File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of

STS-107 STS-107 was the 113th flight of the Space Shuttle program, and the 28th and final flight of Space Shuttle ''Columbia''. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003, and during its 15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes ...

perished when the

Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after the first American ship to circumnavigate the upper North American Pacific coast and the female personifi ...

disintegrated during

reentry Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...

into

Earth's atmosphere The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

;

SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, '' s ...

became an

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious d ...

in China, and was a precursor to

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a No ...

; A destroyed building in

Bam, Iran Bam ( fa, بم) is a city and capital of Bam County, Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 73,823, in 19,572 families. The modern Iranian city of Bam surrounds the Bam citadel. Before the 2003 earthquake the offici ...

after the

2003 Bam earthquake The 2003 Bam earthquake struck the Kerman province of southeastern Iran at 01:56 UTC (5:26 am Iran Standard Time) on December 26. The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The ear ...

killed 30,000 people; A

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams is a List of main battle tanks by generation, third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern Armoured warfa ...

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

patrols the streets of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesipho ...

after the city

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...

to U.S.-led forces; Abuse and torture of

Iraqi Iraqi or Iraqis (in plural) means from Iraq, a country in the Middle East, and may refer to: * Iraqi people or Iraqis, people from Iraq or of Iraqi descent * A citizen of Iraq, see demographics of Iraq * Iraqi or Araghi ( fa, عراقی), someone o ...

prisoners at

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib (; ar, أبو غريب, ''Abū Ghurayb'') is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road ...

prison by U.S. personnel;

Protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

against the

Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

; "Mission Accomplished" became an ironic symbol of the protractedness of the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

after President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

's infamous

speech Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

; a statue of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

is toppled in Baghdad after he was deposed during the Iraq War., 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200

Space Shuttle Columbia disaster The Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster was a fatal accident in the list of space programs of the United States, United States space program that occurred on February 1, 2003. During the STS-107 mission, Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Columbia, ...

rect 200 0 400 200

2002–2004 SARS outbreak The 2002–2004 outbreak of SARS, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), infected over 8,000 people from 29 countries and territories, and resulted in at least 774 deaths worldwide. The outbreak w ...

rect 400 0 600 200

rect 0 200 300 400

rect 300 200 600 400

Battle of Baghdad (2003) Battle of Baghdad, also known as the Fall of Baghdad, was a military battle that took place in Baghdad in early April 2003, as part of the invasion of Iraq. Three weeks into the invasion of Iraq, Coalition Forces Land Component Command el ...

rect 0 400 200 600

Mission Accomplished speech The Mission Accomplished speech (named for a banner displayed above the speaker) was a televised address by United States President George W. Bush on the aircraft carrier USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' on May 1, 2003. Although Bush stated at t ...

rect 200 400 400 600

Protests against the Iraq War Beginning in late 2002, and continuing after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, large-scale protests against the Iraq War were held in many cities worldwide, often coordinated to occur simultaneously around the world. After the biggest series of demo ...

rect 400 400 600 600 Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse 2003 was designated the International Year of the

Fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

. In 2003, a United States-led coalition launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq, beginning the

Events

January

January 5 Events Pre-1600 *1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 *1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army ...

–

Tel Aviv central bus station Tel Aviv central bus station, also known as the new central bus station (התחנה המרכזית החדשה, HaTahana HaMerkazit HaHadasha), is the main bus station of Tel Aviv, Israel. Located in the south of the city, it was opened on Augu ...

: Two Palestinian suicide bombers attack a neighborhood in Tel Aviv, killing at least 23 people and injuring 103. *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 * 49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the ...

– North Korea announces its withdrawal from the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperati ...

. *

January 22 Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor ('' Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople. * 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw ...

** The last signal from NASA's ''

Pioneer 10 ''Pioneer 10'' (originally designated Pioneer F) is an American space probe, launched in 1972 and weighing , that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. Thereafter, ''Pioneer 10'' became the first of five artificial objects to ac ...

'' spacecraft is received, some 12.2 billion kilometers (7.6 billion mi) from

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

. ** A 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes the state of

Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...

in southwestern Mexico, killing at least 29. *

January 29 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ru ...

– Riots break out in Phnom Penh, Cambodia targeting Thai nationals after false reports that a Thai actress made comments about a temple. Thailand severs diplomatic relations with Cambodia in response.

February

* February 1 – At the conclusion of the

mission, the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disintegrates during reentry over

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, killing all seven astronauts on board. *

February 4 Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrelling ...

– The

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

is renamed to "Serbia and Montenegro" (after its constituent states) after its leaders reconstitute the country into a loose state-union between

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

, marking an end to the 73-year-long use of the name "Yugoslavia" by any sovereign state. *

February 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 62, 62 – AD 62 Pompeii earthquake, Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. *1576 – Henry IV of France, Henry of Navarre :wikt:abjure, abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Re ...

– U.S. Secretary of State

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...

speaks to the United Nations presenting the case for a military invasion of Iraq. It will later be discovered that the

Bush administration Presidency of George Bush may refer to: * Presidency of George H. W. Bush, the United States presidential administration from 1989 to 1993 * Presidency of George W. Bush, the United States presidential administration from 2001 to 2009 See also * P ...

mislead him when preparing his testimony. *

February 7 Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. * 1301 &nda ...

–

2003 El Nogal Club bombing The 2003 El Nogal Club bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred in Bogotá, Colombia. On 7 February 2003, a car containing 200 kg of explosives that was parked in a garage on the third floor of the multi-story ''El Nogal'' club, an eli ...

: A car bomb goes off in the garage of the El Nogal club in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the largest ...

, Colombia, killing 36 people and injuring hundreds. *

February 15 Events Pre-1600 * 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus * 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. * 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Ti ...

– 16 –

Antwerp diamond heist The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century",February 15 Events Pre-1600 * 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus * 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. * 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Ti ...

– Millions of people worldwide take part in massive

anti-war protests An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pac ...

in anticipation of the United States and its allies invading

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

to overthrow

's regime. *

February 18 Events Pre-1600 * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy. *1268 &nd ...

– An arsonist sets fire to a subway train in Daegu, South Korea, killing 192 people. *

February 19 Events Pre-1600 * 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of ...

– An

Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a com ...

plane crashes near

Kerman Airport Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani Airport ( fa, فرودگاه بین‌المللی آیت‌الله هاشمی رفسنجانی) is an airport in Kerman, Iran. The airport is used for commercial, general aviation and military training purposes. Fli ...

in Iran, killing 270 military personnel. * February 20 – A pyrotechnics accident causes a fire at a nightclub in

West Warwick, Rhode Island West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,012 at the 2020 census. West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the state. Prior to 1913, the town, situated on the wester ...

