2003

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2003 by topic:

News by month

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

Arts

Architecture - Art - Literature - Music (Country, UK) - Film - Television - Home video

Politics

Elections - Int'l leaders - Politics - State leaders - Sovereign states

Science and technology

Archaeology - Aviation - Birding/Ornithology - Meteorology - Rail transport - Science - Spaceflight

Sports

Sport - Australian Football League - Baseball - Football (soccer) - Ice Hockey - Motor Racing - Tennis

By place

Africa - Argentina - Australia - Canada - Denmark - India - Iraq - Ireland - Japan - Luxembourg - Malaysia - Mexico - New Zealand - Philippines - Singapore - South Africa - Switzerland - United Kingdom -Wales - Zimbabwe

Other topics

Deaths - Awards - Gay rights - Games - Law - Religious leaders - Video gaming

Birth and death categories

Births - Deaths

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments - Disestablishments

Works category

Works

2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

It has been designated the:

• International Year of Freshwater
• European Disability Year
• Year of the Sheep in the Chinese Zodiac
• The Year of Scorpio in Western Astrology

See also the almanac of events for this year. 2003 is prime. The next prime year is 2011.

Contents 1 Events 1.1 January 1.2 February 1.3 March 1.4 April 1.5 May 1.6 June 1.7 July 1.8 August 1.9 September 1.10 October 1.11 November 1.12 December 2 Births 3 Deaths 3.1 January 3.2 February 3.3 March 3.4 April 3.5 May 3.6 June 3.7 July 3.8 August 3.9 September 3.10 October 3.11 November 3.12 December 3.13 Unknown date 4 Nobel prizes 5 External links

Events

January

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• January 1
  • Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil.
  • Pascal Couchepin becomes President of the Confederation in Switzerland.
• January 3 - The Ohio State University defeats the University of Miami in double-overtime in the Fiesta Bowl, 31-24, for the national Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title. The game is considered to be among the best in recent years.
• January 7 - Oolong (rabbit), famous for balancing various objects on his head, dies.
• January 8 - US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people aboard.
• January 15 - The United States Supreme Court (Eldred v. Ashcroft) allows the extension of copyright terms in the U.S.
• January 16 - Gekkai Merry Go Round/Shunkashuutou by Psycho le cemu debuts.
• January 18 - The Canberra Bushfires occur in Canberra, Australia, killing 4 people.
• January 24 - The new United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
• January 25
  • A Central Line train crashes into the tunnel wall at Chancery Lane station in London, injuring 34 people.
  • An international group of volunteers leaves London for Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert a U.S. invasion.
• January 26 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21, in Super Bowl XXXVII.
• January 30 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of Britain, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Denmark, and the Czech Republic release a statement, The Letter of the Eight, demonstrating support for the United States' plans to invade Iraq.

February

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• February 1
  • STS-107: Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates over Texas upon reentry, killing all 7 astronauts onboard.
  • In Northern Ireland, The Protestant UDA Belfast leader John Gregg is killed by a loyalist faction.
• February 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.^{Confirmation needed}
• February 9 - The Cricket World Cup begins in South Africa.
• February 15 - Global protests against Iraq war: More than 10 million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest war protest to take place before the war occurs.
• February 17 - The Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium opens its vaults after the weekend, and discovers that unknown burglars had stolen diamonds worth $100 million (the largest diamond theft so far).^{Confirmation needed}
• February 20 - The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island claims the lives of 100 people, the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in United States history.
• February 22 - In his first after losing to Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson beats Clifford Etienne by first round KO in a fight held at The Pyramid in Memphis, TN.
• 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 the doctor later die of the disease.
• February 28 - Phish plays a show at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
• February - The Druid Network is founded in the United Kingdom.

March

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• March 1
  • Iraq disarmament crisis: The United Arab Emirates calls for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down to avoid war, a sentiment later echoed by Bahrain and Kuwait.
  • 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 United States Customs Service, and the United States Secret Service move to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
  • War on Terrorism: Authorities in Pakistan capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks along with money man Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.
  • Ohio celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
• March 3 - Australia wins the 2003 Cricket World Cup, defeating India by 125 runs.
• March 5 - The Supreme Court of the United States, by a 5-4 margin, upholds California's "three strikes and you're out" law.
• March 11 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi fighters threaten two U.S. U-2 surveillance planes, on missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
• March 12
  • Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić is assassinated in Belgrade.

