.
9 Jennifer Capriati won the French Open Tennis Tournemont
9 Mohammed Khatami eleted president of Iran for a 2nd term.
10 Tropical storm Allison swamped Houston, Texas.
10 World's oldest republic (12C), San Marino, went to the polls.
11 The Oklahoma Bomber, Tim McVeigh, was executed. He killed 168.
12 A Dutch ship offering abortion service anchored off Dublin.
13 John Paul Getty II gave £5m to the Conservative Party.
14 Earthquake in Taiwan (R6.2), no-one injured.
14 Homer Simpsons's "doh" made the Oxford English Dictionary.
JUN 14 Todays Maths A-Level exam paper was on sale in London for £400.
15 Anti-capitalist group fight with police at EU summit in Sweden.
15 Jackie Stewart, 3 times World Motor Racing Champion, was knighted
15 RAF ended it's 56 year presence in Germany.
16 Dudley Moore was awarded a CBE.
16 Start of 69th Le Mans 24hr Race, including 2 Bentleys and 2 MGs.
17 After 2 day riot at EU Summit in Sweden, 20k protest peacefully.
17 Bentley 3rd at Le Mans after years of absence, Audi 1st and 2nd.
17 Exam Board admits to asking impossible A-level physics question.
17 Torrential rain in S.China caused landslides and floods, 100 dead
18 Ex king Simeon II of Bulgaria was elected to power in parliament.
18 Manchester saw a parade of the first 100 new design Minis.
19 MG Rover bought US-Italian sports car maker Qvale Automotive.
JUN 20 Queen's speech in parliament officially starts Labour's 2nd term.
20 Thousands expected at Stonehenge - open for the summer solstice.
21 Thousands in peaceful Stonehenge (open for the day) celebration.
21 Total eclipse raced across Africa.
22 A Jimi Hendrix guitar was auctioned at Christies for £62k.
22 Ellen Spertus, Calif. college professor, named Sexiest Geek Alive
22 There are 12 billionaires in the UK, Branson and Ecclestone are 2
23 Foster the Vulture, now in Suffolk, escaped from Norfolk Zoo.
23 Glastonbury Festival on the web after real event was cancelled.
23 Sanyo unveil the first no-detergent (ultrasonic) washing machine.
24 Earthquake (R7.9) hit Chile and Peru.
24 Mayon Volcano in the Phillipines erupted, 10 000 evacuated.
24 Michael Schumaker won the European GP in a Ferrari.
JUN 25 A dolphin was spotted playing under Blackfriars Bridge, London.
25 Biggest lottery win so far, anywhere - $141 mil - in California.
25 Start of UK National Vegetarian Week.
25 The 115th Wimbledon Tennis Tournement started.
26 Goodyear annouced a new tyre made partly from corn.
26 Manpower contest named Maria Caeiro world secretary of the year.
26 Second day of Wimbledon, where the prize money totals £8.5 mil.
27 All British people in Macedonia were advised to leave by the F.O.
27 Monet's Last Rays of the Sun, hidden for 100yrs, sold for £10 mil
27 New York was first state to ban use of cell phones while driving.
28 Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the first tilting bridge, opened.
29 Slobodan Milosevic was flown to the Hague to face war crime trial
30 Britain's £52mil space centre at Leicester opened it's doors.
JUN 30 BT offered a free answering service to 20 million subscribers.
Died : JUL 18 Katherine Graham, Washington Post executive during Watergate.
Died : 19 Arthur Worsley, known as the world's greatest ventriloquist (80).
1 Majorca coach driver strike causes chaos for people on holiday.
1 Michael Schumaker (Ferrari) wins French F1 GP, brother Ralf 2nd.
2 New Liverpool Airport logo unveiled, renamed after John Lennon.
3 First UK pier to be built for 50 yrs opened at Southwold Suffolk.
3 Sultan of Malaysia paid £70m for the most expensive house in UK.
3 The trial of Yugoslavia's Slobodan Milosevic began in the Hague.
4 A US spy plane, forced to land in China, was returned in pieces.
4 Lara Croft's (Angelina Jolie) first movie premiered in London.
5 Glasgow's £75m Science Centre opened by the Queen.
5 Partial lunar eclipse - best viewing Asia, Australia and Hawaii.
6 Italian air traffic controllers strike. (not a good holiday year)
JUL 6 Re-released Mini, by BMW at Cowley, went on sale at £10.5k.
