At A Glance

16 January 2003 at a glance

Day of the week
16 January 2003 was a Thursday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Sound of the Underground” by Girls Aloud.
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 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 January 2003 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 January 2003 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 16 January

  • 2001 US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish–American War.
  • 2002 War in Afghanistan: The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
  • 2003 The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry.
  • 2006 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.
  • 2011 Syrian civil war: The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) is established with the stated goal of re-organizing Syria along the lines of democratic confederalism.

Famous people born on 16 January

  • Aaliyah, American singer and actress (1979–2001)
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda, American actor, playwright, and composer (born 1980)
  • Sade, Nigerian-English singer-songwriter and producer (born 1959)
  • Sidharth Malhotra, Indian actor (born 1985)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

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

Browse by Year

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)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →