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2003 (MMIII) was a common year that started on a Wednesday, according to the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2003rd year of Anno Domini; the 3rd year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century; and the 4th of the 2000s decade. 2003 was designated the: Events January February - February 1
- February 5 – Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.
- February 9
- February 15 – Global protests against Iraq war: More than 10 million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest to take place before a war occurs.
- February 18 – An arsonist destroys a train in Daegu, South Korea, killing more than 190.
- February 20 – The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, claims the lives of 100 people.
- February 26 – An American businessman is admitted to the Vietnam France Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, with the first identified case of SARS. WHO doctor Carlo Urbani reports the unusual, highly contagious disease to WHO. Both the businessman and doctor later die of the disease.
- February 27 – Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plav i is sentenced by the U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, to 11 years in prison.
March April May - May 1 – U. S. president George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A banner behind him declares "Mission Accomplished".
- May 2 – The Monkeyman superhero hoax begins in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK.
- May 3 – The Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation in New Hampshire, crumbles after heavy rain.
- May 4–May 10 – A major severe weather outbreak spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; 393 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
- May 4 – Top Thrill Dragster opens at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, as the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster.
- May 11 – Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
- May 12
- May 14 – A female suicide bomber blows up explosives strapped to her waist in a crowd of thousands of Muslim pilgrims, killing at least 18 people in Chechnya.
- May 15 – The date predicted by Pana-Wave Laboratory, a Japanese cult, on which a close encounter with an unknown planet would result in the extinction of most of humankind.
- May 16 – In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
- May 17 – Arsenal beat Southampton 1 0 to win the FA Cup.
- May 19
- May 21
- May 22 – The Sheffield Winter Gardens are officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
- May 23 – Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M University, is born.
- May 24 – Sertab Erener wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 for Turkey with the song Every Way That I Can, in Riga, Latvia.
- May 25 – After docking in Miami at 05:00, the SS Norway (old SS France) is severely damaged by a boiler explosion at 06:30, that kills 7, and injures 17 crew members. A few weeks later it is announced by NCL that she will never sail again as a commercial ocean liner.
- May 26 – A draft of the proposed European Constitution is unveiled.
- May 28 – Prometea, the first horse cloned by Italian scientists, is born.
- May 28 – AC Milan defeats fellow Italian rival Juventus 3 2 on penalties after a scoreless tie to win the UEFA Champions League, their sixth European title.
- May 31 – Eric Rudolph, suspected in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.
June July - July 1 – 500,000 Hong Kong people march to protest Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, which controversially redefines treason.
- July 2 – At the International Olympic Committee session in Prague, Vancouver, British Columbia is declared the host city for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010.
- July 5
- July 6 – The 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message Cosmic Call 2 to 5 stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri, HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris, that will arrive at these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, 2044 and 2049 respectively.
- July 7
- Corsica voters reject a referendum for increased autonomy from France by a very narrow margin.
- Canon Jeffrey John, the first would-be gay bishop in the Church of England, withdraws his acceptance of the post of Bishop of Reading after discussions with church leaders.
- July 8 – Sudan Airways Flight 39, with 117 people on board, crashes in Sudan; the only survivor is a 2-year-old child.
- July 10 – A Russian security agent dies in Moscow, while trying to defuse a bomb a woman had tried to carry into a cafe on central Moscow's main street.
- July 14 – CIA leak scandal: Washington Post columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative.
- July 18
- July 21 – Eleven support towers on Kinzua Bridge collapse after being hit by an F-1 tornado.
- July 22 – Uday and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam Hussein, are killed by the U.S. military in Iraq, after being tipped off by an informant.
- July 23 – Operation Warrior Sweep is the first major military deployment of the Afghan National Army.
- July 24 – The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, Operation Helpem Fren, led by Australia, begins.
- July 26 – The electorate of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma approves a new constitution redesignating the tribe "Cherokee Nation" without "of Oklahoma" and specifically disenfranchising the Cherokee Freedmen.
- July 30 – The last Volkswagen Type 1 rolls off its production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
August - August 1 – A suicide bomber rams a truck filled with explosives into a military hospital near Chechnya, killing 50 people, including Russian troops wounded in Chechnya.
- August 2 – The United Nations authorizes an international peacekeeping force for Liberia.
- August 10 – The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK: 38.5 C (101.3 F) at Brogdale near Faversham in Kent.[1]
- August 11
- August 14
- August 15 – Oil price increases since 2003: Global oil production begins a 4-year plateau (and subsequent decline) in the face of rising demand, causing new price increases.
