2003 Facts for Kids

Millennium:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century – 21st century – 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s – 2000s – 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	2000 2001 2002 – 2003 – 2004 2005 2006

2003 (also written as MMIII in Roman numerals) was a common year that started on a Wednesday. It was a year filled with many important events around the world.

Major Events of 2003
Nobel Prize Winners
Famous People Who Passed Away in 2003
Popular Movies Released in 2003
New Books from 2003
Hit Songs of 2003
Images for kids
See also

Major Events of 2003

January 1 – Pascal Couchepin became the President of Switzerland. This is like being the main leader of the country for a year.
February 1 – The Space Shuttle Columbia was sadly destroyed as it came back to Earth. All seven astronauts on board died. This was a very sad day for space exploration.
July 10 – Wikibooks was created. This is a project by the Wikimedia Foundation (the same group that runs Wikipedia) where people can work together to write free textbooks and other learning materials.
October 30 – The famous musical Wicked had its very first show at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway in New York City.

Nobel Prize Winners

The Nobel Prize is a very important award given to people who have made amazing discoveries or contributions to the world. Here are some of the winners in 2003:

Chemistry – Peter Agre and Roderick MacKinnon won for their work on how cells move water and other tiny particles.
Economics – Robert F. Engle III and Clive W.J. Granger won for their new ways of understanding how money and markets work.
Literature – J. M. Coetzee won for his powerful books that explore difficult ideas.
Medicine – Paul C. Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield won for their discoveries that led to the invention of MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), a way to see inside the body without surgery.
Peace – Shirin Ebadi won for her efforts to promote human rights and democracy, especially for women and children in Iran.
Physics – Alexei A. Abrikosov, Vitaly L. Ginzburg, and Anthony J. Leggett won for their research into how materials behave at very cold temperatures.

Famous People Who Passed Away in 2003

Many well-known people died in 2003, including:

January 12 – Maurice Gibb, a British musician who was part of the famous band Bee Gees.
January 17 – Richard Crenna, an American actor known for many movies and TV shows.
February 1 – The brave crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, and Laurel Clark.
February 27 – Fred Rogers, a beloved American children's television host from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
June 12 – Gregory Peck, a famous American actor known for his strong and honorable characters.
June 29 – Katharine Hepburn, a legendary American actress who won many awards.
August 16 – Idi Amin, a former leader of Uganda.
September 12 – Johnny Cash, a very popular American singer and guitarist, often called "The Man in Black."

Popular Movies Released in 2003

Many exciting movies came out in 2003 that are still enjoyed today:

Brother Bear – A Disney animated movie about two brothers and a bear.
Cheaper by the Dozen – A funny family movie about a large family.
Finding Nemo – A hugely popular animated movie by Pixar about a clownfish searching for his son. It won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 – An action-packed movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life – An adventure movie starring Angelina Jolie.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – The final movie in the epic fantasy trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. It won many awards, including the Academy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Awards for Best Picture.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – The first movie in the popular pirate adventure series starring Johnny Depp.

New Books from 2003

Some very popular books were published in 2003:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – A mystery thriller that became a worldwide bestseller.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling – The fifth book in the incredibly popular Harry Potter series.