2002 Fun Facts and Trivia

Gregory DeVictor is a trivia enthusiast who loves to write articles on American nostalgia.

Why Was the Year 2002 so Special?

What are some fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 2002? What were the top news stories in the U.S. and around the world? What happened in the business and financial sectors, in science, technology, sports, the entertainment industry, and in everyday life? What about famous birthdays, marriages, and deaths that year?

1. Vice-President Dick Cheney served as acting president of the United States for two and a half hours while President George W. Bush underwent a medical procedure.
2. An asteroid the size of a football field missed the Earth by only 75,000 miles.
3. The Pentagon was rededicated exactly one year after the attack on the building.
4. Nine coal miners were rescued from a flooded mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania after being trapped underground for 77 hours.
5. Phillips-Van Heusen purchased Calvin Klein; eBay bought PayPal; and Kmart, WorldCom, and Napster all filed for bankruptcy.
6. California Governor Gray Davis announced that the state faced a record budget deficit of $35 billion, which was nearly double the amount reported one month earlier during his reelection campaign.
7. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother of the UK, passed away.
8. Switzerland joined the United Nations, and the Netherlands legalized euthanasia.
9. The euro became the official currency in 12 of the 15 European Union countries.
10. Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Russia became a limited partner in NATO.
11. Michael and Madison were favorite baby names, trench coats and tube tops were fashion trends, and creme brûlée and cupcakes were crowd-pleasers.
12. Back in the year 2002, the average web surfer spent 46 minutes a day online; AOL was the most popular website; and favorite web searches included Spiderman, Shakira, and Star Wars.
13. It took an average of 12.5 minutes to download a song on a 56k modem, and it took 16 seconds for a web page to load.
14. Friendster was the most popular social media site and had a “whopping” three million members.
15. Google Shopping and Pepsi Blue were both launched, and the Firefox browser was released in beta.
16. Back in the year 2002, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the most popular film, The Summons was the most popular fiction book, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS) was the top TV show.
17. A Beautiful Mind won an Oscar for Best Picture, Jennifer Anniston (Friends) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Walk On won a Grammy for Record of the Year.
18. American Idol premiered on Fox, and the Broadway musical Hairspray opened.
19. Unemployment hovered around 5.8%, inflation averaged 1.58%, and the federal minimum wage was $6.75.
20. The prime rate was 4.25%, one ounce of gold was $342.75, and the retail price for a gallon of gas averaged $1.61.
21. In the year 2002, a Maytag clothes dryer cost $399.00, a Maytag washing machine was $499.00, and a Eureka vacuum cleaner cost $69.99-$149.99.
22. A cordless Panasonic telephone cost $59.99-$89.99, an 18.2-cu ft Sears refrigerator was $399.99, and a 1.4-cu ft Sears Kenmore microwave cost $249.99.
23. A loaf of bread cost $1.39, London broil was $2.49 a pound, and three pounds of bananas were $1.00.
24. The New England Patriots were the Super Bowl champs, the Anaheim Angels won the World Series, and the Detroit Red Wings clinched the Stanley Cup.
25. Lance Armstrong was disqualified from the 89th Tour de France for doping.

Here are the five most popular TV shows from 2002-03:

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
2. Friends (NBC)
3. Joe Millionaire (FOX)
4. ER (NBC)
5. American Idol - Tuesday (FOX)

Here are ten cool food and beverage trends for the year:

1. Brown butter pasta
2. Comfort foods (chicken pot pies, meatloaf, mac ‘n cheese, and pizza)
3. Cupcakes and mini-cupcakes
4. Fruit smoothies (for example, mango yogurt smoothies)
5. Giant hunks of meat (influenced by the Atkins diet)
6. Lunchables
7. Planters Cheez Balls
8. Popsicle Cookies & Cream (dairy dessert)
9. Scooby-Doo! Fruit Flavored Snacks
10. Sushi

This article teaches you fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 2002. Find out about popular TV shows, movies, music, books, foods, sports facts, famous birthdays, and other cool pop culture trends to get the right mix of questions and answers for your 2000s-themed trivia qu

Table of Contents

For easier reading and referencing, I have divided this article into the following categories:

