2003

Year 2003 () was a of the.

Year 2003 has been designated the:


 * International Year of 
 * European Year
 * Year of the Sheep in the
 * Year of  in

Also see: of events for this year.

January

 * - becomes  in.
 * - defeats the  in double-overtime in the, 31-24, for the national  (BCS) title.
 * - The is sworn in, including incoming freshmen Senators  (R-GA),  (R-SC),  (R-NH),  (R-TN),  (R-NC),  (R-MN), and  (D-AR).
 * - crashes at  in, killing all 21 people aboard.
 * - : The allows the extension of copyright terms in the U.S.
 * - The Canberra Bushfires occur in, killing 4 people.
 * - The new officially begins operation.
 * - A Central Line train crashes into the tunnel wall at in, injuring 34 people.
 * - An leaves London for  to act as voluntary, hoping to avert a U.S. invasion.
 * - : The defeat the  48-21.


 * - in,  where the Thai Embassy was burned and commercial properties of Thai businesses were vandalized.
 * - : The leaders of, , , , , , , and the  release a statement, The Letter of the Eight, demonstrating support for the ' plans to invade.

February

 * - : disintegrates over  upon reentry, killing all 7 s onboard.
 * - In,  Belfast leader  is killed by a loyalist faction.
 * - : U.S. Secretary of State addresses the  on Iraq.
 * - The World Cup begins in.
 * - closes for the final time at 12:30 am, replacing with  at 7 pm.


 * - Global : More than 10 million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest war protest to take place before the war occurs.
 * - : An arsonist fired on Jungang-no, Daegu, more than 190 people were killed.
 * - in  claims the lives of 100 people.
 * - In his first after losing to, beats  by first round KO in a fight held at The Pyramid in.
 * - An American businessman is admitted to the Vietnam France Hospital in with the first identified case of .  doctor  reports the unusual highly contagious disease to WHO.   Both businessman and doctor later die of the disease.

March

 * - : The calls for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down to avoid war, a sentiment later echoed by  and.
 * - The Turkish parliament vetoes U.S. troop access to airbases in Turkey in order to attack Iraq from the north. The Bush administration starts working on Plan B, namely attacking Iraq from the south, through the Persian Gulf.
 * - The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the, and the move to the.
 * - : i authorities capture, the suspected mastermind of the s, along with money man.
 * - The, by a 5-4 margin, upholds California's "" law.
 * - : Iraqi fighters threaten 2 U.S., on missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
 * - n Prime Minister is assassinated in.




 * - The issues a global alert on.
 * - : British prime minister proposes an amendment to the possible 18th U.N. resolution, which would call for Iraq to meet certain benchmarks to prove that it was disarming. The amendment is immediately rejected by France, who promises to  any new resolution.
 * - : The journal  reports that 350,000-year-old upright-walking footprints had been found in.
 * - becomes, replacing.
 * - : The leaders of the, , , and meet at a summit in the . U.S. President Bush calls March 17 the "moment of truth", meaning that the "" will make its final effort to extract a resolution from the , giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately or be disarmed by force.
 * - : U.S. President gives an ultimatum: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing.
 * - The UK government recognises as an official British language.
 * - The votes in favour of a motion understood as giving the government final authority to join the invasion of Iraq.
 * - About $1 billion was taken from Iraq's Central Bank by Saddam Hussein and his family, just hours before the United States began bombing Iraq, biggest bank robbery in history.
 * - agents raid the corporate headquarters of  in  on suspicion of massive corporate  led by the company's top executives.
 * - The first American bombs drop on . President  and his sons do not comply with President Bush's 48-hour mandate demanding their exit from.
 * - : Land troops from United States,, and  invade Iraq.
 * - The United States and the United Kingdom begin their campaign, with a massive air strike on military targets in Baghdad.
 * - The ends as  wins over  by 125 runs in Centurion,.
 * - WHO doctor, who first identified SARS, dies of the disease.
 * - Airport in,  is demolished overnight.