7 Wimbledon delayed due to heavy rain.
8 Prince of Wales had a Party in the Park with 100k and 20 pop acts
8 Venus Williams b Justine Henin becoming Ladies Wimbledon Champion
9 A weekend of race riots hit Bradford, England, 164 police injured
9 Jail-break in Sao Paulo, Brasil - 105 tunelled out.
9 Wimbledon Mens Champion Goran Inisevitch, a day late due to rain.
10 A draft of 1 chapter of James Joyces Ullyses auctioned for £1 mil
10 Drew Barrymore married Tom Green, in Malibu.
10 HSBC bank agreed to sponsor the Jaguar F1 Racing Team.
11 Comedian Billy Connolly received Glasgow Uni honorary degree.
11 Crowd of 100 000 met Goran Ivanisevic in his home town Split.
11 Michelangelo drawing auctioned at £6 mil by Sotheby's.
JUL 12 Napster, the song swapping site, remained off-line by court order
12 Shuttle Atlantis took off with a new front door for the ISS.
12 The 1.5 millionth Jaguar was produced and donated to charity.
13 From today betting in the UK will be tax-free.
13 More riots in Belfast - 113 police injured.
13 Somerset number plate Y13 from 1903 was auctioned for £15k at BCA
14 Crowds in Beijing celebrated being awarded the 2008 Olympic Games
14 Shuttle Atlantis delivered the new air-lock to the ISS.
15 British F1 GP won by Mika Hakkinen (McLaren).
15 Motorsport commentator for 52 yrs, Murray Walker, retired.
16 Ford recall 1.5 mil vehicles over seatbelt concern.
16 London is the most expensive city in the EU, or 12th in the world
16 World's most accurate (1 sec in 100 mil yrs) clock was announced
JUL 17 First test flight of Concorde after last years crash at Paris.
17 Heaviest rain in 37 years in South Korea, 40 dead.
17 Presidents Putin (Russia) and Jiang (China) sign 20 yr agreement
18 Earthquake (R5.2) hit nth Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany
18 FBI admitted to 439 weapons and 184 laptop computers 'missing'.
18 USA's President Bush landed in the UK on his first state visit.
19 Inland Revenue's website voted no 1 worst.
19 Lord (Jeffrey) Archer jailed for 4 yrs for perjury at Old Bailey.
20 G8 summit in Genoa started with protesters being teargassed.
20 Swan Upping, a 900 yr old census of R Thames swans, finished.
21 A protester was killed and 85 injured outside G8 summit in Genoa.
21 Water was dropped on Mt Etna lava flows to protect local towns.
22 Annual Bognor Regis Birdman competition took place for £25k prize
JUL 22 Heat wave hit Moscow, 18 drowned cooling off in rivers and lakes.
23 Catania Airport near Mt Etna closed due to ash fall.
23 Kyoto Climate Control Protocol agreed by 180 countries in Bonn.
23 President George W Bush met Pope John Paul II.
24 An explosion in an illegally opened coal mine in China killed 46.
24 Former Daewoo Group officials (19) were fined £13.5 mil for fraud
24 Megawati Sukarnoputri commenced duties as president of Indonesia.
24 Pentagon shut down it's web sites as protection against a virus.
25 British Embassy in Macedonia attacked by anti-Albanian protesters
25 Charlotte Hobrough from Wales won £1 mil on TV show Survivor.
25 The AA bought the 129 Halford's Centres from The Boots Company.
26 Atlantis returned from the ISS after delivering a new front door.
26 Phillipines Mayon Volcano erupted for the 2nd time in a month.
JUL 26 Undersea earthquake (R5.7) in the Aegean Sea.
27 Forty Britons arrested in sharedealing scam in Bangkok.
27 Lord Archer's son banned from stock exchange for dodgy dealing.
28 M&S introduces DIY bra with optional straps, silicone inserts etc
28 Temperature in Britain 30 C, hotter than Hawaii.
29 Alejandro Toledo (ex shoe shine boy) became president of Peru.
29 Hound of the Baskervilles Centenary convention on Dartmoor.
29 Ralph Schumaker won the German F1 GP in a Williams.
30 Terminally ill people in Canada can now legally smoke cannabis.
30 Tin mine in China hit by floods, 200 missing, assumed dead.
30 Typhoon Toraji hit Taiwan - 32 killed.
31 Worldwide alert 'code red' computer virus - set for 1am tomorrow
Died : AUG 3 Poul Anderson, sci-fi writer.
Died : 4 Lord Longford, politician, prison reformer.
Died : 6 Dorothy Tutin, actress.
Died : 7 Larry Adler, musician, world's greatest harmonica player.
Died : 13 Eric Bedford, architect. (designed The Post Office Tower) (91)
Died : 18 Bernie Cahill, Aer Lingus chairman, fell off his yacht.
Died : 22 Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer, writer. (A For Andromeda)
1 Tony Blair made first visit by a UK Prime Minister to Argentina.
1 US bans human embryo cloning, including for scientific research.
2 Code red virus infected 115 000 computers worldwide.
2 Mr Blair (PM) visited Mexico.
3 Madonna's bra (conical, from the Girlie Tour) sold for £16k.
3 Real IRA exploded a car bomb in West London, 6 injured.
AUG 3 Whitney Houston signed biggest recording deal in history, $100 m.
