2003
36163
226047048
2008-07-16T16:20:26Z
86.29.209.151
/* Fictional events */
{{Year nav|2003}}
{{C21YearInTopic}}
Year '''2003''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MMIII]]''') was a [[common year starting on Wednesday]] of the [[Gregorian calendar]].
Year 2003 has been designated the:
* ''International Year of [[Fresh water|Freshwater]]''
* ''European [[Disability]] Year''
* ''Year of the Sheep'' in the [[Chinese Zodiac]]
Also see: [[Current events#Past events by month|the almanac]] of events for this year.
== Events of 2003 ==
=== January ===
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* [[January 1]] – [[Pascal Couchepin]] becomes [[President of the Confederation (Switzerland)|President of the Confederation]] in [[Switzerland]].
* [[January 3]] – [[Ohio State University|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.
* [[January 3]] – The [[108th United States Congress]] is sworn in, including incoming freshmen Senators [[Saxby Chambliss]] (R-GA), [[Lindsey Graham]] (R-SC), [[John E. Sununu|John Sununu]] (R-NH), [[Lamar Alexander]] (R-TN), [[Elizabeth Dole]] (R-NC), [[Norm Coleman]] (R-MN), and [[Mark Pryor]] (D-AR).
* [[January 8]] – [[US Airways Express Flight 5481]] crashes at [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], killing all 21 people aboard.
* [[January 15]] – ''[[Eldred v. Ashcroft]]'': The [[Supreme Court of the United States]] allows the extension of copyright terms in the U.S.
* [[January 18]] – The Canberra Bushfires occur in [[Canberra, Australia]], killing 4 people.
* [[January 23]] – Last signal is received from NASA's [[Pioneer 10]] spacecraft when it is 7.5 billion miles from Earth.
* [[January 24]] – The new [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] begins operation.
* [[January 25]] – A Central Line train crashes into the tunnel wall at [[Chancery Lane tube station]] in [[London]], injuring 34 people.
* [[January 25]] – An [[Human shield action to Iraq|international group of volunteers]] leaves London for [[Baghdad]] to act as voluntary [[human shields]], hoping to avert a U.S. invasion.
* [[January 26]] – [[Super Bowl XXXVII]]: The [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] defeat the [[Oakland Raiders]] 48-21.
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* [[January 29]] – [[2003 Phnom Penh riots|Riots]] in [[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]] where the Thai Embassy was burned and commercial properties of Thai businesses were vandalized.
* [[January 30]] – [[Iraq disarmament crisis]]: The leaders of the [[United Kingdom]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Hungary]], [[Italy]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]] and [[Spain]] 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|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] disintegrates over [[Texas]] upon reentry, killing all 7 [[astronaut]]s onboard.
* [[February 1]] – In [[Northern Ireland]], [[Protestant]] [[Ulster Defence Association]] 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.
* [[February 7]] – Unsuccessful contact attempt with [[Pioneer 10]].
* [[February 9]] – The [[Cricket]] World Cup begins in [[South Africa]]. <!- see http://sl.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/WC2003/RESULTS/WC2003_RESULTS.html -->
* [[February 9]] – [[BBC Choice]] closes for the final time at 12:30 am, replacing with [[BBC Three]] at 7 pm.
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* [[February 15]] – Global [[February 15, 2003 anti-war protest|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 18]] – An arsonist [[Daegu subway fire|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 [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]]. [[World Health Organization|WHO]] doctor [[Carlo Urbani]] reports the unusual highly contagious disease to WHO. Both businessman and doctor later die of the disease.
=== 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]].
* [[March 1]] – 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.
* [[March 1]] – 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]].
* [[March 1]] – [[War on Terrorism]]: [[Pakistan]]i authorities capture [[Khalid Shaikh Mohammed]], the suspected mastermind of the [[September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack]]s, along with money man [[Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi]].<!-- date either 1. or 2. -->
* [[March 5]] – The [[Supreme Court of the United States]], by a 5-4 margin, upholds California's "[[Three strikes law|three strikes and you're out]]" law.
* [[March 11]] – [[Iraq disarmament crisis]]: Iraqi fighters threaten 2 U.S. [[Lockheed U-2|U-2 surveillance planes]], on missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
* [[March 12]] – [[Serbia]]n Prime Minister [[Zoran Ðindic]] is assassinated in [[Belgrade]].
[[Image:Sars-hospital.jpg|thumb|200px|A SARS hospital in Taiwan.]]
* [[March 12]] – The [[World Health Organization|WHO]] issues a global alert on [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]].
* [[March 12]] – [[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.
* [[March 13]] – [[Human evolution]]: The journal ''[[Nature (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]], [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Portugal]], and [[Spain]] meet at a summit in the [[Azores Islands]]. U.S. President Bush calls March 17 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.
* [[March 18]] – 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. <ref>[http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2003-03-18&number=118&display=allpossible Iraq — Declaration of War — 18 Mar 2003 at 22:00 — The Public Whip<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[March 18]] – About $1 billion was taken from Iraq's [[central Bank of Iraq|Central Bank]] by Saddam Hussein and his family, just hours before the United States began bombing Iraq. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/05/06/sprj.nilaw.bank/ CNN.com – U.S.: $1 billion taken by Saddam – May. 6, 2003<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[March 18]] – [[FBI]] agents raid the corporate headquarters of [[HealthSouth Corporation]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], on suspicion of massive corporate [[fraud]] led by the company's top executives.
* [[March 19]] – The first [[USA|American]] bombs drop on [[Baghdad]] after [[Iraq]]i President [[Saddam Hussein]] and his sons do not comply with U.S. President George W. Bush's 48-hour mandate demanding their exit from [[Iraq]].
* [[March 20]] – [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]: Land troops from the [[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]] – The [[75th Academy Awards]] ceremony, hosted by [[Steve Martin]], takes place at the [[Kodak Theater]] in [[Hollywood]]. ''[[Chicago (2002 film)|Chicago]]'' wins [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].
