2001 was a year that began like any other, and ended as one the world would never forget.
The September 11 attacks in New York and Washington shook the United States and led to a new war in Afghanistan as America launched what became known as the War on Terror.
Fortunately, we did have some great films to brighten up our days, with millions crowding theaters for Shrek, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Tech and gaming took a big leap forward, too, as Apple rolled out iTunes and the original iPod for music on the go, while Microsoft launched the first Xbox.
All in all, 2001 blended tragedy, resilience, and a burst of new technology and stories that still shape how we live and what we watch today.
Continue reading to delve into 2001, where you’ll uncover historic events, major news stories, iconic music, notable quotes, and more.
Historical Events
Brace yourself for an incredible ride through the epic events that defined the unforgettable year of 2001.
January 2001
Jan 15
Wikipedia was launched.
The website's name comes from the Hawaiian word "wiki," which means "quick."
February 2001
Feb 9
A US submarine collided with a Japanese high-school fishing training ship off the coast of Hawaii.
The Los Angeles-class USS Greeneville was demonstrating maneuvers to some VIP civilians when it surfaced, running straight into the Japanese ship. Nine people on board the Japanese vessel were killed, including four students and two teachers.
Feb 12
NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft became the first space probe to land on an asteroid when it touched down on 433 Eros.
March 2001
Mar 23
Russia’s Mir Space Station was deorbited over the South Pacific Ocean.
Mir's first components were launched into Earth's atmosphere in 1986 when Russia was still the Soviet Union. Over the next fifteen years, Mir orbited Earth 86,331 times and was occupied for 4,592 days. It was ultimately decommissioned due to a lack of funding. After retrieving anything of value that could easily be removed, the space station was deorbited. Much of the station burnt up during re-entry, with the remainder falling into the ocean.
Mar 30
Swimmer Michael Phelps smashed the world record for the 200-meter butterfly swim at just 15 years old.
He swam an impressive 1:54.58 and held the record for 18 years.
April 2001
Apr 7
NASA launched the 2001 Mars Odyssey space probe from Cape Canaveral.
The space probe was initially called the Astrobiological Reconnaissance and Elemental Surveyor (ARES). However, the naming committee faced heavy criticism and was forced to reconsider its options. 2001 Mars Odyssey had previously come up as an option, but due to licensing concerns, they rejected it.
Apr 28
Space welcomed its first tourist from Earth.
Businessman Dennis Tito spent $20 million to become the first space tourist to orbit our planet.
May 2001
May 21
French Taubira law officially recognized the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
May 25
32-year-old Erik Weihenmayer from Boulder, Colorado, became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
June 2001
Jul 12
NASA’s Atlantis space shuttle took off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-104.
Mission STS-104's main priorities were transporting and installing the Quest Joint airlock to the International Space Station and conducting routine maintenance on the station. The airlock was the biggest deal, though, as it was the first airlock on the ISS, which was usable by both Russian and American astronauts.
Jul 16
Jurassic Park III premiered in Los Angeles, California.
The movie was the least well-received and was the lowest-grossing movie of the franchise at $368.8 million worldwide.
Jul 20
Japanese animated fantasy movie “Spirited Away” was released.
The movie had a budget of around $15 million and made $347.7 million at the Box Office.
Jul 29
Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France for the third time in a row.
It seemed like Lance Armstrong had won the 88th Tour de France fair and square, but this all changed in 2012. There had long been suspicion surrounding Armstrong's incredible performances, and in August 2012, he was stripped of all his titles dating back to 1998 as it was discovered he was doping.
August 2001
Aug 3
American coming-of-age teen comedy film “The Princess Diaries” was released.
This was Anne Hathaway's first movie and starred Julie Andrews.
September 2001
Sep 9
HBO first aired the American war drama miniseries “Band of Brothers” by Steven Spielberg.
Sep 11
Two planes crashed into the World Trade Towers in New York City.
On this day, four terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda were performed in the United States. Almost 3,000 lives were lost, more than 20,000 people were injured, and $10 billion in damages was caused. The 9/11 attacks became the worst terror attack in history.
Sep 17
The New York Stock Exchange reopened for trading after the September 11 attacks.
It was the longest the New York Stock Exchange had been closed since the Great Depression.
October 2001
Oct 15
NASA’s Galileo spacecraft skimmed by Jupiter’s moon, Lo, at just 112 miles (180 km).
The probe was launched on October 18, 1989.
Oct 16
Capcom released Devil May Cry, a game based loosely on Dante’s Divine Comedy.
When we say loosely, we mean extremely loosely, as other than having demons and a main character called Dante, there's little else to do with Dante's epic poem. In fact, Devil May Cry started as a Resident Evil game, an idea that was dropped as the game's theme was too "cool" and not gritty enough for the horror series.
Oct 21
The benefit concert “United We Stand” led by Michael Jackson took place to stand up against terrorism.
Many top artists performed, including Mariah Carey, Al Green, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Goo Goo Dolls, Backstreet Boys, Usher, Pink, NSYNC, and more.
Oct 23
Apple’s iPod hit store shelves.
The first-generation iPod enabled customers to store up to 1,000 songs on their small music MP3 player.
Oct 26
The American sci-fi movie “Donnie Darko” with Jake Gyllenhaal was released in the US.
November 2001
Nov 4
J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter Movie, “The Philosopher’s Stone,” premiered in Leicester Square, London, UK.
