2003⚡ Event
London Underground Ricin Plot Arrests
The Metropolitan Police arrested six people in conjunction with an alleged terrorist plot to release ricin on the London Underground, although no toxin was found.
lawpolitics
What Happened in 2003?
Explore 145 historical moments from 2003 — 32 events, 113 birthdays, and 0 notable deaths.
Events in 2003(32)
2003⚡ Event
Illinois Governor Commutes Death Sentences
Following the discovery of Jon Burge's extraction of forced confessions, the governor of Illinois commuted the death sentences of 167 prisoners and pardoned four others.
law
2003⚡ Event
Discovery of 208996 Achlys
The trans-Neptunian object 208996 Achlys was discovered at Palomar Observatory, California.
sciencespace
2003⚡ Event
Pioneer 10 Final Signal
The final signal was detected from the NASA space probe Pioneer 10, then about 12 billion kilometres from Earth.
sciencespace
2003⚡ Event
US National Recording Registry selections announced
The Library of Congress announced the first selections for the United States National Recording Registry on January 27, 2003.
artsliteraturemusic
2003⚡ Event
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
All seven crew members aboard Space Shuttle Columbia were killed when the orbiter disintegrated over Texas during reentry.
spacedisaster
2003⚡ Event
Bolivian riots end
Protesters in La Paz and the Bolivian government brokered a deal to end two days of rioting against a proposed salary tax.
politics
2003⚡ Event
Global Anti-War Protests Against Iraq Invasion
Millions worldwide participated in anti-war rallies, protesting the impending invasion of Iraq. The demonstrations took place in approximately 800 cities, marking one of history's largest anti-war movements.
warpolitics
2003⚡ Event
Rachel Corrie Killed by Bulldozer
American peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli armored bulldozer in Rafah on March 16, 2003, while protesting house demolitions.
politicswar
2003⚡ Event
Invasion of Iraq Begins
A coalition of forces, led by the United States, begins the invasion of Iraq. The invasion aimed to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein.
warpolitics
2003⚡ Event
Toronto gas explosion
A backhoe breached a pipeline in Toronto, Canada, causing a gas explosion that killed seven people.
disastertechnology
2003⚡ Event
Lawrence v. Texas
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws nationwide in the landmark decision Lawrence v. Texas.
lawpolitics
2003⚡ Event
Chicago balcony collapse
An overloaded balcony collapsed in Chicago, United States, killing 13 people and injuring 57 others.
disaster
2003⚡ Event
Sudan Airways Flight 139 Crash
Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt. The crash killed 116 of the 117 people on board.
disaster
2003⚡ Event
French operation to rescue Íngrid Betancourt aborted
French Directorate General for External Security personnel aborted an operation to rescue Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt from FARC guerrillas, resulting in a political scandal.
politicslaw
2003⚡ Event
Valerie Plame leak
Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative was leaked to and published by journalist Robert Novak.
politics
2003⚡ Event
Jerusalem Bus Bombing
A Hamas suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded over 130 on a crowded public bus in Jerusalem.
warpolitics
2003⚡ Event
Canal Hotel Bombing
A car bomb destroyed the United Nations headquarters at Baghdad's Canal Hotel, killing Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 others.
warpolitics
2003⚡ Event
Roy Moore suspended as Chief Justice
Roy Moore, Alabama's chief justice, was suspended for refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument.
politicslawreligion
2003⚡ Event
Typhoon Maemi
Typhoon Maemi, the strongest recorded typhoon to strike South Korea, made landfall near Busan.
disaster
2003⚡ Event
Steam public release
The first public release of Steam, a distribution service for computer games, was made available for download.
technologyentertainment
2003⚡ Event
Guinea-Bissau military coup
President Kumba Ialá of Guinea-Bissau was deposed in a bloodless military coup on September 14, 2003.
politicslaw
2003⚡ Event
Dolphin emulator released
Dolphin, the first emulator for the GameCube capable of running commercial video games, was released.
technologyentertainment
2003⚡ Event
Hong Kong levy on foreign domestic helpers
A levy was imposed on the hiring of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, who numbered in the hundreds of thousands at the time.
