2003

The year 2003 (MMV) of the Gregorian Calendar began and ended on a Wednesday. During the year, the Human Genome Project was completed, China launched their first manned space mission, and the last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line. The NASA Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, the U.S. military invaded Iraq, and an American businessman was diagnosed in Hanoi, Vietnam with the first case of SARS.

Singer and guitarist Johnny Cash passed away, Parmalat is called "Europe's Enron" after being accused of falsifying documents, and the Concorde supersonic aircraft made its last commercial flight.

• January 24: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is officially opened as Tom Ridge is sworn in as it's first secretary.

• February 14: Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal died due to premature aging.
• February 15: Coordinated Iraq War protest took place worldwide, over 8 million people protested in over 60 countries worldwide making it the largest protest of all time.

• March 1: September 11 terrorist attack suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is captured by the CIA in Pakistan.
• March 15: Hu Jintao was chosen to replace Jiang Zemin as the president of China.
• March 19: Mahmoud Abbas accepted the new position of Palestinian prime minister.
• March 23: Jessica Lynch is captured in Iraq after her convoy was ambushed.

• April 1: Iraq War: Jessica Lynch is rescued from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq.
• April 4: Iraq War: U.S. forces take control of the Baghdad International Airport.

• May 18: It was announced that Pope John Paul II was suffering from Parkinson's Disease.
• May 28: President George W. Bush signed a 10-year, $350 billion package of tax cuts.

• July 18: British Intelligence weapon expert in Iraq, David Kelly is found dead. His death was ruled a suicide.
• July 27: Lance Armstrong won a record-tying fifth straight Tour de France.
• July 29: Bill Mueller of the Boston Red Sox hit two grand slams in one game, the only player to do so as he hit each from different sides of the plate.

• August 25: Tennis star Pete Sampras announces his retirement during the U.S. Open

• September 25: After Europe endured a long hot summer heat wave, France reports a death toll of 14,802.

• October 4: A suicide bomber kills 21 people inside a restaurant in Haifa, Israel.
• October 7: California recalls Governor Gray Davis and elect Arnold Schwarzenegger as the 38th Governor of California.
• October 10: Right Wing commentator Rush Limbaugh admits he is addicted to OxyContin and checks himself into rehab.
• October 14: Steve Bartman caught a ball that could have been caught by outfielder Moises Alou. Before the catch the Chicago Cubs were 5 outs away from beating the Florida Marlins and moving onto the World Series, however the Marlins were able to win game 6 and 7 to seal the NLCS.
• October 15: The Chinese Space Program successfully launched China's first manned space mission.
• October 31: The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad steps down after 22 years of power as he handed the office over to his deputy Abdullah Badawi.

• November 17: Bodybuilder and Actor of the famous Terminator Films, Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the 38th governor of California after winning the recall election in October.
• November 17: American Gulf War veteran John Allen Muhammad is sentenced to death under a new Terrorism law for his involvement in Beltway Sniper Attacks
• November 18: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marry.

• December 22: Five hostages in Colombia have been freed after being kidnapped on September 12.
• December 23: The late Lenny Bruce is pardoned by New York State governor George Pataki for a 1964 obscenity charge.
• December 23: The first case of Mad Cow Disease is discovered in the United States.

• Nov. 23: Pax Jolie-Pitt
• Apr. 20: Carys Zeta Douglas
• Oct. 28: Beatrice Milly McCartney
• Dec. 01: Robert Clarence Irwin

• Feb. 18: Johnny Paycheck - Country Singer
• Feb. 27: Fred Rogers - Children's Host
• Jun. 12: Gregory Peck - Actor
• Jun. 26: Strom Thurmond - Politician
• Jun. 26: Katharine Hepburn - Actress
• Jun. 30: Buddy Hackett - Comedian
• Jul. 04: Barry White - Soul Singer
• Jul. 27: Bob Hope - Entertainer
• Aug. 30: Charles Bronson - Actor
• Sep. 11: John Ritter - Actor
• Sep. 12: Johnny Cash - Musician

• Jan. 04: Eminem - Lose Yourself
• Feb. 01: B2K - Bump, Bump, Bump
• Feb. 15: Jennifer Lopez - All I Have
• Mar. 08: 50 Cent - In Da Club
• May 10: Sean Paul - Get Busy
• May 31: 50 Cent - 21 Questions
• Jun. 28: Clay Aiken - This is the Night
• July 12: Beyonce Knowles - Crazy in Love
• Sep. 06: Nelly, P. Diddy - Skake Ya Tailfeather
• Oct. 04: Beyonce Knowles - Baby Boy
• Dec. 06: Ludacris - Stand Up
• Dec. 13: OutKast - Hey Ya! Billboard: Historical Billboard Charts

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2. Finding Nemo
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
4. The Matrix Reloaded
5. Bruce Almighty
6. X-Men 2
7. Elf
8. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
9. The Matrix Revolutions
10. Cheaper by the DozenBox Office Mojo: Top Grossing Movies of 2003

• Presented: February 29, 2004
• Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King
• Lead Actor: Sean Penn in Mystic River
• Lead Actress: Charlize Theron in Monster
• Best Director: Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Best Documentary: The Fog of War

• Stanley Cup - NHL: New Jersey Devils
• World Series - MLB: Florida Marlins
• Super Bowl - NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• NBA Finals - NBA: San Antonio Spurs

• NHL MVP - Peter Forsberg, COL
• NFL MVP - Jamal Lewis, BAL
• NBA MVP - Tim Duncan, SA
• MLB AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez, TXR
• MLB NL MVP - Barry Bonds, SFG

• Peace: Shirin Ebadi
• Physics: Abrikosov, Ginzburg, Leggett
• Chemistry: Agre, MacKinnon
• Medicine: Lauterbur, Mansfield
• Literature: John M. Coetzee
• Economics: Engle III, GrangerNobelPrize.org: 2003 Nobel Winners