[[File:2003_Events_Collage_V2.3.jpg|

Clockwise from top-left:

<ul>

<li>The crew of STS-107 perish when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into Earth's atmosphere;</li>

<li>The 2002–2004 SARS outbreak in China becomes an epidemic;</li>

<li>Myspace becomes one of the first major social media platforms;</li>

<li>Protests against the Iraq War in London;</li>

<li>A drained river in France during the European heatwave;</li>

<li>An earthquake in Bam, Iran, kills 30,000 people;</li>

<li>The abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison by U.S. personnel;</li>

<li>A statue of Saddam Hussein is toppled in Baghdad after his regime is deposed.</li>

</ul>

|300x300px|thumb|right]]

The year 2003 was marked by the United States invasion of Iraq and the subsequent period of occupation and insurgency. The Kashmir conflict also saw a period of escalation, and the Second Intifada continued in Israel and Palestine. The global economy recovered from the early 2000s recession, especially in China, Japan, and the United States, and Argentina recovered from its years-long economic crisis. A conference of World Trade Organization members caused diplomatic conflict between developing and developed nations, with the former creating their own trade bloc, the G20 developing nations. The Catholic Church celebrated the 25th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II, while disputes about gay rights emerged within several Christian denominations in 2003. The Islamic world faced crisis as the war on terror and Islamic terrorism prompted religious leaders to define Islam's identity. Elsewhere in the world, ten nations were approved for membership to the European Union, North Korea restarted its nuclear weapons program, and several political leaders were convicted in the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia. The International Criminal Court also began operation in 2003.

The 110th element of the periodic table was officially named darmstadtium (Ds) in 2003. The Human Genome Project announced that it had finished mapping the human genome, while controversies regarding human cloning and genetically modified crops caused political turmoil around the scientific community. A new dinosaur, Rajasaurus narmadensis, was described. Space travel was affected by the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia that killed seven astronauts, while a close approach from Mars allowed several landers and rovers to be launched toward the planet. Consumers saw the launch of the iTunes Store and the publication of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, while products like camera phones, 64-bit computers, LCD television, and broadband internet achieved widespread popularity. Email spam became a growing problem in 2003, leading to legislation in several countries.

The year 2003 tied with 2002 as the second-hottest year on record. SARS became an epidemic for several months in 2003, centered in Guangdong and Hong Kong, while concerns about polio and measles outbreaks in West Africa and Uganda, respectively, led to massive child vaccination drives that saw entire populations inoculated. The city of Bam, Iran, was almost entirely destroyed in 2003 following a magnitude 6.6 earthquake.

Population

The world population on January 1, 2003, was estimated to be 6.272&nbsp;billion people and increased to 6.353&nbsp;billion people by January 1, 2004. An estimated 134.0&nbsp;million births and 52.5&nbsp;million deaths took place in 2003. Afghanistan was the largest source of refugees, with a total of 2.1&nbsp;million at the end of the year. The deadliest conflicts were the invasion of Iraq, the Kashmir insurgency, the Second Liberian Civil War, the Nepalese Civil War, and the War in Darfur. The Second Liberian Civil War against Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy escalated when the Movement for Democracy in Liberia split off as its own faction. The subsequent Iraqi insurgency proved more deadly than the invasion by the end of the year. Israel also launched bombings against Lebanon and Syria following attacks in Israel. Critically acclaimed films included Finding Nemo, Lost in Translation, and Master and Commander. CD sales overall saw a large decline in favor of internet downloads. The opera industry was negatively affected by a decline in tourism and other economic factors in Europe and North America, and many productions were canceled. The Eurozone had a low GDP growth of 0.5%. Several reports were published in 2003 forecasting severe negative effects of global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determined that approximately one million species risked extinction if no preventative measures were implemented, and the World Wide Fund for Nature determined that the fresh water access of 7 billion people would be at risk by 2050 because of global warming and other causes. that destroyed approximately 85% of Bam, Iran. The 2003 Pacific typhoon season was slightly more intense than average, though the overall number of tropical storms was below average with 23 total storms. The most destructive typhoons were Typhoon Dujuan, which made landfall in Guangdong, China, on September 2, and Typhoon Maemi, which made landfall in South Korea on September 12.