• • The WHO issues a global alert on SARS.
  • Iraq disarmament crisis: British prime minister Tony Blair 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 veto any new resolution.
  • Police find Elizabeth Smart in Sandy, Utah, in the company of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee, whom they arrest for kidnapping her.
• March 13 - Human evolution: The journal Nature reports that 350,000-year-old upright-walking human footprints had been found in Italy.
• March 15 - Hu Jintao becomes president of the People's Republic of China, replacing Jiang Zemin.
• March 16 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of the United States, Britain, Portugal, and Spain meet at a summit in the Azores Islands. U.S. President Bush calls March 17th the "moment of truth", meaning that the "coalition of the willing" will make its final effort to extract a resolution from the U.N. Security Council, giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately or be disarmed by force.
• March 17 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush 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.
• March 18
  • The UK government recognises British Sign Language as an official British language.
  • The Parliament of the United Kingdom votes in favour of a motion understood as giving the government final authority to join the invasion of Iraq.[1]
• March 19 - The first American bombs drop on Baghdad, Iraq. President Saddam Hussein and his sons do not comply with President Bush's 48-hour mandate demanding their exit from Iraq.
• March 20 - 2003 Iraq war: Land troops from United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invade Iraq.
• March 22 - The United States and the United Kingdom begin their shock and awe campaign, with a massive air strike on military targets in Baghdad.
• March 23
  • Tradewinds wins Euclid 6' and Under Division 2 basketball championship.
  • The Cricket World Cup ends as Australia wins over India in Centurion, South Africa.
• March 29 - WHO doctor Carlo Urbani, who first identified SARS, dies of the disease.
• March 30 - Meigs Field Airport in Chicago, Illinois is demolished overnight.

April

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• April 3
  • A passenger bus hits a remote-controlled land mine in the Chechen capital, killing at least 8.
  • U.S. forces seize control of Saddam International Airport, changing the airport's name to Baghdad International Airport.
• April 9 - U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, apparently ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
• April 14 - The Human Genome Project is successfully completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
• April 17 - The Stevens Report concludes that members of the RUC and British Army cooperated with the UDA in the killings of Catholics in Northern Ireland.
• April 21 - Retired U.S. Army General Jay Garner becomes Interim Civil Administrator of Iraq.
• April 30 - The last American owned vehicle frame manufacturer, Midland Steel Products, goes out of business after almost 110 years, laying off almost 250 people.

May

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• May 1 - George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the Iraq war. 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 11 - Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
• May 12
  • A suicide truck-bomb attack kills at least 60 at a government compound in northern Chechnya.
  • In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 people are killed in the Riyadh Compound Bombings.
• 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 16 - In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
• May 17 - Arsenal beats Southampton 1-0 to win the FA Cup.
• May 19 - Pen Hadow becomes the first man to walk alone, without any outside help, from Canada to the North Pole.
• May 20 - Buffy The Vampire Slayer airs its final show, ending a 7 year run on both The WB Network and UPN.
• May 21
  • Miracle high tension! by Psycho le Cému debuts.
  • F.C. Porto defeats Celtic 3-2 (AET) in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville, Spain.
  • An earthquake in the Boumerdès region of northern Algeria kills 2,200.
• May 22 - The Sheffield Winter Gardens are officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
• May 23 - Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M University, is born.
• May 26 - A draft of the proposed European Constitution is unveiled.
• May 28
  • Prometea, the first horse cloned by Italian scientists, is born.
  • 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 behind a Save-A-Lot store.

June

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• June 1
  • The Group of Eight summit opens in Evian, France, to tight security and tens of thousands of protesters.
  • The People's Republic of China begins filling the reservoir behind the massive Three Gorges Dam, raising the water level near the dam over 100 metres
• June 4 - Martha Stewart and her broker are indicted for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation. Stewart also resigns as chairperson and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living.
• June 5 - A female suicide bomber detonates a bomb near a bus carrying soldiers and civilians to a military airfield in Mozdok, a major staging point for Russian troops in Chechnya, killing at least 16 people.
• June 9 - The New Jersey Devils beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4 games to 3 in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.
• June 15 - The San Antonio Spurs defeat the New Jersey Nets to win the 2003 NBA Finals, 4-2. The series, the first televised by ABC in 30 years, is the lowest rated since 1981.
• June 20 - The North East MRT Line, the world's first fully automated and driverless subway opens in Singapore, bringing the total number of lines in the Mass Rapid Transit to 3.
• June 21 -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, the 5th book in the Harry Potter series, is published in the UK and elsewhere.
• June 22 - The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska.
• June 23 - The U.S. Supreme Court upholds affirmative action in university admissions, in the case of Grutter v. Bollinger.
• June 26
  • The U.S. Supreme Court (Lawrence v. Texas) rules that sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
  • Cameroon international footballer Marc-Vivien Foe, 28, collapses and dies during a Confederations Cup game in Lyon, France. Foe had represented his country at two World Cups and had played for two English clubs; West Ham United and Manchester City.