* [[March 23]] – The [[2003 Cricket World Cup]] ends as [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] wins over [[Indian cricket team|India]] by 125 runs in [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]].
* [[March 23]] – [[Hasan Akbar case|Hasan Akbar]], a Muslim soldier with the 101st Airborne, kills two fellow soldiers in a [[grenade]] attack at [[Camp Pennsylvania]], [[Kuwait]].
* [[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 [[Chechnya|Chechen]] capital, killing at least 8.
* [[April 3]] – 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, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
* [[April 14]] – The [[Human Genome Project]] is completed, with 99% of the human [[genome]] sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
* [[April 17]] – The [[Stevens Report]] concludes that members of the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] and British Army cooperated with the [[Ulster Defence Association]] in the killings of Catholics in [[Northern Ireland]].
* [[April 21]] – Retired U.S. Army General [[Jay Garner]] becomes Interim Civil Administrator of Iraq.
* [[April 29]] – The United States announces the withdrawal of troops stationed in [[Saudi Arabia]], and the redeployment of some at the [[Al Udeid Air Base]] in [[Qatar]].
=== May ===
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* [[May 1]] – U. S. president George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier [[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|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 [[Royal Tunbridge Wells|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 in [[Cedar Point]] in [[Sandusky, Ohio]] as the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.
* [[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]].
* [[May 12]] – 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 15]] – The date predicted by [[Pana Wave|Pana-Wave Laboratory]], a [[Japan]]ese [[cult]], on which a close encounter with an unknown planet would result in the [[doomsday|extinction of most of humankind]].
* [[May 16]] – In [[Casablanca]], [[Morocco]], 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 injured in the [[2003 Casablanca bombings|Casablanca terrorist attacks]].
* [[May 17]] – [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] beats [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] 1-0 to win the [[FA Cup]].
* [[May 19]] – [[Pen Hadow]] becomes the first person to walk alone, without any outside help, from [[Canada]] to the [[North Pole]].
* [[May 19]] – Indonesian military begins an [[2003-2004 Indonesian offensive in Aceh|operation in Aceh province]].
* [[May 21]] – [[F.C. Porto]] defeats [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] 3-2 (AET) in the [[UEFA Cup]] Final in [[Seville]], [[Spain]].
* [[May 21]] – An [[earthquake]] in the [[Boumerdès]] region of northern [[Algeria]] kills 2,200.
* [[May 22]] – The [[Sheffield Winter Gardens]] are officially opened by [[Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]].
* [[May 23]] – [[Dewey (deer)|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 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 ===
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* [[June 1]] – The [[29th G8 summit|Group of Eight summit]] opens in [[Évian-les-Bains]], [[France]], to tight security and tens of thousands of protesters.
* [[June 1]] – The [[People's Republic of China]] begins filling the [[lake]] behind the massive [[Three Gorges Dam]], raising the water level near the dam over 100 metres.
* [[June 2]] – [[Toontown Online]], a [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]], launched in America.
* [[June 4]] – [[Martha Stewart]] and her broker are [[indictment|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 area|staging point]] for [[Russia]]n troops in [[Chechnya]], killing at least 16 people.
* [[June 9]] – The [[New Jersey Devils]] defeat the [[Mighty Ducks of Anaheim]] 3-0 in Game 7 of the [[2002-03 NHL season|2003 Stanley Cup Finals]] to win their third [[Stanley Cup]] championship.
* [[June 15]] – The [[San Antonio Spurs]] defeat the [[New Jersey Nets]] to win the [[2003 NBA Finals]], 4-2.
* [[June 22]] – The largest [[hailstone]] ever recorded falls in [[Aurora, Nebraska]].
* [[June 23]] – ''[[Grutter v. Bollinger]]'': The [[Supreme Court of the United States]] upholds [[affirmative action]] in university admissions.
* [[June 26]] – ''[[Lawrence v. Texas]]'': The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] declares [[sodomy law]]s unconstitutional.
* [[June 29]] – Thirteen are killed in [[2003 Chicago balcony collapse|a porch collapse]] in Chicago.
* [[June 30]] – In [[Irvine, California]], Joseph Hunter Parker kills two [[New Albertsons, Inc.|Albertsons]] employees with a [[sword]], before being shot to death himself by the [[police]].
=== 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]].
* [[July 5]] – A double [[suicide bombing]] at a [[Moscow]] rock concert kills the attackers and 15 other people.
* [[July 6]] – The 70-meter [[Eupatoria]] Planetary Radar sends a [[Message to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence|METI]] message [[Cosmic Call 2]] to 5 stars: [[Hip 4872]], [[HD 245409]], [[55 Cancri]], [[HD 10307]] and [[47 Ursae Majoris]] that will arrive to 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.
* [[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, Berkshire|Reading]] after discussions with church leaders.
* [[July 8]] – [[Sudan Airways]] [[Sudan Airways Flight 39|Flight 39]], with 117 people on board, crashes in [[Sudan]]; the only survivor is a two-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]] – ''[[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.
* [[July 18]] – The body of [[David Kelly (weapons expert)|David Kelly]], a scientist at the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]], is found a few miles from his home, leading to the [[Hutton inquiry]].
* [[July 22]] – [[Uday Hussein|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 30]] – The last old-style [[Volkswagen Beetle]] rolls off its production line in [[Puebla, Puebla]], [[Mexico]].
=== 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 [[Russia]]n 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 [[United Kingdom|UK]]; 38.5[[celsius|°C]] (101.3[[fahrenheit|°F]]) at [[Brogdale]] near [[Faversham]] in [[Kent]] <ref>[http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/2003/ Met Office: 2003 Monthly weather summary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
* [[August 11]] – [[NATO]] takes over command of the [[International Security Assistance Force|peacekeeping force]] in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
* [[August 11]] – [[Jemaah Islamiah]] leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as [[Hambali]], is arrested in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]].
