At A Glance

16 August 2003 at a glance

Day of the week
16 August 2003 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Breathe” by Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul.
Top Film of 2003
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2003 was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Star sign
The star sign for 16 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 August 2003 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 August 2003 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 16 August

  • 1972 In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
  • 1975 Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
  • 1989 A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.
  • 2008 The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.
  • 2020 The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.

Famous people born on 16 August

  • Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director (born 1958)
  • Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player (born 1996)
  • Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player (born 2001)
  • James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1954)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 2003 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '2003 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 15 February – In London, more than 2,000,000 people demonstrate against the Iraq War, the largest demonstration in UK history.
  • 9 April – Invasion of Iraq: the Battle of Baghdad, fought with British air support, concludes, ending Saddam Hussein's rule in the country after 24 years in power.
  • 3 May – 2003 Scottish Parliament election: the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition led by Jack McConnell win a majority of the seats and remain in power. The Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party significantly increase their representation.

Life in 2003

Prime Minister

Tony Blair

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

£2.10

Loaf of Bread

78p

Average House

£137,709

Weekly Wage

£528.00

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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