April

 * - A passenger bus hits a remote-controlled land mine in the capital, killing at least 8.
 * - U.S. forces seize control of Saddam International Airport, changing the airport's name to.
 * - Syracuse won the, defeating Kansas 81-78.
 * - U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
 * - The is successfully completed, with 99% of the human  sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
 * - The concludes that members of the  and British Army cooperated with the  in the killings of Catholics in.
 * - Retired U.S. Army General becomes Interim Civil Administrator of Iraq.
 * - The United States announces the withdrawal of troops stationed in, and the redeployment of some at the in.

May

 * - George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier, in a , where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the .   A banner behind him declares "."
 * - The begins in, , UK.
 * - The, a rock formation in , crumbles after heavy rain.
 * – - A major severe weather outbreak spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; 393 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
 * - opens in  in  as the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.
 * - 's  is stolen from the in.
 * - A suicide truck-bomb attack kills at least 60 at a government compound in northern.
 * - In, , 26 people are killed in the.
 * - A female blows up  strapped to her waist in a crowd of thousands of  pilgrims, killing at least 18 people in.
 * - The date predicted by, a ese , on which a close encounter with an unknown planet would result in the.
 * - In, , 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 injured in the.
 * - beats  1-0 to win the.
 * - becomes the first man to walk alone, without any outside help, from  to the.
 * - defeats  3-2 (AET) in the  Final in,.
 * - An in the  region of northern  kills 2,200.
 * - The are officially opened by.
 * -, the first cloned by scientists at , is born.
 * - wins the  for  with the song, in ,.
 * - A draft of the proposed is unveiled.
 * -, the first cloned by Italian scientists, is born.
 * - defeats fellow Italian rival  3-2 on penalties after a scoreless tie to win the, their sixth European title.
 * -, suspected in the in 1996, is captured in.

June

 * - The opens in, , to tight security and tens of thousands of protesters.
 * - The begins filling the  behind the massive, raising the water level near the dam over 100 metres.
 * - and her broker are  for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation.  Stewart also resigns as chairperson and chief executive officer of .
 * - A female detonates a  near a bus carrying soldiers and civilians to a military airfield in, a major  for n troops in , killing at least 16 people.
 * - The defeat the  3-0 in Game 7 of the  to win their third  championship.
 * - The defeat the  to win the, 4-2.
 * - The, the world's first fully automated and driverless subway opens in Singapore.
 * - The largest ever recorded falls in.
 * - : The upholds  in university admissions.
 * - : The declares s  unconstitutional.
 * - Thirteen are killed in in Chicago.

July

 * - 500,000 Hong Kong people march to protest, which controversially redefines.
 * - At the session in, ,  is declared the Host City for the  in.
 * - is declared to be contained by.
 * - A double at a  rock concert kills the female attackers and 15 other people.
 * - voters reject a referendum for increased autonomy for the region from  by a very narrow margin.
 * - Canon, first would-be gay bishop in the Church of England, withdraws his acceptance of the post of The of  after discussions with church leaders.
 * -, with 117 people on board, crashes in ; the only survivor is a two-year-old child.
 * - A Russian security agent dies in, while trying to defuse a bomb a woman had tried to carry into a cafe on central 's.
 * -  columnist publishes the name of, blowing her cover as a  operative.   The  begins.
 * - The finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution.
 * - The body of, a scientist at the , is found a few miles from his home, leading to the.
 * - and, sons of , are killed by the U.S. military in , after being tipped off by an informant.
 * - is the first major military deployment of the.
 * - The Regional Assistance Mission to the, , led by , begins.
 * - The last old-style rolls off its production line in,.

August

 * - A suicide bomber rams a truck filled with into a military hospital near, killing 50 people, including n troops wounded in.
 * - The authorizes an international  force for.
 * - The highest temperature ever is recorded in the ; 38.5 (101.3) at near  in.
 * - takes over command of the  in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
 * - leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as, is arrested in ,.
 * - A in causes temperatures up to 44 (112).
 * - A widespread affects the northeastern United States and South-Central Canada.
 * - A 6.4  occurs near the Greek  of ; 24 are injured.
 * - The spreads quickly on the outskirts of, threatening to engulf the largest town in B.C.'s interior.
 * - A rocket explosion kills 21 at the in, , due to the premature ignition of a.
 * - Two bomb blasts in, kill 52.
 * - Perihelic : makes its closest approach to Earth in over 50,000 years.
 * - wears a time bomb explosive fastened to his neck, and he died.  The event stands out as the most bizarre event in the history of the.

