August 2003 calendar

August 2003
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Learn the most interesting events and historical facts that happened in August 2003.
The US president was George W. Bush (Republican), the UK Prime Minister was Tony Blair (Labour), Pope St John Paul II was leading the Catholic Church.

But much more happened on August 2003: find out below

history

Historical Events

Which were the important events of August 2003?


Events

  • 01 Aug 2003 North Korea has agreed to multilateral talks regarding its nuclear standoff with Japan and South Korea, Russia as well as the United States and the People's Republic of China.
  • 02 Aug 2003 The Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom claims that attempts by the British Ministry of Defence to destroy documents relating to its treatment of Dr. David Kelly, BBC source, in the weeks leading up to his suicide were stopped by a security guard who discovered the documents set for destruction and called police. According to the MoD, the documents are not important and will be kept by the Hutton Inquiry.
  • 03 Aug 2003 A series of explosions that occurred in northern Pakistan have claimed the lives of at least 52 people (BBC).
  • 04 Aug 2003 Five Japanese mustard gas bombs were accidentally dug out by construction workers in Qihar, Heilongjiang Province and People's Republic of China during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Two bombs are destroyed, and 43 gas poisons are released. One of them died 19 days later. Japan accepts responsibility a week later and sends compensation and doctors to China.
  • 05 Aug 2003 In Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, a car bomb explodes outside the Marriott Hotel. It kills 12 people and injures 150.
  • 06 Aug 2003 2003 California recall: Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would run for Governor in the recall election of Gray Davis.
  • 07 Aug 2003 2003 California recall: Republican Darrell Issa was behind the recall election of Gray Davis. He quickly and unexpectedly dropped out of the race for the governorship.
  • 08 Aug 2003 Hezbollah is a militant Lebanese militia backed by Iran and Syria. It fires artillery at Israeli border posts, drawing back fire. This was the first such exchange in eight years. AP Story
  • 09 Aug 2003 Europe continues to be affected by a historic heat wave that is expected to last another week. Portugal and Spain are especially hard hit by forest fires. Portugal has been declared a national catastrophe, with damage estimated at at. Additional fires have been reported in Majorca and the Canary Islands. Andalusia has temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius. Scotland sets a new record for the highest temperature ever recorded in history with 32.9 degrees Celsius (91.2 degrees F) at Greycrook near New
  • 10 Aug 2003 The United Kingdom's highest recorded temperature was 38.5?C (101.3?F) in Kent. This is the first time that the United Kingdom has ever recorded temperatures above 100 degrees (38?C).
  • 11 Aug 2003 NATO assumes command of Afghanistan's peacekeeping force, marking the NATO's first major operation outside Europe in 54 years.
  • 12 Aug 2003 War on Terrorism: A BBC exclusive report reveals that the United States, Russia, and United Kingdom stopped a plot to down Air Force One with an Igla surface-to-air missile. According to the BBC, President Vladimir Putin requested that an FBI agent travel to St. Petersburg to investigate the plot. The agent claimed to be an Islamic extremist and met with the British arms dealer who supplied the missile. The missile was sent from St. Peterburg.
  • 13 Aug 2003 Bogdan Bukomiric and Ivan Jovovic, both 16-year-olds, were killed in an attack by two AK-47-wielding attackers who fired on a group from Gorazdevac, near Pec, while they were swimming in the river Bistrica. Two of the four children who were hurt in the attack are currently in critical condition. UNMIK and KFOR claimed they had transferred Marko Bogicevic to Belgrade. However, he is currently in Prizren at a German military hospital, against his parents' wishes. A KFOR Italian patrol refused to f
  • 14 Aug 2003 Captain William Ponce, a US intelligence officer, contacts other officers in Iraq to inform them that a colonel indicated that prisoners must be "broken" in order to collect information to stop further attacks on American troops.
  • 15 Aug 2003 Oil prices rise since 2003: The global oil production plateaus after four years (and then declines) due to rising demand. This leads to new price increases.
  • 16 Aug 2003 Major blackout: Power has been restored to most of Ottawa, New York City and Toronto after a major blackout. As work continues to restore power to the grid, authorities warn of future disruptions and recommend conservation. The theories surrounding the causes of the event are growing more solid and consistent.
  • 17 Aug 2003 Investigators believe that the major blackout started in Ohio. FirstEnergy Corporation (which services Ohio residents) released a statement Saturday stating that three of its transmission cables tripped at Unit 5 at their Eastlake Plant hours prior to the blackout and could have been the cause.
  • 18 Aug 2003 War on Terrorism - Arab television broadcasts an audio tape allegedly by Abdel Rahman al-Najdi, an al Qaeda official. It states that Osama Bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Omar still live. The tape encourages Muslims to commit terroristic acts against the Coalition forces in Iraq.
  • 19 Aug 2003 Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top UN envoy in Iraq, and 21 other staff members are killed by a car bomb attack at their headquarters in Iraq.
  • 20 Aug 2003 War on Terrorism - Canal Hotel - US officials comment terror group linked with al Qaeda, Ansar al-Islam is emerging as a top suspect for the U.N. Headquarters bombing in Baghdad. It's part of the global war against terrorists that was declared on us September 11. It is clear that we have terrorists in Iraq.
  • 21 Aug 2003 Occupation in Iraq: According to reports, General Ali Hassan al-Majid (Chemical Ali), was captured in Iraq. He was previously reported to be dead. August 21082003133538.asp
  • 22 Aug 2003 Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended for refusing to follow a federal court order to remove the rock with the Ten Commandments from the lobby at the Alabama Supreme Court Building.
  • 23 Aug 2003 In a rare move, the British government submitted thousands of documents to the Hutton Inquiry. Many of these documents would not normally be visible by the public for more than 30 years.
  • 24 Aug 2003 Hurricane Ignacio is approaching the coast of Baja California. All airports and harbours in close proximity to low-lying areas must be evacuated.
  • 25 Aug 2003 The Tli Cho Land Claims Agreement was signed by the Dogrib First Nations with the Canadian federal government at Rae-Edzo (now Behchoko).
  • 26 Aug 2003 Columbia Accident Investigation Board releases final reports regarding the Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia accident.
  • 27 Aug 2003 Brian Douglas Wells, a bank robber, is killed by a time bomb that explodes around his neck. This explosion was allegedly an act of betrayal from his co-conspirators.
  • 28 Aug 2003 Brian Douglas Wells, a US citizen, is afflicted with a time bomb and explodes around his neck. He then dies. This is the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most bizarre incident.
  • 29 Aug 2003 Sayed Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the Shia Muslim leader in Iraq, is assassinated in a terrorist bombing, along with nearly 100 worshippers as they leave a mosque in Najaf.
  • 30 Aug 2003 Software patents: The European Parliament delayed its decision on legality of software patents in the European Union, from September 1 through September 22 after protests.
  • 31 Aug 2003 Baghdad is packed with thousands of mourners for Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al Hakim's funeral procession.
  • 05 Aug 2003 A car bomb explodes in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta outside the Marriott Hotel killing 12 and injuring 150.
vinyl songs