International agreements about the environment that came into force included the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on September 11, the Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants on October 23, and the Protocol on Heavy Metals on December 29.

SARS, caused by the SARS-CoV-1 virus, became a major health concern in early 2003. China informed the WHO in February that an unknown infectious disease was spreading in the country, and the WHO issued its first global alert the following month.

  • January 6 – The discovery of OGLE-TR-56b, the first exoplanet to be discovered through transit photometry, is announced.
  • January 10 – North Korea announces its withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
  • January 22 – The last signal from NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft is received, some 12.2&nbsp;billion kilometers (7.6&nbsp;billion mi) from Earth.
  • January 23
  • NASA loses contact with the Pioneer 10 probe after nearly 31 years.
  • The 1492 painting Descent into Limbo by Andrea Mantegna sells for $28.6 million.
  • January 31 – Waterfall rail accident: An Intercity Tangara G set train derails near Waterfall, killing 7 and injuring 40 others. The cause was of a faulty deadman's brake.

February

thumb|[[Colin Powell holds a model of an anthrax vial in his speech to the United Nations on February 5]]

  • February 1 – At the conclusion of the STS-107 mission, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board.
  • February 4 – The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is renamed to "Serbia and Montenegro" (after its two constituent states) after its leaders reconstitute the country into a loose state-union between Montenegro and Serbia, marking an end to the 73-year-long use of the name "Yugoslavia" by a sovereign state.
  • February 5 – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell gives a speech to the United Nations presenting the case for a military invasion of Iraq. It will later be discovered that the United States Bush administration misled him when preparing his testimony.
  • February 6 – North Korea announces that it has resumed its nuclear weapons program.
  • February 11 – The first set of data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe is published.
  • February 14 – Dolly the sheep, the clone of a mammal, dies.
  • February 20 – The Station nightclub fire: A fire broke out at a music venue in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230.
  • February 24 – 2003 Bachu earthquake: A 6.8 earthquake strikes in Xinjiang, killing 257 people.
  • February 26 – The War in Darfur begins after rebel groups rise up against the Sudanese government.
  • February 27
  • Rowan Williams becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.

March

thumb|upright|Serbian Prime Minister [[Zoran Đinđić was assassinated on March 12.]]

