2003 in the United States

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: George W. Bush
• Vice President: Dick Cheney
• Chief Justice: William Rehnquist
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Dennis Hastert
• Senate Majority Leader:
• Congress: 107th, 108th

  State governments

Governors

Lieutenant governors

Events

January

• January - Sky marshals are introduced on U.S. airlines in an attempt to prevent hijackings.
• January 3
• * The 108th United States Congress is sworn in, including incoming freshmen Senators Saxby Chambliss, Lindsey Graham, John Sununu, Lamar Alexander, Elizabeth Dole, Norm Coleman, and Mark Pryor.
• * The Ohio State University defeats the University of Miami in double-overtime in the Fiesta Bowl, 31–24, for the national Bowl Championship Series title.
• January 4 - In American football, the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Green Bay Packers in a 27-7 upset, handing the Packers their first ever playoff loss at Lambeau Field.
• January 8 - US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people aboard.
• January 15 - Eldred v. Ashcroft: The Supreme Court of the United States allows the extension of copyright terms in the U.S.
• January 16 - STS-107: Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on what turns out to be its last flight.
• January 19 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Royal Rumble pay-per-view event from the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
• January 23 - The last signal is received from NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft, some 7.5 billion miles from Earth.
• January 24 - The newly created United States Department of Homeland Security begins operations.
• January 25 - An international group of volunteers leaves London for Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert a U.S. invasion.
• January 26 - Super Bowl XXXVII: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to win their first Super Bowl title.
• January 28 - State of the Union Address.
• January 30 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain release a statement demonstrating support for the United States' plans to invade Iraq.

  February

• February 1 - STS-107: Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates over Texas upon re-entry, killing all seven astronauts on board.
• February 3 - John W. Snow is sworn in as the new Secretary of Treasury, succeeding Paul O'Neill.
• February 4 - Four-year-old Sofia Juarez disappears in Kennewick, Washington.
• February 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.
• February 7 - An unsuccessful attempt is made to contact Pioneer 10.
• February 20 - The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island claims the lives of 100 people.
• February 26 - PixelBlocks are introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.
• February 27 - Fred Rogers, host of the children's television show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, dies of stomach cancer at the age of 74.

  March

• March 1
• * The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the United States Customs Service, and the United States Secret Service move to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
• * The Turkish parliament vetoes U.S. troop access to airbases in Turkey in order to attack Iraq from the north. The Bush administration starts working on Plan B, namely attacking Iraq from the south, through the Persian Gulf.
• March 5 - Lockyer v. Andrade, Ewing v. California: In two separate opinions, the Supreme Court of the United States, by 5–4 margins, upholds California's "three strikes" law.
• March 11 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi fighters threaten two U.S. U-2 surveillance planes, on missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
• March 16 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of the United States, Britain, Portugal, and Spain meet at a summit in the Azores Islands. U.S. President Bush calls March 17 the "moment of truth", meaning that the "coalition of the willing" will make its final effort to extract a resolution from the U.N. Security Council, giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately or be disarmed by force.
• March 17 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush gives an ultimatum: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing.
• March 18
• * FBI agents raid the corporate headquarters of HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama, on suspicion of massive corporate fraud led by the company's top executives.
• * About $1 billion is taken from Iraq's Central Bank by Saddam Hussein and his family, just hours before the United States begins bombing Iraq.
• March 19 - The first American bombs drop on Baghdad after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his sons do not comply with U.S. President George W. Bush's 48-hour mandate demanding their exit from Iraq.
• March 20 - The US-led Iraq War begins.
• March 22 - The United States and the United Kingdom begin their shock and awe campaign, with a massive air strike on military targets in Baghdad.
• March 23
• *Hasan Akbar, a Muslim soldier with the 101st Airborne, kills two fellow soldiers in a grenade attack at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait.
• * The 75th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Steve Martin, is held at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Rob Marshall's Chicago wins six awards out of 13 nominations, including Best Picture. Roman Polanski wins Best Director for The Pianist, though he does not attend due to a long-standing arrest warrant. The telecast garners over 33 million viewers, making it the least-watched and lowest-rated televised Oscar ceremony so far.
• March 30
• * Meigs Field Airport in Chicago, Illinois, is demolished overnight.
• * World Wrestling Entertainment holds WrestleMania XIX at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, drawing a crowd of 54,097.

  April

• April 3 - U.S. forces seize control of Saddam International Airport, changing the airport's name to Baghdad International Airport.
• April 3-12 - Iraq War: US forces defeat the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Battle of Baghdad.
• April 9 - Iraq War: U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
• April 13
• *Iraq War: Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit falls to U.S. forces.
• * President George W. Bush accuses Syria of possessing chemical weapons.
• April 18 - Holes, directed by Andrew Davis is released in theaters.
• April 21 - Retired U.S. Army General Jay Garner becomes Interim Civil Administrator of Iraq.
• April 27 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Backlash pay-per-view event from the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts.
• April 29 - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld confirms that U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Saudi Arabia where they have been stationed since the 1991 Gulf War.

  May

• May 1 - President George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A banner behind him declares "Mission Accomplished".
• May 3 - The Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation in New Hampshire, crumbles after heavy rain.
• May 4 - Top Thrill Dragster opens in Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio as the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.
• May 4-10 - a Tornado outbreak sequence spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; over 300 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
• May 13 – Kenny Chesney and Kelly Clarkson are tough acts to follow.
• May 18 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Judgment Day pay-per-view from the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• May 21 – Ruben Studdard wins season 2 of American Idol.
• May 23 - Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M University, is born.
• May 25 - After docking in Miami at 05:00, the SS Norway is severely damaged by a boiler explosion at 06:30, killing seven and injuring 17 crew members. A few weeks later it is announced by Norwegian Cruise Line that she will never sail again as a commercial ocean liner.
• May 28 - US President George W. Bush authorizes $350 billion worth of tax cuts over 10 years.
• May 30 - Finding Nemo, Pixar Animation Studios' fifth feature film, is released in theaters, becoming the studio's biggest financial success up to that point.
• May 31 - Eric Rudolph, perpetrator of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.

  June

• June - As a result of the early 2000s recession, as well as the jobless recovery that followed, unemployment peaks at 6.3%, the highest since April 1994.
• June 4 - Martha Stewart and her broker are indicted for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation. Stewart also resigns as chairperson and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living.
• June 14 - Ennis shooting: A gunman goes on a shooting spree in Madison County, Montana. The gunman kills one man and injures six others, before being involved in a chase and shootout with responding police. He is sentenced to 11 life terms, the longest prison sentence in Montana state history.
• June 15
• * The San Antonio Spurs win their second NBA Championship after defeating the New Jersey Nets, 88-77, in Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals.
• * World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Bad Blood pay-per-view event from the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas.
• June 19 - The U.S. Census Bureau announces that with 37 million, Hispanics constitute the largest minority in the USA.
• June 22 - The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska.
• June 23 - Grutter v. Bollinger: The Supreme Court of the United States upholds affirmative action in university admissions.
• June 26
• * A senior Department of State chemical and biological weapons expert testifies to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee that he was pressured to modify intelligence reports about Iraq.
• * Lawrence v. Texas: The U.S. Supreme Court declares sodomy laws unconstitutional.
• June 29 - A balcony collapse in Chicago kills 13.
• June 30 - In Irvine, California, Joseph Hunter Parker kills two Albertsons employees with a sword, before being shot to death by the police.