2003: On This Year

2003

2003 (MMIII in Roman Numerals) was the year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2003th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations.

Is 2003 a year special to you? If so you may like to discover what 2003 was famous for, who won the Oscars and the Nobel Prizes in 2003, who was Time's Person of the Year in 2003, which books, music and movies were top of the charts in 2003, what Chinese zodiac sign is associated to 2003, what babynames were most popular that year, what was the World population on that year and what happend in 2003.

On this page we will address all your questions and curiosities about 2003 to help you enjoy your trip down memory lane.

history

What was 2003 known for ?

  • The year 2003 went down in history as the international year of fresh water as well as the European year of Disability.
  • The movie Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was the highest grossing film of the year starring Elijah Wood as Frodo and Sean Astin as Sam. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent was the best selling album of 2001.
  • The World Health Organization declared SARS a threat to global health on March 12. In the eight months later, SARS had killed roughly 775 in 29 countries, putting a threat to globalization regarding public health. On July 5, WHO announced that, the transmission of SARS from person to person had ceased.
  • In the evening of August 14, 21 power plants shut down in three minutes affecting over fifty million people in New York, Detroit, and Cleveland in the USA and Toronto and Ottawa in Canada. The power plants were able to resume transmission after two hours, but certain parts of the Northeast were in the dark for more than a day. Businesses, hospitals, commuter trains, airports, cellar telephone services were some of the sectors affected by the outage. The problem was poor line maintenance by FirstEnergy, a power company in Ohio.
  • On October 7, 2003, movie star and former Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger became the governor of California. Schwarzenegger was part of the 135 people on the ballot, and after 11 weeks of campaigning, he replaced Gray Davis as the governor of the most populous state in the USA with the fifth largest economy in the world. Born in Thal in Austria on July 30, 1947, Schwarzenegger became a USA citizen in 1983. He beat his closest rival with over 1 million votes.
  • After the USA invaded Iraq in March 2003, the USA military captured Saddam Hussein 12 days before Christmas. Libya under the leadership of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi agreed to shut down its weapons of mass destruction programs.

Your place in the Universe on 2003

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Oscar

2003: Oscar Winners of the Year

In 2003, during the 76th Academy Awards Cerimony, held on 29/02/2004 the following movies, actors, actresses and directors were awarded with the Oscar in 6 categories honoring the films released in 2003:

What movie won the Best Picture Oscar in 2003?

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Oscar for Best Movie went to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson, starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom produced in the United States of America.

Who won the Best Director Oscar in 2003?

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Oscar for Best Director went to Peter Jackson, for the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom produced in the United States of America.

Who won the Best Actor Oscar in 2003?

Mystic River
The Oscar for Best Actor went to Sean Penn, for the movie Mystic River, starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Emmy Rossum produced in the United States of America.

Who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2003?

Monster
The Oscar for Best Actress went to Charlize Theron, for the movie Monster, starring Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen produced in the United States of America.

Who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2003?

Mystic River
The Oscar for Best Supporting Actor went to Tim Robbins, for the movie Mystic River, starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Emmy Rossum produced in the United States of America.

Who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2003?

Cold Mountain
The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress went to Renée Zellweger, for the movie Cold Mountain, starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins produced in the United States of America.
world population

2003: Who was Time's Person of the Year?


The American soldier
In 2003, The American soldier was named by TIME magazine as Person of the Year. Representing U.S. forces around the world, especially in the Iraq War (2003–2011).

2003: What were the most popular books published that year?

The most popular and best selling books in 2003 were:

The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston

The South Beach Diet

By:

Arthur Agatston M.D., cardiologist, has been urging his patients to lose weight over the years. However, not all diets were easy to follow or too restrictive.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The Devil Wears Prada

By:

This delightfully savage novel is about the most difficult boss in history. It was also the basis of the major motion picture with Anne Hathaway & Meryl Streep.

A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

A Short History Of Nearly Everything

By:

One Summer is the bestselling book by One Summer, one of the most loved writers in the world. He embarks on his final journey to the most difficult and mysterious questions science has ever attempted to answer.

The King of Torts by John Grisham

The King of Torts

By:

The public defender's office is not well-known as a place to train bright young litigators. Clay Carter, who has been in the office for too long, hopes to have a better job at a real law firm.

Stupid White Men by Michael Moore

Stupid White Men

By:

With more than 3 million copies sold, Michael Moore, Oscar-winning filmmaker as well as political activist, has written a bestseller called "Stupid White Men". It tells everything you need about the great and how they got there.

Goat chinese zodiac sign

2003: What was the Chinese Zodiac sign associated with the year 2003?


According to the Chinese Zodiac and Astrology 2003 was the Year of the Goat.

Discover Zodiac Sign Characteristics and Personality Traits of people born under the Goat sign.

Nobel Prize

2003: Nobel Prize Winners of the Year


2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Peter Mansfield

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Paul Lauterbur

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Shirin Ebadi

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • J. M. Coetzee

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Anthony James Leggett

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Robert F. Engle

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Peter Agre
  • Roderick MacKinnon

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Clive Granger

2003: Who won the Nobel Prize in None ?

In 2003 the Nobel Prize in None was awarded to:
  • Vitaly Ginzburg
world population

2003: What were the most popular baby names in the USA that year ?

The 3 most popular baby names in 2003 were Jacob, Michael and Joshua for boys and Emily, Emma and Madison for girls according to the US Census Bureau historical records.

2003: What were the Top #10 male names given to baby boys that year?

The Top # 10 male names given to baby boys in 2003 in the USA according to the US Census Bureau historical records were:

  • Jacob
  • Michael
  • Joshua
  • Matthew
  • Andrew
  • Ethan
  • Joseph
  • Daniel
  • Christopher
  • Anthony

2003: What were the Top #10 female names given to baby girls that year?

The Top # 10 female names given to baby girls in 2003 in the USA according to the US Census Bureau historical records were:

  • Emily
  • Emma
  • Madison
  • Hannah
  • Olivia
  • Abigail
  • Alexis
  • Ashley
  • Elizabeth
  • Samantha

vinyl songs

2003: What was the number 1 song in the USA that year?

The number 1 song in the USA in 2003, i.e. the best selling and most popular song of tha year, was Right Thurr by Chingy

2003: What was the music chart in the USA that year?

The Music Chart in the USA in 2003 with the top 10 most popular songs, was:

  1. Right Thurr by Chingy
  2. Get Busy by Sean Paul
  3. Unwell by matchbox twenty
  4. In Da Club by 50 Cent
  5. Get Low by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz
  6. Crazy In Love by Beyonce
  7. Ignition by R. Kelly
  8. Baby Boy by Beyonce
  9. Miss You by Aaliyah
  10. 21 Questions by 50 Cent

2003: What was the number 1 song in the UK that year?

The number 1 song in the UK in 2003, i.e. the best selling and most popular song of tha year, was Ignition Remix by R Kelly

2003: What was the music chart in the UK that year?

The Music Chart in the UK in 2003 with the top 10 most popular songs, was:

  1. Ignition Remix by R Kelly
  2. Where Is The Love? by The Black Eyed Peas
  3. Cry Me A River by Justin Timberlake
  4. Bring Me To Life by Evanescence
  5. Move Your Feet by Junior Senior
  6. Breathe by Blu Cantrell featuring Sean Paul
  7. All The Things She Said by Tatu
  8. Spirit In The Sky by Gareth Gates & The Kumars
  9. White Flag by Dido
  10. Stop Living The Lie by David Sneddon

2003: What were the most popular movies that year ?

The most popular movies and box office hits in 2003 were:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Release year: 2003

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom

Country: United States of America

Chappelle's Show

Chappelle's Show

Release year: 2003

Written by:

Directed by: Todd Broder

Starring: Dave Chappelle, Donnell Rawlings, Neal Brennan, Rudy Rush

Country: United States of America

New Scandinavian Cooking

New Scandinavian Cooking

Release year: 2003

Starring: Andreas Viestad, Tina Nordström, Claus Meyer Nielsen

Country: Norway

Peep Show

Peep Show

Release year: 2003

Written by:

Starring: David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Matt King, Olivia Colman

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Oldboy

Oldboy

Release year: 2003

Directed by: Chan-wook Park

Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang, Dae-han Ji

Country: United States of America

world population

2003: What was the world population that year?

The world population in 2003 was 6,381,185,114 people according to data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. This figure includes both urban and rural populations. The urban population at that time accounted for 48.0% of the total population, which is roughly 3.1 billion individuals.The annual population change in 2003 was an increase of +79.4 million people, representing a percentage increase of +1.26% over the previous year.The average population density in 2003 was 27 persons per square mile (or 43 persons per square kilometer).

history

What happened in 2003?