* [[August 11]] – A [[European Heat Wave of 2003|heat wave]] in [[Paris]] causes temperatures up to 44[[celsius|°C]] (112[[fahrenheit|°F]]).
* [[August 14]] – A widespread [[Northeast Blackout of 2003|power outage]] affects the northeastern United States and South-Central Canada.
* [[August 14]] – A 6.4 [[Richter magnitude scale|Richter scale]] [[earthquake]] occurs near the Greek [[Ionian Islands|Ionian island]] of [[Lefkada]]; 24 are injured.
*[[August 15]] – Global [[oil production]] begins a four-year plateau ([[Peak oil|and subsequent decline]]) in the face of rising demand, causing the start of the [[Oil price increases since 2003]].
* [[August 16]] – The [[2003 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 [[Centro de Lançamento de Alcântara|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.
* [[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-conspiritors.
=== September ===
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* [[September 3]] – [[Hubble Space Telescope]] starts [[Hubble Ultra Deep Field]]
* [[September 4]] – [[Europe]]'s busiest shopping centre, the [[Bullring Shopping Centre|Bullring]] in [[Birmingham]], is officially opened by Sir Albert Bore.
* [[September 10]] – [[Sweden|Swedish]] foreign minister [[Anna Lindh]] is stabbed in a [[Stockholm]] department store and dies the next day.
* [[September 10]] – [[Estonia]] approves joining the [[European Union]] in a referendum.
* [[September 13]] – Indiana Governor [[Frank O'Bannon]] dies after suffering a stroke on September 8 in [[Chicago]], Illinois. [[Joe Kernan]], the Lieutenant Governor, is sworn in as Indiana's 48th Governor.
* [[September 14]] – Sweden rejects adopting the [[Euro]] in a referendum.
* [[September 15]] – The [[National Liberation Army (Colombia)|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 (2003)|Hurricane Isabel]] made landfall as a Category 2 Hurricane on North Carolina's Outer Banks. It would directly kill 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 Regional Municipality|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]] as a category 2 storm, killing 2 directly and 5 indirectly.
=== October ===
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* [[October 5]] – [[Israel]]i warplanes [[Ain es Saheb airstrike|strike]] inside [[Syria]]n territory.
* [[October 7]] – [[2003 California recall]]: Voters recall Governor [[Gray Davis]] from office and elect actor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] to succeed him.
* [[October 10]] – Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, [[United States|American]] right-wing radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]] publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription [[Oxycodone|pain killers]], and will seek treatment.
* [[October 12]] – [[Michael Schumacher]] wins the 2003 FIA [[Formula One]] World Championship in [[Suzuka]], [[Japan]], beating [[Kimi Räikkönen]] to the title.
* [[October 15]] – [[People's Republic of China|China]] launches [[Shenzhou 5]], their first [[manned space mission]].
* [[October 15]] – The [[2003 Staten Island Ferry crash]] kills 11 after one of its ferries slams into a pier.
* [[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 25]] – The [[Florida Marlins]] defeated the [[New York Yankees]] to win their second [[World Series]] title.
* [[October 31]] – [[Mahathir Mohamad]] resigns as Prime Minister of [[Malaysia]] after 22 years in power.
=== November ===
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{{Month3|11|5|0}}
* [[November 3]] – [[New York City Subway]]'s legendary [[Redbird trains]] are retired from passenger service after the [[R33 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)|R33]]/[[R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)|36 World's Fair cars]] make their final trip on the {{NYCS|7}} line.
* [[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 bomb]]s explode simultaneously in [[Istanbul]], Turkey, targeting 2 synagogues, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 300; [[Al-Qaida]] claims responsibility.
* [[November 16]] – The [[Edmonton Eskimos]] win the CFL Championship for the first time in a decade, defeating the [[Montreal Alouettes]] 34-22 in the [[91st Grey Cup]] at [[Taylor Field]] in [[Regina, Saskatchewan]].
* [[November 18]] – In [[Santa Barbara, California]], an arrest warrant is issued for [[Michael Jackson]] after new child molestation claims.
* [[November 18]] – U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] makes a state visit to [[London]] in the midst of massive protests.
* [[November 18]] – The [[Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]], in [[Goodridge v. Department of Public Health]], rules anti-[[same-sex marriage]] laws unconstitutional in [[Massachusetts]].
* [[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 Bank (Turkey)|HSBC]] and the [[United Kingdom|British]] consulate.
* [[November 20]] – [[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 [[2003 Rugby World Cup]], defeating Australia 20-17 after extra time.
* [[November 23]] – The [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]n [[Rose Revolution]] ends with overwhelming victory – president [[Eduard Shevardnadze]] resigns following weeks of mass protests over fraudulent elections.
* [[November 23]] – 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]].
* [[November 26]] – [[Chillenden Windmill]] collapses in a gale. The mill was rebuilt in 2005.
* [[November 28]] – [[Kalev Ots]] succeeds to the presidency of the pre-WW II Republic of Estonia in exile, after the death of [[Mihkel Mathiesen]].
=== December ===
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[[Image:Saddamcapture.jpg|thumb|200px|A captured [[Saddam Hussein]] is investigated by US military doctors.]]
* [[December 1]] – The use of hand-held [[cell phone]]s while driving is made illegal in the [[United Kingdom]].
* [[December 1]] – [[Boeing]] [[chairman]] and [[CEO]] [[Phil Condit]] resigns unexpectedly. He is replaced by [[Lewis Platt]] as non-executive chairman and [[Harry Stonecipher]] as president and CEO.
* [[December 5]] – A [[suicide bombing]] on a commuter train in southern [[Russia]] kills 44 people. President [[Vladimir Putin]] condemns the attack as a bid to destabilize the country two days before parliamentary elections.