September

 * - starts
 * - 's largest shopping centre, the in, is officially opened by Sir Albert Bore.
 * - foreign minister  is stabbed in a  department store and dies the next day.
 * - approves joining the  in a referendum.
 * - Indiana Governor dies after suffering a stroke on September 8 in, Illinois.  , the Lieutenant Governor, is sworn in as Indiana's 48th Governor.
 * - Sweden rejects adopting the in a referendum.
 * - The kidnaps 8 foreign tourists in the  in ; they demand a human rights investigation and release the last hostages 3 months later.
 * - Two drive an explosive-filled truck into a government security services building near, killing 3 and injuring 25.
 * - made landfall as a Category 2 Hurricane on North Carolina's Outer Banks. It would directly kill 16 people in the Mid-Atlantic area.
 * -, a satellite, is launched from.
 * - A power failure affects all of except Sardinia, cutting service to more than 56 million people.
 * - Hurricane Juan lands at, , as a category 2 storm, killing 2 directly and 5 indirectly.

October

 * - i warplanes inside n territory.
 * - : Voters recall Governor from office and elect actor  to succeed him.
 * - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, right-wing radio host  publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription, and will seek treatment.
 * - wins the 2003 FIA  World Championship in, , beating  to the title.
 * launches, their first.
 * The kills 11 after one of its ferries slams into a pier.
 * - The makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner  to a close, at least for the time being.
 * - The begins in, burning 280,000 acres (1,100 km²), 2,232 homes and killing 14.
 * - The defeated the  to win their second  title.
 * - resigns as Prime Minister of  after 22 years in power.
 * - resigns as Prime Minister of  after 22 years in power.

November



 * -, The "Green River Killer", confesses to murdering 48 women.
 * - A is seen in, Europe, , and.
 * - : In, 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.
 * - Two s explode simultaneously in, Turkey, targeting 2 synagogues, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 300; claims responsibility.
 * - The win the CFL Championship for the first time in a decade, defeating the  34-22 in the  at  in.
 * - In, an arrest warrant is issued for after new child molestation claims.
 * - U.S. President makes a state visit to  in the midst of massive protests.
 * - The, in , rules anti- laws unconstitutional in.
 * - At the end of a long public inquiry, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,, gives planning approval to , set to become the tallest building in Europe.
 * - Several bombs explode in, Turkey, destroying the Turkish head office of and the  consulate.
 * - is arrested by police on charges of child molestation, a charge that can carry an 8-year jail term.
 * - wins the, defeating Australia 20-17 after extra time.
 * - The n ends with overwhelming victory - president  resigns following weeks of mass protests over fraudulent elections.
 * - A total is seen over.
 * - The High Court in imposes a minimum sentence of 27 years for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing  over,.
 * - succeeds to the presidency of the pre-WW II Republic of Estonia in exile, after the death of.

December


killing 5 bystanders.
 * - The use of hand-held s while driving is made illegal in the.
 * -  and   resigns unexpectedly. He is replaced by  as non-executive chairman and  as president and CEO.
 * - The is released for the.
 * - A on a commuter train in southern  kills 44 people. President  condemns the attack as a bid to destabilize the country two days before parliamentary elections.
 * - Parliamentary elections are held in.
 * - The new Government in Exile of the pre- Republic of Estonia, headed by, assumes office.
 * - A female suicide bomber blows herself up outside 's National Hotel, across from and ,
 * - becomes the 21st.
 * -, 's new flag carrier, is launched.
 * -, former , is captured in by the.
 * - The announces plans to build a new runway at  in  and a short-haul runway at, sparking anger from environmental groups.
 * - The ends at the  in, with  found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend  is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
 * - admits to building a.
 * - An shakes up, killing two people.
 * - is first accused of falsifying accounts to the tune of USD $5 billion, later admitted by founder Calisto Tanzi; observers call it "Europe's ".
 * - A (mad cow disease) outbreak in  is announced. Several countries including,  and  ban the import of beef from the.
 * - At the request of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the orders  to cancel several flights between France and the U.S. in response to terrorist concerns.
 * - The police thwart an attempt by  to detonate 50 kg of s at 3:55 p.m. on  inside 's busy Chamartín Station.
 * - is scheduled to land on Mars, but nothing is heard from the lander.
 * - President of  escapes the second assassination attempt in two weeks.
 * - A massive devastates southeastern . Over 40,000 people are reported killed in the city of.
 * - The world's largest party in,  is cancelled 20 minutes before midnight due to bad weather.
 * - is arrested on suspicion of the  police shootings in.