Here's what happened in 2003:

  • Jan 1, 2003: The first day in the Gregorian Calendar is the beginning of the year
  • Jan 2, 2003: To oversee the cease-fire between President Laurent Gbagbo's government and the main rebel group, the Patriotic Movement of the Ivory Coast, the first 49 of the 1,264 West African peacekeepers arrived in Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire. September 19th 2002 saw the start of rebellion against Gbagbo's government. The Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), agreed to send peacekeepers September 29. The EECOWAS peacekeepers join 2,500 French troops. Rebel groups occupy the
  • Jan 3, 2003: The 108th United States Congress is sworn in, including incoming freshmen Senators Saxby Chambliss (Republican-Georgia), Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina), John Sununu (Republican-New Hampshire), Lamar Alexander (Republican-Tennessee), Elizabeth Dole (Republican-North Carolina), Norm Coleman (Republican-Minnesota), and Mark Pryor (Democrat-Arkansas).
  • Jan 4, 2003: U.S. plans to invade Iraq: Turkey’s Milliyet newspaper published an image showing tanks at an airport that it claimed was the former Bamerni airbase in Kurdish-controlled north Iraq. This report may be the first proof of a NATO military presence inside Iraq, if true.
  • Jan 5, 2003: Seven suspects were arrested by police in connection to the Wood Green ricin plot.
  • Jan 7, 2003: With a Republican Senate majority, the US Congress meets
  • Jan 8, 2003: All 21 passengers on board US Airways Express Flight 5481 are killed when it crashes at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina.
  • Jan 9, 2003: UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix, and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed El Baradei present a report to UN Security Council. They say that progress on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is ampquotinching forwardampquot but that a more ampquotpro-activeampquot stance is required from the Iraqi government.
  • Jan 10, 2003: Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes death sentences for 167 Illinois death row inmates based on the Jon Burge scandal.
  • Jan 11, 2003: Clonaid, a controversial organization that claims it created a human-clone, was ordered by a U.S. court to disclose the identity and location of the alleged cloned child.
  • Jan 12, 2003: If the US continues to challenge North Korea, it is threatened that the US will disappear in an ampquotsea full of fireampquot.
  • Jan 13, 2003: War on Terrorism - Six more suspects were taken into custody in Bournemouth, England as part of an investigation into the London discovery of ricin. The total number of people arrested now stands at eleven.
  • Jan 14, 2003: War on Terrorism. Three more suspects were arrested in Manchester, England in connection to the investigation into the London-based ricin. However, it appears that the raid was originally carried out in pursuit of an investigation into immigration. Stephen Oake, a Special Branch officer of police, was fatally wounded in the stabbing incident. Three other officers sustained injuries, one serious. The total number of people arrested now stands at fourteen.
  • Jan 15, 2003: The United States Supreme Court allows the extension of copyright terms in the U.S.
  • Jan 16, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia launches for its last mission, STS-107. Columbia was destroyed 16 days later upon re-entry.
  • Jan 17, 2003: A United States Senate subcommittee unanimously recommends Tom Ridge to be confirmed by full Senate as the head of the new United States Department of Homeland Security, which is due to start operations on January 24.
  • Jan 18, 2003: A bushfire in Canberra kills four people and damages more than 500 homes.
  • Jan 19, 2003: Beverley Hills hosts the Golden Globe Awards. Martin Scorsese is named Best Director of ''Gangs of New York.' Three awards are given to ''Chicago.
  • Jan 20, 2003: British police raided the Finsbury Park mosque, Finsbury Park in London, England as part of an investigation into the hunt for poison ricin. Seven men were arrested for living in the mosque. A replica firearm, tear gas, and stun gun were also reported to have been found on the premises.
  • Jan 21, 2003: Colima in Mexico is struck by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, which kills 29 people and leaves approximately 10,000 homeless.
  • Jan 22, 2003: The RIAA is a lobbying organization for the music industry. Hilary Rosen will be leaving the position of head at the end 2003. Rosen gained notoriety online for her tireless efforts to stop the proliferation of copyrighted MP3 files on peer-to–peer file-sharing networks like Kazaa and Napster. According to reports, the RIAA members are dissatisfied with Rosen's near complete failure to accomplish this goal.
  • Jan 23, 2003: Last communication between Pioneer 10 and Earth.
  • Jan 24, 2003: Officially, the new United States Department of Homeland Security goes into operation.
  • Jan 25, 2003: 2003 Invasion in Iraq: A group left London, England to travel to Baghdad, Iraq to act as human shields and prevent the U.S.-led coalition troops bombing certain areas.
  • Jan 27, 2003: The Library of Congress announces the first selections for National Recording Registry.
  • Jan 28, 2003: A temporary, three-year income tax was passed in Oregon by 54% of voters. 44% voted for it. This resulted in the first state police layoffs since 1931. Other actions included cuts in many local school districts.
  • Jan 29, 2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia 'Columbia' crashes during reentry over Texas at the end of the STS-107 mission. All 7 astronauts aboard were killed.
  • Jan 30, 2003: The Letter of the Eight is a statement by the leaders of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Romania, which shows support for the United States' plan to invade Iraq.
  • Jan 31, 2003: Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia: The Waterfall rail accident occurred near Waterfall.
  • Feb 1, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia explodes during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts aboard are killed.
  • Feb 2, 2003: Without an elected successor, President Vaclav Havel's term in Czech Republic ends.
  • Feb 3, 2003: Phil Spector, a record producer, was arrested as part of an investigation into the shooting death of a woman aged 40 in Los Angeles. According to press reports, the woman is identified as Lana Clarkson.
  • Feb 4, 2003: Officially, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia becomes Serbia and Montenegro.
  • Feb 5, 2003: The U.S. Secretaryof State Colin Powell addresses United Nations Security Council about Iraq. He gives evidence that Iraq tried to hide weapons of mass destruction from inspectors.
  • Feb 6, 2003: Seven more arrests were made in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000 during raids in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.
  • Feb 7, 2003: The Center for Public Interest is a United States nonprofit watchdog organization. It obtained a draft of John Ashcroft's Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003. Also known as ampquotthe Patriot Act, it was leaked to the Center for Public Interest. The legislation, if passed, would give the United States unprecedented secret surveillance powers, and severely limit judicial review.
  • Feb 8, 2003: The UK government issued sections of a "dodgy dossier" that purported to contain the most recent British intelligence on Iraq. These were cited by Tony Blair, Colin Powell, and others as proof for the necessity for war. They were copied without permission from several sources, including Jane's Intelligence Review and a 12-year old doctoral thesis of an American student. These had been published in the US journal Middle East Review of International.
  • Feb 9, 2003: India's largest ever vaccination program is launched by the Government. It will inoculate children against Polio within six days.
  • Feb 10, 2003: France and Belgium have broken the NATO procedure for silent approval regarding the timing of protection measures for Turkey in the event of war with Iraq.
  • Feb 11, 2003: The public was notified of the 2002 Academy Award nominees (''Oscar")
  • Feb 12, 2003: After reports that al-Qaeda agents might have smuggled in surface-to-air weapons into Britain, the British government deployed troops to Heathrow Airport.
  • Feb 13, 2003: A small plane crashes in southern Colombia. FARC guerillas take three Americans hostage after killing one American and a Colombian soldier. FARC claims that they are CIA agents, while the US claims that they are defense contractors.
  • Feb 14, 2003: Four former members of the Symbionese Liberation army were sentenced for the 1975 murder by Myrna Opsahl in a Carmichael bank robbery.
  • Feb 15, 2003: Protests against the Iraq War are held in more than 600 cities around the world. This is the largest ever peace demonstration, with an estimated 8 million to 30,000,000 people participating.
  • Feb 16, 2003: Iraq has found a missile that is larger than the UN sanctioned limit.
  • Feb 17, 2003: The London Congestion Charge Scheme is now in effect.
  • Feb 18, 2003: Nearly 200 people were killed in the Daegu subway explosion in South Korea.
  • Feb 19, 2003: 2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 Crash: 302 members from Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were onboard a military plane that crashed in the mountains of southeastern Iran, killing all. The cause of the crash was not investigated by the government. The plane was traveling from Zahedan (on the Pakistani border) to Kerman, approximately 500 miles southeast Tehran.
  • Feb 20, 2003: A pyrotechnics show set the club ablaze during a Great White concert at West Warwick, Rhode Island. It killed 100 people and injured over 200 more.