, killing 100 people. *

February 24 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene Christianity, Nicene bishops with Arianism, Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. *1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of ...

–

2003 Bachu earthquake The 2003 Bachu earthquake occurred on 24 February at 10:03 local time in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in northwest China. The epicentre was located near to the town of Jiashi and Bachu County, approximately 105 km east of Kashgar and 310 ...

: A 6.8 earthquake strikes in

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

, killing 257 people. *

February 26 Events Pre-1600 * 747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events. * 364 – Valentinian I is ...

– The

War in Darfur The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups ...

begins after rebel groups rise up against the Sudanese government. * February 27 – Former Bosnian Serb leader

Biljana Plavšić Biljana Plavšić ( sr-Cyrl, Биљана Плавшић; born 7 July 1930) is a former Bosnian Serb politician and university professor who served as President of Republika Srpska and was later convicted of crimes against humanity for her rol ...

is sentenced by the United Nations

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try ...

to 11 years in prison for war crimes committed during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

March

March 8 Events Pre-1600 *1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''. * 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. *1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bo ...

–

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

approves joining the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

in a referendum. *

March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. *1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the C ...

n Prime Minister

Zoran Đinđić Zoran Đinđić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until his assassination in 2003. He was the mayor of Belgrade in 1997. Đinđi� ...

is assassinated in Belgrade by a sniper. ** The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

issues a global alert on

severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, '' se ...

when it spreads to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

after originating in

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater Chin ...

. *

March 15 Events Pre-1600 *474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce. * 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place. * 493 – ...

– Former General

François Bozizé François Bozizé Yangouvonda (born 14 October 1946) is a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 2003 to 2013. Bozizé rose to become a high-ranking army officer in the 1970s, under the rule of Jean- ...

seizes power through a military coup in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of the C ...

. *

March 17 Events Pre-1600 *45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda. * 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age o ...

– U.S. President

presents a 48 hour ultimatum for Iraqi dictator

to resign. *

March 20 Events Pre-1600 * 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka. *1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. *1600 – The Link� ...

– The

begins with the

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

by the U.S. and allied forces. *

March 23 Events Pre-1600 *1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. *1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last rel ...

** 2003 Nadimarg massacre: Islamist militants gather and execute citizens of a Hindu village in Kashmir, killing 24 of the 54 residents. **

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

approves joining the European Union and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

in a referendum.

April

April 9 Events Pre-1600 * 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum. * 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...

– U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the rule of Saddam Hussein. *

April 12 Events Pre-1600 * 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I. * 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted t ...

–

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

approves joining the European Union in a referendum. *

April 14 Events Pre-1600 *43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum. * 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Ot ...

– The

Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international scientific research project with the goal of determining the base pairs that make up human DNA, and of identifying, mapping and sequencing all of the genes of the human genome from both a ...

is completed, with 99% of the human

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ...

sequenced to 99.99% accuracy. *

April 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. * 73 – Masada ...

– The

Treaty of Accession A Treaty of Accession to the European Union is a treaty of the European Union that specifies the terms under which an applicant state becomes a member of the European Union. In addition to the Treaty of Accession, a Final Act of Accession is sign ...

is signed in Athens between the

and ten countries (

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, Lithuania,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

), concerning these countries' accession into the EU, leading to the 2004

enlargement of the European Union The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ...

. *

April 27 Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the '' ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes o ...

–

Nicanor Duarte Frutos Óscar Nicanor Duarte Frutos (born 11 October 1956) is a Paraguayan politician who served as President of Paraguay from 2003 to 2008. In 2013, President Horacio Cartes appointed Duarte as Ambassador to Argentina, a diplomatic posting he held ...

is elected president over Julio César Franco in the

2003 Paraguayan general election General elections were held in Paraguay on 27 April 2003.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II'', p425 The presidential elections were won by Nicanor Duarte of the Colorado Party, who received 38.3% of the ...

. *

April 29 Events Pre-1600 * 1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. *1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and be ...

– The United States announces the withdrawal of its troops stationed in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

, and the redeployment of some at the

Al Udeid Air Base Al Udeid Air Base ( ar, قاعدة العديد الجوية) is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport (). It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and othe ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

May

May 1 Events Pre-1600 * 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor. * 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches. *1169 &ndas ...

2003 Bingöl earthquake The 2003 Bingöl earthquake hit eastern Turkey with a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent'') on 1 May at . The epicenter of this strike-slip earthquake was in Bingöl Province, 15 km north of Bingöl. At ...

: A 6.4 earthquake strikes in

Bingöl Bingöl ( diq, Çolig; ku, Çewlik; hy, Ճապաղջուր, translit=Chapaghjur) is a city in Eastern Turkey and the capital of Bingöl Province. Etymology One of the historical names for the city, ''Bingöl'' literally means ''thousand lake ...

, Turkey, killing 177 people. ** U.S. President George W. Bush declares an end to the invasion of Iraq in the

. Hostilities would continue for several years during a period of Iraqi insurgency. *

May 11 Events 1601–1900 *1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. *1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across th ...

** Benvenuto Cellini's ''

Cellini Salt Cellar The ''Cellini Salt Cellar'' (in Vienna called the ''Saliera'', Italian for salt cellar) is a part- enamelled gold table sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini. It was completed in 1543 for Francis I of France, from models that had been prepared many y ...

'' table sculpture is stolen from the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal d ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. ** Lithuania approves joining the European Union in a referendum. **

2003 Sri Lanka cyclone In May 2003, a tropical cyclone officially called ''Very Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 01'' produced the worst flooding in Sri Lanka in 56 years. The first storm of the 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed over the Bay of Bengal ...

: A cyclone makes landfall in Sri Lanka, killing 260 people and causing the country's worst natural disaster in 50 years. *

May 12 Events Pre-1600 * 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism. * 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tan ...

** In

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, Literal translation, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi Arabic, Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyad ...

, Saudi Arabia, over 30 people are killed in multiple bombings at a housing compound, mostly foreign expatriates. **

2003 Znamenskoye suicide bombing The Znamenskoye Grozny suicide bombing happened on May 12, 2003, in Znamenskoye in Chechnya, when three rebel suicide bombers, including two women, drove a truck bomb into a local government administration and the Federal Security Service of ...

: Chechen suicide bombers attack a government office in Znamenskoye, Russia, killing at least 59 people. *

May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arb ...

–

2003 Argentine general election Argentina held a presidential election on Sunday, 27 April 2003. Turnout was 78.2%. No one presidential candidate gained enough votes to win outright, but the scheduled runoff was cancelled when former president and first-round winner Carlos Mene ...

