What Happened in August 2002

Historical Events

  • Aug 1 35th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center

Contract of Interest

Aug 1 In signing star linebacker Ray Lewis to a 5-year contract extension the Baltimore Ravens give him a $19m signing bonus, then the largest in NFL history

  • Aug 4 Soham murders: 10-year-old school girls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells go missing from the town of Soham, Cambridgeshire.
  • Aug 6 32-year old reliever Robb Nen becomes 16th and youngest closer to record 300 career saves as he protects Giants 11-10 lead v Cubs

Baseball Record

Aug 9 SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits his 600th career home run

  • Aug 10 New Zealand beats South Africa, 30-23 in Durban to win their fourth Tri Nations Rugby Series; All Blacks score 4 tries to 2

Women's British Open

Aug 11 British Open Women's Golf, Turnberry Ailsa Resort: Karrie Webb wins by 2 strokes from fellow Australian Michelle Ellis & Paula Martí; 5th different major for Webb, career "Super Slam"

  • Aug 16 Africa Women's Peace Train leaves Kampala for Johannesburg

Canadian Women's Open

Aug 18 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Summerlea GC: Meg Mallon wins by 3 from Michelle Ellis, Rosie Jones, Catriona Matthew & Michele Redman

PGA Championship

Aug 18 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: American Rich Beem wins his first major title by 1 stroke from Tiger Woods

  • Aug 19 A Russian Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.
  • Aug 20 A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.
  • Aug 26 Earth Summit 2002 begins in Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Aug 27 59th Venice Film Festival: "The Magdalene Sisters" directed by Peter Mullan wins Golden Lion

Famous Birthdays

  • Aug 26 Lil Tecca [Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe], American rapper (Ransom), born in Queens, New York

Famous Weddings

  • Aug 10 American "Baywatch" actress Angelica Bridges (28) weds Canadian hockey player Sheldon Souray (26) at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada; divorce in 2007

Lisa Marie Presley & Nicolas Cage

Aug 10 American Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage (38) weds "Princess of Rock and Roll" Lisa Marie Presley (34) at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii; divorce in 2004

  • Aug 24 American television journalist Bryant Gumbel (53) weds second wife, model Hilary Quinlan (42) at Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida
  • Aug 25 American "Baywatch" actress Yasmine Bleeth (34) weds American strip club owner Paul Cerrito (32) at Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, California

Famous Deaths

  • Aug 3 Carmen Silvera, Canadian-born British actress ('Allo 'Allo!), dies of lung cancer at 80
  • Aug 4 Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, Soham murder victims, murdered by Ian Kevin Huntley at 10
  • Aug 5 Chick Hearn, American basketball broadcaster (called 3,338 LA Lakers games), dies at 85
  • Aug 5 Darrell Porter, American baseball catcher (MLB All Star 1974, 78-80; World Series MVP 1982), dies of heart failure at 50
  • Aug 5 Franco Lucentini, Italian writer (b. 1920)
  • Aug 5 Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (b. 1982)
  • Aug 6 Edsger Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist (b. 1930)
  • Aug 9 Paul Samson, British guitarist (Samson), dies at 49
  • Aug 9 Peter Neville, British anarchist, sociologist, and peace activist, dies at 69
  • Aug 10 Kristen Nygaard, Norwegian computer scientist, dies at 75

Michael Houser (1962-2002)

Aug 10 American guitarist (Widespread Panic), dies of pancreatic cancer at 40

  • Aug 11 Galen Rowell, American photographer and mountain climber (b. 1940)

Enos Slaughter (1916-2002)

Aug 12 American Baseball HOF right fielder (10 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1942, 46, 56, 58; St. Louis Cardinals), dies from non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 86

  • Aug 14 Dave Williams, American rock singer (Drowning Pool), dies of heart failure due to undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at 30
  • Aug 14 Larry Rivers [Grossberg], American painter (Godfather of Pop Art), dies at 78
  • Aug 15 Kyle Rote, American college football HOF halfback (SMU; 4 × Pro Bowl; NY Giants) and broadcaster (WNEW, NBC, WNBC New York), dies at 74
  • Aug 16 Abu Nidal, Palestinian political leader (b. 1937)
  • Aug 16 Jeff Corey [Arthur Zwerling], American actor (Getting Straight, Superman & Mole Men), dies at 88
  • Aug 16 John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
  • Aug 18 Dean Riesner, American film and television screenwriter (Bill and Coo), dies at 83
  • Aug 20 Harry Wich, Dutch painter and set designer, dies at 76
  • Aug 22 Mark Bucci, American opera, theater, and film composer and lyricist (1959 Arts & Letters Award), dies at 78

Hoyt Wilhelm (1922-2002)

Aug 23 American Baseball HOF pitcher (8 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1954 NY Giants; no-hitter 1958 Baltimore Orioles; Chicago WS), dies of heart failure at 80

  • Aug 24 Nikolay Guryanov Russian Orthodox Christian mystic and priest (b. 1909)
  • Aug 25 Dorothy Hewett, Australian writer (b. 1923)
  • Aug 25 William Warfield, American concert bass-baritone singer and actor (Show Boat), dies from neck injuries suffered in a fall at 82
  • Aug 26 Bea Barrett, American golfer (Western Open 1938), dies at 85
  • Aug 26 Miguel Querol Gavalda, Spanish musicologist and composer, dies at 90
  • Aug 27 Dr. Edwin Louis Cole, "Father of the Modern Day Men's Movement," Founder of the Christian Men's Network (CMN)
  • Aug 29 Alan MacNaughtan, Scottish actor (To Serve Them All My Days), dies at 82
  • Aug 29 Paul Tripp, American TV host (Mr I Magination), songwriter (Tubby the Tuba), and children's book writer (Rabbi Santa Claus), dies at 91
  • Aug 30 J. Lee Thompson, English film director (b. 1914)
  • Aug 31 George Porter, British chemist (Nobel Prize, 1967), dies at 81
  • Aug 31 Lionel Hampton, American Jazz vibraphone player, pianist, drummer, and actor, dies from congestive heart failure at 94