  • Feb 21, 2003: Michael Jordan scores 43 points for Washington Wizards against the New Jersey Nets. He is the first player older than 40 to score more than 40 points in a single game and leads the Wizards to an 89 to 86 victory.
  • Feb 22, 2003: Jesica Santillan was critically ill after she received donor organs from the wrong blood type during a heart transplant. She is now off life support and declared brain dead following a second heart transplant.
  • Feb 23, 2003: The 45th Grammy Awards ceremony takes place in New York City. Norah Jones, a newcomer, wins eight Grammy Awards including Record of the year, Album of the year, Song of the year, and Best New Artist.
  • Feb 24, 2003: Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles sold a 1943 D copper Lincoln cent graded MS64 by PCGS for US$212,000. This is a record-setting sale for any small cent.
  • Feb 25, 2003: US plans to invade Iraq. The United States, Britain, and Spain present to UN Security Council a highly anticipated second resolution that states that Iraq has failed to seize the last opportunityampquot to disarm. However, it does not contain deadlines or a threat of military force. France, Germany and Russia counter-propose a proposal calling for peaceful disarmament via further inspections. James Guckert (actually Jeff Gannon), is a time reporter who signs in at White
  • Feb 26, 2003: American businessman, Carlo Urbani, is admitted to Vietnam France Hospital in Hanoi with the first case of SARS. Carlo Urbani, a WHO doctor, reports this unusually contagious disease.
  • Feb 27, 2003: Former leader of Bosnian Serbs, Biljana Plavsic, is sentenced by The Hague, Netherlands U.N. Tribunal to 11 years imprisonment
  • Feb 28, 2003: Jean Chretien, Canada's prime Minister, stated that he believes regime change is dangerous and should not be allowed to lead to an invasion of Iraq. He also indicated that international pressure should only focus on disarmament.
  • Mar 1, 2003: The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the United States Customs Service are now part of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
  • Mar 2, 2003: Over international waters in the Sea of Japan, four North Korean fighter jets intercepted a United States reconnaissance aircraft.
  • Mar 3, 2003: Turkey has indicated that it will vote again on whether the United States can use Turkish bases to launch a military attack against Iraq under intense American pressure.
  • Mar 4, 2003: There have been reports of a new security flaw in sendmail. If existing vulnerable implementations of the Internet worm are not patched, this raises concerns about an imminent new problem.
  • Mar 5, 2003: The United States Supreme Court affirmed California's "three strikes or you're out” law by a 5-4 margin.
  • Mar 6, 2003: Britain: Abdullah el-Faisal was sentenced to nine years imprisonment for urging Islamists not to kill Americans, Hindus, or Jews.
  • Mar 7, 2003: "Pravda" reports that Georgia plans to apply for UN Security Council approval in order to use military force to combat Abkhazia.
  • Mar 8, 2003: In northeastern India, Assam, an oil refinery was attacked and an oil pipeline was destroyed. According to local newspapers, the United Liberation Front of Asom separatist group claimed responsibility and threatens with more attacks.
  • Mar 9, 2003: "ArabNews" reports that Saddam Hussein requested that the UN Security Council lift its ampquotembargo on Iraqampquot. He also denounced the United States of America and the United Kingdom as "liarsampquot. He demanded that Israel be forced to withdraw from Palestine and the occupied Arab Landampquot.
  • Mar 10, 2003: Saddam Hussein will be disarmed by another international body. Saddam Hussein will be disarmed by another international body.
  • Mar 11, 2003: After twenty years of delays, the Brazilian government finally fulfilled its legal obligation to demarcate the lands belonging to the Awa tribe.
  • Mar 12, 2003: In Belgrade, Zoran?inic, the Prime Minister of Serbia is assassinated.
  • Mar 13, 2003: Evolution of human beings: A journal Nature reports that 350,000 year-old footprints belonging to an upright-walking person were found in Italy.
  • Mar 14, 2003: Osiel Cardenas is a suspected leader of a Mexican drug cartel and was arrested in Matamoros (Tamaulipas).
  • Mar 15, 2003: The World Health Organization has issued warnings about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an atypical form of pneumonia. This virus was first discovered in Asia, and it appears to have originated from Hong Kong. It is possible that it could become an epidemic if SARS cannot be controlled.
  • Mar 16, 2003: At a summit held in the Azores Islands, the leaders of Spain, Britain, Portugal and the United States meet. The U.S. President Bush calls March 17 "the moment of truth" meaning that the "coalition for the willing" will attempt to get a resolution from U.N. Security Council. This would give Iraq the ultimatum to either disarm immediately or to be disarmed by force.
  • Mar 17, 2003: U.S. President George W. Bush has given an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein's sons: Either leave Iraq or take military action at the time of their choosing.
  • Mar 18, 2003: FBI agents raided the Birmingham headquarters of HealthSouth Corporation, Alabama to investigate allegations of corporate fraud by top executives.
  • Mar 19, 2003: The 48-hour mandate by President George Bush to President Saddam Hussein's sons for their exit from Iraq has expired. Baghdad is the first target of American stealth bombers and cruise missiles.
  • Mar 20, 2003: 2003 invasion of Iraq: The United States and three other nations begin military operations in Iraq at dawn.
  • Mar 21, 2003: A court in Illinois ordered Philip Morris to pay damages for misleading consumers by using the word "light". The company appealed.
  • Mar 22, 2003: The United States and Britain begin "shock-and-awe" campaigns with an air strike that targets military targets in Baghdad.
  • Mar 23, 2003: 11 soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company and 18 U.S Marines die in Nasiriyah, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom's first major conflict. 654 Iraqi soldiers are also killed.
  • Mar 24, 2003: The Arab League votes 21-1 for a resolution calling for the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq.
  • Mar 25, 2003: SARS: Ontario declares a public health emergency. Anybody who has been at Scarborough Grace Hospital within the last 10 days will be taken home.
  • Mar 26, 2003: UN Secretary General Kofi Ann says that the United States and its allies must remain in Iraq to provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqis, even though security is extremely unstable.
  • Mar 27, 2003: Richard Perle, the chairman of U.S. Defense Policy Board resigned but agreed to continue as a member of the board.
  • Mar 28, 2003: Two A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes from the United States Idaho Air National Guard's 190th Fighter Squadron attacked British tanks as part of the 2003 invasion in Iraq. This incident resulted in the death of Matty Hull, a British soldier.
  • Mar 29, 2003: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Dr. Carlo Urbani (a WHO expert on communicable disease and the doctor who first recognized the outbreak in Thailand), dies from the disease. He was infected in Vietnam.
  • Mar 30, 2003: Overnight, Meigs Field Airport is in Chicago, Illinois was demolished.
  • Mar 31, 2003: In Japan, farm minister Tadamori Oshima resigns.
  • Apr 1, 2003: Japan Post is now a public corporation called The Postal Services Agency.
  • Apr 2, 2003: The Iraqi military set their oil wells ablaze and then fled in fear of the overwhelming US military might. This was considered to be an act of environmental terror.
  • Apr 3, 2003: Dr. Julie Gerberding is a Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and she expressed concern that SARS could become a global pandemic.
  • Apr 4, 2003: Iraqi television shows footage of Saddam Hussein and mentions the downing of an Apache helicopter. This reduces speculation about Saddam Hussein's possible death.
  • Apr 5, 2003: The Senate of Belgium approves the amendment to the nation's war crime law. It will now not apply to citizens of countries with adequate human rights laws. The House of Representatives already approved the amendment. This law was used to indict people such as Colin Powell, George H. W. Bush and Ariel Sharon for war crimes and interfered with Belgium’s international relations.
  • Apr 6, 2003: British forces increase their presence in Basra, a southern Iraqi city. According to embedded journalists the Basra citizens braved gunfire to cheer on the British troops and dance in the streets. Martin Walker, UPI's Chief International Correspondent, claimed that at least one Basra citizen had gotten to kiss a British tank.
  • Apr 7, 2003: Iraq War: U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime falls two days later.
  • Apr 8, 2003: Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, reiterates his March 31 statement to which the United States has not responded. He stated that only the UN IAEA is authorized to search for and destroy any part or nuclear weapon program found in Iraq.
  • Apr 9, 2003: 2003 invasion of Iraq; Baghdad falls under American forces. The Saddam Hussein statue is toppled by Iraqis who turn against the symbols of their former leader and tear it down.
  • Apr 10, 2003: The city of Kirkuk, Iraq is occupied by the United States Green Berets as well as Kurdish fighters. There was little resistance. Separate statements from Turkey and the U.S. state that they won't allow the Kurds occupy the city.
