March 3

2024 Calendar

March 3 is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 303 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

Up to 1900

1284 – The Statute of Rhuddlan incorporates the Principality of Wales into England.
1575 – Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great defeats a Bengali army at the Battle of Tukaroi.
1585 – The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza, Italy.
1776 – American Revolutionary War: The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins in the Battle of Nassau.
1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Continental Army is routed (heavily beaten) at the Battle of Brier Creek.
1788 – Europen settlement begins on Norfolk Island.
1799 – Russo-Ottoman Siege of Corfu ends with the surrender of the French garrison.
1820 – United States Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.
1836 – Texas declares independence from Mexico.
1845 – Florida becomes the 27th state of the United States.
1849 – The Minnesota Territory is created.
1857 – Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China.
1861 – Tsar Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing the serfs.
1875 – Georges Bizet's opera Carmen receives its premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.
1875 – The first–ever organised indoor ice hockey game is held in Montreal.
1878 – The Russo-Turkish War ends, as Bulgaria regains its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
1885 – The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York.

1901 – 2000

1904 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany becomes the first ruler to make a sound recording of a political document, using the phonograph cylinder.
1905 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly, the Duma.
1913 – Thousands of women march in a suffrage parade in Washington, DC.
1915 – NACA, the predecessor of NASA, is founded.
1918 – World War I: Germany, Austria and Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending Russia's involvement in the war.
1923 – TIME magazine is first published.
1924 – End of the Ottoman caliphate.
1925 – The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is unveiled, having been created by Gutzon Borglum. Carved into rock are the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
1931 – The United States adopts "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem.
1933 – Ching Yun University is established.
1938 – Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
1939 – Mahatma Gandhi begins a fast (a period without eating) in protest against autocratic rule in British colonial India.
1942 – World War II: Ten Japanese war planes raid the town of Broome in Western Australia, killing over 100 people.
1943 – World War II: In London, 173 people are killed in a crush while trying to enter the air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.
1945 – World War II: American and Filipino troops recapture Manila from Japanese forces.
1945 – A former Armia Krajowa unit massacres at least 150 Ukrainian civilians in Pawlokoma, Poland.
1945 – World War II: The Royal Air Force accidentally bombs the Bezuidenhout neighbourhood in The Hague, killing 511 people.
1953 – A Canadian Pacific Airlines Comet aircraft crashes in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 11 people.
1958 – Nuri as-Said becomes Prime Minister of Iraq for the 14th time.
1961 – Hassan II becomes King of Morocco.
1962 – The British Antarctic Territory is created.
1969 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 9 to test the lunar module.
1973 – Wasington Convention is signed.
1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashes at Ermenonville, near Paris, killing all 346 people on board.
1978 – The body of movie actor Charles Chaplin is stolen from his grave in Switzerland.
1985 – Arthur Scargill announces the decision by the National Mineworkers Union to end the longest–running industrial dispute in the United Kingdom without a peace agreement over pit closures.
1985 – A magnitude 8.3 earthquake strikes the Valparaiso region of Chile, killing 177 people.
1991 – Referendum votes in both Estonia and Latvia show overwhelming support for independence from the Soviet Union.
1991 – United Airlines Flight 585 crashes at Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing 25 people on board.
1991 – Rodney King is hit and kicked by the Los Angeles police, which leads to big riots.
1992 – Kyrgyzstan starts to use its current flag.
1992 – Alija Izetbegovic declares Bosnia and Herzegovina independent.
1996 – The Partido Popular wins the Spanish parliamentary election, leading to Jose Maria Aznar becoming Prime Minister.
1997 – The Sky Tower, the southern hemisphere's tallest free–standing structure at a height of 328 metres, opens in Auckland, New Zealand, following more than 2 ¹⁄₂ years of building work.

From 2001

2002 – Switzerland votes to join the United Nations, breaking its long history of being neutral.
2002 – The Hindu Kush in Afghanistan is hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, killing 166 people.
2005 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non–stop around the world without refuelling.
2009 – An armed attack targets the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan.
2009 – The Historical Archives building in Cologne, Germany, collapses, killing 2 people. Many documents are either completely destroyed or badly damaged.