  • March 1 – Khalid Sheikh Mohammed of al-Qaeda is captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
  • March 6 – SCO Group files a lawsuit against IBM as part of an ongoing dispute regarding the use of Unix in the development of Linux.
  • March 7 – Peace talks break down in the First Ivorian Civil War.
  • March 11
  • The International Criminal Court begins operations.
  • The first test of the GBU-43/B MOAB bomb takes place.
  • March 12
  • Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić of Serbia is assassinated in Belgrade by a sniper.
  • The World Health Organization issues a global alert on SARS when it spreads to Hong Kong and Vietnam after originating in Mainland China.
  • March 15 – Former General François Bozizé seizes power through a military coup in the Central African Republic.
  • March 17 – U.S. President George W. Bush presents a 48-hour ultimatum for Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to resign.
  • March 20 – The Iraq War begins with the invasion of Iraq by the United States and allied forces.
  • March 23
  • 2003 Nadimarg massacre: Islamist militants gather and execute citizens of a Hindu village in Kashmir, killing 24 of the 54 residents.
  • Slovenia approves joining the European Union and NATO in a referendum.
  • March 31 – In its first military operation, the European Union takes over peacekeeping operations in Macedonia from NATO's Operation Allied Harmony.
  • April 9 – U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the rule of Saddam Hussein.
  • April 13 - Five college students are murdered in an unsolved arson in Columbus, Ohio.
  • April 14 – The Human Genome Project is completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
  • April 16 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens between the European Union and ten countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia), concerning these countries' accession into the EU, leading to the 2004 enlargement of the European Union.
  • April 18 – Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visits Kashmir and expresses support for peace negotiations with Pakistan.
  • April 21 – The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam break away from peace talks in the Sri Lankan Civil War.
  • U.S. President George W. Bush declares an end to the invasion of Iraq in the Mission Accomplished speech. Hostilities would continue for several years during a period of Iraqi insurgency.
  • May 3 – A ceasefire takes effect in the First Ivorian Civil War.
  • 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone: A cyclone makes landfall in Sri Lanka, killing 260 people and causing the country's worst natural disaster in 50 years.
  • May 12 – 2003 Znamenskoye suicide bombing: Chechen suicide bombers attack a government office in Znamenskoye, Russia, killing at least 59 people.
  • May 15 – Contact with infected prairie dogs causes the first outbreak of human mpox in the Western Hemisphere. Cases continue until June 11.
  • May 19 – Peace talks break down in the insurgency in Aceh and the Indonesian government launches new attacks against the insurgents.
  • May 21
  • 2003 Boumerdès earthquake: a 6.8 earthquake strikes in Algeria, killing over 2,200 people.
  • May 24 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 takes place in Riga, Latvia, and is won by Turkish entrant Sertab Erener with the song "Everyway That I Can".
  • May 25 — A Boeing 727 aircraft is stolen from an airport in Luanda, Angola triggering an international terrorist investigation by the FBI and CIA. The aircraft and its pilots were never found.
  • May 26 – Georges Rutaganda becomes the first person to be convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and his previous charges are upheld.
  • May 28 – Prometea, the world's first cloned horse, is born.
  • May 30
  • The United Nations authorizes peacekeeping operations in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Opposition figures and peace activists, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are arrested in Myanmar.
  • June 2 – Mars Express launches, containing the Beagle 2 lander.
  • June 6 – An agreement is reached for the United Nations to form a Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
  • June 8 – Poland approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
  • June 10 – NASA launches the Spirit rover.
  • The opening of a thousand-year-old coffin is broadcast live on Chinese television.
  • June 14 – The Czech Republic approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
  • June 15
  • Operation Desert Scorpion: U.S. forces in Iraq facilitate searches for Ba'athist forces, distribution of humanitarian aid, and engineering programs to repair damaged infrastructure.
  • The 50th Venice Biennale begins.
  • June 20 – Former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing presents his draft for a Constitution of the European Union.
  • June 21
  • Declaration of Thessaloniki: The European Union encourages accession of states of the western Balkans.
  • The release of the novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix becomes a worldwide cultural event and boosts the literary industry.

July

thumb|upright|The [[Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity rover launches on board a Delta II rocket on July 7]]

  • July–August – 2003 European heat wave: Europe experiences its hottest summer in over five centuries.
  • July 1
  • The annual 1 July Marches in Hong Kong see hundreds of thousands of participants in response to the National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill.
  • The Migrant Workers Convention comes into effect.
  • July 7 – NASA launches the Opportunity rover.
  • The Three Gorges Dam in China begins operating when the first of its 34 generators is activated.
  • July 13 – The Iraqi Governing Council is created by the United States as an ethnically diverse provisional government of Iraq.
  • July 15 – The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia agrees to disband.
  • July 18
  • The Convention on the Future of Europe finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution.
  • The government of the Philippines signs a ceasefire with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It takes effect the next day.
  • July 24 – The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, led by Australia, begins after ethnic violence engulfs the island country.
  • July 28 – The Tasman Spirit oil spill occurs in Pakistan.
  • July 31 – Milomir Stakić receives the first life sentence issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

August

thumb|The Canal Hotel after [[Canal Hotel bombing|a bombing occurs targeting United Nations personnel on August 19]]