Nov 12
American Airlines Flight 587 from New York City to the Dominican Republic crashed during takeoff.
All 260 passengers died, as well as another five more who weren't on the plane.
Nov 15
Microsoft entered the video game market with the launch of its first game console, the Xbox.
Much of the first Xbox's success came down to the game it was launched alongside, Halo. The Xbox sold more than 1.5 million units in the US alone by the end of the year.
Nov 27
Osiris became the first discovered exoplanet with an atmosphere.
It was found to have a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
December 2001
Dec 10
The first Lord of the Rings film installment, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” directed by Peter Jackson, premiered in London.
Dec 12
Winona Ryder was arrested.
On the premise of shoplifting charges, Winona Ryder was arrested in Beverly Hills for stealing $4,700 worth of merchandise and possession of pain medication without a prescription.
Dec 13
A Beautiful Mind, based on the biography by Sylvia Nasar, directed by Ron Howard, premiered in Los Angeles.
Dec 19
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first Lord of the Rings film, was released in theaters.
The movie made $47 million during its opening weekend and $871 million worldwide.
Dec 22
Richard Reid, infamously known as the “shoe bomber,” attempted to blow up an airplane with explosives in his shoes.
Reid hid plastic explosives in his shoes which he unsuccessfully attempted to detonate on board an American Airlines flight. Reid was subdued by passengers and arrested upon landing.
Dec 24
Rudy Giuliani was named “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine.
The New York Mayor was commended for his leadership during the 9/11 terror attacks by being named Person of the Year. He was also admired for improving New York City's safety after the attacks.
Famous Births
Here are some incredible people born in 2001.
Age
24 years old
Born IN
Texas, USA
Age
24 years old
Born IN
California, USA
Age
24 years old
Born IN
California, USA
Age
24 years old
Born IN
Connecticut, USA
Age
24 years old
Born IN
California, USA
Age
24 years old
Born IN
California, USA
Famous Deaths
Here's a look at a few unforgettable people who passed away in 2001.
1943 — 2001
George Harrison
English Musician George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943. He died on November 29, 2001, at age 58 in California, USA.
Quotes
The year 2001 left behind words that continue to inspire and resonate.
Oct 14
“When you stop thinking about yourself all the time, a certain sense of repose overtakes you.”
Leonard Cohen
(Canadian Singer)
Nov 30
“Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.”
Michael Jordan
(American Basketball Player)
2001 in Music
2001 was a year filled with sensational tunes that had us singing along without a care in the world!
From the soulful vocals of “Fallin'” by Alicia Keys to the nostalgic pop anthem “It’s Gonna Be Me” by *NSYNC, these songs had us singing our hearts out and created memories that will last a lifetime.
These are a few music highlights from 2001 that you should be aware of.
Album of the Year
Steely Dan’s rock masterpiece “Two Against Nature” wowed audiences and earned them the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2001, showcasing their musical genius and sophistication.
Song of the Year
U2’s anthemic hit “Beautiful Day” filled hearts with optimism and earned them the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2001.
Best New Artist
Shelby Lynne’s heartfelt songwriting and captivating voice won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2001, establishing her as a respected figure in country music.
Eurovision Song Contest Winner
In 2001, the 46th Eurovision Song Contest took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, where musical diversity and creativity were celebrated.
Tanel Padar and Dave Benton, along with the talented group 2XL, represented Estonia with their song “Everybody,” making it the first Estonian victory in Eurovision.
2001 In Numbers
Get ready to be amazed by numbers! If you ever wondered how to write 2001 in Roman numerals, it’s MMI. And when converted to binary, 2001 becomes 11111010001.
Harshad Number
2001 is a Harshad number, which is a number that can be evenly divided by the sum of its digits. It’s like a special math rule for some numbers.
To explain in more detail, we add up the digits (2 + 0 + 0 + 1), which equals 3. And now we see if 2001 can be divided evenly by 3, which it can! 2001 ÷ 3 = 667. So this makes 2001 a Harshad number.
Deficient Number
Also, 2001 is known as a deficient number. A deficient number is a number where if you add up all the smaller numbers that can divide evenly into it, the total sum is less than the number itself.
So, when you add up all the smaller numbers that can divide evenly into 2001 (1, 3, 23, 29, 69, 87, 667), they add up to 879, which is less than 2001.
Chinese Zodiac 2001
In the Chinese zodiac, 2001 marked the Year of the Metal Snake. While the Snake itself recurs every twelve years, the specific combination of Metal and Snake only repeats once every sixty years.
In the Chinese zodiac, each year begins with the Lunar New Year rather than January 1st. For example, the Year of the Metal Snake started on January 24th and continued until February 11, 2002.
People born in the Year of the Snake are often wise, intuitive, and mysterious. They have a deep understanding of human nature, are skilled at making decisions, and are often elegant and charming.
Among the distinguished individuals born in the Years of the Snake, we find Bebe Rexha and PewDiePie, both celebrated for their unique talents!
2001 Trivia
Did you know that in 2001, Wikipedia was launched as a free online encyclopedia that anyone could edit?
Created by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger as a more open companion to the expert-written Nupedia, it rapidly expanded as volunteers around the world started contributing articles.
Today, Wikipedia has grown into the largest and most-read reference work in history, spanning hundreds of language editions and attracting billions of visits each month.
