Events Date 2003 July | History by KabAstro

Jul 1 Aerobie Pro thrown by Erin Hemmings sets world record for longest throw at 1,333 feet (406.3 meters) at Fort Funston

Event of Interest

Jul 2 Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy, insults German MP Martin Schulz by calling him a "kapo" during a session of the European Parliament.

Media Tycoon and Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi

Sports History

Jul 4 LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant is arrested in Eagle, Colorado for sexual assault, charges eventually dismissed

Jul 5 French driver Sébastien Bourdais wins first-ever night road-course event in Champ Car history on Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport layout

SARS Outbreak

Jul 5 SARS is declared "contained" by the WHO after affecting 26 countries and resulting in 774 deaths

The SARS virus, known technically as SARS-CoV (coronavirus). First appearing in China in 2002, the disease spread to 29 countries before it was stopped.

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 5 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams successfully defends her title beating older sister Venus 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Jul 6 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to 5 stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri, HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris that will arrive in 2036, 2040, May 2044, September 2044 and 2049 respectively

Sports History

Jul 6 Martina Navratilova claims her 20th all-time Wimbledon title as she and Leander Paes beat Andy Ram & Anastassia Rodionova 6-3, 6-3 in the mixed doubles final

Wimbledon Men's Tennis

Jul 6 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roger Federer beats Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 for his first Grand Slam title

Jul 7 The United Communist Party of Armenia is formed
Jul 7 Tour de France: After 2nd stage, Australians are in possession of both yellow & green jerseys for the first time, Brad McGee overall leader & Robbie McEwen sprint leader

US Women's Golf Open

Jul 7 US Open Women's Golf, Pumpkin Ridge GC: Hilary Lunke wins in a playoff with Kelly Robbins & Angela Stanford for her only career LPGA tournament victory

Jul 8 Sudan Airways Flight 39, with 116 people on board, crashes in Sudan; the only survivor is a two-year-old boy who subsequently dies as a result of his injuries
Jul 10 Neoplan bus, owned by Kowloon Motor Bus, collides with a truck, falls off bridge on Tuen Mun Road, Hong Kong, and plunges into the underlying valley, killing 21 people. Deadliest Hong Kong traffic accident.

Senior Players Championship

Jul 13 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Craig Stadler wins his first of 2 Champions Tour major titles by 3 strokes from Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe and Tom Watson

Jul 15 74th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 7-6 at U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago
Jul 15 AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape Communications Corporation. The Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day.

ESPY Awards

Jul 16 11th ESPY Awards: Lance Armstrong, Serena Williams win

Jul 17 36th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center

Jul 20 British Open Men's Golf, Royal St George's GC: American Ben Curtis becomes first debut winner since Tom Watson in 1975; in his first major appearance at #396 in world rankings beats runners-up Thomas Bjørn and Vijay Singh by 1 stroke

Jul 20 France: Sixteen people are injured after two bombs explode outside a tax office in Nice.
Jul 22 Members of US 101st Airborne, aided by Special Forces, attack a compound in Mosul, Iraq, killing Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam Hussein, along with Mustapha Hussein, Qusay's 14-year old son, and a bodyguard

Music Concert

Jul 24 Ringo Starr's eighth All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Colin Hay, Paul Carrack, John Waite, Sheila E., and Mark Rivera

Beatles Drummer, Singer, and Actor Ringo Starr

Jul 27 90th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)

Event of Interest

Jul 27 A group of 321 Filipino armed soldiers called "Magdalo" take over Oakwood Premier Ayala Center in Makati City to show Filipino people the alleged corruption of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration