Past year · United States
The year of the Iraq invasion, the Columbia loss, the great blackout and the iTunes Store
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Free printable 2003 calendars: the Year PDF fits all twelve months on one US Letter page, and the Monthly PDF gives each month its own page with holidays written in the day boxes. Both are landscape and print well on A4 with "fit to page".
2003 had 10 federal holidays. The list below also includes 31 widely observed religious, cultural and civic dates, the start of each season and the daylight saving time changes. Federal holidays are shaded red on the calendar.
Every federal holiday in 2003 fell on a weekday, so no substitute "observed" days were needed.
| Date | Holiday or observance | Type |
|---|---|---|
| January | ||
| 1 Wed | New Year's Day | Federal holiday |
| 20 Mon | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Federal holiday |
| February | ||
| 1 Sat | Lunar New Year | Cultural |
| 2 Sun | Groundhog Day | Observance |
| 11 Tue | Eid al-Adha Date follows the Umm al-Qura calculation. Many US communities rely on moon sighting, so the day observed can differ by one day. | Religious |
| 14 Fri | Valentine's Day | Observance |
| 17 Mon | Presidents' Day The official federal name is Washington's Birthday. | Federal holiday |
| March | ||
| 4 Tue | Mardi Gras | Cultural |
| 5 Wed | Ash Wednesday | Religious |
| 17 Mon | St. Patrick's Day | Observance |
| 20 Thu | March Equinox (Spring begins) At 8:00 p.m. ET. | Season |
| April | ||
| 1 Tue | April Fools' Day | Observance |
| 6 Sun | Daylight Saving Time begins Clocks move forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time (except Arizona and Hawaii). | Clock change |
| 17 Thu | Passover (first day) Begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 16, 2003. | Religious |
| 18 Fri | Good Friday | Religious |
| 20 Sun | Easter Sunday | Religious |
| 22 Tue | Earth Day | Observance |
| May | ||
| 5 Mon | Cinco de Mayo | Cultural |
| 11 Sun | Mother's Day | Observance |
| 26 Mon | Memorial Day | Federal holiday |
| June | ||
| 14 Sat | Flag Day | Observance |
| 15 Sun | Father's Day | Observance |
| 19 Thu | Juneteenth Recognized by many states at the time. It became a federal holiday in 2021. | Observance |
| 21 Sat | June Solstice (Summer begins) At 3:10 p.m. ET. | Season |
| July | ||
| 4 Fri | Independence Day | Federal holiday |
| September | ||
| 1 Mon | Labor Day | Federal holiday |
| 7 Sun | National Grandparents Day | Observance |
| 11 Thu | Patriot Day | Observance |
| 23 Tue | September Equinox (Fall begins) At 6:47 a.m. ET. | Season |
| 27 Sat | Rosh Hashanah Begins at sundown on Friday, September 26, 2003. | Religious |
| October | ||
| 6 Mon | Yom Kippur Begins at sundown on Sunday, October 5, 2003. | Religious |
| 13 Mon | Columbus Day Many states and cities observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on this date. | Federal holiday |
| 26 Sun | Ramadan begins Date follows the Umm al-Qura calculation. Many US communities rely on moon sighting, so the day observed can differ by one day. | Religious |
| 26 Sun | Daylight Saving Time ends Clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time. | Clock change |
| 31 Fri | Halloween | Observance |
| November | ||
| 11 Tue | Veterans Day | Federal holiday |
| 25 Tue | Eid al-Fitr Date follows the Umm al-Qura calculation. Many US communities rely on moon sighting, so the day observed can differ by one day. | Religious |
| 27 Thu | Thanksgiving Day | Federal holiday |
| 28 Fri | Black Friday | Observance |
| December | ||
| 20 Sat | Hanukkah (first day) Begins at sundown on Friday, December 19, 2003. | Religious |
| 22 Mon | December Solstice (Winter begins) At 2:03 a.m. ET. | Season |
| 24 Wed | Christmas Eve | Observance |
| 25 Thu | Christmas Day | Federal holiday |
| 26 Fri | Kwanzaa begins | Cultural |
| 31 Wed | New Year's Eve | Observance |
History
War and loss framed 2003 for the United States. On February 1, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas, killing all seven astronauts. Seven weeks later, on the night of March 19, President George W. Bush announced strikes on Iraq, and US-led forces took Baghdad on April 9. No stockpiles of banned weapons turned up afterward, an insurgency grew through the summer, and American troops captured Saddam Hussein near Tikrit on December 13. Time magazine named the American soldier its Person of the Year.