- August 16 – The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire spreads quickly on the outskirts of Kelowna, British Columbia, threatening to engulf the largest town in British Columbia's interior.
- August 22 – A rocket explosion kills 21 at the Brazilian rocket complex in Alc ntara, Brazil, due to the premature ignition of a solid rocket booster.
- August 25
- August 27 – Perihelic opposition: Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in over 50,000 years.
- August 28
- Bank robber Brian Douglas Wells is killed when a time bomb around his neck explodes, allegedly in an act of betrayal by his co-conspirators.
- An electricity blackout cuts off power to around 500,000 people living in southeast England and brings 60% of London's underground rail network to a halt.
September - September 3 – The Hubble Space Telescope starts Hubble Ultra Deep Field.
- September 4 – Europe's busiest shopping centre, the Bullring in Birmingham, is officially opened by Sir Albert Bore.
- September 10
- September 11
- September 14 – Sweden rejects adopting the euro in a referendum.
- September 15 – The ELN kidnaps 8 foreign tourists in the Ciudad Perdida in Colombia; they demand a human rights investigation and release the last hostages 3 months later.
- September 16 – Two suicide bombers drive an explosive-filled truck into a government security services building near Chechnya, killing 3 and injuring 25.
- September 18 – Hurricane Isabel makes landfall as a Category 2 Hurricane on North Carolina's Outer Banks. It directly kills 16 people in the Mid-Atlantic area.
- September 27 – Smart 1, a European Space Agency satellite, is launched from French Guiana.
- September 28 – A power failure affects all of Italy except Sardinia, cutting service to more than 56 million people.
- September 29 – Hurricane Juan lands at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as a category 2 storm, killing 2 directly and 5 indirectly.
October November - November 5 – Gary Ridgway, the "Green River Killer", confesses to murdering 48 women.
- November 9 – A lunar eclipse is seen in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Central Asia.
- November 12 – Occupation of Iraq: In Nasiriya, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 Iraq war, are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.
- November 15 – Two car bombs explode simultaneously in Istanbul, Turkey, targeting 2 synagogues, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 300; Al-Qaida claims responsibility.
- November 18
- November 19 – At the end of a long public inquiry, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Prescott, gives planning approval to London Bridge Tower, set to become the tallest building in Europe.
- November 20 – Several bombs explode in Istanbul, Turkey, destroying the Turkish head office of HSBC and the British consulate.
- November 22 – 2003 Rugby World Cup: England defeat Australia 20 17 after extra time.
- November 23
- November 24 – The High Court in Glasgow imposes a minimum sentence of 27 years for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
December - December 1
- December 5
- December 7
- December 8 – The Aso Rock Declaration is issued at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, outlining the Commonwealth's priority objectives.
- December 9 – A female suicide bomber detonates outside Moscow's National Hotel, across from the Kremlin and Red Square, killing 5 bystanders.
- December 12
- December 13 – Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is captured in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.
- December 16 – The United Kingdom announces plans to build a new runway at Stansted Airport in Essex and a short-haul runway at Heathrow Airport, sparking anger from environmental groups.
- December 18 – The Soham Murder Trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend Maxine Carr is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
- December 20 – Libya admits to building a nuclear bomb.
- December 22
- An earthquake in California kills 2.
- Parmalat is first accused of falsifying accounts to the tune of USD $5 billion, later admitted by founder Calisto Tanzi; observers call it "Europe's Enron".
- December 23
- December 24
- December 25
- December 26 – A massive earthquake devastates southeastern Iran; over 40,000 people are reported killed in the city of Bam.
- December 31
- David Bieber is arrested on suspicion of the Boxing Day police shootings in Leeds.
- British Airways Flight 223, a Boeing 747-400 flying from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles, is escorted into Dulles Airport by F-16 fighter jets after intelligence reports of terrorists trying to board the jet and use it in a terrorist attack.
- Parts of the UK are left without power on New Years Eve due to wintry weather including blizzards and thunderstorms.