4 Buckingham Palace opened to the public for the 8 weeks of summer.
4 Keely Shay Smith married Pierce Brosnan at Ballytubber Abbey.
4 Manchester based Cosgrove Hall (Dangermouse, Noddy) is 25 yrs old
4 The 12 hour West Sussex Motor Mower Race attracted 140 entrants.
5 A Coutts Bank cash dispenser was installed at Buckingham Palace.
5 The 5th Annual Robot World Soccer Contest kicked off in Seattle.
5 The Edinburgh Fringe Festival started - with a parade.
6 Centrica bought credit card Goldfish for £85 mil from HFC Bank.
6 Code red computer virus mutated to include 'trojan horse'.
6 In Afghanistan 8 sentenced to death for spreading Christianity.
7 BP announced record profits - £5.58 bn.
7 Ex President Bill Clinton sold his memoirs for $7 mil.
AUG 7 Open air take-aways in Singapore selling fake viagra side orders.
7 World record (41 hr) for staying underwater broken by 4 Austrians
8 B&Q opened store the size of 2 football pitches in YangPu, China.
8 First US-style yellow school buses started in Pennine villages.
8 UK is in 33rd place on number of female politicians with 18%.
9 Computers now beat humans as trading agents in City dealings.
9 Europe's biggest hot-air balloon festival opened in Bristol.
9 Robot explorer Genesis launched to gather particles of the sun.
10 Amsterdam jewellery shop assistant disappeared with £5.6 mil.
10 Large private island off Scotland went on sale for £3.85 mil.
11 ITV will in future be known as ITV-1.
11 Perseid meteor shower, 14 mil meteors the size of a grain of sand
11 Shuttle Discovery blasted of with a new ISS crew.
AUG 11 The cost of taking the UK driving test is now £38.
12 Grouse season starts - but it's Sunday and shooting's banned ...
12 Signpost for the Aberdenshire village of Lost - went missing.
12 USAF and RAF bombed military targets in Iraq.
13 Cray SV1 supercomputer named Best of 2001 by Scientific Computing
13 Queen's collection of 10 Leonardo da Vinci drawings went on tour.
14 A pizza wrapper signed by 3 of The Beatles sold for £16000.
14 A shipment of smuggled cocaine worth £112 mil seized in Spain.
14 Forest fires in California and Nevada fought by 8500 firemen.
14 Wimpey Homes bought McAlpine for £461 million.
15 Editor of Zimbabwe's only independent newspaper was arrested.
15 Five cases of typhoid reported in Newport, South Wales.
16 A-level results out today - yet another record pass year.
AUG 16 US govt displayed the world's fastest computer 12.3 trillion cps.
17 Daily Mail buys loot.com for £45 million.
17 The sun rose on the Antarctic coast, it set on March 18 last year
18 F1 Hungaroring saw 19 women arrested on prostitution charges.
18 Phillipines hotel blaze kills 70 members of "God's Flock" sect.
19 Michael Schumaker beat Alain Prost's record of 54 F1 GP wins.
19 Michael Schumaker wins the Hungarian F1 GP in a Ferrari.
19 The 100k at the Essex V2001 Rock Festival hit by rain.
20 Bail was granted to 21 white Zimbabwe farmers on riot charges.
20 Caribbean had it's first tropical storm of the year - Chantal.
20 Palace of Westminster's Big Ben clock was given a damn good clean
20 The average price of a pint of lager is now £2.
21 Shuttle Discovery left ISS with 7 on board, three left as crew.
AUG 21 Typhoon Pabuk hit central Japan at 80 mph.
22 Typhoon Pabuk hit Tokyo, hundreds of homes flooded.
22 Zimbabwe released 21 white farmers on a total of £64k bail.
23 A 5 year old boy youngest ever to pass a GCSE exam, maths grade D
23 GCSE results released, boys catching up with girls.
23 Lennon's white piano went back on display at the Beatles Museum.
23 Robertson's controversial Gollywog logo dropped after 91 years.
24 Drugs worth £700 million seized by police in Melbourne
24 Galileo sent views of Jupiter's Callista, it's all ice and dust.
25 Mormon fundamentalist Tom Green was jailed for 5 years for bigamy
25 Rock seen near Pluto broke 200 year record for biggest asteroid.
26 Biggest ever lottery jackpot (£206 mil, in the US) shared by 4.
26 Heavyweight metallic lead stars detected 1600 light years away.
AUG 26 Notting Hill, Europe's biggest carnival, attracted 2 million.
26 Taiwan scrapped all trade restrictions with mainland China.
27 Bank Holiday Monday day 2 of the Notting Hill Carnival.
27 Fastest car on earth the SSC (763 mph) went into Coventry Museum.
27 Record number of people in jail or probation in US - 6.47 million
28 Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft) became UN ambassador for refugees.