  • Apr 11, 2003: As the fifth Corps of the Iraqi Army offers a letter to surrender, Mosul, a northern Iraqi city, falls to coalition forces. Saddam Hussein's Tikrit hometown is the last major city to fall. Some expect that remaining loyalists will make their final stand.
  • Apr 12, 2003: Baghdad is plagued by looting and lawlessness. Looting of hospitals and the impedement of humanitarian aid due to unsafe conditions make Baghdad a dangerous place.
  • Apr 13, 2003: Ari Fleischer, the press secretary of President George W. Bush, credits The Pentagon with the victory in 2003 Iraq war.
  • Apr 14, 2003: U.S. troops capture Abu Abbas in Baghdad, leader of the Palestinian group responsible for the 1985 hijacking of the MS Achille Lauro.
  • Apr 15, 2003: United States forces capture Abu Abbas in Iraq
  • Apr 16, 2003: An official from the Bush administration announces that North Korea, People's Republic of China and the United States will meet in Beijing between April 23 and 24, to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Since October 2002, the United States has refused to hold bilateral talks with North Korea and instead insists on multilateral negotiations. James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State will represent the United States.
  • Apr 17, 2003: 2003 invasion of Iraq
  • Apr 18, 2003: Iraqi Police arrested Saddam Hussein’s former finance minister Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim Al-Azzawi in Baghdad and turned him over to the U.S Marines.
  • Apr 19, 2003: Nigeria holds a presidential elections.
  • Apr 20, 2003: In a baseball game between St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks, there is a bench clearing brawl. Tino Martinez was struck by Miguel Batista's 1-0 pitch and took first base. During the next batter's at bat, he was forced to leave at second base. Martinez attacked Batista as he was returning to the dugout. Batista turned to throw the ball at him and both players joined the fight. The game was won by the Diamondbacks, 1-0.
  • Apr 21, 2003: Boston Marathon: Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot wins the race in 2:10:11; Svetlana Zakhrova finishes fifth in 2:25:20. Legally blind American Marla Ranyan finishes fifth. Ernst Van Dyk, Christina Ripp and Christina Ripp win their wheelchair races in 1:28.32 and 1:54.57 respectively.
  • Apr 22, 2003: Luis Moreno Ocampo is elected as the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
  • Apr 23, 2003: US President George W. Bush signs legislation to amend the design of the 5-cent coins through 2005 to commemorate the bicentennial celebrations of the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark expedition.
  • Apr 24, 2003: 2003 Iraq war: Former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz gives himself over to the U.S. forces
  • Apr 25, 2003: The resignation of Thomas E. White, Secretary of the United States Army, comes amid tensions between Rumsfeld and White over future Army weapon development programs. There is also controversy around White's former employer, Enron. The Pentagon declined to give details about White's resignation.
  • Apr 26, 2003: Incendiary bombs were set off by unknown assailants on a suburban Baghdad ammunition dump, setting off hours of chaos. American sources report that six people were killed and four others were injured. Iraqi sources claim that there were 25 casualties. U.S Army 3rd Infantry Division, 11th Engineer Battalion Charlie Co. ASP (Ammo Security Point). 89 tons of confiscated munitions were exploded following an enemy attack.
  • Apr 27, 2003: Argentinians vote for a president for first time since December 2001's economic collapse that sparked street riots that saw four presidents be ousted in two weeks. In the first round, Carlos Menem defeated Nestor Kirchner, a fellow Peronist. However, the result was so close that a second round is required. The runoff vote will be held on May 18. Ricardo Lopez Murphy (ex-economy minister), Adolfo Rodriguez Saa (ex-caretaker president) and Elisa Carrio (lawmaker) were also among the other candidat
  • Apr 28, 2003: American soldiers of the 82nd Airborne opened fired on a group protestors at Falluja, 50 km from Baghdad. They killed six to 17 people and left others with injuries. The incident took place at a protest outside of a school where American forces were stationed. Two soldiers had been wounded in Ramadi the day before when a handgrenade was thrown by a crowd. There are many versions of this incident. Two days later, on April 30, 2003, a third shooting incident took place.
  • Apr 29, 2003: The United States has announced the withdrawal of American troops stationed at Saudi Arabia and the redeployment some at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
  • Apr 30, 2003: A meeting is held in Toronto by the World Health Organization to discuss SARS.
  • May 1, 2003: 2003 invasion of Iraq. In what is now known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, U.S. President George W. Bush announces that all major combat operations in Iraq are over.
  • May 2, 2003: The Monkeyman supervillain hoax starts in Tunbridge Wells (Kent, UK).
  • May 3, 2003: After heavy rain, the Old Man of the Mountain is a rock formation in New Hampshire.
  • May 4, 2003: Top Thrill Dragster, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, opens in Cedar Point, Ohio.
  • May 5, 2003: Boeing releases a drawing of its ''airplanes of the future'', and invites the public to participate in a contest to name it.
  • May 6, 2003: Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Edward, Earl and Sophie, Countess, of Wessex, are expecting their first child. The child is due to be born May 6, 2003. He or she will be Queen ElizabethnbspII's seventh grandchild and Prince Philip, Duke d'Edinburgh's seventh.
  • May 7, 2003: U.S. Customs agents in Iraq have recovered nearly 40,000 manuscripts as well 700 artifacts from the National Museum of Iraq. Some looters returned items with promises of reward and amnesty. Many items reported as missing were actually hidden in secret storage vaults at this museum before the war broke out.
  • May 8, 2003: A train collision near Siofok in Hungary kills 30 German tourists and the driver of a tourist coach. Twelve people are hurt. The majority of the victims were from Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
  • May 9, 2003: After a door opened on a plane travelling from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo to Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 129 people are believed to have been killed. After the incident, the victims were taken from the plane and returned to Kinshasa. The identity of the airline that the plane belonged to is not known, but the logo of Ukrainian Cargo Airlines appears on the plane.
  • May 10, 2003: Finland reports the first confirmed case of SARS. Turku University Hospital is treating a man who visited Toronto.
  • May 11, 2003: Benvenuto Cellini's "Saliera" is taken from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
  • May 12, 2003: Al Qaeda carried out the Riyadh bombings that killed 26 people.
  • May 13, 2003: A new 20-dollar note has been released by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing of the Treasury Department of the United States. It is intended to counter the technological advancements of counterfeiters. It is anticipated that the note will begin circulation in fall 2003, five years after the last $20 note was issued in 1998. In 2004 and 2005, new designs will be released for the $50 and $100 bills. The main change in the new currency design comes in the color. It is the first U.S. coin since 19
  • May 14, 2003: DARPA's Information Processing Technology Office invites bids to the LifeLog project. This is an ambitious effort to create a huge searchable computer database. It ampquotan ontology-based subsystem that captures, stores and makes available the flow of one individual's experiences in and interactions with other people. The objectivenbsp... is to be able to trace the 'threads' of an individual's life in terms of events, states, and relationshipsampquot.,
  • May 15, 2003: Pana-Wave Laboratory is a Japanese cult that predicts the date at which an encounter with an unknown planet will result in the death of most humankind.
  • May 16, 2003: Terrorist attacks in Casablanca, Morocco result in 33 civilian deaths and over 100 injuries.
  • May 17, 2003: Pen Hadow is the first person to solo walk from Canada to North Pole without any help.
  • May 18, 2003: Andrew Meldrum, a reporter for 'The Guardian', is being deported. He has been covering Zimbabwe for 23 years.
  • May 19, 2003: Ari Fleischer, White House spokesperson, announces that he will be stepping down in the summer. He cited his desire to spend more time with his wife and to work in private industry as reasons.
  • May 20, 2003: {Christine Todd-Whitman announces that on June 27 she will resign her position as Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency{Christine Todd-Whitman announced that she will be resigning her position as Administrator at the United States Environmental Protection AgencyCite document
  • May 21, 2003: Two rooms are damaged when an explosion takes place at Yale University's Sterling Law School Building, New Haven, Connecticut. Joint Terrorism Task Force investigators respond. No injuries reported. Officials believe that the explosion was caused a pipe bomb.
  • May 22, 2003: 2003 occupation of Iraq: Senators question Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz about the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq.
  • May 23, 2003: Dewey is the first deer to be cloned at Texas A&M University.
  • May 24, 2003: Lafayette Parish police release details about a suspect in the Baton Rouge Serial Killer investigation.
  • May 25, 2003: After arriving in Miami at 05:00, the SS Norway (or old SS France) is badly damaged in a boiler explosion that killed 7 and injures 17. NCL announces that she will not sail again as a commercial ocean-liner a few weeks later.