1. Grocery Prices in the Year 2002
2. History Facts From the USA
3. International News
4. Sports Trivia
5. Miscellaneous Fun Facts, Trivia, and Pop Culture Trends
6. Computer and Internet History
7. Nobel Prize Winners
8. Most Popular Television Shows From 2002–03
9. Best-Selling Fiction and Nonfiction Books
10. Highest-Grossing Films
11. Horror Movies From 2002
12. 74th Annual Academy Awards
13. Entries Into the National Film Registry
14. Biggest Pop Music Artists
15. Number One Music Hits for the Year
16. 44th Annual Grammy Awards
17. Cool Video Games
18. Food and Beverage Trivia
19. Weddings and Divorces
20. Famous People Who Died in 2002
21. Best-Selling Cars in America
22. America’s Largest Corporations
23. Internet Companies Established

1. Grocery Prices in the Year 2002

These grocery facts have been made available courtesy of the Morris County Public Library in Whippany, NJ.

1. Apples (Granny Smith): 99 cents a pound
2. Bananas: Three pounds for $1.00
3. Beef (London broil): $2.49 a pound
4. Bottled water (500ml, American Fare): $1.99 for a 12-pack
5. Bread (all flavors, Arnold): $1.39 for a 24-ounce loaf
6. Broccoli: $1.50 per bunch
7. Butter (Land O’Lakes): $3.99 for a one-pound package
8. Cantaloupes (large): 99 cents each
9. Cereal (Kellogg’s Froot Loops): $3.50 for a 24.8-ounce box
10. Coffee (Taster’s Choice, instant): $4.99 for a seven-ounce jar
11. Cola (Coca-Cola): 99 cents for a two-liter bottle
12. Cookies (Nabisco Fig Newtons): $2.50 for a 16-ounce package
13. Ice cream (Turkey Hill): $2.74 for a half gallon
14. Onions (Vidalia): $1.49 for a two-pound bag
15. Peanut butter (Jif): $1.79 for an 18-ounce jar
16. Potatoes (Yukon Gold or Red): $2.99 for a three-pound bag
17. Preserves (Polaner Grape Jelly): 99 cents a jar
18. Strawberries: $3.00 for a two-pound package
19. Watermelon (seedless): Two pounds for $1.00

2. History Facts From the USA

1. In 2002, George W. Bush was President of the United States and Dick Cheney was Vice-President.
2. Unemployment averaged 5.80%. According to BLS.gov, “Rising unemployment persisted across the U.S. in 2002. Compared with the prior year, jobless rates were higher in 47 states, lower in 2 states, and unchanged in 1 state and the District of Columbia. In 2002, only Hawaii and South Dakota reported annual unemployment rate declines.”
3. The rate of inflation was 1.58%. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, “prices in 2018 are 39.58% higher than prices in 2002. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.11% per year during this period. In other words, $100 in 2002 is equivalent in purchasing power to $139.58 in 2018, a difference of $39.58 over 16 years.”
4. In 2002, a loaf of bread cost $1.39, London broil was $2.49 a pound, broccoli was $1.50 a bunch, and three pounds of bananas were $1.00.
5. Here were the sticker prices for three best-selling 2002 cars: a Mazda MPL LX cost $22,995.00, a Ford Taurus LX was $13,658.00, and a Pontiac Grand Am cost $13,499.00.
6. In 2002, the prime rate was 4.25%, one ounce of gold was $342.75, and the average price for a gallon of gas was $1.61.
7. The federal minimum wage was $6.75, the median household income was $42,409.00, and the average price of a new car was $21,866.00.
8. In January 2002, the median cost of a newly-built, single-family home in the United States was $187,100 while the average price was $226,900. Comparatively, in January 2018, the median cost of a newly-built, single-family home in the U.S. was $329,600 while the average price was $377,800.
9. On January 8, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. OSPI tells us that “Under the 2002 law, states are required to test students in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school. All students are expected to meet or exceed state standards in reading and math by 2014.”
10. On January 22, Kmart Corporation became the largest retailer in U.S. history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
11. On January 29, President George W. Bush described Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as "regimes that sponsor terror" during his State of the Union address.
12. On June 15, an asteroid the size of a football field missed the Earth by only 75,000 miles. CNN.com points out that “Cruising at 6.2 miles (10 km) per second, the big boulder could have unleashed some major firepower had it struck. The destructive force might have been comparable to an asteroid or comet that exploded over Siberia in 1908, which flattened 77 square miles (2,000 square km) of trees.”
13. On June 29, Vice-President Dick Cheney served as Acting President of the United States for two and a half hours while President George W. Bush underwent a medical procedure.
14. On July 28, nine coal miners were rescued from a flooded mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania after being trapped underground for 77 hours.
15. On July 30, President George W. Bush signed the accounting law known as "The Sarbanes Oxley Act" (SOX) into law. Investopedia.com tells us that The SOX Act of 2002 “mandated strict reforms to improve financial disclosures from corporations and prevent accounting fraud. The Act was in response to accounting malpractice in the early 2000s when public scandals such as Enron Corporation, Tyco International, and WorldCom shook investor confidence in financial statements and demanded an overhaul of regulatory standards.”
16. On September 11, after extensive repairs, the Pentagon was rededicated exactly one year after the attack on the building.
17. On October 31, Andrew Fastow, the former chief financial officer of Enron Corporation, was indicted by a Houston grand jury on multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.
18. On December 18, California Governor Gray Davis announced that the state faced a record budget deficit of $35 billion, which was nearly double the amount reported one month earlier during his reelection campaign.
19. On December 18, shirt-maker Phillips-Van Heusen purchased Calvin Klein for $400 million in cash and $30 in stock.
20. On December 20, U.S. Senator Trent Lott resigned as the Republican leader in the Senate.

