February 5 – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq, saying "there can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more." He also cites that Iraq is developing nuclear weapons.
February 9 – War in Darfur begins.
February 15 – Global protests against Iraq war: More than 10 million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide.
March 12 – The WHO issues the first global alert on the SARS virus.
March 13 – The journal Nature reports that 350,000-year-old upright-walking human footprints had been found in Italy.
March 19/20 – Iraq War begins with the invasion of Iraq.
April 14 – The Human Genome Project is completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
May 1 – George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. A banner behind him declares "Mission Accomplished".
May 4–May 10 – A major severe weather outbreak spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; 393 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
May 4 – Top Thrill Dragster opens in Sandusky, Ohio as the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.
May 15 – The date predicted by Pana-Wave Laboratory, a Japanese cult, on which a close encounter with an unknown planet would result in the extinction of most of humankind.
June 4 – Martha Stewart and her broker are indicted for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation.
July 1 – 500,000 Hong Kong citizens march to protest Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, which redefines treason.
July 5 – SARS is declared to be contained by WHO.
July 14 – Washington Post columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative.
July 24 – The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, Operation Helpem Fren, led by Australia, begins.
July 26 – The electorate of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma approves a new constitution redesignating the tribe "Cherokee Nation" without "of Oklahoma".
July 30 – The last Volkswagen Type 1 (original Beetle) is made in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
August 15 – Global oil production begins a 4-year plateau (and subsequent decline) in the face of rising demand, causing new price increases.
August 27 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in over 50,000 years.
September 3 – The Hubble Space Telescope starts the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, the deepest image of the universe ever taken.
October 5 – China launches Shenzhou 5, their first manned space mission.
October 24 – The Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close.
November 18 – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, rules anti-same-sex marriage laws unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
November 23 – The Georgian Rose Revolution ends in overwhelming victory; president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of protests over fraudulent elections.
December 1 – The use of hand-held cell phones while driving is made illegal in the United Kingdom.
December 12 – Olympic Airlines, Greece's new carrier, is launched.
January 4, 2004 – NASA's Spirit rover lands on Mars.
January 8, 2004 – Queen Elizabeth II christens the RMS Queen Mary 2 cruise liner, the largest passenger ship afloat.
January 24, 2004 – NASA's Opportunity rover lands on Mars.
February 3, 2004 – The CIA admits that there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
2003 (6 Metal Year / 4 Tree 9-Year Cycle / 9 Fire 81-Year Cycle)
[global organization]
[law, ethics]
[The virus itself is more associated with 9 Fire]
[clarity, definition, focus]
[mechanical devices]
[organization]
[Note: The European Union proposed the First European Constitution, in 2003, but the initial version wasn't ratified.]
[clarity, definition, focus]
[mechanical devices]
[mechanical devices]
[law, ethics]