Why YouNow Harry Strawson

Events in 2002 and 15-4

Events in the world in the birth year of Harry Strawson

• Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic’s trial on charges of crimes against humanity opens at The Hague (Feb. 12).
• Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government sign a cease-fire agreement, ending 19 years of civil war (Feb. 22). Background: World in Review
• India's worst Hindu-Muslim violence in a decade rocked the state of Gujarat after a Muslim mob fire-bombed a train, killing Hindu activists. Hindus retaliated, and more than 1,000 died in the bloodshed (Feb. 27 et seq.). Background: World in Review
• U.S. and Afghan troops launch Operation Anaconda against remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan (March 2). Background: Taliban Timeline and Afghanistan
• Israeli tanks and warplanes attack West Bank towns of Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, and others in response to string of Palestinian suicide attacks (March 29–April 21). In the first three months of 2002, 14 suicide bombers kill dozens of Israeli civilians, and wounded hundreds. Background: World in Review
• International Criminal Court wins UN ratification; U.S. refuses to ratify (April 11).
• Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez ousted in coup, then reinstated (April 12, 14).
• U.S. and Russia reach landmark arms agreement to cut both countries' nuclear arsenals by up to two-thirds over the next 10 years (May 13).
• East Timor becomes a new nation (May 20).
• Terrorist bomb in Bali kills hundreds (Oct. 12).
• Government suspended in Northern Ireland in protest of suspected IRA spy ring (Oct. 14).
• North Korea admits to developing nuclear arms in defiance of treaty (Oct. 16).
• Chechen rebels take 763 hostages in Moscow theater (Oct. 23). Russian authorities release a gas into theater, killing 116 hostages and freeing remainder (Oct. 26). Background: Chechnya Timeline
• China's Jiang Zemin officially retires as general secretary; Hu Jintao named as his successor (Nov. 14).
• UN Security Council passes unanimous resolution calling on Iraq to disarm or else face "serious consequences." (Nov. 8).
• UN arms inspectors return to Iraq (Nov. 18).

Birthday Harry Strawson (15-4) in history

• Day 15-4 year 1755: Writer Samuel Johnson has published his book The English Dictionary.
• Day 15-4 year 1817: Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opened the first free American school for the deaf in Hartford, Conn.
• Day 15-4 year 1861: In response to the attack on Fort Sumter three days earlier, President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops.
• Day 15-4 year 1912: Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland on its maiden voyage after it struck an iceberg.
• Day 15-4 year 1920: A paymaster and guard were murdered in Braintree, Mass. Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the crime.
• Day 15-4 year 1945: Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was liberated by Canadian and British forces.
• Day 15-4 year 1947: Jackie Robinson made his Brooklyn Dodger debut and scored the game-winning run. On April 15, 1997, his number, 42, was retired.
• Day 15-4 year 1955: Ray Kroc acquired McDonald's and opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., today the official McDonald’s Corporate Museum.
• Day 15-4 year 1996: The 100th Boston Marathon was won by Moses Tanui of Kenya.
• Day 15-4 year 1998: Cambodian despot Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, died.
• Day 15-4 year 2013: Two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing 3 and injuring at least 170 others.
• Day 15-4 year 2019: At 6:40 p.m., a large fire broke out on the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, causing extensive damage to the church.