3. International News

1. On January 1, the euro became the official currency in 12 of the 15 European Union countries. BT.com confirms that “Of all the EU countries only Sweden (which rejected the adoption of the euro by referendum) and the UK and Denmark (which negotiated exemptions) did not switch to the new currency.”
2. On January 1, Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).
3. On January 16, the United Nations Security Council imposed “an open-ended arms embargo to apply to any sale or supplies to either the Taliban or to the Al-Qaeda organization regardless of location.”
4. On February 8, the 2002 Winter Olympics opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. Britannica.com tells us that “Some 2,400 athletes representing 77 national Olympic committees from places as unlikely as Cameroon, Kenya, India, Brazil, Iran, Thailand, and Fiji competed in 78 events, which included the return of skeleton sledding and the debut of women’s bobsledding.” The games closed on February 24.
5. On March 3, by a margin of 55% in favor to 45% against, citizens of Switzerland voted to end “centuries of political isolationism” and join the United Nations.
6. On April 1, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia.
7. On April 23, Pope John Paul II met with U.S. Catholic Church leaders at the Vatican regarding the sexual abuse of minors.
8. On May 24, the United States and Russia signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), also known as the Moscow Treaty. ArmsControl.org tells us that SORT “commits the United States and Russia to reduce their deployed strategic nuclear forces to 1,700-2,200 warheads apiece. This warhead limit takes effect and expires on the same day, December 31, 2012. After this date, both sides are free to decrease or increase the size of their deployed strategic forces.”
9. On May 28, Russia became a limited partner in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
10. On July 25, the 17th Commonwealth Games opened in Manchester, England. Some 4,000 athletes from 72 nations participated in the largest multi-sport event ever held in the United Kingdom.
11. On July 28, Lance Armstrong was disqualified from the 89th Tour de France.
12. On August 26, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) began in Johannesburg, South Africa.
13. On September 20, the Kolka-Karmadon rock-ice slide began in Georgia, a country in the “Caucasus region of Eurasia.”
14. On November 7, Iran banned adverts for products made in the United States.
15. On November 21, NATO invited Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to become members.

4. Sports Trivia

This information has been made available courtesy of Pop-Culture.us.

1. World Series Champions: Anaheim Angels
2. Super Bowl Champs: New England Patriots
3. NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
4. Stanley Cup Champs: Detroit Red Wings
5. NCAA Basketball Champions: Maryland
6. NCAA Football Champs: Ohio State
7. U.S. Open Golf: Tiger Woods
8. U.S. Open Tennis (men/women): Pete Sampras/Serena Williams
9. Wimbledon (men/women): Lleyton Hewitt/Serena Williams
10. Kentucky Derby: War Emblem
11. World Cup (soccer): Brazil

5. Miscellaneous Fun Facts, Trivia, and Pop Culture Trends

PBS.org explains that pop culture is that loose blend of books, music, fashion and other daily ephemera that contributes to the identity of a society at a particular point in time. In the 2000s, radio, film, television, books, and the internet defined the essence of American pop culture.