  • May 26, 2003: The plane carrying the Ukrainian YAk-42 crew crashed in northeast Turkey near Trabzon killing all on board. It was carrying 12 crew members and 62 Spanish soldiers who were returning from six months of peacekeeping in Afghanistan.
  • May 27, 2003: Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon states that the ampquotoccupationampquot of Palestinian territories is ampquota terrible thing for Israel and for the Palestiniansampquot and ampquotcan't continue endlessly.ampquot Sharon's phraseology prompts shock from many in Israel, leading to a clarification that by ampquotoccupation,ampquot Sharon meant control of millions of Palestinian lives rather than actual physical occupation of land.
  • May 28, 2003: Peter Hollingworth is the first Governor General of Australia to resign after being criticised for his conduct.
  • May 29, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia disaster: NASA officials release experimental findings proving that the insulation known to have hit the leading edge of ''Columbia''ampnowikiamp'amp/nowikiamps left wing could have created a gap in between protective heat panels.
  • May 30, 2003: Disney's animated Disney-Pixar feature movie Finding Nemo is released to American theaters. American theater ticket sales total US$340 millions. Theater ticket sales worldwide: US$850 millions
  • May 31, 2003: Eric Rudolph is being held in Murphy, North Carolina.
  • Jun 1, 2003: The Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier is now open.
  • Jun 2, 2003: The European Space Agency launches its first mission to Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches in Kazakhstan from the Baikonur Space Centre.
  • Jun 3, 2003: A British Parliamentary Committee announces that it will investigate the government's decision not to go to war against Iraq.
  • Jun 4, 2003: Martha Stewart and her broker were indicted for using confidential investment information and then obstruction of a federal investigation. Stewart also resigns from her position as chief executive officer and chairperson of Martha Stewart Living.
  • Jun 5, 2003: As temperatures rise to 50°C (122?F) in the region, a severe heat wave sweeps Pakistan and India.
  • Jun 6, 2003: NASA investigators broke a reinforced carbon fiber-fiber wing by shooting it with insulation. This further evidence suggests that falling insulation could have contributed to the Columbia disaster.
  • Jun 7, 2003: Erkki Tuomioja (Finnish foreign affairs minister) says NATO could be a good option. Finland is known for being neutral and conservative in its approach to military alliances. (In Finnish) An interview in Helsingin Sanomat English edition, June 10, offers a more balanced view.
  • Jun 8, 2003: After days of violence and confusion in Mauritania Pro-Israeli President Maaouiya Ould Taya seems to have overcome the uprising against his government.
  • Jun 9, 2003: Silvio Berlusconi's centre right coalition is defeated in the Italian local elections.
  • Jun 10, 2003: NASA launches the Spirit Rover, launching NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission.
  • Jun 11, 2003: Three human skulls from Ethiopia, aged 160,000 years, were discovered. They bridge an important gap in human fossil records and support the ampquotoutofAfricaampquot single origin theory for human evolution.
  • Jun 12, 2003: Thomas Reilly, Attorney General of Massachusetts, has officially accused Luke Thompson, a college student, of creating Mainline Airways and selling bogus flights.
  • Jun 13, 2003: After two explosions, the Iraqi oil pipeline near Baiji caught fire.
  • Jun 14, 2003: Czech citizens voted "yes" to join the European Union at 77% of the vote, with 55% turnout.
  • Jun 15, 2003: The German Green Party supports Chancellor Gerhard Schroder’s Agenda 2010 with more than 90% of votes at an extraordinary party convention.
  • Jun 16, 2003: To commemorate the site where the Ipatiev House once stood, the Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg has been consecrated.
  • Jun 17, 2003: Two ex-Iraqi soldiers were killed by US troops after protesting about not being paid since the country was occupied.
  • Jun 18, 2003: Anneli Jaatteenmaki, Finland's first woman prime minister, resigns two months after she was elected. She is accused of lying about the release of sensitive information regarding the discussions between George W. Bush and her about Iraq.
  • Jun 19, 2003: Garfield, the syndicated comic strip, celebrates its 25th year.
  • Jun 20, 2003: In St. Petersburg, Florida, the WikiMedia Foundation was founded.
  • Jun 22, 2003: Aurora, Nebraska is home to the largest hailstone ever recorded.
  • Jun 23, 2003: The affirmative action principle in university admissions is upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • Jun 24, 2003: Six British Royal Military Police members are killed in an attack on Majar al-Kabir in Iraq. This village is near Amarah, Iraq. In two separate ambushes, eight others are also wounded.
  • Jun 26, 2003: In Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gender-based sodomy laws were unconstitutional.
  • Jun 27, 2003: The United States National "Do Not Call Registry" was established to stop unwanted telemarketing calls. It is administered by Federal Trade Commission. In its first day, almost three quarters of a billion phone numbers were enrolled in the Registry.
  • Jun 28, 2003: The Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA Show is held in St. Charles, Illinois. It lasts for four days. The auction features over 300 Corvettes. Roger Judski paid US$640,000 to purchase a 1967 L88 red coupe that had only 12 miles. This is the world's most expensive production Corvette.
  • Jun 29, 2003: In a Chicago porch collapse, thirteen people are killed.
  • Jun 30, 2003: Rosario Marin's term ends as Treasurer of America.
  • Jul 1, 2003: Over 500,000 people protest against efforts to pass anti-sedition legislation in Hong Kong.
  • Jul 2, 2003: Silvio Berlusconi is the Prime Minister of Italy and insulted Martin Schulz, a German MP, during a session at the European Parliament.
  • Jul 3, 2003: The World Meteorological Organisation has published a report that states that extreme weather conditions in recent years may indicate changes in the global climate.
  • Jul 4, 2003: Armed attackers storm a Shia Muslim mosque at Quetta, Pakistan. At least 32 worshippers are killed and 52 are injured.
  • Jul 5, 2003: Second Chechen War: A pair of female suicide bombers attack Krylya, an event that celebrates popular music, at the Tushino airport near Moscow. At least 16 people were killed and 40 others were injured in the attack. Russian authorities accuse Chechen rebels of a continuing terrorism campaign; the Chechen government denied any connection.
  • Jul 6, 2003: The Eupatoria Planetary Radar 70 meters tall sends a METI (Cosmic Call 2) message to 5 stars: Hip 4872 (HD 245409), 55 Cancri (HD 757732), HD 10303, HD 10307, HD 10307, and 47 Ursae Minoris (HD 95128). These messages will reach these stars in 2036 to 2040, 2044, 2044, and 2049, respectively.
  • Jul 7, 2003: MSNBC fired conservative talk show host Michael Savage after he made several anti-gay comments towards a prankcaller who claimed to be a homosexual. Savage was upset by the prank calling by ampquotEast Coast Bobampquot and stated that the caller "should only get AIDS or dieampquot. GLAAD, a gay rights group, applauds Savage's firing.
  • Jul 8, 2003: One Lockheed Martin worker in Meridian, Mississippi shoots his coworkers and kills five before taking his own life. Investigators are not sure what the motive was.
  • Jul 9, 2003: Near Chandpore, Bangladesh, the ferry MV Nasrin-1 capssizes and sinks. It is not known where most of the 700 passengers are.
  • Jul 10, 2003: Kowloon Motor Bus' Neoplan bus collides with a truck and falls off a bridge in Hong Kong. It plunges into the valley below, killing 21 people. This is the worst traffic accident in Hong Kong.
  • Jul 11, 2003: Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-born, has died from injuries sustained during a beating in Iranian custody. On June 23, she was taking photos outside an Iranian prison. Her death sparked a row between Canada and Iran over her body's disposition and the punishment of her murderers. It also sparked outrage among international free speech groups concerned about freedom of expression in Iran.
  • Jul 12, 2003: According to the intelligence service of the United States, George Tenet, the head of the CIA, has accepted George W. Bush’s January speech, which contained incorrect information about Iraq's plans for buying uranium from Africa.
  • Jul 13, 2003: As the US military launches a new offensive against anti-coalition elements, a national governing council meets in Baghdad for the first time.
  • Jul 14, 2003: Robert Novak, a Washington Post columnist, publishes Valerie Plame's name. He claims she is an operative of the US Central Intelligence Agency. Leakage scandal at the Central Intelligence Agency begins.
  • Jul 15, 2003: AOL Time Warner dissolves Netscape Communications Corporation. On the same day, Mozilla Foundation is founded.
  • Jul 16, 2003: Sean O Muireagain is a journalist from Northern Ireland. He was detained by Israel for five days and then released after being represented in a case involving mistaken identity. This scandal causes great embarrassment for the British and Israeli secret services. O Mureagain was arrested by Israel on the advice of British Secret Service, who incorrectly claimed that he was a Real IRA member with the same name. The confused aftermath led to the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman suggesting that O