At home, a cascade of failures that began in northern Ohio on August 14 knocked out power to about 50 million people across eight states and Ontario, the worst blackout in North American history. California voters recalled Governor Gray Davis in October and elected Arnold Schwarzenegger from a ballot of 135 candidates. The Supreme Court struck down state sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas, millions of households signed up for the new National Do Not Call Registry, and in December Bush signed a Medicare overhaul that created a prescription drug benefit.
Technology pointed toward a digital future. Apple opened the iTunes Music Store in April with 99-cent songs, and scientists announced that the Human Genome Project was complete, more than two years ahead of schedule. Chicago became the first musical to win Best Picture since Oliver!, and 50 Cent's In da Club topped the year-end Billboard chart. In sports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first Super Bowl, the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets for the NBA title, and the Florida Marlins won the World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Tampa Bay beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego for the franchise's first championship, in coach Jon Gruden's first season after leaving Oakland. Safety Dexter Jackson, who had two first-half interceptions, was named MVP, and Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon threw a Super Bowl-record five interceptions.
Returning from a 16-day science mission, Columbia broke apart during reentry about 16 minutes before its scheduled landing in Florida, killing all seven astronauts, including Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. Foam that struck the left wing at launch had opened a breach that let superheated air into the wing.
Read the full storyDuring a rock concert at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, stage pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the walls. The fire killed 100 people, many of them caught as the crowd jammed the narrow front entrance, and injured about 200 more. The site is now a memorial park.
Two days after a 48-hour ultimatum to Saddam Hussein expired, President Bush announced on the night of March 19 that coalition forces had begun striking Iraq; it was already March 20 in Baghdad. US-led forces captured Baghdad on April 9, and Bush declared major combat operations over on May 1.
Read the full storyThe movie musical Chicago won six Oscars from 13 nominations, including Best Picture. It was the first musical to win the top award since Oliver! in 1968, and the ceremony at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre took place days after the Iraq War began.
The International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium announced it had finished the Human Genome Project more than two years ahead of schedule. The finished sequence covered about 99 percent of the genome's gene-containing regions at 99.99 percent accuracy, and all of the project's original goals had been met or surpassed.
Apple launched its online music store with more than 200,000 songs from the five major record labels at 99 cents each and no subscription. Open at first only to US Mac users, it sold more than 1 million songs in its first week and added Windows support on October 16.
Read the full storyIn a 6-3 decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court ruled that a Texas law criminalizing intimate sexual conduct between two adults of the same sex violated the Due Process Clause. The ruling overturned Bowers v. Hardwick from 1986 and invalidated similar laws in other states.
The Federal Trade Commission began accepting phone numbers for its National Do Not Call Registry, which lets consumers block most telemarketing calls. Americans registered more than 10 million numbers within the first few days, and the list grew to more than 88 million numbers by 2005.
Just after 4:10 p.m., a cascade of grid failures that began in northern Ohio shut down 265 power plants and left about 50 million people in eight states and Ontario without electricity. New York City was not fully restored until August 16, and the crisis led to mandatory grid reliability rules.
Read the full storyCalifornia voters removed Governor Gray Davis by 55.4 percent to 44.6 percent, making him only the second US governor ever recalled. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the replacement race with 48.6 percent of the vote against 134 other candidates and was sworn in on November 17.
Read the full storyJosh Beckett, pitching on three days' rest, threw a five-hit shutout as the Marlins beat the New York Yankees 2-0 in Game 6 to win the series four games to two. Beckett was named MVP, and the title was the franchise's second, six years after its first in 1997.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, which passed the House 220-215 and the Senate 54-44, created a voluntary prescription drug benefit known as Part D, starting January 1, 2006. It also replaced Medicare+Choice with a new Medicare Advantage program.