* [[December 5]] – The eighteenth [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]] opens in [[Abuja]], [[Nigeria]].
* [[December 7]] – Parliamentary elections are held in [[Russia]].
* [[December 7]] – Australian schoolboy [[Daniel Morcombe]] disappears from a bus stop on the [[Sunshine Coast, Queensland]], Australia. It is one of the country's highest profile mysteries.
* [[December 7]] – The new Government in Exile of the pre-[[World War II]] Republic of Estonia, headed by [[Ahti Mänd]], assumes office.
* [[December 8]] – The [[Aso Rock Declaration]] is issued at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, outlining the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]'s priority objectives.
* [[December 9]] – A female suicide bomber blows herself up outside [[Moscow]]'s National Hotel, across from [[the Kremlin]] and [[Red Square]], killing 5 bystanders.
* [[December 12]] – [[Paul Martin]] becomes the 21st [[Prime Minister of Canada]].
* [[December 12]] – [[Olympic Airlines]], [[Greece]]'s new flag carrier, is launched.
* [[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 [[London Stansted Airport|Stansted Airport]] in [[Essex]] and a short-haul runway at [[Heathrow Airport]], sparking anger from environmental groups.
* [[December 18]] – The [[Soham murders|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]] shakes up [[California]], killing two people.
* [[December 22]] – [[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]] – [[PetroChina]] Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, [[Guoqiao]], [[Kai County]], [[Chongqing]], [[China]], 234 killed.
* [[December 24]] – A [[Bovine spongiform encephalopathy|BSE]] (mad cow disease) outbreak in [[Washington|Washington State]] is announced. Several countries including [[Brazil]], [[Australia]] and [[Republic of China|Taiwan]] ban the import of beef from the [[United States|United States of America]].
* [[December 24]] – At the request of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the [[France|French Government]] orders [[Air France]] to cancel several flights between France and the U.S. in response to terrorist concerns.
* [[December 24]] – The [[Spain|Spanish]] police thwart an attempt by [[ETA]] to detonate 50 kg of [[explosive]]s at 3:55 p.m. on [[Christmas Eve]] inside [[Madrid]]'s busy Chamartín Station.
* [[December 25]] – [[Beagle 2]] is scheduled to land on Mars, but nothing is heard from the lander.
* [[December 25]] – President [[Pervez Musharraf]] of [[Pakistan]] escapes the second assassination attempt in two weeks.
* [[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]].
=== Ongoing ===
* The [[War in Iraq]] begins.
=== Fictional events ===
* 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 in ''[[Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines]]'' take place and ''[[Skynet]]'' begins its nuclear attack.
* The events of [[Resident Evil: Extinction]] take place, before the last chapters of [[Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles]].
* 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
{{Year in other calendars}}
== Births ==
<!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. -->
<!-- Please do not add yourself, non-notable people, fictional characters, or people without Wikipedia articles to this list. No red links, please. -->
* [[April 23]] – [[Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este]], daughter of [[Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este]] and [[Princess Astrid of Belgium]]
* [[April 29]] – [[Maud Angelica Behn]], daughter of [[Ari Behn]] and [[Princess Märtha Louise of Norway]]
*[[May 8]] – [[Moulay Hassan]], son of [[King Mohammed VI]] and [[Princess Lalla Salma]].
*[[May 12]] – [[Madeleine McCann]], Missing English toddler (missing since [[2007]])
* [[July 4]] – [[Alessia di Matteo]], first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (d. [[2005]])
* [[August 20]] – [[Prince Gabriel of Belgium]], son of [[Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant]]
* [[August 24]] – [[Alexandre Coste]], son of [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco]]
* [[November 8]] – [[Lady Louise Windsor]], daughter of [[Edward, Earl of Wessex|Earl]] and [[Sophie, Countess of Wessex|Countess of Wessex]]
* [[December 7]] – [[Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands]], daughter of [[Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands]] and [[Princess Maxima of the Netherlands]]
* [[December 29]] – [[Princess Vittoria of Savoy]], daughter of [[Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont]] and [[Clotilde Courau]]
== Deaths ==
'''For more deaths, see: [[Deaths in 2003]]'''
===January – June===
<!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. -->
* [[January 3]] – [[Sid Gillman]], American football coach (b. [[1911]])
* [[January 4]] – [[Conrad Hall]], Tahitian-born cinematographer (b. [[1926]])
* [[January 4]] – [[Yfrah Neaman]], Lebanese-born violinist (b. [[1923]])
* [[January 8]] – [[Ron Goodwin]], English composer and conductor (b. [[1925]])
* [[January 11]] – [[Maurice Pialat]], French actor and director (b. [[1925]])
* [[January 11]] – [[Richard Simmons (actor)|Richard Simmons]], American actor (b. [[1913]])
