Timeline April 2002

Events in April 2002 10

• 1905 – 2002 Simo Häyhä The White Death A sniper during the Winter War credited with over 500 kills; a symbol of the "Sisu" spirit.
• 1914 – 2002 Thor Heyerdahl Kon-Tiki Expedition Sailed a balsa wood raft across the Pacific to prove ancient transoceanic contact.
• 1914 – 2002 Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) Died 18 April 2002, aged 87 The Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl sailed the balsa raft Kon-Tiki from Peru to Polynesia in 1947 to argue that ancient South Americans could have settled the Pacific islands. His book and film about the voyage were worldwide successes. He led later reed-boat expeditions with the Ra and Tigris, though most scholars rejected his migration theories.
• 1967 – 2002 Layne Staley (1967-2002) Died 5 April 2002, aged 34 Layne Staley was the lead singer of Alice in Chains, one of the defining bands of the Seattle grunge scene, known for dark themes and heavy harmonies on albums such as Dirt. His long struggle with heroin addiction halted the band's activity in the mid-1990s. He was found dead in his home about two weeks after his death from an overdose.
• 1971 – 2002 Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes (1971-2002) Died 25 April 2002, aged 30 Lisa Lopes was the rapper of TLC, the American trio whose albums CrazySexyCool and FanMail made them one of the best-selling girl groups ever, with hits including 'Waterfalls' and 'No Scrubs'. Known for a playful style and turbulent headlines, she wrote and performed the group's rap verses. She died in a car crash while on a retreat in Honduras.
• 2002 Godhra train fire and Gujarat riots Communal violence kills more than a thousand in India On 27 February 2002 a fire on a train at Godhra in Gujarat killed 59 Hindu pilgrims, and the cause was widely blamed on a Muslim mob. Over the following weeks retaliatory riots across the state killed more than a thousand people, most of them Muslims, and displaced tens of thousands. The state government led by Narendra Modi was accused of failing to halt the violence.
• 2002 End of the Angolan Civil War Ceasefire signed after 27 years of fighting Angola's government and the UNITA rebel movement signed a ceasefire, the Luena Memorandum, on 4 April 2002, weeks after the death in battle of the rebel leader Jonas Savimbi. The agreement ended a civil war that had run almost continuously since independence in 1975 and killed hundreds of thousands. UNITA disarmed and became a political party.
• 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt against Hugo Chavez President removed and restored within 48 hours After a general strike and a Caracas march that ended in deadly shootings, senior Venezuelan officers detained President Hugo Chavez on 11 April 2002 and installed the business leader Pedro Carmona. Carmona dissolved the National Assembly and courts, prompting a backlash, and loyalist troops and street protests returned Chavez to power on 14 April. The episode deepened Venezuela's political polarisation.
• 2002 2002 World Snooker Championship Ebdon Victory Winner: Peter Ebdon; Runner-up: Stephen Hendry. Score: 18–17.
• 2002 Le Pen reaches the French presidential runoff Far-right leader knocks out the sitting prime minister In the first round of France's presidential election on 21 April 2002, the National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen narrowly pushed the Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin into third place. The result shocked France and brought large street protests. Jacques Chirac won the 5 May runoff with around 82 percent as voters across the spectrum rallied against Le Pen.