At A Glance

17 May 2003 at a glance

Day of the week
17 May 2003 was a Saturday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Get Busy” by 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.
Bestselling Novel of 2003
“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 2003.
Top-Rated TV Show
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 2003–04 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 2003 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 May 2003 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 17 May

  • 1995 Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
  • 1997 Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 2004 The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
  • 2006 The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
  • 2007 Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.

Famous people born on May 17

  • Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1973)
  • Bill Paxton, American actor and director (1955–2017)
  • Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (1936–2010)
  • Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host (1956–2022)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 2003 in the United States

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

  • March 23 – 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 (the first musical to win the award since 1968's Oliver!).
  • April 9 – Iraq War: U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
  • April 18 – Holes, directed by Andrew Davis is released in theaters.

Life in the US in 2003

President

George W. Bush

Gas (per gallon)

$1.59

Loaf of Bread

$1.17

Average House

$195,000

Weekly Wage

$603

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 →