economics
2003⚡ Event
Roy Horn mauled by tiger
Roy Horn of the American entertainment duo Siegfried & Roy was mauled by a tiger during a performance at the Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip.
entertainment
2003⚡ Event
Afro-Asian Games open
The inaugural Afro-Asian Games opened in Hyderabad. The event featured 2,040 athletes from 96 nations.
sports
2003⚡ Event
Mahathir Mohamad Retires as Prime Minister of Malaysia
After 22 years in power, Mahathir Mohamad retired as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
politics
2003⚡ Event
Gary Ridgway pleads guilty
American serial killer Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of first-degree murder.
law
2003⚡ Event
Discovery of Sedna
Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz discovered the trans-Neptunian object Sedna.
sciencespace
2003⚡ Event
Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, making the state the first in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.
lawpolitics
2003⚡ Event
Istanbul Bombings
Suicide bombers attacked the British consulate and HSBC Bank in Istanbul on November 20, 2003, killing 31 people. Among the victims were consul general Roger Short and actor Kerem Yılmazer.
disasterlaw
2003⚡ Event
Rose Revolution in Georgia
Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as President of Georgia following weeks of mass protests over disputed election results.
politics
Born in 2003(113)
2003🎂 Birth
Wendy Shongwe born
Wendy Shongwe, a South African sprinter and soccer player, was born on January 18, 2003.
sports
2003🎂 Birth
Olivia Rodrigo born
Olivia Rodrigo, American actress and singer, was born on February 20, 2003.
entertainmentmusic
2003🎂 Birth
Cooper Hoffman
Cooper Hoffman, an American actor, was born on March 20, 2003.
entertainment
2003🎂 Birth
Jojo Siwa
Jojo Siwa is an American dancer, singer, actress, and YouTube personality.
entertainment
2003🎂 Birth
Birth of Polina Bogusevich
Polina Bogusevich, a Russian singer, was born.
musicentertainment
2003🎂 Birth
Calvin Ramsay
Calvin Ramsay, a Scottish footballer, was born. He has gone on to have a notable career in professional soccer.
sports
2003🎂 Birth
Toni Shaw
Toni Shaw is a British Paralympic swimmer. She was born on August 5, 2003.
sports
2003🎂 Birth
The Kid Laroi
The Kid Laroi, an Australian rapper and songwriter, was born.
musicentertainment
2003🎂 Birth
Thomas Matthew Crooks
Thomas Matthew Crooks, American attempted assassin of Donald Trump, was born on September 20, 2003.
politics
2003🎂 Birth
Ángela Aguilar born
Ángela Aguilar, a Mexican-American singer, was born.
musicentertainment
2003🎂 Birth
Carney Chukwuemeka
Carney Chukwuemeka, an English footballer, was born on this date.
sports
2003🎂 Birth
Robert Irwin
Birth of Robert Irwin, an Australian conservationist and television personality.
entertainment
Deaths in 2003(0)
No deaths recorded for 2003.
Dates in 2003
January 1January 2January 3January 5January 6January 7January 9January 10January 11January 13January 17January 18January 19January 20January 21January 23January 24January 27January 28January 29January 30February 1February 4February 7February 9February 12February 13February 15February 20February 24February 25February 26March 8March 9March 11March 12March 15March 16March 20March 21March 26April 4April 9April 15April 19April 21April 24April 27April 30May 1May 3May 5May 8May 11May 13May 18May 19May 27June 15June 16June 17June 20June 26June 29July 1July 4July 8July 9July 13July 14July 19July 22July 23July 27July 28July 29July 31August 1August 5August 15August 17August 19August 20August 22August 25August 28September 1September 3September 8September 9September 12September 14September 16September 18September 20September 22September 24September 25September 26September 30October 1October 3October 8October 16October 20October 23October 24October 31November 1November 5November 10November 14November 18November 20November 23November 27December 1December 2December 4December 9December 22
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened in 2003?
- 2003 saw 145 notable historical moments, including 32 events, 113 famous birthdays, and 0 notable deaths.
- What were the biggest events of 2003?
- Key events of 2003 include: London Underground Ricin Plot Arrests, Illinois Governor Commutes Death Sentences, Discovery of 208996 Achlys.
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