Deaths on December 29

Takashi Asahina, Japanese conductor (b. 1908)

Asahina Takashi (朝比奈隆, 9 July 1908 – 29 December 2001) was a Japanese conductor.

6 May

Pope John Paul II
During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
11 Sep

September 11 attacks
Two hijacked aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, while a third smashes into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in a series of coordinated suicide attacks by 19 members of al-Qaeda. A total of 2,996 people are killed.
14 Sep

September 11, 2001 attacks
Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital.
17 Sep

September 11 attacks
The New York Stock Exchange reopens for trading after the September 11 attacks, the longest closure since the Great Depression.
7 Oct

War in Afghanistan (2001-2014)
The Global War on Terrorism begins as a result of the September 11 attacks. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan initiates with an air assault and covert operations on the ground.