2003

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2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2003rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 3rd year of the 3rd millennium, the 3rd year of the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2000s decade.

2003 was designated the:

• International Year of freshwater.

Video 2003

Events

January

• January 11 - Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois's death row based on the Jon Burge scandal.
• January 22 - The last signal from NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft is received, some 7.6 billion miles from Earth.
• January 30 - Belgium legally recognizes same-sex marriage, becoming the second country in the world to do so.

February

• February 1 - At the conclusion of the STS-107 mission, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board.
• February 4 - The leaders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia reconstitute the country into a loose state-union between Montenegro and Serbia, marking an end to the 85 year old Yugoslav state.
• February 15 - Millions of people worldwide take part in massive anti-war protests before the United States and its allies invade Iraq.
• February 26 - The War in Darfur begins after rebel groups rise up against the Sudanese government.
• February 27 - Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plav?i? is sentenced by the U.N. ICTY to 11 years in prison for war crimes committed during the Bosnian War.

March

• March 8 - Malta approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• March 12
  • Serbian Prime Minister Zoran ?in?i? is assassinated in Belgrade by a sniper.
  • The World Health Organization issues a global alert on severe acute respiratory syndrome when it spreads to Hong Kong and Vietnam after originating in China.
• March 20 - The Iraq War begins with the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. and allied forces.
• March 23 - Slovenia approves joining the European Union and NATO in a referendum.

April

• April 9 - U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
• April 12 - Hungary approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• April 14 - The Human Genome Project is completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
• 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

• May 11
  • Benvenuto Cellini's Cellini Salt Cellar table sculpture is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
  • Lithuania approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• May 12 - In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, over 30 people are killed in multiple bombings at a housing compound, mostly foreign expatriates.
• May 17 - Slovakia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• May 23 - Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M University, is born.
• May 28 - Prometea, the first horse cloned by Italian scientists, is born.

June

• June 8 - Poland approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• June 14 - The Czech Republic approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• June 30 - Warring parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sign a peace accord, bringing an end to the Second Congo War, which left millions dead.

July

• July 5 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome is declared to be contained by the World Health Organization.
• July 6 - The 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message Cosmic Call 2 to 5 stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri, HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris, that will arrive at these stars in 2036, 2040, May 2044, September 2044 and 2049 respectively.
• July 18 - The Convention on the Future of Europe finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution.
• July 24 - The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, led by Australia, begins after ethnic violence engulfs the island country.

August

• August 11
  • The Second Liberian Civil War comes to an end after President Charles Taylor resigns and flees the country.
  • NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
• August 14 - A massive blackout occurs in the northeastern region of the United States. Leaving over 50,000,000 people without power. Power is restored the next day.
• August 25 - The Spitzer Space Telescope is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• August 27
  • Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in over 60,000 years.
  • The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.

September

• September 4 - Europe's busiest shopping centre, the Bull Ring in Birmingham, is officially opened.
• September 14 - Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• September 15 - ELN rebels kidnap eight foreign tourists at Ciudad Perdida, Colombia, being freed 100 days later following negotiations with the Colombian government.
• September 20 - Latvia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
• September 24 - The Hubble Space Telescope starts the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, making 800 exposures, until January 16, 2004.
• September 27 - SMART-1, a European Space Agency satellite and Europe's first mission to the moon, is launched.

October

• October 5 - Israeli warplanes strike alleged Islamic jihad bases inside Syrian territory, the first Israeli attack on the country since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
• October 15 - China launches Shenzhou 5, their first manned spaceflight.
• October 24 - The Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close.

November

• November 12 - A suicide bombing at an Italian military police headquarters in Nasiriyah, Iraq, kills 17 Italian military police officers and nine Iraqi civilians.
• November 23 - Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze resigns after widespread protests engulf the country following a disputed parliamentary election.
• November 26 - The supersonic passenger jet, Concorde, makes its last ever flight from London Heathrow to Bristol Filton Airport.

December

• December 13 - Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is captured in the small town of Ad-Dawr by the U.S. Army.
• December 19 - Libya agrees to eliminate all of its materials, equipment, and programs aimed at producing weapons of mass destruction.
• December 23
  • The World Tourism Organization becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations.
  • PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
• December 26 - The 6.6 M_w Bam earthquake shakes southeastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing an estimated 30,000 people.
• December 29 - The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct.