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...

becomes president-elect of Argentina after

Carlos Menem Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. ...

withdraws from the runoff election. *

May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. *1364 ...

–

2003 Casablanca bombings The 2003 Casablanca bombings were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. The attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history. Forty-five people were killed in the attacks (33 victims and 12 s ...

: Islamist militants affiliated with

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to ...

carry out a series of suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, killing at least 41 people. *

May 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. *1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. *1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore F ...

–

approves joining the European Union in a referendum. *

May 21 Events Pre-1600 * 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as ''Caesar'' to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy. * 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabid ...

–

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

The 6.8 Boumerdès earthquake shakes the suburb of the Algerian capital Algiers with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Violent''), killing an estimated 2,266 people. *

May 23 Events Pre-1600 *1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction. *1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy. *1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII ...

– Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, is born. *

May 26 Events Pre-1600 * 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe. * 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire tak ...

– A constitutional referendum is held in Rwanda. *

May 28 Events Pre-1600 *585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from ...

–

Prometea Prometea (born May 28, 2003), a Haflinger foal, is the first cloned horse and the first to be born from and carried by its cloning mother. Her birth was announced publicly on August 6, 2003. Born 36 kilogram after a natural delivery and a full-t ...

, the world's first cloned

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

, is born.

June

June 2 Events Pre-1600 * 455 – Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks. * 1098 – First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later. 1601� ...

– ''

Mars Express ''Mars Express'' is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The ''Mars Express'' mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally ref ...

'' launches, containing the ''

Beagle 2 The ''Beagle 2'' is an inoperative British Mars lander that was transported by the European Space Agency's 2003 ''Mars Express'' mission. It was intended to conduct an astrobiology mission that would have looked for evidence of past life on Ma ...

'' lander. *

June 8 Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces a ...

approves joining the European Union in a referendum. ** Major

Saleh Ould Hanenna Saleh Ould Hanenna (born 1965 or 1966) is a former Mauritanian soldier and political figure. Ould Hanenna served in the Mauritanian Army and rose to the rank of Major before being dismissed in 2000. In June 2003, he led an attempted coup, aiming t ...

leads a failed coup in Mauritania, leading to violence. *

June 14 Events Pre-1600 *1158 – The city of Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar. *1216 – First Barons' War: Prince Louis of France takes the city of Winchester, abandoned by John, King of England, and soon ...

– The

approves joining the European Union in a referendum. *

June 15 Events Pre-1600 * 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. * 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. * 923 – Battle of Soi ...

– Operation Desert Scorpion: U.S. forces in Iraq facilitate searches for

Ba'athist Ba'athism, also stylized as Baathism, (; ar, البعثية ' , from ' , meaning "renaissance" or "resurrection" Hans Wehr''Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic'' (4th ed.), page 80) is an Arab nationalist ideology which promotes the creatio ...

forces, distribution of humanitarian aid, and engineering programs to repair damaged infrastructure. *

June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). *1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mon ...

– Declaration of Thessaloniki: The European Union encourages accession of states of the western

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. *

June 30 Events Pre-1600 * 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. * 763 – The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus. * 1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Milan an ...

– Warring parties in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

sign a peace accord, bringing an end to the

Second Congo War The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...

, which left millions dead.

July

* July–August –

2003 European heat wave The 2003 European heat wave saw the hottest summer recorded in Europe since at least 1540. France was hit especially hard. The heat wave led to health crises in several countries and combined with drought to create a crop shortfall in parts of S ...

: Europe experiences its hottest summer in over five centuries. *

July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...

–

Tesla Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and trucks), battery energy storage from home to grid ...

, the American electric car company, is founded by

Martin Eberhard Martin Eberhard (born ) is an American inventor, engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Tesla, Inc. (then Tesla Motors) with Marc Tarpenning in 2003. Eberhard served as Tesla's original chairman, and its CEO until late 2007. In 2015, he was i ...

and

Marc Tarpenning Marc Tarpenning (born June 1, 1964) is an American engineer and technology entrepreneur who is the co-founder of Tesla Inc. with Martin Eberhard in 2003. Tarpenning served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Vice President of Engineering ...

in San Carlos, California. *

July 2 Events Pre-1600 * 437 – Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire. His mother Galla Placidia ends her regency, but continues to exercise political influence at the court in Rome. * 626 – Li Shimin ...

– The

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

awards

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

the right to host the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May Doan Nancy GreeneWayne Gr ...

. *

July 4 Events Pre-1600 * 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. * 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaim ...

–

2003 Quetta mosque bombing On 4 July 2003, 53 Hazara Shias were killed and at least 65 others were injured when the mosque was attacked during the Friday prayer in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. When hundreds of worshipers were offering Friday prayer, three armed m ...

: Islamist militants attack a Shia mosque in

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of the ...

, Pakistan, killing at least 44 people. *

July 5 Events Pre-1600 * 328 – The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. * 1316 – The Burgundian and ...

– Severe acute respiratory syndrome is declared to be contained by the World Health Organization. *

July 6 Events Pre-1600 * 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta's reputation of military invincibility. * 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt) ...

** The 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message

Cosmic Call 2 Cosmic commonly refers to: * The cosmos, a concept of the universe Cosmic may also refer to: Media * ''Cosmic'' (album), an album by Bazzi * Afro/Cosmic music * "Cosmic", a song by Kylie Minogue from the album '' X'' * CosM.i.C, a member of ...

to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409,

55 Cancri 55 Cancri is a binary star system located 41 light-years away from the Sun in the zodiac constellation of Cancer. It has the Bayer designation Rho1 Cancri (ρ1 Cancri); ''55 Cancri'' is the Flamsteed designation (abbrev ...

HD 10307 HD 10307 (HR 483) is a spectroscopic binary star in the constellation Andromeda. The primary is similar to the Sun in mass, temperature and metal content. situated about 42 light-years from Earth Its companion, HR 483 B, is a little-stu ...

and

47 Ursae Majoris 47 Ursae Majoris (abbreviated 47 UMa), formally named Chalawan , is a yellow dwarf star approximately 46 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major. , three extrasolar planets (designated 47 Ursae Majoris b, c and d; t ...

, that will arrive at these stars in

2036 The 2030s (pronounced "twenty-thirties"; shortened to the '30s) is the next decade in the Gregorian calendar that will begin on 1 January 2030, and will end on 31 December 2039. Plans and goals * NASA plans to execute a crewed mission to Mars b ...

2040 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is l ...

, May

2044 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is l ...