1. In 2002, popular baby names were Jacob, Michael, Matthew, Joshua, Emily, Hannah, Madison, and Emma.
2. The average life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 79.6 years for women and 74.4 years for men.
3. The cost of a Super Bowl ad was $1,900,000.
4. Allergy medication Claritin, a prescription-only drug since 1993, was now available over-the-counter.
5. Fashion trends for women in 2002 included bell-sleeved shirts, capri pants, cargo pants, cowl-neck tops, crop tops, denim jackets, embroidered low-rise jeans, jean shorts, puffy jackets, thong underwear, tracksuits, trenchcoats, tube tops, whale tails, and yoga pants.
6. Katie Harman of Gresham, Oregon won the Miss America crown.
7. Shauntay Hinton of the District of Colombia became Miss USA.
8. Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year were a trio of female whistleblowers: FBI Agent Coleen Rowley, former WorldCom vice president Cynthia Cooper, and former Enron vice president Sherron Watkins.
9. On June 11, American Idol premiered on Fox.
10. On August 15, the Broadway musical Hairspray opened.
11. A Beautiful Mind won a Golden Globe for Best Drama, and Moulin Rouge won a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.
12. Russel Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) won a Golden Globe for Best Actor, and Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom) won a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
13. Friends (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and The West Wing (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Likewise, Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Jennifer Anniston (Friends) won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
14. In 2002, a Maytag clothes dryer cost $399.00, a Maytag washing machine was $499.00, and a Eureka vacuum cleaner cost $69.99-$149.99. A cordless Panasonic telephone cost $59.99-$89.99, an 18.2-cu ft Sears refrigerator was $399.99, and a 1.4-cu ft Sears Kenmore microwave cost $249.99.
15. Back in 2002, a Taco Bell bean burrito cost 69 cents.

6. Computer and Internet History

These history facts from 2002 have been made available courtesy of ComputerHope.com.

1. In 2002, 569 million people or 9.1% of the world’s population used the Internet. By 2012, 2.27 billion people or 33% of the global population were Internet users.
2. The average netizen spent 46 minutes a day online and had three million websites to choose from.
3. The most popular websites were AOL, MSN, Yahoo!, Google, eBay, About, Lycos, Amazon, Disney, Classmates, Gator, CNET, iVillage, Viacom, Infospace, Real, AT&T, eUniverse, TicketMaster, and Excite.
4. Back in 2002, Internet Explorer was the most popular web browser and had a market share of 95%. In December 2018, Chrome was the favorite web browser (62.28%), followed by Safari (14.69%), Internet Explorer (7.1%), Firefox (4.93%), UC Browser (4.21%), Opera (3.13%), and Samsung Internet (2.94%).
5. Popular web searches included Spiderman, Shakira, Winter Olympics, World Cup, Avril Lavigne, Star Wars, Eminem, American Idol, Morrowind, and Warcraft 3. Ten years later, favorite web searches were Rebecca Black, Google+, Hurricane Irene, Pinterest, Ryan Dunn, iPhone 5, Casey Anthony, Adele, Osama Bin Laden, and Steve Jobs.
6. In 2002, it took an average of 12.5 minutes to download a song on a 56k modem. It also took 16 seconds for a web page to load.
7. Friendster was the most popular social media site and had a “whopping” three million members.
8. VentureBeat.com tells us that in 2002 “Blockbuster refused numerous offers to buy Netflix and was reluctant to roll out [a] subscription-based membership.” They add that Borders “refused to make an online bookstore” and that Tower Records “was slow to adapt to digital music.” (Most of us know that all three of these retailers are now tombstones.)
9. In 2002, the non-profit organization Creative Commons was founded. CC offers copyright licenses for digital work and “allows the content creator to specify which rights they want to be reserved and which they will waive.”
10. Back in 2002, QuickBooks, a software program for business and office tasks, was launched. ComputerHope.com explains that “These tasks include managing finances, creating and printing invoices, managing and balancing bank accounts, paying and managing bills, and managing finances and inventory.”
11. In February, Google launched its first hardware device known as the “Google Search Appliance.”
12. In March, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 was released to the public.
13. On March 2, the Internet service provider @Home Network went out of business. At its peak, the company provided high-speed Internet service to over four million subscribers in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
14. On May 16, the computer-related film “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” was released.
15. On June 3, music-swapping site Napster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The decision was part of an agreement reached in May when Bertelsmann, the German media giant, agreed to purchase Napster's assets for $8 million. Lifewire.com tells us that Napster didn't last very long “due to the lack of control over the transfer of copyrighted material across its network. Napster's illegal operations were soon on the radar of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), which filed a lawsuit against it for the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material. After a long court battle, the RIAA obtained an injunction from the courts that forced Napster to shut down its network in 2001.”
16. On June 21, the long-distance telephone and data-service company WorldCom filed for bankruptcy.
17. On September 23, the Firefox browser was released in beta.
18. On October 3, PayPal was acquired by eBay.
19. On November 2, the LinkedIn.com domain was registered.
20. On November 25, software developer Roxio purchased both the Napster name and logo in a bankruptcy auction.
21. In December, Google launched its shopping service Froogle.