Births

Up to 1900

1455 – King John II of Portugal (d. 1495)
1500 – Reginald Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1558)
1520 – Matthias Flacius, Croatian Protestant reformer (d. 1575)
1589 – Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch theologian (d. 1676)
1606 – Edmund Waller, English poet (d. 1687)
1652 – Thomas Ottway, English dramatist (d. 1685)
1678 – Madeleine de Vercheres, Canadian heroine (d. 1747)
1756 – William Goodwin, English writer (d. 1836)
1778 – Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover (d. 1841)
1788 – William Carroll, 6th and 9th Governor of Tennessee (d. 1844)
1793 – Charles Sealsfield, Austrian–American journalist (d. 1864)
1800 – Heinrich Georg Bronn, German geologist (d. 1862)
1805 – Jonas Furrer, 1st President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1861)
1816 – William James Blacklock, English painter (d. 1858)
1819 – Gustave de Molinari, Belgian economist (d. 1912)
1823 – Gyula Andrassy, Hungarian regent (d. 1890)
1831 – George Pullman, American inventor (d. 1897)
1838 – George William Hill, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1914)
1839 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1904)
1841 – John Murray, Scottish oceanographer (d. 1914)
1845 – Georg Cantor, German mathematician (d. 1918)
1847 – Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish inventor (d. 1922)
1860 – John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player (d. 1925)
1861 – Racho Petrov, Bulgarian general and politician (d. 1942)
1866 – Fred A. Busse, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1914)
1869 – Henry Wood, English conductor (d. 1944)
1869 – William M. Calder, United States Senator (d. 1945)
1871 – Maurice Garin, French cyclist (d. 1957)
1873 – William Green, American labor union leader (d. 1953)
1877 – Jon Thorlaksson, Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1935)
1878 – Leopold Jessner, German producer and director (d. 1945)
1879 – Jozsef Klekl, Slovenian writer (d. 1936)
1880 – Yosuke Matsuoka, Japanese politician (d. 1946)
1880 – Florence Auer, American actress (d. 1962)
1882 – Charles Ponzi, Italian criminal, origin of the term Ponzi scheme (d. 1949)
1886 – Tore Orjasaeter, Norwegian poet (d. 1968)
1886 – Ezequiel Fernandez, 18th President of Panama (d. 1946)
1890 – Norman Bethune, Canadian doctor and humanitarian (d. 1939)
1891 – Damaskinos, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1949)
1891 – Arthur Drewry, British FIFA President (d. 1961)
1893 – Beatrice Wood, American artist and ceramicist (d. 1998)
1895 – Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist (d. 1973)

1901 – 1950

1901 – Claude Choules, British World War I veteran and supercentenarian (d. 2011)
1903 – Vasily Kozlov, Soviet politician (d. 1987)
1905 – Marie Glory, French actress (d. 2009)
1906 – Artur Lundqvist, Swedish writer (d. 1991)
1911 – Jean Harlow, American actress (d. 1937)
1912 – Klaus Gysi, German politician (d. 1999)
1914 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter (d. 1973)
1916 – Paul Halmos, Hungarian–American mathematician (d. 2006)
1918 – Arthur Kornberg, American biochemist (d. 2007)
1918 – Peter O'Sullevan, British horse racing commentator (d. 2015)
1918 – Fritz Thiedemann, German equestrian (d. 2000)
1919 – Loki Schmidt, German environmentalist and wife of Helmut Schmidt (d. 2010)
1919 – Peter Abrahams, South African writer (d. 2017)
1920 – Ronald Searle, British cartoonist (d. 2011)
1920 – Julius Boros, American golfer (d. 1994)
1920 – James Doohan, Canadian actor (d. 2005)
1921 – Diana Barrymore, American actress (d. 1960)
1921 – Doc Paskowitz, American surfer and physician (d. 2014)
1922 – Nandor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (d. 2002)
1923 – Doc Watson, American bluegrass musician (d. 2012)
1924 – Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan
1924 – Lys Assia, Swiss singer and actress (d. 2018)
1928 – Howell Evans, Welsh actor, comedian and singer (d. 2014)
1929 – Mithat Bayrak, Turkish wrestler (d. 2014)
1930 – Heiner Geissler, German politician (d. 2017)
1930 – Ion Iliescu, former President of Romania
1933 – Lee Radziwill, American fashion executive (d. 2019)
1933 – Alfredo Landa, Spanish actor (d. 2013)
1934 – Jimmy Garrison, American jazz musician (d. 1976)
1934 – Peter Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, English politician
1934 – Yasuo Takamori, Japanese footballer
1935 – Zhelyu Zhelev, former President of Bulgaria (d. 2015)
1935 – Michael Walzer, American philosopher
1935 – Malcolm Anderson, Australian tennis player
1937 – Tsukasa Hosaka, Japanese footballer (d. 2018)
1937 – Bobby Driscoll, American actor (d. 1968)
1938 – Bruno Bozzetti, Italian animator and movie director
1942 – Mike Pender, English singer and guitarist
1945 – Ronald Mallett, American theoretical physicist
1945 – George Miller, Australian director
1946 – John Virgo, English snooker player
1946 – James C. Adamson, American astronaut
1947 – Jennifer Warnes, American singer
1947 – Oscar Tabarez, Uruguayan football manager
1948 – Snowy White, British guitarist
1949 – Bonnie J. Dunbar, American engineer, academic and astronaut