, September 2044 and

2049 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is l ...

respectively. **

Dennis Schmitt Dennis Schmitt (born May 23, 1946) is a veteran explorer, adventurer and composer. Early life Schmitt grew up in Berkeley, California, the son of mixed German and American parentage. His father was a plumber. Displaying early aptitude with lang ...

discovers the island of

83-42 83-42 is a rocky islet in the Arctic Ocean which may be the northernmost permanent point of land on Earth. It is also sometimes referred to as Eklipse 0, or Schmitt’s Island, after its discoverer, Dennis Schmitt. It measures and in height, ...

, a candidate for being the northernmost point of land. *

July 10 Events Pre-1600 *138 – Emperor Hadrian of Rome dies of heart failure at his residence on the bay of Naples, Baiae; he is buried at Rome in the Tomb of Hadrian beside his late wife, Vibia Sabina. * 645 – Isshi Incident: Prince Na ...

– The existence of

PSR B1620−26 b PSR B1620−26 b is an exoplanet located approximately 12,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Scorpius. It bears the unofficial nicknames "Methuselah" and "the Genesis planet" (named after the Biblical character Methuselah, who, a ...

, the oldest known exoplanet in the galaxy, is confirmed using observations from the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ver ...

. *

July 13 Events Pre-1600 * 1174 – William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England. * 1249 – Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots. *1260 – The Livo ...

– The

Iraqi Governing Council The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi pol ...

is created by the United States as an ethnically diverse provisional government of Iraq. *

July 14 Events Pre-1600 * 982 – King Otto II and his Frankish army are defeated by the Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy. *1223 – Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Philip II. *142 ...

–

Robert Novak Robert David Sanders Novak (February 26, 1931 – August 18, 2009) was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving in the ...

identifies

Valerie Plame Valerie Elise Plame (born August 13, 1963) is an American writer, spy novelist, and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. As the subject of the 2003 Plame affair, also known as the CIA leak scandal, Plame's identity as a CIA offic ...

as a covert CIA agent, initiating a scandal known as the

Plame affair The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal and Plamegate) was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak's public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003. In 2002, ...

. *

July 16 Events Pre-1600 * 622 – The beginning of the Islamic calendar. * 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece. * ...

– Major

Fernando Pereira Fernando Pereira (10 May 1950 – 10 July 1985) was a freelance Portuguese-Dutch photographer, who drowned when French intelligence ( DGSE) detonated a bomb and sank the ''Rainbow Warrior'', owned by the environmental organisation Greenpeace o ...

leads a failed coup in São Tomé and Príncipe. *

July 18 Events Pre-1600 *477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army. *387 BC – Roman- Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, ...

– The

Convention on the Future of Europe The Convention on the Future of the European Union, also known as the European Convention, was a body established by the European Council in December 2001 as a result of the Laeken Declaration. Inspired by the Philadelphia Convention that led ...

finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution. *

July 24 Events Pre-1600 *1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. *1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. *1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of St ...

– The

Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), also known as Operation Helpem Fren, Operation Anode and Operation Rata (by New Zealand), was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of ...

, led by Australia, begins after ethnic violence engulfs the island country. *

July 27 Events Pre-1600 *1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. *1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Stefan ...

–

Oakwood mutiny On July 23, 2003, a failed coup d'etat, now known as the Oakwood mutiny, was staged by a group of about 300 armed defectors from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gamb ...

: Philippine military officers lead approximately 300 soldiers a failed coup.

August

August 1 Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic. *AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt und ...

– Social networking service Myspace is launched. *

August 11 Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and found ...

** The

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996. President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...

comes to an end after President Charles Taylor resigns and flees the country. ** NATO takes over command of the

peacekeeping force Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United ...

in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history. *

August 14 Events Pre-1600 *74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...

– The

Northeast blackout of 2003 The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, and most parts of the Canadian province of Ontario on Thursday, August 14, 2003, beginning just after 4:10 p.m. ...

cuts electricity to the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. *

August 19 Events Pre-1600 *295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later kn ...

** In the Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad 22 people are killed, among them United Nations' Special Representative in Iraq

Sérgio Vieira de Mello Sérgio Vieira de Mello (; 15 March 1948 – 19 August 2003) was a Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked on several UN humanitarian and political programs for over 34 years. The Government of Brazil posthumously awarded the Sergio Vieira ...

. **

Shmuel HaNavi bus bombing A suicide bombing of a crowded public bus (Egged bus 2) in the Shmuel HaNavi quarter in Jerusalem took place on August 19, 2003. Twenty-four people were killed and over 130 wounded. Many of the victims were children, some of them infants. The ...

: A Palestinian suicide bomber kills at least 18 people in a bus bombing in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. *

August 25 Events Pre-1600 * 19 – The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to l ...

**The

Spitzer Space Telescope The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), was an infrared space telescope launched in 2003. Operations ended on 30 January 2020. Spitzer was the third space telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy, f ...

is launched from Cape Canaveral,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. ** Car bombs explode at

Gateway of India The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911 a ...

and

Zaveri Bazaar Zaveri Bazaar is a jewellery market and a major hub for B2B and B2C jewellery industry in Mumbai, India. Located at Bhuleshwar in South Mumbai, just north of Crawford Market, Zaveri Bazaar is a muddle of narrow lanes, dotted with hundreds of j ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, claiming 54 lives and injuring 244 others.

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

-based

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT; ur, ; literally ''Army of the Good'', translated as ''Army of the Righteous'', or ''Army of the Pure'' and alternatively spelled as ''Lashkar-e-Tayyiba'', ''Lashkar-e-Toiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Taiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Tayyeba'') ...

is blamed for the attack. *

August 27 Events Pre-1600 * 410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days. * 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England. *1232 – Shikken Hojo Yasutoki of the K ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmos ...

makes its

closest approach An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any elli ...

to Earth in over 60,000 years. ** The first

six-party talks The six-party talks aimed to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. There was a series of meetings with six participating states in Beijing: * China * Japan * North Ko ...

, 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 North Korea has a military nuclear weapons program and, as of early 2020, is estimated to have an arsenal of approximately 30 to 40 nuclear weapons and sufficient production of fissile material for six to seven nuclear weapons per year.

. *

August 29 Events Pre-1600 * 708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708). * 870 – The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzanti ...

– Imam Ali mosque bombing: A bomb kills at least 125 people, including

Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim Ayatollah al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Muhsin al-Hakim at-Tabataba'i (8 July 1939 – 29 August 2003; ar, السيد محمد باقر محسن الحكيم الطباطبائي), also known as Shaheed al-Mehraab, was a senior Iraqi Shia Islamic S ...

, at a Shia mosque in

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

, Iraq.