* [[January 12]] – [[Dean Amadon]], American ornithologist (b. [[1912]])
* [[January 12]] – [[Leopoldo Galtieri]], Argentine dictator (b. [[1926]])
* [[January 12]] – [[Maurice Gibb]], British musician with the [[Bee Gees]] (b. [[1949]])
* [[January 15]] – [[Doris Fisher (singer)|Doris Fisher]], American singer-songwriter (b. [[1915]])
* [[January 17]] – [[Richard Crenna]], American actor (b. [[1926]])
* [[January 20]] – [[Al Hirschfeld]], American cartoonist (b. [[1903]])
* [[January 20]] – [[Bill Werbeniuk]], Canadian snooker player (b. [[1947]])
* [[January 23]] – [[Nell Carter]], American singer and actress (b. [[1948]])
* [[January 24]] – [[Gianni Agnelli]], Italian auto executive (b. [[1921]])
* [[January 26]] – [[Valeriy Brumel]], Russian athlete (b. [[1942]])
* [[January 26]] – [[Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton]], English historian (b. [[1917]])
* [[January 29]] – [[Frank Moss (politician)|Frank Moss]], American politician (b. [[1911]])
* [[February 1]] – crew of the [[Space Shuttle Columbia]] on mission [[STS-107]]:
:: [[Michael P. Anderson]], American astronaut (b. [[1959]])
:: [[David M. Brown]], American astronaut (b. [[1956]])
:: [[Kalpana Chawla]], American astronaut (b. [[1961]])
:: [[Laurel Clark]], American astronaut (b. [[1961]])
:: [[Richard Douglas Husband|Rick Husband]], American astronaut (b. [[1957]])
:: [[William McCool]], American astronaut (b. [[1961]])
:: [[Ilan Ramon]], Israeli astronaut (b. [[1954]])
* [[February 2]] – [[Lou Harrison]], American composer (b. [[1917]])
* [[February 10]] – [[Edgar de Evia]], American photographer (b. [[1910]])
* [[February 10]] – [[Ron Ziegler]], American president [[Richard Nixon]]'s White House Press Secretary (b. [[1939]])
* [[February 10]] – [[Curt Hennig|"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig]], American professional wrestler (b. [[1959]])
* [[February 15]] – ''[[Dolly the Sheep]]'', first successfully cloned mammal (b. [[1996]])
* [[February 16]] – [[Eleanor "Sis" Daley]], American wife of Chicago mayor [[Richard J. Daley]] (b. [[1907]])
* [[February 19]] – [[Johnny PayCheck]], American singer (b. [[1938]])
* [[February 20]] – [[Maurice Blanchot]], French philosopher and writer (b. [[1907]])
* [[February 20]] – [[Orville Freeman]], American politician (b. [[1918]])
* [[February 27]] – [[Fred Rogers]], American children's television host (b. [[1928]])
* [[February 28]] – [[Fidel Sánchez Hernández]], [[President of El Salvador]] (b. [[1917]])
* [[February 28]] – [[Rudolf Kingslake]], British lens designer and engineer (b. [[1903]])
* [[March 2]] – [[Hank Ballard]], American musician (b. [[1927]])
* [[March 9]] – [[Bernard Dowiyogo]], [[President of Nauru]] (b. [[1946]])
* [[March 12]] – [[Lynne Thigpen]], American actress (b. [[1948]])
* [[March 12]] – [[Zoran Đinđić]], [[Serbia]]n prime minister (b. [[1952]])
* [[March 22]] – [[Milton G. Henschel]], American [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] leader (b. [[1920]])
* [[March 22]] – [[Terry Lloyd]], British journalist (b. [[1952]])
* [[March 26]] – [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]], American politician (b. [[1926]])
* [[March 29]] – [[Carlo Urbani]], Italian physician (b. [[1956]])
* [[April 1]] – [[Leslie Cheung]], Hong Kong singer and actor (b. [[1956]])
* [[April 7]] – [[Cecile de Brunhoff]], French storyteller (b. [[1903]])
* [[April 9]] – [[Jorge Oteiza]], Spanish painter (b. [[1908]])
* [[April 11]] – [[Cecil Howard Green]], British-born geophysicist and businessman (b. [[1900]])
* [[April 17]] – [[Robert Atkins (nutritionist)|Robert Atkins]], American nutritionist (b. [[1930]])
* [[April 17]] – [[Paul Getty]], American-born philanthropist (b. [[1932]])
* [[April 17]] – [[Earl King]], American musician (b. [[1934]])
* [[April 19]] – [[Mirza Tahir Ahmad]], British-born Muslim leader (b. [[1928]])
* [[April 20]] – [[Ruth Hale (playwright and actress)|Ruth Hale]], American playwright and actress (b. [[1908]])
* [[April 20]] – [[Bernard Katz]], German-born biophysicist, recipient of the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] (b. [[1911]])
* [[April 20]] – [[Daijiro Kato]], Japanese motorcycle racer (b. [[1976]])
* [[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 1]] – [[Miss Elizabeth|Elizabeth Hulette]], American wrestling manager and valet (b. [[1960]])
* [[May 3]] – [[Suzy Parker]], American actress (b. [[1932]])
* [[May 9]] – [[Russell B. Long]], American politician (b. [[1918]])
* [[May 11]] – [[Noel Redding]], English musician (b. [[1946]])
* [[May 12]] – [[Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan]], French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (b. [[1933]])
* [[May 14]] – [[Wendy Hiller]], English actress (b. [[1912]])
* [[May 14]] – [[Robert Stack]], American actor (b. [[1919]])
* [[May 15]] – [[June Carter Cash]], American singer (b. [[1929]])
* [[May 15]] – [[Rik Van Steenbergen]], Belgian cyclist (b. [[1924]])
* [[May 26]] – [[Kathleen Winsor]], American writer (b. [[1919]])
* [[May 27]] – [[Luciano Berio]], Italian composer (b. [[1925]])
* [[May 28]] – [[Ilya Prigogine]], Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] (b. [[1917]])
* [[May 28]] – [[Martha Scott]], American actress (b. [[1912]])
* [[June 2]] – [[Burke Marshall]], American lawyer and politician (b. [[1922]])