7. Nobel Prize Winners

This Nobel Prize news has been made available courtesy of InfoPlease.com.

1. Peace: Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States
2. Physics: Raymond Davis, Jr. (U.S.) and Masatoshi Koshiba (Japan)
3. Medicine: Sydney Brenner (UK), H. Robert Horvitz (U.S.), and John E. Sulston (UK)
4. Chemistry: John B. Fenn (U.S.) and Koichi Tanaka (Japan)
5. Literature: Imre Kertész (Hungary)

8. Most Popular Television Shows From 2002–03

This TV trivia from 2002-03 has been made available courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
2. Friends (NBC)
3. Joe Millionaire (FOX)
4. ER (NBC)
5. American Idol - Tuesday (FOX)
6. American Idol - Wednesday (FOX)
7. Survivor (Thailand and Amazon) (CBS)
8. Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
9. Law & Order (NBC)
10. Monday Night Football (ABC)

9. Best-Selling Fiction and Nonfiction Books

These facts have been made available courtesy of PublishersWeekly.com.

Fiction:

1. The Summons by John Grisham
2. Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy
3. Remnant by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye
4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
5. Prey by Michael Crichton
6. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
7. The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
8. Four Blind Mice by James Patterson
9. Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King
10. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Nonfiction:

1. Self Matters by Dr. Phil McGraw
2. A Life God Rewards by Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp
3. Let’s Roll! by Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham
4. Guinness World Records 2003
5. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
6. Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani
7. Prayer for Jabez for Women by Darlene Wilkinson
8. Bush at War by Bob Woodward
9. Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell
10. Body for Life by Bill Phillips

10. Highest-Grossing Films

This film news has been made available courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com. Generally suitable for all age groups, movie trivia questions and answers are a welcome addition to any party game.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2. Spider-Man
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
4. The Bourne Identity
5. Minority Report
6. Phone Booth
7. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
8. Ice Age
9. Die Another Day
10. Red Dragon

11. Horror Movies From 2002

Horror films for the year included 28 Days Later, Below, Blade II, Cabin Fever, Carrie, Close Your Eyes, Dahmer, Darkness, Dark Water, Death Factory, Deathwatch, Demon Island, Descendent, Dog Soldiers, Dolla Morte, D-Tox, Eight Legged Freaks, FeardotCom, Fear of the Dark, Ghost Ship, Going Home, Halloween: Resurrection, Horror, In My Skin, Inner Senses, Killer Bees, and Long Time Dead.

12. 74th Annual Academy Awards

These film facts have been made available courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com.

1. Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2. Best Director: Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind)
3. Best Actor: Denzel Washington (Training Day)
4. Best Actress: Halle Berry (Monster's Ball)
5. Best Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent (Iris)
6. Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind)
7. Best Original Screenplay: Gosford Park
8. Best Adapted Screenplay: A Beautiful Mind
9. Best Animated Feature Film: Shrek
10. Best Film Editing: Black Hawk Down
11. Best Cinematography: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
12. Best Art Direction: Moulin Rouge!
13. Best Costume Design: Moulin Rouge!
14. Best Makeup: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
15. Best Visual Effects: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
16. Best Sound: Black Hawk Down
17. Best Sound Editing: Pearl Harbor
18. Best Original Score: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
19. Best Original Song: If I Didn’t Have You
20. Best Live Action Short Film: The Accountant
21. Best Foreign Language Picture: No Man’s Land (Bosnia)
22. Best Documentary Feature: Murder on a Sunday Morning
23. Best Documentary Short Subject: Thoth
24. Best Animated Short Film: For the Birds

13. Entries Into the National Film Registry

1. Alien (1979)
2. All My Babies (1953)
3. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
4. Boyz N the Hood (1991)
5. Demolishing and Building Up the Star Theatre (1901)
6. From Here to Eternity (1953)
7. From Stump to Ship (1930)
8. Fuji (1974)
9. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
10. Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925)
11. Melody Ranch (1940)
12. Navajo Film Themselves (Through Navajo Eyes) (1966)
13. Punch Drunks (1934)
14. Sabrina (1954)
15. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
16. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
17. The Black Stallion (1979)
18. The Endless Summer (1966)
19. Theodore Case Sound Test: Gus Visser and His Singing Duck (1925)
20. The Pearl (1948)
21. This Is Cinerama (1952)
22. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
23. Why Man Creates (1968)
24. Wild and Woolly (1917)
25. Wild River (1960)

Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule: Ain't It Funny

14. Biggest Pop Music Artists

These fun facts and trivia from 2002 have been made available courtesy of Billboard.com.

Favorite pop artists were Alan Jackson, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Avril Lavigne, Beyonce, Creed, DJ Sammy, Eminem, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Ginuwine, Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Eat World, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Loon, Michelle Branch, Missy Elliott, Nelly, No Doubt, Pink, Puddle of Mudd, R. Kelly, Sean Paul, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Tweet, and Vanessa Carlton.

15. Number One Music Hits for the Year

This information has been made available courtesy of Billboard.com.

• December 22, 2001 - February 22, 2002: Nickelback, How You Remind Me
• February 23 - March 8: Ja Rule featuring Ashanti, Always on Time
• March 9 - April 19: Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, Ain't It Funny
• April 20 - June 28: Ashanti, Foolish
• June 29 - August 16: Nelly, Hot in Herre
• August 17 - October 4: Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland, Dilemma
• October 5 - November 8: Kelly Clarkson, A Moment Like This
• November 9, 2002 - January 31, 2003: Eminem, Lose Yourself

16. 44th Annual Grammy Awards

This music news from 2002 has been made available courtesy of Grammy.com.

1. Record of the Year: Walk On
2. Song of the Year: Fallin’
3. Album of the Year: O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack
4. Best New Artist: Alicia Keys
5. Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: I'm Like A Bird
6. Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
7. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
8. Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals: Lady Marmalade
9. Best Pop Instrumental Performance: Reptile
10. Best Dance Recording: All For You
11. Best Pop Instrumental Album: No Substitutions - Live In Osaka
12. Best Pop Vocal Album: Lovers Rock
13. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Songs I Heard
14. Best Female Rock Vocal Performance: Get Right With God
15. Best Male Rock Vocal Performance: Dig In
16. Best Hard Rock Performance: Crawling
17. Best Metal Performance: Schism
18. Best Rock Song: Drops of Jupiter
19. Best Rock Album: All That You Can't Leave Behind
20. Best Alternative Music Performance: Parachutes
21. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Fallin’
22. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: U Remind Me
23. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: Fallin’
24. Best R&B Album: Songs In A Minor
25. Best Rap Solo Performance: Get Ur Freak On
26. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Ms. Jackson
27. Best Rap Album: Stankonia
28. Best Female Country Solo Performance: Shine
29. Best Male Country Solo Performance: O Death
30. Best Country Duo/Group Performance: The Lucky One
31. Best Country Song: The Lucky One
32. Best Country Album: Timeless - Hank Williams Tribute
33. Best Bluegrass Album: New Favorite
34. Best New Age Album: A Day Without Rain
35. Best Contemporary Jazz Album: M_
36. Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Calling
37. Best Jazz Instrumental Solo: Chan’s Song
38. Best Latin Jazz Album: Nocturne
39. Best Rock Gospel Album: Solo
40. Best Traditional Blues Album: Do You Get The Blues?
41. Best World Music Album: Full Circle - Carnegie Hall 2000
42. Best Polka Album: Gone Polka
43. Best Musical Album for Children: Elmo And The Orchestra
44. Best Spoken Word Album for Children: Mama Don't Allow
45. Best Spoken Word Album: Q - The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones
46. Best Spoken Comedy Album: Napalm & Silly Putty
47. Best Musical Show Album: The Producers
48. Best Instrumental Composition: Cast Away - End Credits
49. Best Classical Album: Berlioz: Les Troyens
50. Best Opera Recording: Berlioz: Les Troyens