September

September 12 Events Pre-1600 * 490 BC – Battle of Marathon: The conventionally accepted date for the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians and their Plataean allies defeat the first Persian invasion force of Greece. * 372 – Sixteen Kingdoms: Ji ...

–

Typhoon Maemi Typhoon Maemi () or (), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Pogi, was the most powerful typhoon to strike South Korea since record-keeping began in the country in 1904. Maemi formed on September 4, 2003 from a disturbance in a monsoon troug ...

, the strongest recorded typhoon to strike South Korea, made landfall near

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

. *

September 14 Events Pre-1600 *AD 81 – Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. * 629 – Emperor Heraclius enters Constantinople in triumph after his victory over the Persian Empire. * 786 – "Nigh ...

** General

Veríssimo Correia Seabra Veríssimo Correia Seabra (February 16, 1947 – October 6, 2004) was a Bissau-Guinean general, known for leading a coup that deposed Kumba Ialá on September 14, 2003. Early life Correia Seabra was born in the capital city, Bissau, on Februar ...

leads a bloodless coup in Guinea-Bissau. He steps down to create a new civilian government days later. **

approves joining the European Union in a referendum. *

September 15 Events Pre-1600 * 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes. * 1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against h ...

–

ELN ELN may refer to: Paramilitary * National Liberation Army (Colombia) (Spanish: ), involved in the continuing Colombian armed conflict * Ñancahuazú Guerrilla, a guerilla group active in the Cordillera Province, Bolivia from 1966 to 1967 * Nation ...

rebels kidnap eight foreign tourists at

Ciudad Perdida Ciudad Perdida (Spanish for "lost city"; also known as Teyuna and Buritaca-200) is the archaeological site of an ancient city in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia, within the jurisdiction of the city of Santa Marta. This city is beli ...

, Colombia, being freed 100 days later following negotiations with the Colombian government. *

September 20 Events Pre-1600 * 1058 – Agnes of Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border territory of Burgenland. * 1066 – At the Battle of Fulford, Harald Hardrada defeats earls Morcar and Edwin. *1187 – Saladin ...

–

approves joining the European Union in a referendum. *

September 24 Events Pre-1600 * 787 – Second Council of Nicaea: The council assembles at the church of Hagia Sophia. *1568 – Spanish naval forces defeat an English fleet, under the command of John Hawkins, at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa ne ...

– The

starts the

Hubble Ultra-Deep Field The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) is a deep-field image of a small region of space in the constellation Fornax, containing an estimated 10,000 galaxies. The original data for the image was collected by the Hubble Space Telescope from Septemb ...

, making 800 exposures, until January 16, 2004. *

September 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river, beginning the Norman conquest of England. *1331 – The Battle of Płowce is fought, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teuto ...

– SMART-1, an

ESA , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1 ...

spaceprobe and ESA's first mission to the moon, is launched from

Kourou Kourou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. *

September 28 Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII. * 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus o ...

–

2003 Italy blackout The 2003 Italy blackout was a serious power outage that affected all of the Italian Peninsula for 12 hours and part of Switzerland near Geneva for 3 hours on 28 September 2003. It was the largest blackout in the series of blackouts in 2003, invo ...

: Power goes out across the Italian Peninsula for approximately 12 hours, affecting nearly all of the country's 57 million people.

October

October 1 Events Pre-1600 * 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. * 366 – Pope Damasus I is consecrated. * 959 – Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England, in succession to Eadwig. ...

– The popular and controversial English-language

imageboard An imageboard is a type of Internet forum that focuses on the posting of images, often alongside text and discussion. The first imageboards were created in Japan as an extension of the textboard concept. These sites later inspired the creation of ...

4chan 4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from anime and manga to video games, cooking, weapons, television, ...

is launched. *

October 4 Events Pre-1600 * AD 23 – Rebels sack the Chinese capital Chang'an during a peasant rebellion. *1209 – Otto IV is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Innocent III. *1302 – The Byzantine–Venetian War come ...

–

Maxim restaurant suicide bombing The Maxim restaurant suicide bombing was a suicide bombing which occurred on October 4, 2003 in the beachfront "Maxim" restaurant in Haifa, Israel. Twenty-one people were killed in the attack and 60 were injured. Among the victims were two fami ...

: A Palestinian suicide bomber attacks a restaurant in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropoli ...

, Israel, killing at least 19 people. *

October 5 Events Pre-1600 * 610 – Heraclius arrives at Constantinople, kills Byzantine Emperor Phocas, and becomes emperor. * 816 – King Louis the Pious is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope. * 869 – The Fourth Cou ...

–

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i warplanes

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

alleged Islamic jihad bases inside Syrian territory, the first Israeli attack on the country since the 1973

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Eg ...

. *

October 15 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – Following the death of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Edgar the Ætheling is proclaimed King of England by the Witan; he is never crowned, and concedes power to William the Conqueror two months later. *1211 ...

– China launches ''

Shenzhou 5 Shenzhou 5 (, see § Etymology) was the first human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program, launched on 15 October 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle. There had been four previous fli ...

'', their first human spaceflight. *

October 24 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – In the Second Battle of Bedriacum, troops loyal to Vespasian defeat those of Emperor Vitellius. *1260 – Chartres Cathedral is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France. *1360 – The Treaty o ...

–

Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and t ...

makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner

supersonic travel A supersonic transport (SST) or a supersonic airliner is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see regular service have been Concorde and the Tupo ...

to an end. *

October 27 Events Pre-1600 * 312 – Constantine is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. * 1275 – Traditional founding of the city of Amsterdam. * 1524 – French troops lay siege to Pavia. * 1553 – Condemned as a h ...

–

27 October 2003 Baghdad bombings The 27 October 2003 Baghdad bombings were a series of suicide car bombings targeting the Red Cross headquarters and four Iraqi police stations in Baghdad. The attacks killed 34 people and injured another 224. The bombings began at approxima ...

: A series of car bombings occur in

, Iraq, targeting multiple police stations and a Red Cross headquarters. Approximately 40 people are killed. *

October 31 Events Pre-1600 * 475 – Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor. * 683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down. * 802 – Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Consp ...

–

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

steps down as

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the fede ...

after 22 years in power. He is succeeded by

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Tun Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi ( Jawi: عبد الله بن احمد بدوي; born 26 November 1939) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia from October 2003 to April 2009. He was also the sixth president of ...

November

November 12 Events Pre-1600 * 954 – The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom. *1028 – Future Byzantine empress Zoe takes the throne as empress consort to Romanos III Argyros. * ...

– A suicide bombing at an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

military police headquarters in

Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates, about south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. ...

