Mood:
"Division grows over war and global leadership."
Events: "Iraq War begins."
Events: "Iraq War begins."
- Feb 1: Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster – NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into Earth's atmosphere over Texas, tragically killing all seven astronauts aboard and grounding the shuttle fleet for over two years.
- Mar 20: Iraq War Begins – A United States-led coalition forces launch a full-scale invasion of Iraq, bypassing UN authorization to depose dictator Saddam Hussein under the pretext of eliminating alleged weapons of mass destruction.
- May 1: "Mission Accomplished" Speech – Standing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, US President George W. Bush famously declares an end to major combat operations in the Iraq War beneath a controversial banner.
- Jun 26: Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court Ruling – The US Supreme Court issues a landmark civil rights ruling striking down sodomy laws in Texas, thereby legalizing same-sex sexual activity nationwide across the United States.
- Aug 14: Northeast Blackout of 2003 – A software bug in Ohio triggers a massive cascading electrical grid failure, leaving over 50 million people across the Northeastern United States and parts of Ontario, Canada, without power.
- Dec 13: Saddam Hussein Captured – United States military forces successfully capture deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein hiding in a underground bunker near his hometown of Tikrit during Operation Red Dawn.