Timeline November 2001

Events in November 2001 11

• 1935 – 2001 Ken Kesey (1935-2001) Died 10 November 2001, aged 66 Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, drawing on his work as an aide in a psychiatric ward, and Sometimes a Great Notion. He then largely abandoned fiction to lead the Merry Pranksters, whose LSD-fuelled bus trip was chronicled by Tom Wolfe. He linked the Beat generation to the 1960s counterculture.
• 1943 – 2001 George Harrison Guitarist, singer-songwriter Lead guitarist of the Beatles, who brought Indian music to the West and made All Things Must Pass and the first charity rock concert.
• 2001 Nintendo releases the GameCube Nintendo's first disc-based home console Nintendo released the GameCube in Japan in September 2001 and in North America on 18 November, its first home console to use optical discs rather than cartridges. Sales lagged behind the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It nonetheless produced enduring titles in the Zelda, Metroid and Smash Bros. series.
• 2001 American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in New York Airbus goes down in Queens, killing 265 On 12 November 2001 an Airbus A300 bound for the Dominican Republic broke apart shortly after take-off from Kennedy Airport and crashed into the Belle Harbor neighbourhood of Queens. All 260 people on board and 5 on the ground were killed. Investigators blamed excessive rudder inputs that snapped off the tail fin.
• 2001 Northern Alliance captures Kabul Taliban abandon the Afghan capital On 13 November 2001, under US air support, Northern Alliance forces entered Kabul as Taliban fighters withdrew south toward Kandahar. The fall of the capital came about a month into the US-led campaign. It cleared the way for an interim Afghan government.
• 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved released Launch title that defined console shooters Bungie's science-fiction shooter Halo: Combat Evolved launched alongside the Xbox on 15 November 2001. Its controls and vehicle combat set a template for first-person shooters on consoles. The franchise became Microsoft's biggest game series.
• 2001 Microsoft releases the Xbox Software maker enters the console market Microsoft launched its first games console, the Xbox, in North America on 15 November 2001, bundled with the shooter Halo: Combat Evolved. It featured a built-in hard drive and, later, the Xbox Live online service. The platform established Microsoft as a lasting rival to Sony and Nintendo.
• 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone #1 film of 2001 — $974m worldwide Directed by Chris Columbus, starring Daniel Radcliffe. A young wizard discovers his magical heritage and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
• 2001 Harry Potter film debuts Philosopher's Stone breaks records Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone opened in cinemas on November 16, 2001, grossing $974 million worldwide and launching one of the most successful film franchises in history.
• 2001 All Blacks Test debut Debut off the bench against Ireland in Dublin McCaw earned his first All Blacks cap as a replacement against Ireland at Lansdowne Road in Dublin. He made an immediate impression with a man-of-the-match performance in just his second Test, announcing himself as a long-term fixture in the New Zealand back row.
• 2001 George Harrison dies Lost to lung cancer — November 29, 2001 George Harrison died of lung cancer on November 29, 2001, aged 58, at a friend's home in Los Angeles. He had been diagnosed in 1997. His final album Brainwashed was completed by his son Dhani and released posthumously in 2002.