, kills 17 Italian military police officers and nine Iraqi civilians. *

November 23 Events Pre-1600 * 534 BC – Thespis of Icaria becomes the first recorded actor to portray a character on stage. * 1248 – Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile. * 1499 – Pretender to the t ...

–

Georgian President Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group **Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three script ...

Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე}, romanization of Georgian, romanized: ; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgians, Georgian politician a ...

resigns after widespread protests engulf the country following a disputed

parliamentary election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. *

November 26 Events Pre-1600 * 783 – The Asturian queen Adosinda is held at a monastery to prevent her king from retaking the throne from Mauregatus. * 1161 – Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dynasty ...

– The supersonic passenger jet,

, makes its last ever flight from Heathrow Airport in London to

Bristol Filton Airport Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome was a private airport in Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England. Description The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth r ...

December

December 5 Events Pre-1600 *63 BC – Cicero gives the fourth and final of the Catiline Orations. * 633 – Fourth Council of Toledo opens, presided over by Isidore of Seville. *1033 – The Jordan Rift Valley earthquake destroys multiple ...

–

2003 Stavropol train bombing The 2003 Stavropol train bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on 5 December 2003, in Yessentuki, Stavropol Krai, Russia, when an explosion on a commuter train killed at least 46 people and injured over 170 more. A regional electric t ...

: A suicide bomber attacks a train in

Stavropol Krai Stavropol Krai (russian: Ставропо́льский край, r=Stavropolsky kray, p=stəvrɐˈpolʲskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia, and is ad ...

, killing 46 people. *

December 12 Events Pre-1600 * 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh. *1388 – Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia ...

–

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...

becomes the 21st

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as suc ...

. *

December 13 Events Pre-1600 *1294 – Saint Celestine V resigns the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit. *1545 – The Council of Trent begins as the embodiment of the Counter-Reformation. *1577 &nd ...

–

, the former

president of Iraq The president of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Con ...

, is captured in the small town of

Ad-Dawr Ad-Dawr ( ar, الدور) is a small agricultural town in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, near Tikrit. It includes a great number of people from 4 tribes, al-Shuwaykhat, al-Mawashet, al-Bu Haydar and al-Bu Mdallal. Al-Mawashet tribe is famous for suppor ...

by the U.S. Army. *

December 19 Events Pre-1600 *1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. *1187 – Pope Clement III is elected. *1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. * 1562 – Th ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

agrees to eliminate all of its materials, equipment, and programs aimed at producing weapons of mass destruction. ** The ''Beagle 2'' Mars lander deploys, but contact is lost. *

December 23 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – The Arian Vandal Kingdom ceases its persecution of Nicene Christianity. * 558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks. * 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque. * 962 &ndas ...

** The

World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading interna ...

becomes a specialized agency of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

. ** PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County,

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Cou ...

, China, killing at least 234. *

December 26 Events Pre-1600 * 887 – Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. *1481 – Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David of B ...

– The 6.6

Bam earthquake The 2003 Bam earthquake struck the Kerman province of southeastern Iran at 01:56 UTC (5:26 am Iran Standard Time) on December 26. The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The ea ...

shakes southeastern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), killing an estimated 30,000 people. *

December 29 Events Pre-1600 *1170 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. ...

– The last known speaker of the Akkala Sámi language dies, rendering it extinct.

Births

Greta Thunberg urges MEPs to show climate leadership (49618310531) (cropped)

Olivia_Rodrigo_at_Vice_President's_West_Wing_office_(2)

* January 3 –

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...

, Swedish climate activist *

January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – E ...

–

Jaeden Martell Jaeden Martell (né Lieberher; born January 4, 2003) is an American actor. He played the role of Bill Denbrough in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel '' It'' and reprised the role in the film's 2019 sequel. He also appeared in the ...

, American actor *

–

Simon Edvinsson Simon Edvinsson (born 5 February 2003) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered a top prospect for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Edvinsson was selecte ...

, Swedish hockey player *

–

Naseem Shah Naseem Shah ( Urdu, Pashto: نسیم عباس شاه; born 15 February 2003) is a Pakistani international cricketer. In October 2019, at the age of 16, he was called up to the Pakistan cricket team for their Test series against Australia. He ...

, Pakistani cricketer * February 20 –

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs '' Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Musi ...

, American actress and singer *

–

Jamal Musiala Jamal Musiala (born 26 February 2003) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Nicknamed " Bambi", Musiala is known for his world-class dribbling ...

, German footballer *

March 6 Events Pre-1600 *12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 ...

–

Millicent Simmonds Millicent Simmonds (born March 6, 2003) is a deaf American actress who starred in the 2018 horror film ''A Quiet Place'' and its 2020 sequel ''A Quiet Place Part II''. Her breakout role was in the 2017 drama film '' Wonderstruck''. For ''Wonders ...

, American actress *

March 9 Events Pre-1600 * 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. * 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. *1226 &nda ...

–

Sunisa "Suni" Lee Sunisa "Suni" Lee (born Sunisa Phabsomphou; March 9, 2003) is a Hmong American artistic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and uneven bars bronze medalist. She was a member of the teams that won gold at the 2019 World Champion ...

, American gymnast *

March 26 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. *1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, is ...

–

Bhad Bhabie Danielle Bregoli (born March 26, 2003), known professionally as Bhad Bhabie (, "bad baby"), is an American rapper and internet personality. She first became known from an appearance on ''Dr. Phil'' in September 2016, in which she uttered the phr ...

, American rapper *

–

Simon Ngapandouetnbu Simon Brady Ngapandouetnbu (born 12 April 2003) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Marseille. Career Ngapandouetnbu is a product of the youth academies of ASPTT Marseille, ASMJ Blancarde, and Marseille. On 11 ...

, Cameroonian footballer *

April 20 Events Pre-1600 * 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. 1601–1900 *1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. *1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroy ...

–

Xavi Simons Xavier Quentin Shay Simons (born 21 April 2003) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or an attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club PSV and the Netherlands national team. Early life Born in Amsterdam, Simons is the son ...

, Dutch footballer *

–

Holger Rune Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune (; born 29 April 2003) is a Danish professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as No. 10 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved on 7 November 2022 making him the highes ...

, Danish tennis player *

April 30 Events Pre-1600 * 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends. * 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois. *1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columb ...

–

Emily Carey Emily Joanna Carey (born 30 April 2003) is an English actor. She began her career as a child actor on stage and in the BBC One soap opera '' Casualty'' (2014–2017, 2021). She went on to play young versions of characters, such as Diana Prince i ...

, English actress *

May 5 Events Pre-1600 * 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins. *1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta. *1260 – Kubl ...

–

Carlos Alcaraz Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked as the world No. 1 singles player by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Alcaraz has won six ATP Tour singles titles, including ...