  • Jul 17, 2003: Canada's same-sex marriage: The federal government has released its draft bill for extending marriage rights to gay couples. It also protects the rights of clergy to not perform marriages that are against their religious beliefs. To ensure that the bill is legal, the government will request a reference from Canada's Supreme Court.
  • Jul 18, 2003: U.S. Basketball: Eagle County. Colorado District Attorney Mark Hurlbert announced that Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers' star, has been charged with one count felony sexual assault in relation to an incident that occurred at a gated resort on June 30, involving a 19 year-old girl.
  • Jul 19, 2003: The US Iraqi Governing Council announced that it failed to choose a new Iraqi president.
  • Jul 20, 2003: France: Two bombs explode in front of a Nice tax office, injuring sixteen people.
  • Jul 21, 2003: After being struck by an F-1 tornado, eleven support towers at Kinzua Bridge were destroyed.
  • Jul 22, 2003: Special Forces assisted the 101st Airborne United States to attack a compound, killing Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday, Qusay and Mustapha Hussein. Qusay's 14 year old son and bodyguard, Qusay, was also killed.
  • Jul 23, 2003: A poll published by German newspaper "Die Zeit" claims that nearly one third of Germans under 30 believe that the United States government could have ordered the September 11 attacks against the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. The survey was completed by 1000 participants.
  • Jul 24, 2003: In an effort to prove that Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed in a U.S. military operation, the United States released photos from Iraq's provisional authority.
  • Jul 25, 2003: The United States swimmer Michael Phelps sets world records in the individual and butterfly medleys at the World Swimming Championships Barcelona. He is the first person to ever break two world records in swimming in a single day.
  • Jul 26, 2003: The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma elects a new constitution that redesignates the tribe quotCherokee Nationquot, without quotof Oklahomaquot, and specifically disenfranchises the Cherokee Freedmen.
  • Jul 27, 2003: Bob Hope, comedian, dies in his sleep
  • Jul 28, 2003: Harri Holkeri is appointed by the United Nations Security Council to lead UNMIK's temporary civilian administration.
  • Jul 30, 2003: Mexico's last Volkswagen Beetle 'old-style' rolls off the assembly line.
  • Aug 1, 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.
  • Aug 2, 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.
  • Aug 3, 2003: A series of explosions that occurred in northern Pakistan have claimed the lives of at least 52 people (BBC).
  • Aug 4, 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.
  • Aug 5, 2003: In Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, a car bomb explodes outside the Marriott Hotel. It kills 12 people and injures 150.
  • Aug 6, 2003: 2003 California recall: Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would run for Governor in the recall election of Gray Davis.
  • Aug 7, 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.
  • Aug 8, 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
  • Aug 9, 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
  • Aug 10, 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).
  • Aug 11, 2003: NATO assumes command of Afghanistan's peacekeeping force, marking the NATO's first major operation outside Europe in 54 years.
  • Aug 12, 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.
  • Aug 13, 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
  • Aug 14, 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.
  • Aug 15, 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.
  • Aug 16, 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.
  • Aug 17, 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.
  • Aug 18, 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.
  • Aug 19, 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.
  • Aug 20, 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.
  • Aug 21, 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
  • Aug 22, 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.
  • Aug 23, 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.
  • Aug 24, 2003: Hurricane Ignacio is approaching the coast of Baja California. All airports and harbours in close proximity to low-lying areas must be evacuated.
  • Aug 25, 2003: The Tli Cho Land Claims Agreement was signed by the Dogrib First Nations with the Canadian federal government at Rae-Edzo (now Behchoko).
  • Aug 26, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board releases final reports regarding the Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia accident.
  • Aug 27, 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.
  • Aug 28, 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.
  • Aug 29, 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.
  • Aug 30, 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.
  • Aug 31, 2003: Baghdad is packed with thousands of mourners for Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al Hakim's funeral procession.
  • Sep 1, 2003: The Dutch dispensaries will be the first to offer cannabis prescription drugs.
  • Sep 2, 2003: Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda leader, says his organization is involved in ampquot''serious project''ampquot and that his priority it to use biological weapons against America. Al Qaeda could already possess such weapons and may be looking for ways to transport them and launch them.
  • Sep 3, 2003: Hubble Ultra Deep Field is launched by the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • Sep 4, 2003: Anna Lindh, the Swedish foreign minister, is attacked in a Stockholm department shop and killed the next day.
  • Sep 5, 2003: Tung Cheehwa, the leader of Hong Kong, announces that he will postpone plans to amend a highly unpopular security bill. This bill had sparked huge public protests and would have given the government broad powers to prosecute vaguely-defined threats to national security.
  • Sep 6, 2003: Johns Hopkins researchers have retracted all findings from a widely cited study that claimed extensive and permanent brain damage was caused by Ecstasy. All but one of the animal participants in the study were not given Ecstasy due to a labelling error on experimental drug vials. Instead, they were given the drug d–methamphetamine.
  • Sep 7, 2003: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Ariel Sharon, Israel's Prime Minister, declares that Hamas leaders have been "marked for deathampquot. This statement comes after Israel failed to kill Hamas' top-ranking Hamas members with a 550-pound bomb that was dropped on an apartment in Gaza City.
  • Sep 8, 2003: "Occupation in Iraq": President Bush declares Iraq the ampquotcentral frontampquot of the war against terror and asks Congress to pay for reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Sep 9, 2003: After a stroke that occurred in a Chicago hotel room, Governor Frank O'Bannon (Indiana) falls into a coma. Acting governor is Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan.
  • Sep 10, 2003: Anna Lindh, the Swedish Foreign Minister, is attacked while shopping at a mall for clothes without any bodyguards.
  • Sep 11, 2003: Actor John Ritter, 54, is hospitalized after suffering a heart attack that was previously unknown.
  • Sep 12, 2003: After Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, the United Nations lifted sanctions on Libya.
  • Sep 13, 2003: Frank O'Bannon, the Indiana Governor, dies following a stroke that occurred on September 8, in Chicago (Illinois). Joe Kernan is elected the 48th Governor of Indiana.
  • Sep 14, 2003: Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the top American commander in Iraq, authorizes a variety of new interrogation techniques, including demeaning dogs, exploiting their fear, sensory overload, sensory deprivation and stress positions.
  • Sep 15, 2003: China officially acknowledges that it transferred guard duties along China-North Korea border from the police force to the army. Although the government doesn't report the actual number of troops deployed in force, independent media estimates place it at 150,000.
  • Sep 16, 2003: WNBA Finals - The Detroit Shock defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, 83 to 78, in Game three to win the series, two games to one and the WNBA world championship.
  • Sep 17, 2003: NASA claims that capsules similar in design to those used for the Apollo program will be considered as replacements for the Space Shuttle.
  • Sep 18, 2003: International Atomic Energy Agency. Iranian officials signal that they are not going to follow a resolution by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. It gave Tehran until next month to disclose its atomic program. Parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karrubi, a close ally of President Mohammad Khatami, said the IAEA resolution was ampquotpoliticalampquot and that ampquotthe Iranian people will not accept giving in to the logic of force.ampquot
  • Sep 19, 2003: Peace: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan rings Japan's Peace Bell to mark International Day of Peace. He warns that terrorist attacks and weapons of mass destruction are one of the greatest threats to peace, while others see poverty, disease and civil war as the most serious.
  • Sep 20, 2003: Conflict between Israel and Palestine: Israel claims that the United Nations resolution regarding Yasser Alafat (passed with 133-4 votes with 15 abstentions), is meaningless. It is only an advisory and is not legally binding. Israel says that the Palestinians should concentrate their efforts on fighting terrorism. Israel insists on a new government being established by the incoming Palestinian Prime Minister.
