Mind-Blowing 2003 Facts That We Bet You Didn't Know

The world is changing every day, and with it, the human race is modifying.

Looking back at significant events from the past can cause feelings of nostalgia. It also helps you to realize all the important events that took place to make the world the way we see it today.

The Iraq War is considered the most important political event of 2003. It started the U.S. and Iraq conflict, and the war continued until 2011. After the allied force defeated Iraq in the war, the U.S. placed its military in Iraq. They started releasing its troops in 2007, and by 2011 the U.S . military was out of Iraq.

Some pop culture references were also introduced in 2003. Some of the most famous personalities and celebrities during that year were Jenifer Anniston, Brad Pitt, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Johny Depp, Jennifer Lopez, Sean Paul, Kate Hudson, Scarlett Johanson, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, and Britney Spears.

Steven Bartman deflected a foul ball giving the Florida Marlins a chance to be in the world series. This all-around decent guy was supposed to be portrayed by Kevin James in a movie.

The books that caught everyone's attention in 2003 are 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini and 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by J.K. Rowling. Both the books were later adapted into films.

Erika Harold won the Miss America pageant while Susie Castillo became Miss USA. The American Soldier was selected as Time Magazine's Persons of the Year.

Please continue reading to learn more mind-blowing facts about the year 2003, including information about news stories, radio talk, Michael Jackson, and the film 'Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.'

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2003 Significant Events

Many significant world events took place in 2003. One of the most notable world events was the Iraq War. The year was full of political turmoil between the US and Iraq, leading to this famous battle.

Saddam Hussein, a notorious dictator, led the Iraqi government. Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Party ruled with an iron hand over Iraq till 2003 by suppressing all uprisings.

Before the allied forces of Poland, Australia, the UK, and the USA entered Iraq, then-US President George Bush ordered Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq.

He also indicated that the US forces might enter the country to search for weapons of mass destruction and stabilize the government. When Saddam Hussein refused to step down, the allied forces launched an attack on Iraq on March 20, 2003.

The famous Iraq War or the Second Persian Gulf War started in 2003. US President George Bush announced he was ready to war with Iraq.

They were represented as a threat to world security in the United Nations. The Department of Homeland Security of the US, formed due to the 9/11 attack in 2001, started operating in 2003. It also played a significant role in protecting the US homeland during the Iraq War.

The first brief phase of the prolonged war was fought from March to April 2003. When Saddam Hussein refused to leave Iraq, the US-led coalition forces entered and invaded Iraq and defeated them militarily. On May 1, 2003, President Bush announced the end of this major combat. Some other significant political events of 2003 are:

The first Prime Minister of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas sworn in in April 2003, and he resigned in September.

Terrorists attacked Saudi Arabia killing 34 natives. Al- Qaeda was suspected of the attack.

Paul Martin became the Canadian Prime Minister after Jean Chretien.

Ariel Sharon was elected as the Prime Minister of Israel.

North Korea withdrew the nation's name from the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

The UN Headquarters in Baghdad was destroyed by a suicide bombing that killed around 24 people.

Iran's concealed nuclear activities were discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the agency calling for immediate inspection.

The disastrous event where the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated occurred in Houston, Texas. All seven onboard astronauts were killed in this explosion.

Cost Of Things In 2003

If you compare the cost of living in 2003 with the present-day cost of living, you will see some disparity between your finances.

The primary cause of this disparity is inflation. Yearly inflation increases the cost of living by some nominal percentage every year. These nominal percentages pile on every year, and after a period of nearly two decades, the difference between the cost of living in the present and the past can be recognized easily.

In 2003, the value of one dollar was equivalent to the purchasing power of one and a half dollars today; the increase is only half a dollar over the 18 years period.

However, if you are buying something of a more considerable value, then in 2003, you needed to spend a lesser amount relative to the amount you were paying in 2001. For example, a 100-dollar product in 2003 will now cost 150.3 dollars in 2021.

The average inflation rate of a dollar is 2.3% between 2003 and the present day.

The average inflation rate for 2020-2021 has also increased from 2003. This indicates a drop in the value of money and a rise in the cost of things.

The current inflation rate is 6.2%, which is around three times more than the average inflation rate of 2003. Consequently, a dollar in the market can only buy 66.5% of the product it could buy back in 2003.

If the rates are kept constant, the value of 100 dollars today will be equivalent to an average of 106.2 dollars in the next year. This means the value of money will depreciate by more than six dollars on average, and the cost of things in the following year will also increase accordingly.

