About the day » Wednesday January 8, 2003Calender converter

• Catharina Wenting (73), Hengelo, Overijssel, Nederland
• Cornelia Apolonia Elisabeth van Warmerdam (88), Emmeloord
• Andries Sjoerd Feenstra (91)
• David Bradley Valla (49), Boise County, Idaho, Verenigde Staten
• Antje Hoogenberg (83), Rijswijk, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Berend Jan Meelker (97), Los Angeles, California, Verenigde Staten
• Beatrice Marcella (Bee) Dalson (98), Kalamazoo, Michigan, Verenigde Staten
• Beatrice Zubiate (76), bigspring texas
• Antonia Catharina van de Wiel (80), Oss
• Aaffien Vegter (90), Den Haag

• 1986 » David Silva, Spanish footballer
• 1988 » Adrián López, Spanish footballer
• 1988 » Michael Mancienne, English footballer
• 1989 » Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player
• 1991 » Josh Hazlewood, Australian cricketer
• 1991 » Stefan Johansen, Norwegian footballer
• 1991 » Stefan Savić, Montenegrin footballer
• 1992 » Apostolos Vellios, Greek footballer
• 1992 » Koke, Spanish footballer
• 1992 » Stefanie Dolson, American basketball player

• 2002 » Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
• 2002 » Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy's (b. 1932)
• 2003 » Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)
• 2004 » John A. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1930)
• 2006 » Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish broadcaster and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (b. 1943)
• 2007 » Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1916)
• 2007 » David Ervine, Northern Irish politician and activist (b. 1953)
• 2007 » Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925)
• 2007 » Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908)
• 2007 » Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922)

• Koningin Beatrix (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from April 30, 1980 till April 30, 2013 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from Monday, July 22, 2002 to Tuesday, May 27, 2003 the cabinet Balkenende I, with Mr.dr. J.P. Balkenende (CDA) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from Tuesday, May 27, 2003 to Friday, July 7, 2006 the cabinet Balkenende II, with Mr.dr. J.P. Balkenende (CDA) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 16.2 million citizens.
• January 21 » A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.
• January 25 » Invasion of Iraq: A group of people leave London, England, for Baghdad, Iraq, to serve as human shields, intending to prevent the U.S.-led coalition troops from bombing certain locations.
• June 2 » Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
• July 22 » Members of 101st Airborne of the United States, aided by Special Forces, attack a compound in Iraq, killing Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay, along with Mustapha Hussein, Qusay's 14-year-old son, and a bodyguard.
• August 10 » European heat wave: The then-highest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom, 38.5°C (101.3°F) in Kent, England. This record was later surpassed in July 2019.
• October 17 » Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei, becomes the world's tallest highrise.

The temperature on January 8, 2003 was between -8.8 °C and -3.9 °C and averaged -5.7 °C. There was -0.1 mm of rain. There was 2.1 hours of sunshine (26%). The partly clouded was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the east-northeast.