1951 – 1975

1951 – Tony Hall, British broadcasting executive, Director–General of the BBC
1953 – Zico, Brazilian footballer
1955 – Jorge Vergara, Mexican businessman
1955 – Darnell Williams, English–American actor
1956 – Zbigniew Boniek, Polish footballer
1958 – Miranda Richardson, British actress
1958 – Bob Bradley, American soccer coach
1958 – Marc Silvestri, American comic book artist
1960 – Neal Heaton, American baseball player and coach
1961 – Fatima Whitbread, British javelin thrower
1962 – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, American athlete
1966 – Fernando Colunga, Mexican actor
1966 – Timo Tolkki, Finnish musician
1967 – Alexander Volkov, Russian tennis player
1968 – Brian Cox, British physicist, television presenter and former musician
1968 – Brian Leetch, American ice hockey player
1970 – Inzamam ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer
1970 – James Purnell, British politician
1970 – John Carter Cash, American country musician
1971 – Charlie Brooker, British comedian, writer and broadcaster
1971 – Christian Eigner, Austrian drummer and songwriter (Depeche Mode)
1972 – Darren Anderton, English footballer
1973 – Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
1973 – Olafur Darri Olafsson, Icelandic actor
1974 – David Faustino, American actor
1975 – Aleksandr Abdulkhalikov, Russian footballer
1975 – Aleksei Abdulkhalikov, Russian footballer

From 1976

1976 – Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, Estonian politician
1977 – Ronan Keating, Irish singer
1978 – Seo Moon-tak, South Korean singer
1979 – Albert Jorquera, Spanish footballer
1979 – Alex Zane, British comedian
1981 – Eugene, South Korean singer and actress
1981 – Lil' Flip, American rapper
1981 – Julius Malema, South African politician and leader of Economic Freedom Fighters
1981 – Emmanuel Pappoe, Ghanaian footballer
1982 – Jessica Biel, American actress
1983 – Ashley Hansen, Australian footballer
1984 – Alexander Semin, Russian ice hockey player
1985 – David Davies, Welsh swimmer
1986 – Mehmet Topal, Turkish footballer
1986 – Stacie Orrico, American singer
1987 – Jesus Padilla, Mexican footballer
1988 – Riccardo Bocchino, Italian rugby player
1988 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
1988 – Michael Morrison, English footballer
1989 – Erwin Mulder, Dutch footballer
1989 – Hayley Marie Norman, American actress, producer and screenwriter
1989 – Shuichi Gonda, Japanese footballer
1991 – Park Cho-rong, South Korean singer
1992 – Jordy Lucas, Australian actress
1994 – Umika Kawashima, Japanese actress
1995 – Maine Mendoza, Filipina internet and television personality
1997 – Camila Cabello, American singer

Deaths

Up to 1900

1033 – Cunigunde of Luxembourg, Holy Roman Empress (b. 960)
1111 – Bohemund I, Prince of Antioch
1239 – Vladimir III Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1187)
1554 – John Frederick, Elector of Saxony (b. 1503)
1605 – Pope Clement VIII (b. 1536)
1606 – Nyaungyan Min, King of Burma (b. 1557)
1703 – Robert Hooke, English scientist (b. 1635)
1706 – Johann Pachelbel, German composer (b. 1653)
1707 – Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor (b. 1618)
1792 – Robert Adam, Scottish architect (b. 1728)
1824 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1755)
1869 – William Lanney (King Billy), the last full blood aborigine in Tasmania.
1899 – William P. Sprague, American politician (b. 1887)