28 Dutch Elm Disease finally beaten with a genetically modified elm.
28 Intel announce it's 2 Gz chip.
28 The Simpsons voted best children's TV ever in Channel 4 poll.
28 Woolworth's floated on the stock exchange by Kingfisher Holdings.
29 Japan successfully launched a test satellite from an H-IIA rocket.
29 Ship with 500+ 'refugees' turned back by Australia's SAS.
30 44 asylum-seekers walked 7 miles into Channel Tunnel from Calais.
AUG 30 Arianne-4 put a new Intelsat satellite in orbit.
30 European Central Bank unveiled designs for euro notes and coins.
31 New car number plate system hits the streets tommorrow.
31 Volkswagon's Mexico factory "taken hostage" in a strike.
Died : SEP 2 Brian Moore, football commentator. (69)
Died : 4 Sir Arthur Gilbert, British philanthropist. (88)
Died : 23 Isaac Stern, master violinist.
1 New UK car number plates - loc loc yr yr any any any.
1 Secure parking spaces for London comuters selling for £50 000.
1 Stranded "refugees" at Christmas Island accepted by NZ and Nauru.
2 Another 100 asylum seekers tried to walk thru the Channel Tunnel.
2 Carrbridge (Scotl) hosted the World Porridge Making Championships
2 Demonstration by 300 at Ross-shire Gen. Mod. crop trials farm.
2 Michael Schumaker (Ferrari) won the Belgian F1 GP.
3 Estimated cost of hackers attacks so far this year - £ 7 billion.
3 SoftWriting launched - able to convert handwriting to typed text.
4 BMW recalled 500 New Minis sold so far for a petrol tank fault.
SEP 4 Hewlett-Packard and Compaq announce merger that will rival IBM.
4 Jerry Lewis raised $57mil in his 36th Muscular Dystrophy Telethon
4 Shark killed a man wading in the surf off North Carolina beach.
5 Coup leader George Speight elected to Fiji Parliament.
5 Fire raging in the Kruger National Park in South Africa kills 17.
6 Isle of Man Harry Potter coins sold out 25 000 in hours (£10-40)
6 Most reliable cars - Japanese; least rerliable - Vauxhall & Rover
6 Trevor Baylis introduces the wind-up mobile phone. (and laptop)
7 DJ Fatboy Slim won 6 prizes at the MTV Awards.
7 MTV Best Video Award went to Lady Marmalade (Christina Aguilera)
7 US Courts abandon plans to split up Microsoft.
8 Australian Navy intercepted another illegal immigrant ship.
8 Boeing 707 used by 7 presidents (Air Force One) landed for good.
SEP 9 World Black Pudding Throwing Championship at Ramsbottom, Lancs.
10 Bob the Builder was at No 1 with Mambo No 5 (orig by Lou Bega).
10 Eurotunnel in court bid to close asylum-seekers camp in France.
10 First car plant to be built in the UK for 8 years opened by Honda
10 Lleyton Hewitt beat Pete Sampras in the US Open Tennis final.
10 Market fall in europe, FTSE below 5000 for first time since 98.
10 New bank Hbos (Halifax+Bank of Scotland) quoted on Stock Exchange
10 Share prices recovered on the London Stock Exchange.
11 An act of terrorism was ennacted on the USA when two
US passenger planes were crashed into the World Trade Towers
in New York, another plane was crashed into the Pentagon, a
fourth was crashed on it's way to Camp David. All passengers
and crew were killed. Deaths on the ground were "high".
SEP 12 European leaders order a day of mournuing tomorrow.
12 President Bush describes the attack on the USA as an Act of War.
13 Deaths estimate from the terrorist attack "exceed 5000".
13 New leader of the Conservative Party (oposition) is Iain D Smith.
14 Mexico destroyed 3.3 million pounds of coffee to keep prices up.
14 US-UK flights were resumed after America closed it's airspace.
15 Cannabis Cafe opened in Manchester, and proptly closed by police.
15 Greenpeace celebrated it's 30th birthday.
15 Number dead in the Attack on the US "5000 and rising" 150 from UK
15 Soyuz rocket sent to the ISS with new multi-purpose docking port.
16 Earthquake in Greece (R5.2) caused some damage to buildings.
16 Prime Minister Blair announces "We are at war - with terrorism".
16 Williams 1st and 3rd at Imola F1 GP, Ferrari 2nd, Montoya won.
SEP 16 World's biggest half marathon, 21st Great North Run (47k runners)
17 Pakistan urges Afghanistan to hand over terrorist Osama bin Laden
17 The New York Stock Exchange was open for business again.
18 New regulations at airports meant 20000 sharp objects confiscated
18 Taleban in Afghanistan warn to prepare for a Holy War.
19 Gavyn Davies replaced Sir Christopher Bland as BBC Chairman.
19 New York death toll thought to be 'over 6000'; cost $14 billion
20 Afghan clerics ask Osama bin Laden to give himself up.
20 Boeing lose 30k jobs and BA 5k following Attack on America.
20 Multi-national force heads towards Afghanistan.
20 Osama bin Laden to be collected "Dead or Alive" - President Bush
21 PM Blair visited the devastation in New York.
21 The Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten "Anarchy" T-shirt sold for £ 4000.
SEP 21 Two hour fund-raising show across 28 US channels for NY bereaved.