When the relative cost of things changes over time (generally increases from the par due to the effects of inflation), we can say the actual value of a dollar has decreased. In general terms, fewer items can be bought with the same budget as in 2003.

This is true for most countries, although the value of inflation and the differences in the cost of things vary based on different factors.

Taking the example of the unit currency of the world, the US dollar, we can see its value differs from one city in the United States to another. In San Diego, California, the average inflation rate is 3.3%; this means that a good valued at 100 dollars in 2003 will now cost around 173 dollars in San Diego.

The cumulative change in costs is approximately 73 dollars. San Diego has the highest inflation among the cities in the United States.

Detroit in Michigan has recorded the lowest inflation rate in the past year, with an average inflation rate of 1.67%. The cumulative change in the cost of things is recorded to be 34.8%.

Inflation also varies by country. The cumulative change in the value of pounds is 66.05%, which means that 166.05 pounds today would have been equivalent to 100 pounds in 2003 in the UK. Similarly, the cumulative price change in Canada is reported to be 33.14%.

Pop Culture Events Of 2003

2003 saw a revolutionary transformation in pop culture history. It was the early stages of transmission from the '90s to the era of 2000. The year 2000 came with its own share of trends, and the frenzy continued for a few more years.

As a result, many significant changes in pop culture history also awaited in 2003. The year saw many new entries in the film industry; TV shows, films, and some of the most significant events made the news that we cannot forget even today.

Some popular movies or the most popular movies of the year 2003 are 'Finding Nemo,' 'The Matrix Reloaded,' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.' 'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King', released in 2003, was the last and the final part of the Lord of the Rings film series.

This series finale was one of the most awaited movies of 2003, and when it was released, it broke all records. It is still part of the highest-grossing movies in America and got 11 nominations for Academy Awards in 2003.

Deservingly, the film bagged all of the awards. For this reason, many critics consider this movie the most incredible fantasy film of all time.

The famous American hip-hop singer, 50 Cent, whose many songs later made it to the US Billboard Hot 100, made his debut in 2003. His debut album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released in January 2003, and the song 'In Da Club' was 50 Cent's first song to top the charts of US Billboard Hot 100.

He received the MTV Video Music Awards for the Best New Artist, and the music video for the song received the Best Rap Video Awards.

The popstar icon Beyonce's debut album 'Dangerously in Love' also came out this year. The song 'Crazy In Love' was written by two artists, Jay-Z and Beyonce.

This song was a huge hit, and it won three awards, the MTV Video Music Award and two Grammies for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, in the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. 'Hey Ya' by OutKast was one of the hit songs from 2003.

The biggest television shows of 2003-04 were Naval Crime Investigation Service (NCIS), the Stuart Little animated TV series, and Tarzan. The famous story about the white rat, Stuart Little, who came to life, was HBO's attempt to recreate the book into an animated series.

The second last season of the world-famous sitcom 'FRIENDS' was also aired in the first half of 2003, and like always, it was a huge hit.

Apart from these TV shows, some biggest reality shows started in 2003. The first season of 'America's Next Top Model' aired in 2003, bringing new faces to America's fashion industry.

'American Idol' was also aired during this time. There were also some other hits in the 2003 television industry, including 'CSI: Miami,' 'The Bachelorette,' 'The Apprentice,' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond'!

Best Movies Of 2003

Many chart-topping movies premiered in 2003 under some of the biggest banners. The last installment of the franchise 'Lord of the Rings' was the year's biggest hit. It won 11 Academy Awards in 2004, while the musical 'Chicago' won the Oscars for the Best Film of the Year.

In 2003, Disney came up with one of the most iconic animated movies of all time, 'Finding Nemo.' All the '90s kids remember watching this movie at least once while growing up.

The film subtly taught morals and valuable life lessons to aging kids through animation. 'Finding Nemo' still holds the record for best-selling DVDs and was awarded the Best Animated Film of the Year in Academy Awards.

Another ground-breaking series of Disney is the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie series. The first movie of the franchise, 'Curse of the Black Pearl' was premiered for the first time in 2003.

When the movie premiered, there weren't too many high hopes for it. However, its unique storyline and iconic characters made it the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year.

'The Matrix Reloaded' also came out this year and proved to be the fitting conclusion to the 'Matrix Trilogy.' Some other noteworthy movies of the year were 'Bruce Almighty,' 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines', 'X2: X-Men United', and 'Elf.'