2001

2001 was the first year of the 21st century and a year of rapid change across politics, technology, science, and culture. It followed the late-1990s burst of the dot-com bubble and saw ongoing shifts in global economics and digital life.

In the United States, George W. Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd president on January 20 after the contested 2000 election. The year also featured major corporate scandals, most notably the bankruptcy of Enron in December, and a general downturn in stock markets that affected economies worldwide.

On September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped international security and foreign policy. The U.S.-led War on Terror began, with military operations in Afghanistan starting October 7 as part of a broader effort to combat terrorism and extremist networks.

In technology and science, 2001 saw several notable milestones. Wikipedia launched on January 15 as a free, collaboratively edited online encyclopedia. Apple introduced the iPod on October 23, contributing to a shift in how people listened to music. Microsoft released the Xbox on November 15, expanding the video game market. In space exploration, NASA’s Mars Odyssey launched on April 7 and reached Mars on October 24, while the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft landed on the asteroid Eros on February 12, marking a historic soft landing on an asteroid.

The events of 2001 had lasting global effects on security, geopolitics, and technology development that continued to influence subsequent years.