About 600 American troops in Operation Red Dawn found the deposed Iraqi leader hiding in a camouflaged hole on a farm in Ad-Dawr, south of Tikrit. He was taken without resistance, and the next day US administrator Paul Bremer announced in Baghdad, "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him."
Gold dots on the calendar above mark these dates. Articles are researched from primary and authoritative sources listed on each page.
At a glance
Quick facts about 2003 — from key dates and calendar statistics to major events and achievements.
Important dates in 2003
Water Goat
Notable winners and milestones in 2003
How many of each weekday 2003 had.
How many of each weekday 2003 had. A common year has 52 of every weekday plus one extra—the weekday it starts on; a leap year gets two extras.
Sky calendar
All times are US Eastern Time, calculated with standard astronomical algorithms (Meeus). Dates can differ by a day in other time zones.
Thursday, March 20, 2003
8:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 21, 2003
3:10 p.m. ET
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
6:47 a.m. ET
Monday, December 22, 2003
2:03 a.m. ET
Sunday, April 6, 2003. Clocks move forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time (except Arizona and Hawaii).
Clock changeSunday, October 26, 2003. Clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time.
| Month | New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2 3:22 p.m. | 10 8:14 a.m. | 18 5:47 a.m. | 25 3:33 a.m. |
| February | 1 5:48 a.m. | 9 6:11 a.m. | 16 6:51 p.m. | 23 11:45 a.m. |
| March | 2 9:34 p.m. | 11 2:15 a.m. | 18 5:34 a.m. | 24 8:51 p.m. |
| April | 1 2:18 p.m. | 9 7:40 p.m. | 16 3:35 p.m. | 23 8:18 a.m. |
| May | 1 8:14 a.m. 31 12:19 a.m. | 9 7:52 a.m. | 15 11:35 p.m. | 22 8:30 p.m. |
| June | 29 2:38 p.m. | 7 4:26 p.m. | 14 7:15 a.m. | 21 10:44 a.m. |
| July | 29 2:52 a.m. | 6 10:31 p.m. | 13 3:21 p.m. | 21 3:01 a.m. |
| August | 27 1:26 p.m. | 5 3:28 a.m. | 12 12:48 a.m. | 19 8:48 p.m. |
| September | 25 11:09 p.m. | 3 8:34 a.m. | 10 12:36 p.m. | 18 3:03 p.m. |
| October | 25 8:50 a.m. | 2 3:09 p.m. 31 11:23 p.m. | 10 3:27 a.m. | 18 8:30 a.m. |
| November | 23 5:58 p.m. | 30 12:15 p.m. | 8 8:13 p.m. | 16 11:14 p.m. |
| December | 23 4:43 a.m. | 30 5:03 a.m. | 8 3:36 p.m. | 16 12:42 p.m. |
Reuse your calendar
Every year that starts on a Wednesday and is a common (non-leap) year has exactly the same dates and weekdays as 2003. That means a printed 2003 calendar works again in 2014, 2025, 2031.Holidays tied to the moon, such as Easter, will still move.
Why calendars repeatFAQ
2003 started on a Wednesday (January 1, 2003) and ended on a Wednesday (December 31, 2003). It had 365 days, 52 ISO weeks and 251 working days once federal holidays are excluded.
No. 2003 was a common year with 365 days, so February had 28 days. The nearest leap years were 2000 and 2004. See leap years explained.
1986, 1997, 2014, 2025, 2031 share the exact same calendar as 2003: they start on a Wednesday and are common years. A 2003 calendar can be reused in 2014, 2025, 2031. Use the same calendar year finder for any other year.
Thanksgiving Day 2003 was on Thursday, November 27, 2003. Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November, so it can fall between November 22 and November 28. Read more about Thanksgiving.
Easter Sunday 2003 was on Sunday, April 20, 2003, with Good Friday on Friday, April 18, 2003. Western Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25. See how the date of Easter is calculated.
2003 is the Year of the Water Goat, which began with Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 1, 2003. Anyone born between January 1 and January 31, 2003 belongs to the previous zodiac year, the Water Horse.
George W. Bush (Republican) was the 43rd president throughout 2003, with Dick Cheney as vice president.
There were 10 federal holidays in 2003. When a holiday lands on a Saturday, federal employees get the Friday before off; a Sunday holiday moves to Monday. See how federal holidays work.