In each section of today's Enquirer, we've selected five people, moments or events that helped define 2002. Here are five top events that shaped the nation and the world:

U.S. squares off with Iraq:

The grudge match between President Bush and Saddam Hussein riveted the world's attention. In January, Mr. Bush denounced Iraq as part of an "axis of evil," and Saddam was defiant in the coming months as the United States insisted he was hiding weapons of mass destruction. The U.N. Security Council demanded Iraq allow weapons inspections, and Saddam finally relented. Heading into the new year, the outcome is uncertain.

Terorism keeps world on edge:

Anxiety lingered at home as the FBI warned vaguely of "spectacular attacks,'' and the Office of Homeland Security introduced a color-coded alert system that merely added confusion. Faint hope for the release of kidnapped reporter Daniel Pearl was trampled with word of his execution. A string of attacks around the world - Yemen, Indonesia, Kenya - became all too familiar. The year ended on the same refrain that it began: Where's Osama bin Laden?

Sniper killings rattle D.C.:

For three weeks in October, a string of random shootings in public places terrorized the nation's capital and its suburbs. A tip from Ludlow, Ky., truck driver Ron Lantz at a Maryland rest stop helped bring two suspects into custody. John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, were arrested and linked to 13 killings and several other shootings around the country. The two men will stand trial first in Virginia on capital murder charges.

GOP leaps ahead but stumbles:

President Bush's popularity buoyed his party's power as Republicans recaptured the Senate and gained seats in the House. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott was set to resume command of the Senate when a racially charged remark led him to become the first majority leader in Senate history to step down. The impact will likely be seen in next year's legislative agenda as Republicans work to repair the damage to their inroads with African-American voters.

Miners' rescue boosts spirits:

A transfixed nation watched in July as nine Pennsylvania miners trapped for 77 hours in a flooded coal shaft 240 feet below ground were brought out soaked, soot-covered but alive. There would be a book about their ordeal and of course, a TV movie. The accident raised questions about mine safety. State and federal authorities are considering criminal investigations.