Maps 2003

Births

• January 23 - Apollinariia Panfilova, Russian pair skater
• March 7 - Polina Kostiukovich, Russian pair skater
• August 20 - Prince Gabriel of Belgium
• August 24 - Alena Kostornaia, Russian figure skater
• August 28 - Quvenzhané Wallis, American child actress
• November 8 - Lady Louise Windsor, British royalty
• December 7 - Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

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Deaths

January

• January 11 - Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (b. 1925)
• January 12
  • Leopoldo Galtieri, 44th President of Argentina (b. 1926)
  • Maurice Gibb, British musician (b. 1949)
• January 17 - Richard Crenna, American actor (b. 1926)
• January 24 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (b. 1921)
• January 26 - Valeriy Brumel, Soviet Olympic athlete (b. 1942)
• January 27 - Henryk Jab?o?ski, 5th President of the Polish People's Republic (b. 1909)

February

• February 1
  • Michael P. Anderson, American astronaut (b. 1959)
  • David M. Brown, American astronaut (b. 1956)
  • Kalpana Chawla, American astronaut (b. 1962)
  • Laurel Clark, American astronaut (b. 1961)
  • Rick Husband, American astronaut (b. 1957)
  • William McCool, American astronaut (b. 1961)
  • Ilan Ramon, Israeli fighter pilot and astronaut (b. 1954)
• February 2 - Lou Harrison, American composer (b. 1917)
• February 10 - Curt Hennig, American professional wrestler (b. 1958)
• February 15 - Francisque Ravony, 7th Prime Minister of Madagascar (b. 1942)
• February 20 - Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and writer (b. 1907)
• February 27
  • Wolfgang Larrazábal, Venezuelan naval officer and politician, 52nd President of Venezuela (b. 1911)
  • Fred Rogers, American television personality (b. 1928)
• February 28 - Fidel Sánchez Hernández, 45th President of El Salvador (b. 1917)

March

• March 9 - Bernard Dowiyogo, 7-Time President of Nauru (b. 1946)
• March 12
  • Zoran ?in?i?, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952)
  • Howard Fast, American novelist (b. 1914)
• March 22 - Milton George Henschel, American Jehovah's Witnesses leader (b. 1920)
• March 29 - Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (b. 1956)
• March 30 - Michael Jeter, American actor (b. 1952)

April

• April 1 - Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer and actor (b. 1956)
• April 2 - Edwin Starr, American soul singer (b. 1942)
• April 9 - Jorge Oteiza, Spanish painter (b. 1908)
• April 20
  • Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
  • Bernard Katz, German-British Nobel biophysicist (b. 1911)
• April 21 - Nina Simone, American singer (b. 1933)

May

• May 1 - Miss Elizabeth, American professional wrestling valet (b. 1960)
• May 11 - Noel Redding, English musician (b. 1946)
• May 14
  • Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912)
  • Robert Stack, American actor (b. 1919)
• May 15
  • June Carter Cash, American singer (b. 1929)
  • Constantin D?sc?lescu, Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1923)
  • Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist (b. 1924)
• May 27 - Luciano Berio, Italian composer (b. 1925)
• May 28 - Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian Nobel physicist and chemist (b. 1917)

June

• June 7 - Trevor Goddard, English actor (b. 1962)
• June 10 - Bernard Williams, English philosopher (b. 1929)
• June 12 - Gregory Peck, American actor (b. 1916)
• June 15
  • Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (b. 1911)
  • Kaiser Matanzima, 1st President of Transkei (b. 1915)
• June 19 - Laura Sadler, English actress (b. 1980)
• June 21 - Leon Uris, American writer (b. 1924)
• June 22 - Vasil Byka?, Belarusian novelist (b. 1924)
• June 26
  • Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (b. 1975)
  • Strom Thurmond, American politician (b. 1902)
• June 29 - Katharine Hepburn, American actress (b. 1907)
• June 30 - Buddy Hackett, American comedian and actor (b. 1924)

July

• July 1 - N?xau ?Toma, Namibian actor (b. 1944)
• July 4 - Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
• July 7 - Tomiko Suzuki, Japanese voice actress (b. 1956)
• July 12 - Benny Carter, American musician (b. 1907)
• July 13 - Compay Segundo, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1907)
• July 15 - Roberto Bolaño, Chilean writer (b. 1953)
• July 16 - Celia Cruz, Cuban singer (b. 1925)
• July 17 - Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (b. 1914)
• July 22
  • Uday Hussein, Iraqi paramilitary leader (b. 1964)
  • Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician (b. 1966)
• July 25
  • Erik Brann, American musician (Iron Butterfly) (b. 1950)
  • John Schlesinger, English film director (b. 1926)
• July 27 - Bob Hope, English-American comedian and actor (b. 1903)
• July 30 - Sam Phillips, American record producer (b. 1923)