  • August 11
  • The Second Liberian Civil War ends after President Charles Taylor resigns and flees the country.
  • NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
  • Riduan Isamuddin, head of the Indonesian Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah, is arrested in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
  • August 12 – The discovery of the dinosaur species Rajasaurus narmadensis is announced.
  • August 14 – An overloaded power grid following the failure of FirstEnergy's alarm system in their control room causes the Northeast blackout of 2003, affecting more than 50 million people in the United States and Canada with nearly 100 related deaths.
  • August 15 – Libya formally accepts civil responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.
  • August 16 – Element 110 is formally named darmstadtium by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
  • August 17 – Peace talks between Maoist rebels and the Nepalese government are interrupted by resumed hostilities in the Nepalese Civil War.
  • August 18 – A peace agreement is reached to formally end the Second Liberian Civil War.
  • Shmuel HaNavi bus bombing: A Palestinian suicide bomber kills at least 18 people in a bus bombing in Jerusalem.
  • August 20 – The G21 (later called the G20 developing nations) forms in response to disputes around the upcoming World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2003.
  • August 22 – The Brazilian VLS-1 launcher explodes on the launchpad on August 22, killing 21 people.
  • Car bombs explode at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai, claiming 54 lives and injuring 244 others. Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is blamed for the attack. The attack causes an escalation in the Kashmir conflict.
  • The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
  • August 29 – Imam Ali mosque bombing: A bomb kills at least 125 people, including Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, at a Shia mosque in Najaf, Iraq.

September

  • September 2 – Typhoon Dujuan makes landfall in Guangdong as a category 1 typhoon with sustained winds of 90&nbsp;mph.
  • September 10
  • Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri release their first video statement since 2001.
  • Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh is murdered.
  • September 12 – Typhoon Maemi, makes landfall in South Korea as a category 3 typhoon with sustained winds of 125&nbsp;mph.
  • Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
  • Sweden rejects joining the Eurozone in a referendum.
  • September 18 – Hurricane Isabel makes landfall in North Carolina.
  • September 20 – Latvia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
  • September 20–October 12 – The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup is held in the United States after the tournament is moved from China due to the SARS outbreak. Germany win their first title after they defeated Sweden in the final with a golden goal.
  • September 21 – NASA ends the Galileo probe mission after nearly 14 years by sending it into Jupiter's atmosphere.
  • September 23
  • The ceasefire in the First Ivorian Civil War breaks down.
  • September 24 – The Hubble Space Telescope starts the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, making 800 exposures, until January 16, 2004.
  • September 25 – Two parties in the Second Sudanese Civil War, the National Islamic Front and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, reach a peace agreement.
  • September 27 – SMART-1, an ESA spaceprobe and ESA's first mission to the moon, is launched from Kourou, French Guiana.
  • September 29
  • Hurricane Kate first reaches hurricane status.
  • The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime comes into force.
  • October 5 – Israeli warplanes strike alleged Islamic jihad bases inside Syrian territory, the first Israeli attack on the country since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
  • October 6 – Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces engage in hostilities in the Shebaa Farms.
  • October 7 – Nokia releases a handheld game console, the N-Gage. It becomes a major critical failure in the gaming industry.
  • October 10–November 22 – The 2003 Rugby World Cup is held in Australia and is won by England who defeated Australia in the final after extra time.
  • October 14 – Gyude Bryant becomes President of Liberia as a compromise choice after former President Charles Taylor fled the country during the Second Liberian Civil War.
  • October 16
  • Pope John Paul II holds mass to celebrate his 25th anniversary as pope, becoming the fourth pope to reach the milestone.
  • Argentine General Antonio Domingo Bussi is detained for crimes committed in the Dirty War.
  • October 19 – Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.
  • October 21 – After acknowledging that it has produced enriched uranium, Iran agrees to suspend its nuclear program.
  • October 23
  • The Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants comes into effect.
  • October 24 – Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to an end.
  • October 16 – The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 1511 to approve American-led governance in Iraq.
  • Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky is arrested. Critics allege that this is a political action by the government to control Russian oligarchs.
  • November 14 – The dwarf planet Sedna is discovered by a team of astronomers led by Michael E. Brown from the Palomar Observatory.
  • November 15 – Suicide bombings occur in Istanbul. Further attacks occur five days later. They kill 63 people between them, making them the two deadliest terror attacks in Turkey, and cause uncertainty in the international economy.

December

  • December 5 – Trial of Stanislav Galić: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentences Stanislav Galić to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity.
  • December 9 – The United Nations Convention Against Corruption is opened for signing.
  • December 19
  • Libya 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 26 – The 6.6 Bam earthquake occurs in Iran.