22 Congress approved a $10.2 billion relief package for US airlines.
22 Four arrested in the UK over NY World Trade Centre attack.
22 UK annual illegal drugs market now equal to Sainsbury's turnover.
23 Afghanistan training 100 000 troops ready for a US attack.
23 First CART race in UK held at Rockingham, Gil de Ferran won.
23 News of Osama bin Laden became most searched for item on the web.
24 Foreign Sec Jack Straw visits Iran, first relations since 1979.
24 Osama bin Laden's assets in the US were identified and frozen.
25 The Arab countries sever ties with Taleban in Afghanistan.
25 UK National Take Your Dog to Work Day .
25 US NY Telethon seen by 59 mil in US alone - raised over £100 mil.
26 Afghans set light to old US Embassy in Kabul.
SEP 26 World's biggest insurance claim at Lloyds, £1.3 billion for NY.
27 Gunman went berserk in Swiss canton killing 14, gunman also died.
27 The search for the living at World Trade Center site ceased.
28 Last day of Liberal Democrats conference in Bournemouth.
28 UN appealed for £400 mil aid for 6 million Afghanistan refugees.
29 Millennium Point (cost £144 mil) in Birmingham opened.
29 Spaceguard Center opened in Wales to observe Near Earth Asteroids
30 F1GP at Indianapolis for 2nd time, won by Mika Hakkinen (McLaren)
30 Labour Party Conference started in Brighton.
30 Manufacture of the MG X80 transferred from Italy to Birmingham.
OCT 1 Japanese NTT DoCoMo launched the world's first 3G phone service.
1 The UK national minimum wage increased by 40p to £4.10.
2 Swissair planes were grounded because it ran out of money.
2 UN food convoys enter Afghanistan to feed 8 mil for the winter.
3 About 6000 Mini Classics were recalled with a wheel bearing fault
3 EU cracks down on lawn mowers with new pollution limits.
3 Taiwan banned plastic shoppers bags in an environmental campaign.
4 First of 1000 elephants moved from S.Africa to Mozambique Reserve
4 PM Blair put the evidence against Osama bin Laden to Parliament.
4 Swissair were bailed out by their government for 'the next month'
5 A Russian passenger jet mysteriously exploded over the Black Sea
5 Craig David won Best UK Act Award at the MOBO ceremony.
5 PM Blair went to Pakistan asking for support in Afghan problem
OCT 6 Betting tax officially ended.
6 Kingdom of Tonga's official Court Jester disappeared with $26 mil
7 Tory Party Conference started in Blackpool.
7 US & UK started bombing Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden.
8 Afghanistan was struck in 30 military targets, some near Kabul.
8 Anti-US protests in Pakistan.
8 Railtrack ran out of money, declared bankrupt with £3.3 bn debts.
8 Sunken Russian submarine Kursk was raised from the Barents Sea.
8 The US started dropping food to the people of Afghanistan.
9 Cornwall was declared free of foot-and-mouth disease.
9 Rare Baltimore Oriole bird seen for the first time in Ireland
9 US & UK start daylight raids in Afghanistan.
10 BBC launched new broadband Interactive Digital Internet TV.
OCT 10 President Bush unveiled a list of 22 Most Wanted Terrorists
11 Alcohol compounds 'essential for life' found at centre of Galaxy.
11 Lord Simpson given £2.8 mil pay-off after bankrupting Marconi.
11 Whitney Houston's version of Star Spangled Banner No 1 in US.
12 Afghan capital of Kabul was bombed on the 6th day of air strikes.
12 Ukraine accepted their missile shot down Russian passenger plane.
13 Anti-Afghan war rally in London.
13 New York TV worker was infected with anthrax enclosed in a letter
13 Winnie the Pooh's 75th birthday.
14 M Schumaker won the Japanese F1 GP (Ferrari).
14 Osame bin Laden's al-Qaeda threatened UK and US with new attacks.
14 Second NBC worker affected by anthrax sent through the post.
14 There are now 750 mil text messages sent daily worldwide.
OCT 15 Anti-US protests in Pakistan.