August

• August 1 - Marie Trintignant, French actress (b. 1962)
• August 4 - Frederick Chapman Robbins, American Nobel pediatrician and virologist (b. 1916)
• August 9 - Gregory Hines, American dancer and actor (b. 1946)
• August 14 - Helmut Rahn, German footballer (b. 1929)
• August 16 - Idi Amin, 3rd President of Uganda (b. c. 1923-28)
• August 19
  • Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (b. 1948)
  • Carlos Roberto Reina, 60th President of Honduras (b. 1926)
• August 29 - Vladimír Va?í?ek, Czech painter (b. 1919)
• August 30 - Charles Bronson, American actor (b. 1921)

September

• September 2 - Ptolemy Reid, 2nd Prime Minister of Guyana (b. 1912)
• September 7 - Warren Zevon, American singer (b. 1947)
• September 8
  • Jaclyn Linetsky, Canadian actress and voice actress (b. 1986)
  • Leni Riefenstahl, German film director (b. 1902)
• September 9 - Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist (b. 1908)
• September 11
  • Anna Lindh, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1957)
  • John Ritter, American actor (b. 1948)
• September 12 - Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1932)
• September 22 - Gordon Jump, American actor (b. 1932)
• September 25
  • Franco Modigliani, Italian-American Nobel economist (b. 1918)
  • Edward Said, Palestinian-American literary critic (b. 1935)
• September 26
  • Shawn Lane, American musician (b. 1963)
  • 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)
  • Elia Kazan, Greek-American director (b. 1909)
• September 30 - Robert Kardashian, American attorney and businessman (b. 1944)

October

• October 2 - Otto Günsche, German adjutant of Adolf Hitler (b. 1917)
• October 5
  • Neil Postman, American educator, media theorist, and cultural critic (b. 1931)
  • Timothy Treadwell, American environmentalist and filmmaker (b. 1957)
• October 13 - Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian Nobel physicist (b. 1918)
• October 14 - Moktar Ould Daddah, 1st President of Mauritania (b. 1924)
• October 16
  • Stu Hart, Canadian wrestling promoter (b. 1915)
  • László Papp, Hungarian boxer (b. 1926)
• October 19 - Alija Izetbegovi?, 1st President of Bosnia and Herzegovina (b. 1925)
• October 20 - Jack Elam, American actor (b. 1918)
• October 21 - Elliott Smith, American musician (b. 1969)
• October 23 - Soong Mei-ling, First Lady of China (b. 1897)
• October 24 - Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (b. 1925)
• October 27 - Rod Roddy, American television announcer (b. 1937)
• October 29
  • Hal Clement, American writer (b. 1922)
  • Franco Corelli, Italian opera tenor (b. 1921)

November

• November 3 - Rasul Gamzatov, poet (b. 1923)
• November 6 - Crash Holly, American wrestler (b. 1971)
• November 9 - Art Carney, American actor (b. 1918)
• November 10 - Canaan Banana, 1st President of Zimbabwe (b. 1936)
• November 12
  • Jonathan Brandis, American actor (b. 1976)
  • Cameron Duncan, New Zealand director and writer (b. 1986)
• November 14 - Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (b. 1962)
• November 18
  • Michael Kamen, American composer (b. 1948)
  • Patricia Broderick, American playwright and painter (b. 1925)
• November 20 - David Dacko, 1st President of the Central African Republic (b. 1930)
• November 30 - Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (b. 1905)

December

• December 3 - David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941)
• December 6 - Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, 30th President of Guatemala (b. 1918)
• December 8 - Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1919)
• December 11 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (b. 1927)
• December 12 - Heydar Aliyev, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
• December 14 - Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925)
• December 19 - Hope Lange, American actress (b. 1933)
• December 23 - Kriangsak Chamanan, 15th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1917)
• December 27
  • Alan Bates, English actor (b. 1934)
  • Iván Calderón, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1962)
  • Pete Alvarado, American animator and comic book artist (b. 1920)
• December 30 - Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer (b. 1963)

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Nobel Prizes

• Chemistry - Peter Agre, Roderick MacKinnon
• Economics - Robert F. Engle, Clive W. J. Granger
• Literature - John Maxwell Coetzee
• Peace - Shirin Ebadi
• Physics - Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg, Anthony James Leggett
• Physiology or Medicine - Paul Lauterbur, Peter Mansfield

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See also

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References

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External links

• 2003 Year in Review - comprehensive listing of 2003 reviews and lists
• 2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist - Google's Yearly List of Major Events and Top Searches for 2003

Source of article : Wikipedia