May 1, 2003 (Thursday)
- The Labour Party under the leadership of Rhodri Morgan win a landslide victory in the Welsh Assembly elections.
- President Bush safely lands in an S-3B Viking jet on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln returning from operations in Iraq while 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, California. It is the first time a sitting president has arrived on the deck of an aircraft carrier by plane. Bush makes a primetime address, surrounded by hundreds of sailors, in which he declares major combat operations in Iraq over while standing in front of a banner reading "Mission Accomplished".
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits Bingöl, Turkey, killing at least 177 people and injuring 520.
- United States Navy forces start moving out of Vieques. A big celebration erupts on Vieques' streets at 12:01 am EST, to celebrate the military's move out of the island.
- The British Columbia Supreme Court becomes the third provincial supreme court to rule that the Canadian government must legally recognize same-sex marriage.
- The Canadian dollar exceeds 70 cents US for the first time in five years, reaching $0.7044 US.
- Aron Ralston ends his 6-day entrapment in Blue John Canyon by severing his right arm with a pocket-knife.