15 US Anthrax-in-the-post casualties reach 12.
15 Yasser Arafat in London meeting PM Blair.
16 Lord Archer was transferred to an open prison.
16 US bombs hit a Red Cross warehouse in Kabul.
17 House of Representatives and Senate closed after anthrax found.
17 Israel's tourism minister shot and killed by the PLO.
18 Lyn Johnson became the first female member of the Red Arrows.
18 Two al-Qaeda members sentenced to life for bombing US embassies.
19 Britney Spears signs promotion deal with AOL.
19 US ground troops entered Afghanistan.
20 First US forces killed in Afghanistan war - 2 helicopter crew.
20 Police seized 300 guns in a raid on a house in Teignmouth, Devon.
OCT 21 Son (10) of Taleban leader Mohhamed Omar was killed in a raid.
21 Soyuz rocket took off with 3 crew for the ISS - 1 was French.
22 Anti-war demo at home of UK's Trident submarines, 150 arrested.
22 President bush gave the CIA a licence to kill Osama bin Laden.
22 UK Concorde made it's first trans-Atlantic flight for 14 months.
22 US jets bombarded the Taleban front lines.
23 All 9 of al-Qaeda camps are now no more.
23 Torential rain in East Anglia cause worst floods for 20 years.
23 Two Washington postal workers died of Anthrax-in-the-post letters
24 Fire in 2nd longest tunnel in the world in Swiss Alps, 9 died.
24 The IRA began destroying their arms in a gesture towards peace.
25 Orange Mobile phone sales up 30% to £7 billion.
25 Over 15 million people attend UK Accident and Emergency each year
OCT 26 Afghanistan's Taleban regime executed it's opposition leader.
26 Royal Bank of Scotland took over 456 Scottish & Newcastle pubs.
26 Terrorist Anthrax alert in CIA's post room.
27 Kabul came under heavy bomb attack from US & UK.
27 Microsoft latest offering - Windows XP - hit the shops - quietly
27 Thousands of Pakistani volunteers offer to fight for the Taleban
28 A minor earthquake (R3.8) hit the East Midlands.
29 A gunman killed 15 Christians in a church in Pakistan.
29 Japan changed it's pacifist constitution to help terrorism war
30 Ford replace CEO J Nasser with Bill Ford (Henry's great gandson)
30 French police stop 154 Afghans and Iraqis hiding on trains to UK
31 PM Blair visits Syria and Saudi Arabia asking for support.
Died : NOV 7 Roy Boulting, film maker.
Died : 13 Peggy Mount, actress.
Died : 23 Mary Whitehouse, clean-up TV campaigner. (91)
Died : 30 George Harrison, singer, songwriter, ex-Beatle.
1 Anthrax-in-the-mail at the US embassy in Lithuania.
3 MicroSoft's new Windows XP O/S was bootlegging in Malaysia for £2
3 Taleban execute 3 supporters of the ex king of Afghanistan.
4 Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone tickets selling at £5k.
4 Madonna was the UK's highest earning woman at £30 mil.
4 Premiere of first Harry Potter Film in Leicester Square, London.
5 Cuba was hit by it's worst hurricane since 1944, 135 mph winds.
5 The twice postponed Emmys took place under tight security.
6 Belgium's Sabena Airline grounded, it's last profit was in 1958.
NOV 6 Two of San Francisco's street cars were sold to Manchester.
6 US consulate in Russia was sent Anthrax.
7 BA's Concord made it's first flight to NY after last years crash
7 Italy sends 2700 troops to Afghanistan.
8 Jordan's King Abdullah gave his backing to Afghan air strikes.
8 MTV Music Awards held in Frankfurt.
8 Scottish First Minister Henry McLeish resigned in expenses row.
8 US dropped two 'daisy cutter' 15k lb bombs on Afghans.
9 Canada's 2nd biggest airline ceased trading - losing £500k/day.
9 Dido was voted Best New Act at the MTV Awards.
9 Schoolgirl hit Prince Charles with a bunch of flowers in Latvia.
9 Shares in BT Mobile - mmo2 - issued and sold at £6.5 billion.
10 US fund managers met to discuss UK Railtrack collapse.
NOV 11 Leaders in Thailand against US bombing - 20000 held a mass prayer
11 NY Fire Chief given standing ovation at Albert Hall remembrance.
12 A300 Airbus crashed in NY Suburb, 255 on board died.
12 Advent calendars went on sale in London, NY & Singapore at £500k
12 Harry Potter film preview broke UK records for first day (£3.4m)
13 Marconi recorded a loss of £5.1 billion.
13 Northern Alliance send trained police into Kabul.
13 Taleban troops left Kabul as the Northern alliance took over.
14 Chip shop in Pwllhi North Wales was named Chip Shop of the Year.
14 PM Blair urged Afghans to join the uprising as UK troops standby
15 Kabul Life quickly returns to normal following Taleban departure.
15 MTV awards were stolen from MTV HQ in Oxford Street.
16 Dudley Moore received a CBE from the Prince of Wales.
NOV 16 Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone world premiere.