* [[June 2]] – [[Fred Blassie|"Classy" Freddy Blassie]], American professional wrestler and manager (b. [[1918]])
* [[June 6]] – [[Ken Grimwood]], American writer (b. [[1944]])
* [[June 10]] – [[Donald Regan]], American Treasury Secretary (b. [[1918]])
* [[June 10]] – [[Bernard Williams]], English philosopher (b. [[1929]])
* [[June 11]] – [[David Brinkley]], American television reporter (b. [[1920]])
* [[June 12]] – [[Gregory Peck]], American actor (b. [[1916]])
* [[June 14]] – [[Jimmy Knepper]], American musician (b. [[1927]])
* [[June 15]] – [[Hume Cronyn]], Canadian actor (b. [[1911]])
* [[June 18]] – [[Larry Doby]], American baseball player (b. [[1923]])
* [[June 19]] – [[Laura Sadler]], British TV actress (b. [[1980]])
* [[June 21]] – [[Leon Uris]], American writer (b. [[1924]])
* [[June 23]] – [[Maynard Jackson]], American mayor of Atlanta, Georgia (b. [[1938]])
* [[June 25]] – [[Lester Maddox]], American politician (b. [[1915]])
* [[June 26]] – [[Denis Thatcher]], British husband of [[Margaret Thatcher]] (b. [[1915]])
* [[June 26]] – [[Strom Thurmond]], American politician (b. [[1902]])
* [[June 26]] – [[Marc-Vivien Foé]], Cameroon footballer (b. [[1975]])
* [[June 29]] – [[Katharine Hepburn]], American actress (b. [[1907]])
* [[June 30]] – [[Buddy Hackett]], American comedian and actor (b. [[1924]])
===July – December===
<!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. -->
[[Image:Zahra Kazemi before arrest.jpg|thumb|120px|[[Zahra Kazemi]]]]
[[Image:BobHopegettingOscar.jpg|thumb|120px|[[Bob Hope]]]]
* [[July 1]] – [[Herbie Mann]], American jazz flautist (b. [[1930]])
* [[July 1]] – [[George Roper]], British comedian (b. [[1934]])
* [[July 4]] – [[Barry White]], American singer (b. [[1944]])
* [[July 5]] – [[Roman Lyashenko]], Russian hockey player (b. [[1979]])
* [[July 7]] – [[Buddy Ebsen]], American actor (b. [[1908]])
* [[July 10]] – [[Winston Graham]], English writer (b. [[1908]])
* [[July 10]] – [[Hartley Shawcross]], British chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials (b. [[1902]])
* [[July 11]] – [[Zahra Kazemi]], [[Iran]]ian-[[Canada|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]] – [[Éva Janikovszky]], Hungarian novelist (b. [[1926]])
* [[July 15]] – [[Roberto Bolaño]], Chilean writer (b. [[1953]])
* [[July 15]] – [[Tex Schramm]], American football team president and general manager (b. [[1920]])
* [[July 16]] – [[Celia Cruz]], Cuban singer (b. [[1924]])
* [[July 16]] – [[Carol Shields]], American-born writer (b. [[1935]])
* [[July 17]] – [[Rosalyn Tureck]], American pianist and harpsichordist (b. [[1914]])
* [[July 22]] – [[Uday Hussein|Uday]] and [[Qusay Hussein]], sons of [[Saddam Hussein]]
* [[July 25]] – [[Ludwig Bölkow]], German aeronautical engineer (b. [[1912]])
* [[July 25]] – [[Erik Brann]], American musician (b. [[1950]])
* [[July 25]] – [[John Schlesinger]], English film director (b. [[1926]])
* [[July 27]] – [[Bob Hope]], English-born U.S. comedian (b. [[1903]])
* [[July 30]] – [[Sam Phillips]], American record producer (b. [[1923]])
* [[August 1]] – [[Marie Trintignant]], French actress (b. [[1962]])
* [[August 4]] – [[Frederick Chapman Robbins]], American pediatrician and virologist, [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1916]])
* [[August 4]] – [[Brian Trueman]], English musician (b. [[1930]])
* [[August 6]] – [[Roberto Marinho]], Chairman of organizations Globo (Brazil) (b. [[1946]])
* [[August 9]] – [[Gregory Hines]], American dancer and actor (b. [[1946]])
* [[August 9]] – [[Ray Harford]], English footballer and manager (b. [[1945]])
* [[August 11]] – [[Armand Borel]], Swiss mathematician (b. [[1923]])
* [[August 14]] – [[Helmut Rahn]], German footballer (b. [[1929]])
* [[August 16]] – [[Idi Amin Dada]], Ugandan dictator (b. [[1924]])
* [[August 19]] – [[Sérgio Vieira de Mello]], Brazilian diplomat (b. [[1948]])
* [[August 19]] – [[Carlos Roberto Reina]], [[President of Honduras]] (b. [[1926]])
* [[August 22]] – [[Imperio Argentina]], Argentinian singer and actress (b. [[1906]])
* [[August 23]] – [[Bobby Bonds]], American baseball player (b. [[1946]])
* [[August 23]] – [[Jack Dyer]], Australian football player, coach, and commentator (b. [[1913]])
* [[August 28]] – [[Brian Douglas Wells]], American criminal (b. [[1956]])
* [[August 29]] – [[Vladimir Vasicek]], Czech painter (b. [[1919]])
* [[August 30]] – [[Charles Bronson]], American actor (b. [[1921]])
* [[September 1]] – [[Terry Frost]], English artist (b. [[1915]])
* [[September 1]] – [[John Gould (columnist)|John Gould]], American humorist, essayist, and columnist (b. [[1908]])
* [[September 6]] – [[Harry Goz]], American actor (b. [[1932]])
* [[September 7]] – [[Warren Zevon]], American singer (b. [[1947]])
* [[September 8]] – [[Jaclyn Linetsky]], Canadian actress (b. [[1986]])
* [[September 8]] – [[Leni Riefenstahl]], German film director (b. [[1902]])
* [[September 9]] – [[Larry Hovis]], American actor (b. [[1936]])
* [[September 9]] – [[Edward Teller]], Hungarian-born physicist (b. [[1908]])
* [[September 11]] – [[Anna Lindh]], Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (assassinated) (b. [[1957]])
* [[September 11]] – [[John Ritter]], American actor (b. [[1948]])
* [[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]] – [[Erich Hallhuber]], German actor (b. [[1951]])
