Historical Events in May 2003
Mission Accomplished
May 1 In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" on board the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California
- May 3 129th Kentucky Derby: Jose Santos aboard Funny Cide wins in 2:01.19
- May 3 New Hampshire's famous Old Man of the Mountain collapses
- May 7 Arsenal thrash Southampton, 6-1 at Highbury to start Gunners' amazing English Premier League record 49-game unbeaten streak; ends 24 October, 2004 with 2-0 defeat at Manchester United
- May 10 The May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence takes place.
- May 12 Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers bring the Texas Legislature to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan
- May 12 The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by Al Qaeda, 26 killed
- May 16 Calcutta high court rules Calcutta does not have a birthday and that British East India employee Job Charnock is not the city's founder as previously claimed
- May 16 In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in terrorist attacks
- May 16 NHL Western Conference Final: Anaheim Ducks beat Minnesota Wild, 4 games to 0
- May 17 128th Preakness: Jose Santos aboard Funny Cide wins in 1:55.61
- May 17 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (73,726): Arsenal beats Southampton, 1-0; Robert Pires scores 38' winner for Gunners' 9th title
Laureus Awards
May 20 Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Lance Armstrong (rescinded); Sportswoman: Serena Williams; Team: Brazil Men's National Football team
America's Next Top Model
May 20 Reality TV series "America's Next Top Model", created by Tyra Banks, debuts on UPN
- May 21 An earthquake hits northern Algeria killing more than 2,000 people.
Golf Tournament
May 22 In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.
- May 23 NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Ottawa Senators, 4 games to 3
- May 23 The Euro exceeds its initial trading value as it hits $1.18 for the first time since its introduction in 1999
- May 24 48th Eurovision Song Contest: Sertab Erener for Turkey wins singing "Everyway That I Can" in Riga, Laivia
Music Concert
May 24 Paul McCartney performs in his first-ever concert in Russia, in Moscow's Red Square, to a crowd of over 100,000 people
- May 24 Super Rugby Final, Eden Park, Auckland: Auckland Blues beat defending champion Canterbury Crusaders, 21-17 for their 3rd title
- May 25 56th Cannes Film Festival: "Elephant" directed by Gus Van Sant wins the Palme d'Or
- May 25 Indianapolis 500: French born Brazilian driver Gil de Ferran passes Penske teammate and defending champion Hélio Castroneves with 31 laps remaining for his first Indy 500 win
- May 25 Néstor Kirchner becomes President of Argentina after defeating Carlos Menem. He is the first elected President since the economic crisis.
- May 26 Only three days after a previous record, Sherpa Lakpa Gelu climbs Mount Everest in 10 hours 56 minutes. The tourism ministry of Nepal confirms this record in July that year.
- May 28 11th UEFA Champions League Final: Milan beats Juventus (0-0, 3-2 on penalties) at Manchester
- May 28 Peter Hollingworth becomes the first Governor-General of Australia to resign his office as a result of criticism of his conduct
Finding Nemo
May 30 Animated fish tale "Finding Nemo", directed by Andrew Stanton, and starring Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres premieres in US and Canada
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