16 Kylie Minogues knickers auctioned on radio for Children in Need.
16 UK troops land at Afghanistan's Bagram Airport.
16 US troops involved in ground combat in Afghanistan.
17 Collection of JRR Tolkien documents auctioned for £58k.
17 US bombs the last Taleban stronghold in Northern Afghanistan.
18 Darwin-Adelaide World Solar Challenge start - UK entrant Mad Dog
18 Stop-the-War coalition stage anti-war protest in Trafalgar Square
19 BT's offspring mmO2 started trading on the LSE - valued at £7 bn
19 Final of the World Virtual Golf Tournement teed off in Florida.
19 Four journalists were shot by Taleban soldiers.
19 Harry Potter film breaks records taking £84 mil in first weekend.
20 Afghanistan's Northern Alliance agree to talks in Berlin.
NOV 20 Fire damaged the Russian fortress of St Peter - tomb of the Tsars
20 P&O Princess merged with US Royal Carribean in £4 billion deal.
21 Jonathan King jailed for 7 years for molesting boys.
21 Roche was fined £492 mil for running a vitamin pricing cartel
22 Harryn Potter equals Phantom Menace first five days take ($100m)
22 Japan slaughtered herds of cows after first Mad Cow Disease case
22 The last Taleban Embassy closed, in Pakistan's capital Islamabad
23 Cybercrime convention signed by Europes officials.
23 Extradition treaty signed with Spain, will now take 3 weeks max.
23 Taliban surrounded at Kunduz (expected to surrender in 3 days).
23 Who Wants to be a Millionaire winner arrested on cheating charge
24 British "Mad Dog" entry in World Solar Challenge finished 16th.
24 Car crashes into crowd at British World Rally stage 15 injured.
NOV 24 First 1000 Taleban troops surrender at their last stand Kunduz.
25 Three Japanese warships sailed to support the USA in Middle East.
26 Advanced Cell Technology in the US first to clone a human embryo.
26 Taleban at Kunduz surrender, US Marines land in the South.
27 Denmark Liberal Anders Fogh Rasmuggen formed coalition govt.
27 Taleban prisoners "revolt" in Mazar-e-Sherif Fort - no survivors.
27 Two police officers arrested selling pirated Harry Potter goods.
28 Global raids on paedophiles in 19 countries, 109 arrested.
28 Visitors to Britain since September 11th down by 25%.
29 Huge US power Co with 3700 UK workers - Enron - in bankruptcy.
29 Iceland changed it's name to - The Big Food Group.
29 Memorial Service in St Paul's for UK victims of September 11th.
30 Emergency relief program started in Kabul.
NOV 30 US bombed the last Taleban troops at Kandahar.
30 World's biggest Advent Calendar shown in Birmingham, 180 x 49 ft.
Born : DEC 1 Crown Princess Masaka of Japan.
Died : 20 Clifford T Ward, singer.
Died : 26 Sir Nigel Hawthorne, actor.
1 Compaq won supercomputer crown with Terrascale at 6 trillion cps.
1 First British Top of the Pops Awards.
2 Two brothers were stoned to death in Guatemala as robbers.
2 US energy giant Enron filed for biggest ever US bankruptcy.
3 Ex-Beatle George Harrison's ashes scattered over the river Ganges
3 New world Tai Chi record set in Hong Kong - "over 10 000".
4 Israel declared Yasser Arafat a legitimate terrorist target.
5 Goner.scr virus sparks global e-mail havoc.
5 Power sharing Afghan govt. lasting 6 mths was agreed in Germany.
5 Two US soldiers were killed and 15 injured by US bombers.
DEC 6 Evangelist Billy Graham made an honorary knight by the queen.
6 Space shuttle Endeavor launched after several days of delays.
6 Taleban leader Mullah Omar agreed to surrender Kandahar.
7 Cary Grant's home town of Bristol(UK) unveiled his bronze statue
7 Japan economy followed the US into depression.
7 Osama bin Laden's Tora Bora mountain fortress captured.
8 Bodies of 8 Romanian refugees were found in a container from Eire
8 Original Mozart manuscript of Marriage of Figaro sold for £750k
8 Panasonic warehouse in Cardiff went up in smoke worth £7.5 mil.
9 David Beckham named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
9 Five hundred Santas did a fun run in Newtown, Powys.
9 Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as PM of Sri Lanka.
9 World Food Programme started biggest operation in Afghan history.
DEC 10 Anti-Taleban forces attacked al-Qaeda in the Tora Bora Mountains.