  • Sep 21, 2003: Galileo's mission is ended by sending the probe into Jupiter’s atmosphere. It is then crushed by the pressure at lower altitudes.
  • Sep 22, 2003: David Hempleman Adams becomes the first person in open-air, wicker basket hot air balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Sep 23, 2003: California recall: A United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit panel of 11 judges overturns a previous ruling of a panel of three and reinstates October 7, as the date for the California gubernatorial election recall election. The original decision was made by the American Civil Liberties Union. They will not appeal it to the Supreme Court.
  • Sep 24, 2003: Swedish police have arrested a new suspect in Anna Lindh's murder. Per-Olof Svensson has been removed from the list of suspects.
  • Sep 25, 2003: Terrorism FBI investigates Hamas-linked "criminal enterprises" associated with Hamas, a radical Islamic group that has claimed responsibility for several bombings in Israel. Hamas declares that it will not join other Palestinian groups in the proposed cease-fire or the next Palestinian government. Sheik Ahmed Yassin stated that the enemy is continuing to kill, invade, and settle.
  • Sep 26, 2003: Medicine: A British man received an experimental treatment that stopped the progression of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease-related brain damage.
  • Sep 27, 2003: Launch of Smart 1 satellite.
  • Sep 28, 2003: Nuclear Weapons: Iran remains defiant about nuclear program. Iran declares that it will not abandon its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency gave Iran until October 31st to prove that it does not have a secret nuclear weapons program. They also told Iran to stop enrichment activities. Iran says international pressure won't stop it from pursuing its nuclear plans.
  • Sep 29, 2003: After being the first Briton to accept an ampquothonour killingampquot, Abdalla Yones was convicted for murdering his daughter, Heshu Yones.
  • Sep 30, 2003: Air France and KLM have completed their merger.
  • Oct 1, 2003: South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun reiterates offer to the United States to consider a request for South Korean participation in Multi-National Force - Iraq in exchange for ampquotpositiveampquot movement to resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
  • Oct 2, 2003: North Korea claims that it has already processedampquot 8,000 fuelrods from its Yongbyon nuclear plant north of Pyongyang. It is also using the plutonium obtained during the process to create atomic bombs in order to increase its nuclear capability for nuclear deterrent force. Choe Su Hon, Vice Foreign Minister, claims this is an attempt to protect the country's territory.
  • Oct 3, 2003: Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy gets attacked by one the show's tigers. The show was cancelled until 2009 when the tigers rejoined Roy, the tiger who mauled Roy six years ago.
  • Oct 4, 2003: Conflict between Israel and Palestine: A suicide bomber from Palestinian causes havoc in a Haifa beach restaurant. She kills at least 19 people, wounds at least two dozen others, and leaves at least six of them seriously injured. Hours later, Israeli helicopter gunships strike back at targets in Gaza City or Central Gaza.
  • Oct 5, 2003: Maher Arar was reported to have been released from a Syrian prison. Over a year ago, the US deported the Canadian engineer to Syria as he was changing planes in New York. He will arrive in Montreal on the next afternoon.
  • Oct 6, 2003: 2004 U.S. Democratic Primary: Senator Bob Graham announces, on "Larry King Live", that he will be ending his 2004 presidential campaign.
  • Oct 7, 2003: California Governor Gray Davis is recalled by voters. They also elect Arnold Schwarzenegger as his successor.
  • Oct 8, 2003: Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Roderick McKinnon and Peter Agre share the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discoveries about aquaporins in cell membranes.
  • Oct 9, 2003: The Mission: Space attraction opens at Walt Disney World's Epcot. It cost US$150million to build.
  • Oct 10, 2003: Nobel Prize: Shirin Ebadi (Iran human rights lawyer) is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • Oct 11, 2003: Conflict between Israel and Palestine: Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza. Israel will continue to destroy tunnels. Although the Israeli army claims it has discovered three tunnels within the camp, no weapons have been located. One Palestinian teenager was shot to death, and 10 homes were destroyed and power and water facilities damaged. Palestinian militants wanted to smuggle missiles with shoulder-fired launchers from Egypt that could be used against tanks and helicopters as well as fighter jet
  • Oct 12, 2003: China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.
  • Oct 13, 2003: 2003 occupation of Iraq: A new UN draft resolution is being circulated. It aims to get international aid. This resolution establishes a deadline for the first steps, even if they are only temporary, towards restoring Iraqi sovereignty. It gives the Iraqi Governing Council until December 15, to create a timeline for writing a constitution, and holding elections. Bush's administration proposes that United Nations recognize Iraqi Governing Council, a unit that 'ampquotwill embody.
  • Oct 14, 2003: Religion: RTE's Prime Time's current affairs programme reports on Cahal Daly's refusal to hear allegations from students that he had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with Monsignor Micheal Leedwith, the head of St Patrick's College Maynooth, Ireland's largest seminary. According to the TV programme, Daly became aggressive and told students to "go back and pray." According to the TV program, Daly and his predecessor, Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich were
  • Oct 15, 2003: After one of its ferries collided with a pier, the 2003 Staten Island Ferry accident leaves 11 dead.
  • Oct 16, 2003: Occupation in Iraq: A new US resolution regarding Iraq was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council. Russia, Germany, and France support the resolution but won't provide troops or funds. Surveys show that troops serving in Iraq are not feeling well.
  • Oct 17, 2003: The Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is removed from office. This ends the conflict over bolivian natural gas and he flees to America.
  • Oct 18, 2003: Bolivian Gas War: President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is forced to resign.
  • Oct 19, 2003: Pope John Paul II beatifies Mother Teresa.
  • Oct 20, 2003: Jean Chretien, Canadian Prime Minister, indicates that Vladimir Putin indicated during an informal meeting that he was open to signing the Kyoto Protocol. Russia must sign the protocol in order for it to become law.
  • Oct 21, 2003: Photographs of dwarf planet Eris were taken by Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown. They are used to document its discovery by David L. Rabinowitz and David L. Rabinowitz.
  • Oct 22, 2003: India: India launches peace initiative to normalize relations with Pakistan Talks are only possible if Islamabad ends its cross-border terrorist initiatives in Kashmir.
  • Oct 23, 2003: Luis A. Ferre (third Democratically Elected Governor, Puerto Rico) dies at the age of 99.
  • Oct 24, 2003: Concorde's last commercial flight is completed. This marks the end of the age of supersonic airline travel.
  • Oct 25, 2003: The Cedar Fire starts in San Diego County. It burns 280,000 acres (1.100 km2), 2,232 homes, and kills 14.
  • Oct 26, 2003: The Cedar Fire, which is the second-largest wildfire in California history, causes 15 deaths and burns 250,000 acres (1,050 km). It also destroys more than 2,200 homes in San Diego.
  • Oct 27, 2003: Occupation in Iraq: Over 40 people are killed and more than 200 injured in coordinated bomb attacks against the Red Cross compound in Baghdad and several local police stations. George W. Bush stated that the bombings were an indication of insurgent desperation.
  • Oct 28, 2003: Economics: The United States Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unaffected at today's meeting. It stated that rates would remain low for a long time.
  • Oct 29, 2003: Medicine: Risperdal Consta (Risperidone long acting injection) has been approved by the US FDA for schizophrenia treatment. It is approved in many other countries but the FDA has approved it as the first antipsychotic drug that is long-acting and atypical.
  • Oct 30, 2003: Two-hour-long terror scare at Washington's Capitol follows the use of a plastic toy gun as part of Halloween costumes.
  • Oct 31, 2003: MCI's restructuring plans are approved by a bankruptcy court, which allows the company to declare bankruptcy.
  • Nov 1, 2003: Conflict between Israel and Palestine: A UN report has stated that Israel will annex large parts of Palestinian territory in Israel as a result the permits it plans to issue to Palestinians living near the wall. The Israeli West Bank barrier has been built inside the internationally recognised Green Line about 18,000 acres (73nbspkmampsupamp2amp/supamp) and cuts off the rest of the West Bank. It has been designated a "closed military zone".
  • Nov 2, 2003: Occupation in Iraq: Two US Chinook helicopters were hit by two surface to air missiles. One of them crashes near Fallujah on its way towards Baghdad. 16 soldiers are killed, and 20 are injured. An explosion damages an oil pipeline north of Baghdad, near Kirkuk.
  • Nov 3, 2003: Occupation in Iraq: The US Congress allocates the funds for rebuilding. This provision was strongly opposed by President Bush of the United States.
  • Nov 4, 2003: After initial research showing promising results against various types of cancer, the U.S. National Cancer Institute has funded human clinical trials to test experimental reovirus-based treatments.