1901 – 2000

1901 – George Gilman, American businessman (b. 1826)
1920 – Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter (b. 1840)
1927 – Mikhail Artsybashev, Ukrainian writer and playwright (b. 1878)
1932 – Eugen d'Albert, German composer (b. 1864)
1932 – Joseph Mackey Brown, Governor of Georgia (b. 1851)
1942 – Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, Italian governor and viceroy (b. 1898)
1945 – William M. Calder, United States Senator (b. 1869)
1953 – James J. Jeffries, American heavyweight boxer (b. 1875)
1959 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (d. 1906)
1961 – Paul Wittgenstein, Austrian–born pianist (b. 1887)
1966 – Joseph Fields, American playwright, director and producer (b. 1895)
1975 – Edward H. Griffith, American director (d. 1888)
1979 – Mustafa Barzani, Kurdish politician (b. 1903)
1983 – Hergé, Belgian comics creator (b. 1907)
1987 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer and comedian (b. 1911)
1991 – William Penney, English mathematician (b. 1909)
1993 – Carlos Montoya, Spanish flamenco guitarist (b. 1903)
1993 – Albert Sabin, Polish–born medical researcher (b. 1906)
1995 – Howard Hunter, American religious leader (b. 1907)
1996 – Marguerite Durand, French writer (b. 1914)
1996 – John Krol, American cardinal (b. 1910)
1998 – Fred Friendly, American broadcast executive (b. 1915)
1999 – Gerhard Herzberg, German–born Canadian chemist (b. 1904)

From 2001

2002 – G. M. C. Balayogi, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1951)
2003 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933)
2005 – Rinus Michels, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1928)
2008 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian operatic tenor (b. 1921)
2010 – Keith Alexander, British footballer and coach (b. 1956)
2010 – Michael Foot, British politician (b. 1913)
2011 – Allan Louisy, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia (b. 1914)
2012 – Ralph McQuarrie, American conceptual designer and illustrator (b. 1929)
2013 – Luis Cubilla, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1940)
2014 – William R. Pogue, American astronaut (b. 1930)
2015 – M. Stanton Evans, American journalist, writer and educator (b. 1934)
2015 – Lynn Borden, American actress (b. 1937)
2015 – Ernest Braun, Austrian–British academic and writer (b. 1925)
2016 – Martin Crowe, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1962)
2016 – Ashok Ghosh, Indian politician (b. 1921)
2016 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician (b. 1914)
2016 – Natalia Krachkovskaya, Russian actress (b. 1938)
2016 – Sophie Dessus, French politician (b. 1955)
2016 – Hayabusa, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1968)
2017 – Raymond Kopa, French footballer (b. 1931)
2017 – Misha Mengelberg, Dutch jazz pianist and composer (b. 1935)
2017 – Tommy Page, American singer-songwriter (b. 1970)
2017 – René Préval, President of Haiti (b. 1943)
2017 – Anne Kristin Sydnes, Norwegian politician (b. 1956)
2018 – Vanessa Goodwin, Australian politician (b. 1969)
2018 – Roger Bannister, English athlete and neurologist (b. 1929)
2018 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor (b. 1942)
2018 – Lin Hu, Chinese air force general (b. 1927)
2018 – Yvon Taillandier, French artist (b. 1926)
2018 – Derek Saunders, English footballer (b. 1928)
2018 – Billy Herrington, American pornographic actor (b. 1969)
2018 – Jorge Wagensberg Lubinski, Spanish physicist, academic and writer (b. 1948)
2018 – Franz Pacher, Austrian engineer (b. 1919)
2019 – Peter Hurford, British organist and composer (b. 1930)
2023 – Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese writer (b. 1935)

Observances

Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day) in Japan
Liberation Day (Bulgaria)
Mother's Day (Georgia)
Sportsmen's Day (Egypt)
Martyrs' Day (Malawi)
World Wildlife Day