17. Cool Video Games

Favorite video games from 2002 included Age of Mythology, Battlefield 1942, BMX XXX, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Cloud 2, Deathrow, Digimon World 3, Dungeon Siege, Eternal Darkness, Final Fantasy XI, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, James Bond 007: Nightfire, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and Kingdom Hearts.

18. Food and Beverage Trivia

Here are some foods and beverages that were popular in 2002:

1. Bachman’s Pretzel Stix
2. Bacon
3. Brown butter pasta
4. Cake pops
5. Comfort foods (chicken pot pies, meatloaf, mac ‘n cheese, and pizza)
6. Creme brûlée
7. Cupcakes and mini-cupcakes
8. Favorite flavors back in 2002 included bacon, blueberry, cranberry, ginger, hibiscus, mint, pomegranate, and wasabi.
9. French Toast Crunch Cereal
10. Fruit smoothies (for example, mango yogurt smoothies)
11. Giant hunks of meat (influenced by the Atkins diet)
12. Hi-C
13. Lunchables Fun Snacks
14. Olive oil
15. Planters Cheez Balls
16. Planters Cheez Curls
17. Popsicle Cookies & Cream (dairy dessert)
18. Scooby-Doo! Fruit Flavored Snacks
19. Sliders
20. Superfruits such as pomegranates and blueberries
21. Sushi
22. Tic Tac Cinnamon Spice (still America’s #1 breath mint)
23. Watermelon and feta cheese salad
24. Whole grains
25. Yoplait Trix Yogurt

19. Weddings and Divorces

This information has been made available courtesy of OnThisDay.com.

Weddings:

1. On January 1, guitarist Eric Clapton wed Melia McEnery.
2. On January 12, television host Conan O'Brien married Liza Powel.
3. On February 2, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands wed Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti.
4. On March 16, Oscar-winning entertainer Liza Minnelli married producer David Gest.
5. On June 8, Wimbledon champion Björn Borg wed Patricia Ostfeldt.
6. On June 11, musician Paul McCartney married Heather Mills.
7. On June 15, actor Charlie Sheen wed actress Denise Richards.
8. On July 4, Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts married cameraman Danny Moder.
9. On September 1, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar wed actor Freddie Prinze Jr.
10. On September 20, actor Laurence Fishburne married actress Gina Torres.
11. On December 26, Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal wed Shaunie Nelson.

Divorces:

• On October 15, comedian Tom Green divorced actress Drew Barrymore.
• On November 25, actor Nicolas Cage filed for divorce from the "Princess of Rock and Roll" Lisa Marie Presley.

20. Famous People Who Died in 2002

This celebrity news has been made available courtesy of OnThisDay.com.

1. January 21: Peggy Lee (American singer)
2. February 9: Princess Margaret of the UK
3. February 15: Kevin Smith (New Zealand actor)
4. February 24: Leo Ornstein (Russian-American composer and pianist)
5. February 27: Spike Milligan (Irish-British actor and comedian)
6. March 11: James Tobin (American economist and Nobel Prize winner)
7. March 27: Milton Berle (American actor and comedian)
8. March 27: Dudley Moore (English actor and comedian)
9. March 27: Billy Wilder (American film director)
10. March 30: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother of the UK
11. April 16: Ruth Fertel (American restaurateur)
12. April 18: Thor Heyerdahl (Norwegian anthropologist and explorer)
13. April 27: Ruth Handler (American toy manufacturer)
14. May 20: Stephen Jay Gould (American paleontologist and popular science writer)
15. May 23: Sam Snead (American golfer)
16. June 12: Bill Blass (American fashion designer)
17. June 18: Jack Buck (American baseball announcer)
18. June 29: Rosemary Clooney (American singer)
19. July 9: Rod Steiger (American actor)
20. July 28: Archer John Porter Martin (English chemist and Nobel Prize winner)
21. September 3: W. Clement Stone (American businessman and philanthropist)
22. September 11: Johnny Unitas (American football player)
23. October 1: Walter Annenberg (American publisher and philanthropist)
24. October 25: Richard Harris (Irish actor)
25. December 5: Roone Arledge (American sports broadcasting pioneer)