Ongoing

 * The begins.
 * The revolution continues.

Fictional events

 * In the video game , the game is set in an alternate timeline from on where world power shifted towards the, the Soviets invades and conquers the , causing a rebel resistance.


 * In the TV series Stargate SG-1 the second alpha site was attacked by kull warriors


 * In ' timeline, the events of ' take place between and, with all seven levels taking place on one week.

Births

 * -, daughter of and
 * -, daughter of and
 * -, son of and.
 * -, Missing English toddler (Missing since )
 * -, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (d. )
 * -, son of
 * -, son of
 * -, daughter of and
 * -, daughter of and
 * -, daughter of and

Deaths
For more deaths, see: 

January

 * -, American football coach (b. )
 * -, Tahitian-born cinematographer (b. )
 * -, Lebanese-born violinist (b. )
 * -, English composer and conductor (b. )
 * -, French actor and director (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American ornithologist (b. )
 * -, Argentine dictator (b. )
 * -, British musician with the (b. )
 * -, American singer and songwriter (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American cartoonist (b. )
 * -, Canadian snooker player (b. )
 * -, American singer and actress (b. )
 * -, Italian auto executive (b. )
 * -, Russian athlete (b. )
 * -, English historian (b. )
 * -, U.S. Senator from Utah (b. )

February

 * - crew of the on mission :
 * , American astronaut (b. )
 * , American astronaut (b. )
 * , American astronaut (b. )
 * , American astronaut (b. )
 * , American astronaut (b. )
 * , American astronaut (b. )
 * , Israeli astronaut (b. )


 * -, American composer (b. )
 * -, American photographer (b. )
 * -, 's White House Press Secretary (b. )
 * -, professional wrestler (b. )
 * - , first successfully cloned mammal (b. )
 * -, wife of Chicago mayor (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, French philosopher and writer (b. )
 * -, American politician (b. )
 * -, American children's television host (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, Lens designer, and Engineer (b. )

March

 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses and 5th President of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (b. )
 * -, U.S. Senator from New York (b. )
 * -, Italian physician (SARS) (b. )

April

 * -, Hong Kong singer and actor (b. )
 * -, French storyteller (b. )
 * -, British-born geophysicist and businessman (b. )
 * -, American nutritionist (b. )
 * -, American-born philanthropist (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, Leader/Head of the International Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, 5th Caliph of Promised Messiah (b.
 * -, American playwright and actress (b. )
 * -, German-born biophysicist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, Japanese motorcycle rider, after crashing into a wall on  (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, French photographer (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, Dutch cyclist (b. )

May

 * -, American wrestling manager and valet (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, U.S. Senator from Louisiana (b. )
 * -, English musician (b. )
 * -, French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (b. )
 * -, English actress (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, Belgian cyclist (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, Italian composer (b. )
 * -, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )

June

 * -, American lawyer and politician (b. )
 * -, professional wrestler and manager (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, U.S. Treasury Secretary (b. )
 * -, English philosopher (b. )
 * -, American television reporter (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American jazz trombonist (b. )
 * -, Canadian actor (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, British TV actress (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia (b. )
 * -, Governor of Georgia (b. )
 * -, husband of (b. )
 * -, U.S. Senator (b. )
 * -, Cameroon National Soccer Team (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American comedian and actor (b. )