* [[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]] – [[Franco Modigliani]], Italian-born economist, [[Nobel Prize in Economics|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1918]])
* [[September 25]] – [[George Plimpton]], American writer and actor (b. [[1927]])
* [[September 26]] – [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]], English singer (b. [[1949]])
* [[September 27]] – [[Donald O'Connor]], American actor, singer, and dancer (b. [[1925]])
* [[September 28]] – [[Althea Gibson]], American tennis player (b. [[1927]])
* [[September 28]] – [[Elia Kazan]], Hungarian-born director (b. [[1909]])
* [[October 3]] – [[William Steig]], American cartoonist (b. [[1907]])
* [[October 3]] – [[Timothy Treadwell]], American environmentalist and filmmaker (b. [[1957]])
* [[October 5]] – [[Denis Quilley]], British actor (b. [[1927]])
* [[October 5]] – [[Dan Snyder]], Canadian hockey player (b. [[1978]])
* [[October 5]] – [[Neil Postman]], American educator, media theorist, and cultural critic (b. [[1931]])
* [[October 6]] - [[Timothy Treadwell]], Bear entusiast conservationist and naturalist [[april 29 1957]]
* [[October 10]] – [[Eugene Istomin]], American pianist (b. [[1925]])
* [[October 12]] – [[Jim Cairns]], Australian politician (b. [[1914]])
* [[October 12]] – [[Willie Shoemaker]], American jockey (b. [[1931]])
* [[October 13]] – [[Bertram Brockhouse]], Canadian physicist, [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1918]])
* [[October 16]] – [[László Papp]], Hungarian boxer (b. [[1926]])
* [[October 16]] – [[Stu Hart]], Canadian wrestling promoter (b. [[1915]])
* [[October 19]] – [[Alija Izetbegovic]], [[Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (b. [[1925]])
* [[October 19]] – [[Michael Hegstrand]] American wrestler (b. [[1957]])
* [[October 20]] – [[Jack Elam]], American actor (b. [[1918]])
* [[October 21]] – [[Fred Berry]], American actor (b. [[1951]])
* [[October 21]] – [[Elliott Smith]], American musician (b. [[1969]])
* [[October 22]] – [[Tony Renna]], American race car driver (b. [[1976]])
* [[October 23]] – [[Tony Capstick]], English comedian, actor, and musician (b. [[1944]])
* [[October 23]] – [[Soong May-ling]], Chinese wife of [[Chiang Kai-shek]] (b. [[1898]])
* [[October 25]] – [[Pandurang Shastri Athavale]], Indian philosopher and social reformer (b. [[1920]])
* [[October 25]] – [[Robert Strassburg]], American composer (b. [[1915]])
* [[October 29]] – [[Hal Clement]], American writer (b. [[1922]])
* [[October 29]] – [[Franco Corelli]], Italian tenor (b. [[1921]])
* [[October 31]] – [[Richard Neustadt]], American political historian (b. [[1919]])
* [[November 3]] – [[Spider Jorgensen]], American baseball player and coach (b. [[1919]])
* [[November 4]] – [[Richard Wollheim]], British philosopher (b. [[1923]])
* [[November 5]] – [[Bobby Hatfield]], American singer (b. [[1940]])
* [[November 5]] – [[Dorothy Fay]], American actress (b. [[1915]])
* [[November 6]] – [[Rie Mastenbroek]], Dutch swimmer (b. [[1919]])
* [[November 6]] – [[Mike Lockwood]] American wrestler (b. [[1971]])
* [[November 6]] – [[Eduardo Palomo]], Mexican actor (b. [[1962]])
* [[November 9]] – [[Art Carney]], American actor (b. [[1918]])
* [[November 10]] – [[Canaan Banana]], first [[President of Zimbabwe]] (b. [[1936]])
* [[November 10]] – [[Irv Kupcinet]], American columnist and television personality (b. [[1912]])
* [[November 12]] – [[Jonathan Brandis]], American actor (b. [[1976]])
* [[November 12]] – [[Penny Singleton]], American actress (b. [[1908]])
* [[November 13]] – [[Kellie Waymire]], American actress (b. [[1967]])
* [[November 14]] – [[Gene Anthony Ray]], American actor (b. [[1962]])
* [[November 15]] – [[Ray Lewis (runner)|Ray Lewis]], Canadian runner (b. [[1910]])
* [[November 15]] – [[T. Y. Lin]], Chinese-born civil engineer (b. [[1912]])
* [[November 15]] – [[Dorothy Loudon]], American actress (b. [[1933]])
* [[November 18]] – [[Michael Kamen]], American composer (b. [[1948]])
* [[November 20]] – [[Robert Addie]], British actor (b. [[1960]])
* [[November 20]] – [[David Dacko]], first [[President of the Central African Republic]] (b. [[1930]])
* [[November 20]] – [[Jim Siedow]], American actor (b. [[1920]])
* [[November 24]] – [[Hugh Kenner]], Canadian literary critic (b. [[1922]])
* [[November 24]] – [[Warren Spahn]], American baseball player (b. [[1921]])
* [[November 26]] – [[Abed Hamed Mowhoush]], Iraqi general
* [[November 26]] – [[Stefan Wul]], French writer (b. [[1922]])
* [[November 26]] – [[Soulja Slim]], American rapper (b. [[1977]])
* [[November 28]] – [[Mihkel Mathiesen]], Estonian statesman (b. [[1918]])
* [[November 30]] – [[Gertrude Ederle]], American swimmer (b. [[1906]]
* [[December 3]] – [[David Hemmings]], English actor (b. [[1941]])
* [[December 4]] – [[Iggy Katona]], American race car driver (b. [[1916]])
* [[December 6]] – [[Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio]], [[President of Guatemala]] (b. [[1918]])
* [[December 7]] – [[Carl F. H. Henry]], American theologian and publisher (b. [[1913]])
* [[December 7]] – [[Azie Taylor Morton]], U.S. Treasurer (b. [[1936]])
* [[December 8]] – [[Rubén González]], Cuban pianist ([[Buena Vista Social Club]]) (b. [[1919]])