21. Best-Selling Cars in America

This auto news has been made available courtesy of GoodCarBadCar.net.

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Taurus
4. Honda Civic
5. Toyota Corolla/Matrix
6. Ford Focus
7. Chevrolet Cavalier
8. Nissan Altima
9. Chevrolet Malibu
10. Buick Century

22. America’s Largest Corporations

1. Walmart
2. Exxon Mobil
3. General Motors
4. Ford Motor
5. Enron
6. General Electric
7. Citigroup
8. Chevron Texaco
9. IBM
10. Altria Group

24. Internet Companies Established

Startups included Apache Incubator, Asian Tribune, BandMix, BeautifulPeople.com, BlogCritics, CokeMachineGlow, Danish Wikipedia, Finnish Wikipedia, Fotolog, GameStats, GameTrailers, Gizmodo, Google Answers, Google Shopping, Greek Wikipedia, HighBeam Research, Holy Moly, IOffer, Korean Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and Livechat Software.

Other startups were MaxPreps, MeetUp, The Memory Hole (web site), MetroLyrics, Modern Tales, MyCoke, MyLife, OddPost, Open Site, PayScale, Pharyngula (blog), Picaboo, PlayerHistory.com, Poetry International Web, The Poke, Quizilla, RapidShare, Serializer.net, TechVibes, TicketNetwork, TravellersPoint, Vietnamese Wikipedia, and Wiktionary.

References

• 2002 Yearly Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo
  Yearly box office results for 2002.
• Top News Stories from 2002 | Infoplease
  
• Bestselling Books of the Year, 1996-2007
  More than a decade worth of PW's bestselling books of the year (the top 15 fiction and 15 nonfiction bestselling hardcovers) from 1996 to 2007.
• 2002 Nobel Prize Winners
  
• 2002 | Morris County Library
  Historic prices in Morristown, as printed in the Daily Record, for the year 2002.
• Computer History for the year 2002
  
• Hot toys for 2002 | Toledo Blade
  It's official: Barbie, dressed as the fairy-tale character Rapunzel, rules Toyland this holiday season. Barbie has been a reigning monarch of Toyland since ...
• FORTUNE 500: 2002 Archive Full List 1-100
  
• Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America – 2002 Year End | GCBC
  
• 44th Annual GRAMMY Awards | 2001 | GRAMMY.com
  The first GRAMMY Awards ceremony after Sept. 11, 2001, began on a most fitting note with a powerful performance by U2, a band whose relationship with America had only deepened in the wake of the recent tragic events. Bono and company opened the 44th
• 2002 - What Happened - On This Day
  What happened and who was famous in 2002? Browse significant and historic events, world leaders, famous birthdays and notable deaths from the year 2002.
• The Internet 2002-2012: What a difference a decade makes | VentureBeat
  A decade — 10 years. Doesn’t sound like much, right? But a decade ago, the big social networking story was Friendster with a whopping 3 million users. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had 95 percent market share. And less than 600 million people were on

© 2019 Gregory DeVictor

Comments

Gregory DeVictor (author) from Pittsburgh, PA on January 24, 2019:

Liz, thank you for the comment. When I was researching the article, I learned that both Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother passed away that year.

Liz Westwood from UK on January 24, 2019:

2002 was a big year for the UK royal family. The Queen lost her sister and mother and celebrated 50 years on the throne. Another great compilation.

Gregory DeVictor (author) from Pittsburgh, PA on January 23, 2019:

Mary, thank you for the comment. I can certainly remember all of the chaos with Enron way back then.

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on January 23, 2019:

It is so interesting to look back to these highlights and try to remember the highlights in one's own life. Amazing how much change has happened since then.