2003 Calendar Historical Events
2003 Calendar Events

2003 Calendar Events

It was a year of combat and conflict - and a year of major developments in healthcare and medicine. America went to war with Iraq and began what would become a long and hard fight in the Middle East. SARS became a worldwide health threat. The U.S. voted to give its Medicare system a major overhaul and approved billions to fight the global AIDS epidemic. And that's certainly not all we remember about action-packed 2003 calendar year.

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1st Quarter of 2003 Calendar

  • January 2003
    January 10 - The U.S. sends 62,000 troops to the Persian Gulf, bringing the total number of troops there to almost 80,000.
    January 16 - Chief UN weapons inspector says Iraq isn't fully complying with weapons inspections and hasn't proved that they've destroyed their banned weapons.
    January 28 - President Bush states that the U.S. should be prepared to go to war with Iraq in his State of the Union Address.

    February 2003
    February 5 - Secretary of State Colin Powell pushes for war with Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein is a threat to global security and is linked to the terrorist group responsible for September 2001 attacks.
    February 11 - Recording of what is believed to be Osama Bin Laden's voice suggests to the U.S. that al-Qaeda and Iraq are linked.
    February 15 - Millions gather to protest the impending war with Iraq in major U.S. cities and across the world.

    March 2003
    March 7 - Inspectors report that Iraq is becoming more cooperative amidst pressure to disarm.
    March 15 - the World Health Organization reports that the virus causing SARS is a worldwide health threat.
    March 19 - War in Iraq begins as the U.S. launches "Operation Iraqi Freedom".

2nd quarter of 2003 Calendar

  • April 2003
    April 9 - U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, Iraq's capitol.
    April 24 - North Korea reports admits to having a nuclear bomb.

    May 2003
    May 1 - President Bush says combat is over in Iraq and that the U.S. is victorious in the country.
    May 1 - House passes $15 billion-dollar plan to fight the global AIDS epidemic.

    June 2003
    June 9 - U.S. combat continues in Iraq as the U.S. attempts to thwart deadly attacks against American and British troops.
    June 10 - A robotic rover named Spirit is launched and heads for Mars.

3rd quarter of 2003 Calendar

  • July 2003
    July 5 - World Health Organization declares SARS under control.
    July 16 - Commander of allied forces in Iraq says recent attacks against allied solders are part of a guerilla campaign which may call for longer tours of deployment.

    August 2003
    August 6 - Actor and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger announces that he plans to run for governor of California.
    August 29 - More than 11,000 people die in France and Europe as a result of weeks of temperatures higher than 100 degrees.

    September 2003
    September 7 - President Bush asks for $87 billion to go toward military and reconstruction in Iraq.

4th quarter of 2003 Calendar

  • October 2003
    October 7 - Californians elect Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as their new governor in a recall vote.
    October 17 - U.S. Congress approves the billions requested by President Bush for war and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
    October 31 - The U.S. economy proves strong in third quarter, with the fastest expansion rate since 1984.

    November 2003
    November 27 - President Bush becomes the first American President to visit Iraq when he makes a secret Thanksgiving visit to the country.
    November 22 - Congress votes in favor of a bill to overhaul the Medicare system.

    December 2003
    December 8 - President Bush signs the Medicare bill, which makes elderly people eligible for prescription drug coverage, starting in 2006.
    December 13 - Saddam Hussein is captured, found alive in an eight-foot hole on an Iraqi farm.