Births Deaths January February March Daniel Patrick Moynihan April - April 1 – Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer and actor (b. 1956)
- April 2 – Edwin Starr, American soul singer (b. 1942)
- April 7 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French storyteller (b. 1903)
- April 9
- April 11 – Cecil Howard Green, British-born geophysicist and businessman (b. 1900)
- April 14 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish quiz show judge and Member of the European Parliament (b. 1941)
- April 17
- April 19 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-born Muslim leader (b. 1928)
- April 20
- April 21 – Nina Simone, American singer (b. 1933)
- April 23 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French photographer (b. 1910)
- April 26 – Peter Stone, American writer (b. 1930)
- April 30 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
May June Strom Thurmond Katharine Hepburn July Benny Carter Uday Hussein Bob Hope - July 1
- July 4 – Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
- July 5 – Roman Lyashenko, Russian hockey player (b. 1979)
- July 6 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor (b. 1908)
- July 10
- July 11 – Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer. (b. 1949)
- July 12 – Benny Carter, American musician (b. 1907)
- July 13 – Compay Segundo, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1907)
- July 14 – va Janikovszky, Hungarian novelist (b. 1926)
- July 15
- July 16
- July 17 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (b. 1914)
- July 22
- July 25
- July 27 – Bob Hope, English-born American comedian (b. 1903)
- July 30 – Sam Phillips, American record producer (b. 1923)
August Armand Borel Idi Amin September Leni Riefenstahl Johnny Cash - September 1
- September 6 – Harry Goz, American actor (b. 1932)
- September 7 – Warren Zevon, American singer (b. 1947)
- September 8 – Leni Riefenstahl, German film director (b. 1902)
- September 9
- September 11
- September 12 – Johnny Cash, American singer and guitarist (b. 1932)
- September 13 – Frank O'Bannon, American politician (b. 1930)
- September 14 – John Serry, Sr., American musician (b. 1915)
- September 17 – Sheb Wooley, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
- September 22 – Gordon Jump, American actor (b. 1932)
- September 23 – Yuri Senkevich, Russian TV anchorman (b. 1937)
- September 24 – Edward Said, Palestinian-born literary critic (b. 1935)
- September 25
- September 26
- September 27 – Donald O'Connor, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1925)
- September 28
- September 30 – Robert Kardashian, Armenian-American attorney and businessman (b. 1944)
October Alija Izetbegovi Elliott Smith - October 1 – Huntington Hardisty, American admiral (b. 1929)
- October 3 – William Steig, American cartoonist (b. 1907)
- October 5
- October 10 – Eugene Istomin, American pianist (b. 1925)
- October 12
- October 13 – Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- October 16
- October 19
- October 20 – Jack Elam, American actor (b. 1918)
- October 21 – Elliott Smith, American musician (b. 1969)
- October 23 – Soong May-ling, Chinese wife of Chiang Kai-shek (b. 1898)
- October 24 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (b. 1925)
- October 25
- October 29
- October 31 – Richard Neustadt, American political historian (b. 1919)
November Mike Lockwood December Heydar Aliyev - December 3 – David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941)
- December 4 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- December 6
- December 7
- December 8 – Rub n Gonz lez, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1919)
- December 9 – Paul Simon, U.S. Senator from Illinois (b. 1928)
- December 11 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (b. 1927)
- December 12 – Heydar Aliyev, former President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
- December 14
- December 15 – George Fisher, American political cartoonist (b. 1923)
- December 16
- December 17
- December 19
- December 22 – Dave Dudley, American singer (b. 1928)
- December 27 – Alan Bates, English actor (b. 1934)
- December 29
- December 30
- December 31 – Arthur R. von Hippel, German-born physicist (b. 1898)
Nobel Prizes 100px In fiction - In the video game Freedom Fighters, the game is set in an alternate timeline from 1945 on where world power shifted towards the Soviet Union, the Soviets invades and conquers the United States, causing a rebel resistance.
- In the TV series Stargate SG-1 the second alpha site is attacked by kull warriors.
- In The Simpsons timeline, the events of The Simpsons: Hit & Run take place between October 25 and October 31, with all seven levels taking place on one week.
- The events of Resident Evil: Extinction take place, before the last chapters of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.
- The events of 28 Days Later commence in 2003, with the initial uprising of the Rage virus and decimation of Great Britain, and then the sequel 28 Weeks Later is also set later on in 2003, with the resurgence of the virus. The third film, 28 Months Later is to be set around 2005.
- In the last chapters of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield are sent to an Umbrella Fortress in February 2003.
- The Galactic Federation in the Metroid Backstory was formed in 2003.
- The main character in Osamu Tezuka's manga Tetsuwan Atom (1951) or Astro Boy was "born" on 7 April 2003.
- The 1981 arcade game Omega Race is set in the year 2003.
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