When This Dropped

December 26, 2003

President
G. Bush
Dow Jones
10,425
Gas/gal
$1.59
Big Mac
$2.71
Min Wage
$5.15

By the winter of 2003, Bush was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $5.15/hr — the country was months away from a full-scale invasion of Iraq, with Secretary of State Colin Powell set to make his case to the United Nations in February. On television, Americans were watching "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" dominate the ratings, while Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" was sitting at the top of the New York Times fiction bestseller list. The San Antonio Spurs had claimed the NBA championship that year, and on February 1, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry over Texas, killing all seven crew members aboard in one of the worst disasters in the history of the American space program.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — December 26, 2003

New York Times
Time
Rolling Stone
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of December 26, 2003

Pentagon Gives Airlines A Lifeline With Payments For Moving Troops

World Events — December 2003

Time Person of the Year — 2003

The Whistleblowers
Person of the Year
The Whistleblowers

On the radio

Billboard Charts — December 26, 2003

Hey Ya!
OutKast
Hot 100 #1
"Hey Ya!"
OutKast
Miami Vice
Soundtrack
Billboard 200 #1
"Miami Vice"
Soundtrack

Grammy Awards

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Outkast
Grammy Album of the Year
"Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"
Outkast
Dance with My Father
Luther Vandross
Grammy Song of the Year
"Dance with My Father"
Luther Vandross
Crazy in Love
Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z
Grammy Record of the Year
"Crazy in Love"
Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z
Evanescence
Grammy Best New Artist
Evanescence

On the bookshelf

The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
NYT Fiction #1
"The Da Vinci Code"
Dan Brown
The South Beach Diet
Arthur Agatston
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"The South Beach Diet"
Arthur Agatston
Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"Middlesex"
Jeffrey Eugenides
The Great Fire
Shirley Hazzard
National Book Award Fiction
"The Great Fire"
Shirley Hazzard
Waiting for Snow in Havana
Carlos Eire
National Book Award Nonfiction
"Waiting for Snow in Havana"
Carlos Eire

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 2003–04 Season

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Nielsen #1 TV Show
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
2003–04 Season

Emmy Winners — 2003

The Sopranos
Emmy Drama Series
The Sopranos
Arrested Development
Emmy Comedy Series
Arrested Development
James Gandolfini
The Sopranos
Emmy Lead Actor
James Gandolfini
The Sopranos
Allison Janney
The West Wing
Emmy Lead Actress
Allison Janney
The West Wing

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — December 26, 2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Box Office #1
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Chicago
Oscar Best Picture
Chicago
Peter Jackson
The Return of the King
Oscar Best Director
Peter Jackson
The Return of the King
Sean Penn
Mystic River
Oscar Best Actor
Sean Penn
Mystic River
Charlize Theron
Monster
Oscar Best Actress
Charlize Theron
Monster

Ebert 4-Star Films — December 26, 2003

25th Hour
4-Star Review
25th Hour
All the Real Girls
4-Star Review
All the Real Girls
American Splendor
4-Star Review
American Splendor
Better Luck Tomorrow
4-Star Review
Better Luck Tomorrow
City of God
4-Star Review
City of God

On the field

Sports Champions — December 26, 2003

Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
def. Oakland Raiders
World Series
Florida Marlins
def. New York Yankees
NBA Champion
San Antonio Spurs
def. New Jersey Nets
Stanley Cup
New Jersey Devils
def. Anaheim Ducks

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