July



 * -, American jazz flutist (b. )
 * -, British comedian (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, Russian hockey player (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, English writer (b. )
 * -, British chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, Cuban musician (b. )
 * -, Hungarian novelist (b. )
 * -, Chilean writer (b. )
 * -, American football team president and general manager (b. )
 * -, Cuban singer (b. )
 * -, American-born writer (b. )
 * -, American pianist and harpsichordist (b. )
 * - and, sons of
 * -, German aeronautical engineer (b. )
 * -, English film director (b. )
 * -, English-born U.S. comedian (b. )
 * -, American record producer (b. )

August

 * -, French actress (b. )
 * -, American pediatrician and virologist, laureate (b. )
 * -, English musician (b. )
 * -, American dancer and actor (b. )
 * -, English footballer and manager (b. )
 * -, Swiss mathematician (b. )
 * -, German footballer (b. )
 * -, Ugandan dictator (b. )
 * -, Brazilian diplomat (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, Argentinian singer and actress (b. )
 * -, American baseball player (b. )
 * -, American criminal (b. )
 * -, Czech painter (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )

September

 * -, English artist (b. )
 * -, American humorist, essayist, and columnist (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, Canadian actress (b. )
 * -, German film director (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Hungarian-born physicist (b. )
 * -, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (assassinated) (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American singer and guitarist (b. )
 * -, American politician (b. )
 * -, sister of and  (murdered) (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, German actor (b. )
 * -, American actor and singer (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Russian TV anchorman (b. )
 * -, Palestinian-born literary critic (b. )
 * -, Italian-born economist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American writer and actor (b. )
 * -, English singer (b. )
 * -, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. )
 * -, American tennis player (b. )
 * -, Hungarian-born director (b. )

October

 * -, American cartoonist (b. )
 * -, British actor (b. )
 * -, Canadian hockey player (b. )
 * -, American educator, media theorist, and cultural critic (b. )
 * -, American witch and author (b. )
 * -, American pianist (b. )
 * -, Australian politician (b. )
 * -, American jockey (b. )
 * -, Canadian physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, Hungarian boxer (b. )
 * -, wrestling promoter (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * - (Hawk), WWE wrestler (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, American race car driver (b. )
 * -, English comedian, actor, and musician (b. )
 * -, Chinese wife of (b. )
 * -, American composer (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, Italian tenor (b. )
 * -, American political historian (b. )

November

 * -, American baseball player and coach (b. )
 * -, British philosopher (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, Dutch swimmer (b. )
 * - (Crash Holly) WWE wrestler (b. )
 * -, Mexican actor (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, first (b. )
 * -, American columnist and television personality (murdered) (b. )
 * -, American actor (suicide) (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, New Zealander Director and Writer
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Canadian runner (b. )
 * -, Chinese-born civil engineer (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American composer (b. )
 * -, British actor (b. )
 * -, first (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Canadian literary critic (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, Iraqi general
 * -, French writer (b. )
 * -, American rapper (b. )
 * -, Estonian statesman (b. )
 * -, American swimmer (b. )

December



 * -, English actor (b. )
 * -, American race car driver (b. )
 * -, champion
 * -, (b. )
 * -, American theologian and publisher (b. )
 * -, U.S. Treasurer (b. )
 * -, Cuban pianist (b. )
 * -, U.S. Senator from Illinois (b. )
 * -, Ivorian writer (b. )
 * -, whale from
 * -, U.S. Senator from Delaware (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American political cartoonist (b. )
 * -, Canadian hockey player (b. )
 * -, Premier of Nova Scotia (b. )
 * -, American singer (suicide) (b. )
 * -, Australian actor (b. )
 * -, American football player (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, English actor (b. )
 * -, Puerto Rican baseball player (murdered) (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, English actor (b. )
 * -, English comedian and game show host (b. )
 * -, South African-born activist (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, Hong Kong singer (b. )
 * -, German-born physicist (b. )
 * -, German-born physicist (b. )

Unknown dates

 * , Spanish painter (b. )

Nobel prizes

 * -, Sir
 * -, Sir
 * -, Sir