* [[December 9]] – [[Paul Simon (politician)|Paul Simon]], U.S. Senator from Illinois (b. [[1928]])
* [[December 11]] – [[Ahmadou Kourouma]], Ivorian writer (b. [[1927]])
* [[December 12]] – [[Heydar Aliyev]], [[President of Azerbaijan]] from [[June]] [[1993]] to [[October 2003]] (b. [[1923]])
* [[December 12]] – [[Keiko (orca)|Keiko]], [[Orca]] whale from [[Free Willy]] movies
* [[December 13]] – [[William Roth]], American politician (b. [[1921]])
* [[December 14]] – [[Jeanne Crain]], American actress (b. [[1925]])
* [[December 14]] – [[Blas Ople]], Filipino politician (b. [[1927]])
* [[December 15]] – [[George Fisher (cartoonist)|George Fisher]], American political cartoonist (b. [[1923]])
* [[December 15]] – [[Keith Magnuson]], Canadian hockey player (b. [[1947]])
* [[December 16]] – [[Robert Stanfield]], Premier of Nova Scotia (b. [[1914]])
* [[December 16]] – [[Gary Stewart (singer)|Gary Stewart]], American singer (b. [[1945]])
* [[December 17]] – [[Ed Devereaux]], Australian actor (b. [[1925]])
* [[December 17]] – [[Otto Graham]], American football player (b. [[1921]])
* [[December 19]] – [[Hope Lange]], American actress (b. [[1941]])
* [[December 22]] – [[Dave Dudley]], American singer (b. [[1928]])
* [[December 27]] – [[Alan Bates]], English actor (b. [[1934]])
* [[December 27]] – [[Ivan Calderon (baseball player)|Ivan Calderon]], Puerto Rican baseball player (b. [[1962]])
* [[December 29]] – [[Earl Hindman]], American actor (b. [[1942]])
* [[December 29]] – [[Dinsdale Landen]], English actor (b. [[1932]])
* [[December 29]] – [[Bob Monkhouse]], English comedian and game show host (b. [[1928]])
* [[December 30]] – [[David Bale]], South African-born activist (b. [[1941]])
* [[December 30]] – [[John Gregory Dunne]], American writer (b. [[1932]])
* [[December 30]] – [[Anita Mui]], Hong Kong singer (b. [[1963]])
* [[December 31]] – [[Arthur R. von Hippel]], German-born physicist (b. [[1898]])
== Nobel prizes ==
* [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Physics]] – [[Alexei Alexeevich Abrikosov]], [[Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg]], [[Anthony James Leggett]]
* [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|Chemistry]] – [[Peter Agre]], [[Roderick MacKinnon]]
* [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Physiology or Medicine]] – [[Paul Lauterbur]], Sir [[Peter Mansfield]]
* [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Literature]] – [[John Maxwell Coetzee]]
* [[Nobel Peace Prize|Peace]] – [[Shirin Ebadi]]
* [[Nobel Prize in Economics|Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel]] – [[Robert F. Engle]], [[Clive W. J. Granger]]
== See also ==
* [[21st century]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commonscat|2003}}
* [http://www.fimoculous.com/year-review-2003.cfm 2003 Year in Review] – comprehensive listing of 2003 reviews and lists
* [http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist2003.html 2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist] – Google's Yearly List of Major Events and Top Searches for 2003
{{Events by month}}
<!--years 20xx are blank-category-->
[[Category:2003| ]]
[[af:2003]]
[[als:2000er#2003]]
[[am:2003 እ.ኤ.አ.]]
[[ar:2003]]
[[an:2003]]
[[frp:2003]]
[[ast:2003]]
[[gn:2003]]
[[av:2003]]
[[ay:2003]]
[[az:2003]]
[[bn:২০০৩]]
[[zh-min-nan:2003 nî]]
[[be:2003]]
[[be-x-old:2003]]
[[bh:२००३]]
[[bs:2003]]
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[[et:2003]]
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[[es:2003]]
[[eo:2003]]
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[[fa:۲۰۰۳ (میلادی)]]
[[fo:2003]]
[[hif:2003]]
[[fr:2003]]
[[fy:2003]]
[[fur:2003]]
[[ga:2003]]
[[gan:2003年]]
[[gv:2003]]
[[gd:2003]]
[[gl:2003]]
[[zh-classical:二〇〇三年]]
[[ko:2003년]]
[[haw:2003]]
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[[hi:2003]]
[[hr:2003.]]
[[io:2003]]
[[ig:2003]]
[[ilo:2003]]
[[bpy:মারি ২০০৩]]
[[id:2003]]
[[ia:2003]]
[[os:2003]]
[[zu:2003]]
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[[he:2003]]
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[[kn:೨೦೦೩]]
[[ka:2003]]
[[csb:2003]]
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[[kw:2003]]
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[[ht:2003 (almanak gregoryen)]]
[[ku:2003]]
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[[lt:2003 m.]]
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[[li:2003]]
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[[jbo:2003moi nanca]]
[[lmo:2003]]
[[hu:2003]]
[[mk:2003]]
[[mi:2003]]
[[mr:इ.स. २००३]]
[[ms:2003]]
[[nah:2003]]
[[nl:2003]]
[[nds-nl:2003]]
[[cr:2003]]
[[new:२००३]]
[[ja:2003年]]
[[nap:2003]]
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[[oc:2003]]
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[[pi:२००३]]
[[pag:2003]]
[[pap:2003]]
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[[ksh:Joohr 2003]]
[[ro:2003]]
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[[ru:2003 год]]
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[[te:2003]]
[[th:พ.ศ. 2546]]
[[vi:2003]]
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[[uk:2003]]
[[vec:2003]]
[[wa:2003]]
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[[wuu:公元2003年]]
[[yi:2003]]
[[yo:2003]]
[[zh-yue:2003年]]
[[cbk-zam:2003]]
[[bat-smg:2003]]
[[zh:2003年]]