July

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• 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
  • SARS is declared to be contained by WHO.
  • A double suicide bombing at a Moscow rock concert kills the female attackers and 15 other people.
• July 6
  • Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant's arrest is made public. Bryant is charged with sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado.
  • Corsica voters reject a referendum for increased autonomy for the region from France by a very narrow margin.
• July 7 - Canon Jeffrey John, first would-be gay bishop in the Church of England, withdraws his acceptance of the post of The Bishop of Reading after discussions with church leaders.
• July 8 - Australian actress Delta Goodrem is diagnosed with cancer.
• 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.
  • , a free content set of textbooks, goes online.
• July 14 - Washington Post columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative. The CIA leak scandal begins.
• July 18
  • The Convention on the Future of Europe finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution.
  • The body of Dr. David Kelly, a scientist at the Ministry of Defence, is found a few miles from his home, leading to the Hutton inquiry.
• 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 27 - Bob Hope, legendary English-born American comedian whose career spanned over 7 decades, dies in Toluca Lake, California, at age 100.
• July 30 - The last old-style Volkswagen Beetle rolls off its production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
• July 31 - Avenue Q, a new musical, opens on Broadway. It later wins the Tony Award for Best New Musical.

August

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• 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 is recorded in the UK - 38.5°C (101.3°F) at Brogdale near Faversham in Kent [2]. It is the first time the UK has recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
• August 11
  • NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
  • Jemaah Islamiah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.
  • A big heat wave in Paris has had temperatures up to 44°C (112°F), killing more than 3,000 people.
• August 14
  • A widespread power outage affects the northeastern United States and South-Central Canada.
  • A 6.4 Richter scale earthquake occurs near the Greek Ionian island of Lefkada; 24 are injured.
• August 16 - The Okanagan Mountain Park Fire spreads quickly on the outskirts of Kelowna, British Columbia, threatening to engulf the largest town in B.C.'s interior.
• August 22 - A rocket explosion kills 21 at the Brazilian rocket complex in Alcântara, Brazil, due to the premature ignition of a solid rocket booster.
• August 25 - Two bomb blasts in Mumbai, India kill 52.
• August 27 - Perihelic Opposition: Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in over 50,000 years.

September

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• September 4 - Europe's largest shopping centre, the Bullring in Birmingham, is officially opened by Sir Albert Bore.
• September 10
  • Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh is stabbed in a Stockholm department store and dies the next day.
  • Nupedia, an old free encyclopedia, goes offline.
  • Sweden rejects adopting the Euro in a referendum.
  • Estonia approves joining the European Union 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 23 - Nickelback releases their fourth alblum, The Long Road
• September 27
  • Smart 1, a European Space Agency satellite, is launched from French Guiana.
  • The Uniterran Church is founded in Victor, New York.
• 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

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• October 7 - 2003 California recall: Voters recall Governor Gray Davis from office and elect actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him.
• October 8 A trip to Arcadia by Psycho le cemu is re-released.
• October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.
• October 14 - The Florida Marlins defeat the Chicago Cubs in Game 6 of Major League Baseball's National League Championship Series; the game is remembered for Cubs fan Steve Bartman interfering with a foul ball which could have helped Chicago win the game and the series. The Marlins go on to win the World Series.
• October 15
  • China launches Shenzhou 5, their first manned space mission.
  • The 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash kills 11 after one of its ferries slams into a pier.
• October 23 - Luis A. Ferre, the third democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico, dies at age 99.
• October 24 - The Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close, at least for the time being.
• October 25 - The Cedar Fire begins in San Diego County, burning 280,000 acres (1,100 km²), 2,232 homes and killing 14.
• October 26 - Viva La Bam first airs on MTV.
• October 30 - Wicked, a new musical with music by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, opens on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre. The musical stars Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda.
• October 31 - Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power.

November

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• 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
  • In Santa Barbara, California, an arrest warrant is issued for Michael Jackson after new claims of child molestation are made against the King of Pop.
  • U.S. President George W. Bush makes a state visit to London in the midst of massive protests.
  • The Massachusetts Supreme Court, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, rules anti-same-sex marriage laws unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
  • Britney Spears breaks her own record, with her 4th album In The Zone going to #1 on the Billboard 200, making her the only artist in music history to have her first 4 albums go to #1 on the Billboard 200.
• November 20
  • Several bombs explode in Istanbul, Turkey, destroying the Turkish head office of HSBC and the British consulate.

• • Michael Jackson is arrested by police on charges of child molestation, a charge that can carry an 8-year jail term.
• November 22
  • England wins the Rugby World Cup, defeating Australia 20-17 after extra time.
  • The pilots and flight engineer of a DHL cargo plane are acknowledged after they become the first ever flight crew to successfully land a plane with no hydraulics, by means of engine thrust. The steering failure was the consequence of a fire started on the left wing, which was the result of a surface-to-air missile hit, while on the descent for landing in Baghdad.
• November 23
  • The Georgian Rose Revolution ends with overwhelming victory - president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over fraudulent elections.
  • A total solar eclipse is seen over Antarctica.
• 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.
  • Nintendo NSider Forums is created.