, Spanish tennis player *

May 19 Events Pre-1600 * 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. * 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected. * 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev. *1445 &nd ...

–

JoJo Siwa Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa (; born May 19, 2003) is an American dancer, singer, actress and YouTuber. She is known for appearing for two seasons on ''Dance Moms'' along with her mother, Jessalynn Siwa, and for her singles "Boomerang" and "Kid in ...

, American

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

personality *

June 18 Events Pre-1600 * 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China. * 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. * 860 – Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of abo ...

–

Alireza Firouzja Alireza Firouzja ( fa, علی‌رضا فیروزجا, ; born 18 June 2003) is an Iranian and French chess grandmaster. Firouzja is the youngest ever 2800- rated player, beating the previous record set by Magnus Carlsen by more than five months ...

, Iranian-French chess grandmaster *

June 20 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. *1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting ...

–

Hans Niemann Hans Moke Niemann (born June 20, 2003) is an American chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer. He was awarded the Grandmaster title by FIDE on January 22, 2021. In July 2021, he won the World Open chess tournament in Philadelphia. Niemann first ...

, American chess player *

June 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1358 – The Republic of Ragusa is founded. *1497 – Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England. *1499 – Americo Vespucci, on Spanish financed trip, sights coast ...

–

Tomokazu Harimoto is a Japanese table tennis player. In 2016, he won the world junior singles and team title at the 2016 World Junior Table Tennis Championships for Japan. In August 2017, he became the youngest ever winner of an ITTF World Tour men's singles ti ...

, Japanese table tennis player *

June 29 Events Pre-1600 * 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. *1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi. *1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway, le ...

–

Jude Bellingham Jude Victor William Bellingham (born 29 June 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the England national team. Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8, became t ...

, English footballer *

Tate McRae Tate Rosner McRae (; born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. At the age of thirteen, she gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality TV show '' So You Think You Can Dance''. McRae ca ...

, Canadian singer **

Storm Reid Storm Reid is an American actress. After playing a small role in the television film '' A Cross to Bear'' (2012), Reid made her acting debut with an appearance in the period drama film ''12 Years a Slave'' (2013). She earned recognition for a s ...

, American actress *

–

Polina Bogusevich Polina Sergeyevna Bogusevich (russian: Полина Сергеевна Богусевич; born 4 July 2003) is a Russian singer. She represented Russia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Wings", and went on to win the co ...

, Russian singer * August 17 – The Kid Laroi, Australian rapper * August 20 – Prince Gabriel of Belgium * August 24 – Alena Kostornaia, Russian figure skater * August 28 – Quvenzhané Wallis, American actress * September 3 ** Jack Dylan Grazer, American actor ** Eileen Gu, American-Chinese skier * September 21 – Krithi Shetty, Indian actress * November 7 – Park Ji-hu, South Korean actress * November 8 – Lady Louise Windsor, British royalty * December 7 – Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Deaths

January

– Roy Jenkins, British politician and biographer (b. 1920) * January 11 – Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (b. 1925) * January 12 ** Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese film director and screenwriter (b. 1930) ** Maurice Gibb, British musician (b. 1949) ** Leopoldo Galtieri, 44th President of Argentina (b. 1926) * January 17 – Richard Crenna, American actor (b. 1926) * January 23 – Nell Carter, American singer and actress (b. 1948) * January 24 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian entrepreneur and auto executive (b. 1921) * January 26 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet Olympic athlete (b. 1942) * January 27 – Henryk Jabłoński, 5th President of the Polish People's Republic (b. 1909)

February

Press Photo of Fred Rogers (Published by 1982) (cropped)

* February 1 – Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster: ** 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 3 – Lana Clarkson, American actress (b. 1962) (see Murder of Lana Clarkson) * February 10 – Curt Hennig, American professional wrestler (b. 1958) *

– Francisque Ravony, 7th Prime Minister of Madagascar (b. 1942) *

– Johnny Paycheck, American country singer-songwriter (b. 1938) * February 20 – Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and writer (b. 1907) * February 23 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist (b. 1910) *

– Alberto Sordi, Italian actor (b. 1920) * 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 3 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933) *

– Adam Faith, English singer and actor (b. 1940) *

– Bernard Dowiyogo, 7-Time President of Nauru (b. 1946) * March 10 − Naftali Temu, Kenyan Olympic athlete (b. 1945) *

, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952) (see Assassination of Zoran Đinđić) ** Howard Fast, American novelist (b. 1914) ** Lynne Thigpen, American actress (b. 1948) * March 16 – Rachel Corrie, American activist and diarist (b. 1979) * March 21 – Umar Wirahadikusumah, 4th Vice President of Indonesia (b. 1924) *

– Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American politician (b. 1927) * March 29 ** Vladimir Pikalov, Soviet general (b. 1924) ** 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 4 – Anthony Caruso (actor), Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916) * April 8 – Bing Russell, American actor (b. 1926) * April 17 – John Paul Getty Jr., British philanthropist (b. 1932) *

** Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976) ** Bernard Katz, German-British Nobel biophysicist (b. 1911) * April 21 – Nina Simone, American singer (b. 1933) * April 22 – Mike Larrabee, American Olympic athlete (b. 1933)

May

– Miss Elizabeth, American professional wrestling valet (b. 1960) * May 2 – Mohammed Dib, Algerian author (b. 1920) * May 3 – Suzy Parker, American model and actress (b. 1932) *

– Walter Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist (b. 1912) * May 9 – Russell B. Long, American politician (b. 1918) *

– Noel Redding, English musician (b. 1945) *

– Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French international civil servant (b. 1933) * May 14 ** Dave DeBusschere, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940) ** Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912) ** Robert Stack, American actor (b. 1919) *

** June Carter Cash, American singer (b. 1929) ** Constantin Dăscălescu, Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1923) ** Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist (b. 1924) *

– Jean Yanne, French film actor and director (b. 1933) * May 24 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910) * May 27 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer (b. 1925) *

** Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian Nobel physicist and chemist (b. 1917) ** Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912) * May 29 ** Savita Ambedkar, Indian activist (b. 1909) ** Trevor Ford, Welsh professional footballer (b. 1923)

June

– Dick Cusack, American actor, filmmaker and humorist (b. 1925) * June 5 – Jürgen Möllemann, German politician (b. 1945) * June 7 – Trevor Goddard, English actor (b. 1962) * June 10 – Bernard Williams, English philosopher (b. 1929) * June 12 – Gregory Peck, American actor (b. 1916) *