  • Nov 5, 2003: Gary Ridgway, also known as the "Green River Killer", confesses to having murdered 48 women.
  • Nov 6, 2003: Temperatures are unseasonably high at 18 degrees Celsius in London Heathrow Airport
  • Nov 7, 2003: Occupation in Iraq
  • Nov 8, 2003: According to 'United Press International', Pakistan, a letter was sent to opposition members in Pakistan on military letterhead. It stated that Pervez Musharraf and his gang had imposed their will on the country.
  • Nov 9, 2003: Guatemalan election: Despite fears of violence, large numbers turn out to vote in the general election. Oscar Berger, ex-mayor of Guatemala City, receives 34%, while Alvaro Colom, center-left candidate, gets 26%. Former dictator Efrain Rios Montes comes in third with 19%. On December 28, a run-off vote will take place between Berger und Colom.
  • Nov 10, 2003: The World Trade Organization declared the United States' steel import tariffs incompatible with free trade. This opens the door for the European Union, which can impose punitive tariffs to goods of US origin.
  • Nov 11, 2003: The US Senate supports legislation that imposes sanctions on Syria. This bill allows President Obama to adjust sanctions based on Syria's cooperation.
  • Nov 12, 2003: Shanghai Transrapid establishes a new speed record for commercial railway systems (501 km/h (311 mph).
  • Nov 13, 2003: SCO v. IBM: SCO Group files subpoenas to Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman.
  • Nov 14, 2003: Astronomers Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown discover 90377 Sedna. This is a Trans-Neptunian object.
  • Nov 15, 2003: Two car bombs targeting two synagogues explode on the first day of 2003 Istanbul Bombings. This kills 25 and injures about 300. On November 20, additional bombings occur.
  • Nov 16, 2003: Only 38% of registered voters showed up to vote in the Serbian presidential election. Only 18% of registered voters voted for Tomislav Nikolic, 14% for Dragoljub Mizunovic, 4% to Velimir Ilic and 3% for any other candidates. The poll is invalidated if there is a lower than 50% turnout.
  • Nov 17, 2003: Lord Black of Crossharbour has been forced to resign his position as chief executive of the media empire. It may be sold.
  • Nov 18, 2003: In Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state cannot deny civil marriage protections to individuals of the same sex.
  • Nov 19, 2003: The Canada-U.S. Power System Outage Task Force releases an interim report, citing a loss of situational awareness in FirstEnergy Corporation's control room as the primary cause and ampquotimmatureampquot monitoring software used at the Midwest Independent System Operator as a secondary cause.
  • Nov 20, 2003: The second day of the 2003 Istanbul Bombings in Istanbul, Turkey occurs after the November 15th bombings. It destroys the Turkish head office at HSBC Bank AS as well as the British consulate.
  • Nov 21, 2003: After his controversial State Visit to Britain, President George W. Bush returns to the United States.
  • Nov 22, 2003: After weeks of protests and mass demonstrations against fraudulent elections, the Georgian Rose Revolution is over. President Eduard Shevardnadze steps down.
  • Nov 23, 2003: After weeks of protests and a series of failed elections, Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgia's president, has resigned.
  • Nov 24, 2003: It is illegal to use hand-held mobile phones while driving in the United Kingdom.
  • Nov 25, 2003: The annualized Q3 growth rate of the US gross domestic products exceeds 8%. This is the highest growth rate since the Reagan administration.
  • Nov 26, 2003: Concorde's final flight takes place over Bristol, England.
  • Nov 27, 2003: Scientists warn of a possible epidemic of influenza that is not only likely but also probable.
  • Nov 28, 2003: According to Science, the United States is not adequately prepared to deal with an influenza pandemic.
  • Nov 29, 2003: The USS Cole leaves Norfolk, Virginia on its first overseas deployment since being bombed in Yemen's port of Aden in 2000.
  • Nov 30, 2003: According to semi-official Anatolia news agency, 22 Syrian suspects were handed over to Turkey Sunday in connection to four suicide bombings that took place in Istanbul.
  • Dec 1, 2003: Occupation in Iraq: A firefight that saw more than 50 Iraqis killed is now believed to have been a currency heist. One GI was killed in fighting westwards Baghdad on Monday.
  • Dec 2, 2003: Venezuelan opposition leaders claim they have collected enough signatures to trigger a referendum to recall President Hugo Chavez. The government counters that the signature drive took place over four days and was corrupted by "massive fraud".
  • Dec 3, 2003: The UN human rights prizes are given every five years to Deng Pufang and Sergio Vieira de Mello.
  • Dec 4, 2003: Polish Prime Minister Leszek Müller is hurt in a helicopter accident outside Warsaw.
  • Dec 5, 2003: At least 40 people are killed when suicide bombers explode a commuter train at Moscow's Northern Caucasus border with Chechnya.
  • Dec 6, 2003: After allegedly assaulting Liberal Jeannie Feris, Andrew Bartlett, leader of the Australian Democrats, steps aside.
  • Dec 7, 2003: After the merger of the Canadian Alliance with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada has been officially recognized.
  • Dec 8, 2003: At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting the Aso Rock Declaration was issued, which outlines the Commonwealth's priorities.
  • Dec 9, 2003: Six people are killed and several others injured in a blast that occurred in Moscow's center.
  • Dec 10, 2003: At the World Summit on the Information Society, Geneva, Western leaders are criticized.
  • Dec 11, 2003: Spamming: Virginia indicts one man and two men on felony charges of violating state laws regarding bulk e-mail solicitations.
  • Dec 12, 2003: An Al Qaeda plot to attack the United Kingdom Embassy in Yemen by militants is foiled.
  • Dec 13, 2003: Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is being held near Tikrit (see Operation Red Dawn).
  • Dec 14, 2003: Pervez Musharaf, President of Pakistan, narrowly escapes assassination attempts
  • Dec 15, 2003: Wesley Clark finishes his first day of closed-door testimony in opposition to Slobodan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
  • Dec 16, 2003: President George W. Bush signs into law the CAN-SPAM Act 2003. This law establishes the first national standards in the United States for sending commercial e-mails and directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce its provisions.
  • Dec 17, 2003: Ian Huntley was found guilty of two murder charges in the Soham murder trial. Maxine Carr, his girlfriend, is found guilty for perverting justice.
  • Dec 18, 2003: The Soham Murder Trial is over at London's Old Bailey. Ian Huntley was found guilty of two murder counts. Maxine Carr, his girlfriend, is found guilty for perverting justice.
  • Dec 19, 2003: Parmalat, an Italian dairy company, declared a 3.96 Billion Euro hole in its accounts after the Bonlat Financing Corporation (a Cayman Islands-based unit) was declared false.
  • Dec 20, 2003: Libya admits to having built a nuclear bomb.
  • Dec 21, 2003: TIME magazine's "Persona of the Year" is "The American Soldier". Editors of TIME magazine chose an anonymous soldier to represent the nearly 1.4 million Americans serving in the Armed Forces.
  • Dec 22, 2003: California is shaken by an earthquake, killing two.
  • Dec 23, 2003: Explosion of the natural gas field PetroChina Chuandongbei, Guoqiao Kai County, Chongqing China, killing at most 234.
  • Dec 24, 2003: An outbreak of mad cow disease (BSE) in Washington State has been announced. Many countries, including Australia, Taiwan, and Brazil have banned beef imports from the United States of America.
  • Dec 25, 2003: Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, survives a suicide bomber attack against his motorcade. This was the second attempt at assassinating him within two weeks.
  • Dec 26, 2003: Bam, a southeast Iranian city struck by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake, kills tens of thousands and destroys the citadel at Arg-e Bam.
  • Dec 27, 2003: According to the provincial governor, the death toll from the Bam earthquake has risen to 40,000. Iran refused to accept earthquake aid from Israel.
  • Dec 28, 2003: Serbian parliamentary elections, 2003: Serbia holds an election for a parliamentary seat. The 81 seats won by the Serbian Radical Party in the 250-seat parliament are for them.
  • Dec 29, 2003: Akkala Sami's last speaker dies, making the language extinct.
  • Dec 30, 2003: The European Union is currently investigating a string of bombings that targeted the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, and Europol Headquarters at The Hague. Investigators say it is too soon to make any connections between these bombs, and the letter bomb that was sent to Romano Prodi's Bologna home two days ago.
  • Dec 31, 2003: Taiwan's President Chen Shuibian signs a law allowing referendums. This is condemned by the People's Republic of China.
  • Jan 8, 2003: Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of the 75 passengers.

history

What does the year 2003 refer to in the Gregorian calendar?

The year 2003 refers to a specific year in the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly used internationally. It is the 104th year of the 21st century and the 3rd year of the 2000s decade. In the Gregorian calendar, it follows 2002 and precedes 2004.

calendars for year 2003

Can you show me the calendar for the year 2003?

February 2003
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728
September 2003
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930
November 2003
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930