Music charts

Which were the top hits in August 2003?
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Top #5 songs in the USA

  1. - Crazy In Love
  2. - Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
  3. - Right Thurr
  4. - Never Leave You - Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh!
  5. - P.I.M.P.

Top #5 songs in the UK

  1. - Crazy In Love
  2. - Breathe
  3. - Bring Me To Life
  4. - Never Gonna Leave Your Side
  5. - Fast Food Song

Movies

Which were the most popular Movies released in that month?

Books

Which were the most popular books released in August 2003?

The Footprints Of God by Greg Iles

The Footprints Of God

By:

Greg Iles explores the frightening possibility that human evolution's next phase may not be as scary as it seems in this New York Times bestseller.

Johnny Angel by Danielle Steel

Johnny Angel

By:

Danielle Steel's fifty-eighth bestseller tells the amazing story of a mother and her son's gift. It is also about the tragedy that almost destroyed a family.

Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann

Gone Too Far

By:

Suzanne Brockmann, the bestselling author of thrillers, dives into the adrenaline-rushing world of counterterrorism and taps into the true passions of the brave men and women who live there.

Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs

Bare Bones

By:

"Fans of TV's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ought to be in heaven" (People) stepping into Dr. Temperance Brennan's world as a forensic anthropologist, the star of Kathy Reichs' authentic bestsellers.

The Teammates by David Halberstam

The Teammates

By:

David Halberstam, who died six years ago, is still a respected journalist and an authority on American history and American life in the decades since WWII.