** Hume Cronyn, Canadian-American actor (b. 1911) ** Kaiser Matanzima, 1st President of Transkei (b. 1915) *

– Larry Doby, American baseball player and manager (b. 1923) *

** Leon Uris, American writer (b. 1924) ** Piet Dankert, Dutch politician (b. 1934) * June 22 – Vasil Bykaŭ, Belarusian novelist (b. 1924) * June 25 – Lester Maddox, American politician (b. 1915) * June 26 ** Denis Thatcher, British businessman and husband of Margaret Thatcher (b. 1915) ** Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (b. 1975) ** Strom Thurmond, American politician (b. 1902) *

– Katharine Hepburn, American actress (b. 1907) *

− Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (b. 1924)

July

Barry White, Bestanddeelnr 927-0098 (cropped)

** Herbie Mann, American jazz flautist (b. 1930) ** Nǃxau ǂToma, Namibian actor (b. 1944) *

– Barry White, American singer (b. 1944) *

** Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza, Princess Isabelle, Countess of Paris (b. 1911) ** Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1979) *

– Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (b. 1908) * July 12 – Benny Carter, American jazz musician (b. 1907) *

– Compay Segundo, Cuban musician (b. 1907) * July 15 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean writer (b. 1953) *

** Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer (b. 1925) ** Carol Shields, American-Canadian writer (b. 1935) * July 22 – Killing of Qusay and Uday Hussein: ** Uday Hussein, Iraqi paramilitary leader (b. 1964) ** Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician (b. 1966) * July 25 – John Schlesinger, English film director (b. 1926) *

** Bob Hope, English-American comedian and actor (b. 1903) ** Jean Nguza Karl-i-Bond, Zairian politician (b. 1938) * July 30 – Sam Phillips, American record producer (b. 1923)

August

** Guy Thys, Belgian footballer and manager (b. 1922) ** Marie Trintignant, French actress (b. 1962) * August 3 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, 2nd President of Sierra Leone (b. 1937) * August 4 – Frederick Chapman Robbins, American Nobel pediatrician and virologist (b. 1916) * August 6 – Roberto Marinho, Brazilian businessman (b. 1904) * August 7 – Rajko Žižić, Yugoslavian professional basketball player (b. 1955) * August 8 – Martha Chase, American geneticist (b. 1927) * August 9 ** Jacques Deray, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1929) ** Gregory Hines, American dancer and actor (b. 1946) *

** Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician (b. 1923) ** Herb Brooks, American hockey player and coach (b. 1937) * August 13 – Lothar Emmerich, German footballer (b. 1941) *

– Helmut Rahn, German footballer (b. 1929) * August 16 – Idi Amin, 3rd President of Uganda (b. 1923–1928, 28) *

, Brazilian diplomat (b. 1948) ** Carlos Roberto Reina, 60th President of Honduras (b. 1926) * August 21 – Wesley Willis, American musician (b. 1963) * August 30 – Charles Bronson, American actor (b. 1921)

September

* September 1 – Ramón Serrano Suñer, Spanish politician (b. 1901) * 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 and comedian (b. 1948) *

– Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1932) * September 16 – Sheb Wooley, American actor and singer (b. 1921) * September 19 – Slim Dusty, Australian country singer (b. 1927) * 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 ** Olle Anderberg, Swedish wrestler (b. 1919) ** Shawn Lane, American musician (b. 1963) ** Robert Palmer (singer), Robert Palmer, English singer (b. 1949) *

– Donald O'Connor, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1925) *

** 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) *

** 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 17 – Janice Rule, American actress (b. 1931) * October 18 – Preston Smith (governor), Preston Smith, American politician (b. 1912) * October 19 ** Alija Izetbegović, 1st President of Bosnia and Herzegovina (b. 1925) ** Road Warrior Hawk, American professional wrestler (b. 1957) * October 20 – Jack Elam, American actor (b. 1920) * October 21 – Elliott Smith, American musician (b. 1969) * October 23 – Soong Mei-ling, First Lady of China (b. 1898) *

– Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (b. 1925) *

– Rod Roddy, American television announcer (b. 1937) * October 29 – Franco Corelli, Italian opera tenor (b. 1921)

November

* November 3 – Rasul Gamzatov, poet (b. 1923) * November 5 ** Bobby Hatfield, American singer (b. 1940) ** Dorothy Fay, American actress (b. 1915) * November 6 ** Crash Holly, American wrestler (b. 1971) ** Eduardo Palomo, Mexican actor (b. 1962) * November 7 – Foo Foo Lammar, British drag queen (b. 1937) * November 9 – Art Carney, American actor (b. 1918) * November 10 – Canaan Banana, 1st President of Zimbabwe (b. 1936) *

** Jonathan Brandis, American actor (b. 1976) ** Penny Singleton, American actress (b. 1908) * November 14 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (b. 1962) * November 17 – Don Gibson, American country musician (b. 1928) * November 18 – Michael Kamen, American composer (b. 1948) * November 20 – David Dacko, 1st President of the Central African Republic (b. 1930) *

– Murasoli Maran, Indian politician (b. 1934) * November 24 – Warren Spahn, American baseball player (b. 1921) * November 30 – Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (b. 1905)

December

* December 3 ** Ellen Drew, American actress (b. 1915) ** David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941) * December 6 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, 30th President of Guatemala (b. 1918) * December 8 – Rubén González (pianist), Rubén González, Cuban pianist (b. 1919) * December 11 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (b. 1927) *

– Heydar Aliyev, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923) * December 14 ** Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925) ** Frank Sheeran, Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, American mobster (b. 1920) * December 17 – Otto Graham, American football player (b. 1921) *

– Hope Lange, American actress (b. 1933) *

– Kriangsak Chamanan, 15th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1917) * December 27 – Alan Bates, English actor (b. 1934) *

– Earl Hindman, American actor (b. 1942) * December 30 – Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer (b. 1963)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Peter Agre, Roderick MacKinnon * Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Robert F. Engle, Sir Clive Granger * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – J. M. Coetzee * Nobel Prize for Peace, Peace – Shirin Ebadi * Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Alexei Abrikosov (physicist), Alexei Abrikosov, Vitaly Ginzburg, Sir Anthony James Leggett * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Paul Lauterbur, Sir Peter Mansfield

New English words and terms

*''anti-cultural'' *''baby bump'' *''Big Rip'' *''binge-watch'' *''botnet'' *''darmstadtium'' *''electronic cigarette'' *''flash mob'' *''iraimbilanja'' *''manscaping'' *''MERS'' *''muffin top'' *''netroots'' *''SARS'' *''severe acute respiratory syndrome'' *''unfriend''

References

External links

*
2003 Year in Review
– comprehensive listing of 2003 reviews and lists

– Google's Yearly List of Major Events and Top Searches for 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:2003 2003,