10 Four Tel Aviv teenagers arrested on "goner" virus charge.
10 London Stock Exchange made record £62.2 billion trade in November
11 Last al-Qaeda forces at Tora Bora to surrender at Midday tomorrow
11 Russia arrested 5 in an operation to close a child porn ring.
11 South Korean Giant Daewoo ran out of cash, assembly lines closed.
12 DrinkorDie internet hackers group arrested in 6 countries.
12 Republic of Georgia found 4 guilty of stealing and selling babies
13 New Malaysian King Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalulail sworn in
13 Rail companies paid £136 mil in poor service penalties last year.
13 Six terrorists killed attacking the Indian Parliament in Delhi.
14 Consignia (old P.O.) lost the BBC TV licence contract to Capita.
14 The US onslaught on the al-Qaeda in the Tora Bora caves increased
DEC 15 Consignia, the former Post Office, announced 30 000 job cuts.
15 Habib Moussaoui charged in the US with plotting Sept 11th attack.
15 Lib Dem Euro MP Chris Davies arrested at legalise cannabis demo.
16 British plane spotters (12) charged with spying left Greek jail.
16 Frank Skinner won the British Comedy Award Personality Prize.
17 Dr Tim Berners-Lee (UK) given Japanese science prize for web work
17 Euro starter kits of coins made available in Europe (not UK).
17 Fierce fighting continued in the Tora Bora Hills.
18 Isle of Man became first UK area to have third generation phones.
18 Meridian Delta bought Millenium Dome as a sports - concert venue.
18 Shuttle Endeavor returned to earth after 129 days with the ISS.
19 Cheap NY Concorde tickets sold in 3 mins - £2k reduced from £7k.
19 First British Embassy opened in former soviet Tajikstan.
DEC 19 Looters robbed shops in Buenos Aires in protest at Govt measures.
19 New Anti-terrorism Act, approved last week, used to detain 12.
20 Argentina declared a state of emergency following looting.
20 Final death toll of the World Trade Centre attack now 2992.
20 Hundreds of non-Afghan al-Qaeda fighters detained in Pakistan.
20 Last of the fires in the collapsed World Trade Centre went out.
20 Sellafield MOX uranium and plutonium re-cycling plant fired up.
21 Argentina's president Fernando de la Rua resigned.
21 India's ambassador to Pakistan withdrawn.
21 US led forces were questioning about 7000 Afghan prisoners.
22 Adolfo Rodriuez sworn in as Argentine pres. until new election.
22 Hamid Karzai sworn in as leader of the interim Afghan government.
22 Marks and Spencer closed last store in continental Europe, Paris.
DEC 23 Argentina suspended repayments of international debts.
23 Pakistani troops opened fire on an Indian border post killing 2.
23 The Peoples Assembly of Egypt voted to ban flogging of prisoners.
24 Australia freezes Afghan asylum seekers claims after Taleban fall
24 Britain's first funicular railway opened at Glen More, Aviemore.
24 Carling bought by US brewer Coors for £1 billion.
24 Terrorist with explosives in shoes arrested on France-US flight.
25 A few stores in London remained open - M & S - Safeway.
25 Bush fires raged in East Australia and around Sydney.
25 Patrick Manning was sworn in as Prime Minister of Trinidad.
25 Peter Pan Cup was held by swimmers in Hyde Park's Serpentine.
26 Channel Tunnel closed, Asylum Seekers broke thru French barriers.
26 Indian jets patrolled the border with Pakistan.
DEC 26 J K Rowling married Dr Murray in Perthshire, Scotland.
26 Nassau's Boxing Day Junkaroo parade postponed due to heavy rain.
26 Tesco's internet sales over Xmas included 2.5 mil nappies.
27 Argentina abandoned policy of matching the Peso to the US dollar.
27 New Mexico church burnt Harry Potter books - 'abomination to God'
27 Pakistani based Kasmiri terrorist groups added to US blacklist.
27 Pop group Steps announce break-up - fans devastated (well nearly)
28 National flags will be allowed on British car number plates.
28 Snow and high winds cut off electricity to 7000 homes in Scotland
28 Unemployment in Japan hit a record high of 5.5%.
29 Over 100 bush fires still raged around Sydney, Australia.
29 Protesters stormed Argentina's Congress and started fires.
29 The Beatles had the no.1 album in the US in 2001 with One.
DEC 30 Argentina's new president, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, resigned.
30 Jimmy Young and The Bee Gees get new year honours.
30 Massive explosion in fireworks factory in Lima, Peru, killed 276.
31 Britain, Sweden and Denmark the only EU members not to use euro.
31 Euro goes live at midnight in 12 countries with 300 mil people.
31 High winds fanned the bush fires around Sydney.
31 Knighthood goes to actor Ben Kingsley.
31 Pakistan arrested over 20 terrorists wanted in India.
31 Singer Sade awarded an OBE.