What happened today in history
December
What happened on December 3
On December 3 history recorded 50 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 88 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 50events
- 160births
- 88deaths
- 12observances
Highlights
Highlights
1283During the First Mongol invasion of Burma, the fort at Ngasaunggyan was overrun after a two-month siege.
The first Mongol invasion of Burma was a series of military conflicts between Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty, a division of the Mongol Empire, and the Pagan Empire that took place between 1277 and 1287. The invasions toppled the 250-year-old Pagan Empire, and the
1800War of the Second Coalition: French forces defeated Austrian and Bavarian troops at the Battle of Hohenlinden, eventually resulting in the Austrians signing the Treaty of Lunéville.
The War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802) was the second war between revolutionary France and a coalition of European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples and various German monarchies. Prussia di
1904Himalia, Jupiter's largest irregular moon, was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory in California.
Himalia, also known as Jupiter VI, is the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter. With a diameter of around 140 km (90 mi), it is the sixth largest Jovian satellite, after the four Galilean moons and Amalthea. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the
December 3
On this day
X century
- 915
915Pope John X crowns Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor (probable date).
XVIII century
- 1775
1775American Revolution: USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Continental Union Flag (precursor to the "Stars and Stripes"); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones. - 1799
1799War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Wiesloch: Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Anton Sztáray defeats the French at Wiesloch. - 1800
1800War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden: French General Jean Victor Marie Moreau decisively defeats the Archduke John of Austria near Munich. Coupled with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte's earlier victory at Marengo, this will force the Austrians to sign an armistice and end the war. - 1800
1800United States presidential election: The Electoral College casts votes for president and vice president that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
XIX century
- 1818
1818Illinois becomes the 21st U.S. state. - 1834
1834The Zollverein (German Customs Union) begins the first regular census in Germany. - 1854
1854Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences. - 1859
1859Nigeria's first newspaper, missionary Henry Townsend's Iwe Irohin, was published. - 1881
1881The first issue of Tamperean daily newspaper Aamulehti ("Morning Paper") is published. - 1898
1898The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeats an all-star collection of early football players 16–0, in what is considered to be the first all-star game for professional American football.
XX century
- 1901
1901In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a 20,000-word report to the House of Representatives asking Congress to curb the power of trusts "within reasonable limits". The speech was not delivered in person. - 1904
1904The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California's Lick Observatory. - 1910
1910Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. - 1912
1912Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with the Ottoman Empire, temporarily halting the First Balkan War. (The armistice will expire on February 3, 1913, and hostilities will resume.) - 1919
1919After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic. - 1920
1920Following more than a month of Turkish–Armenian War, the Turkish-dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded. - 1925
1925Final agreement is signed between the Irish Free State, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom formalizing the Partition of Ireland. - 1929
1929President Herbert Hoover delivers his first State of the Union message to Congress. It is presented in the form of a written message rather than a speech. - 1938
1938Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Utilization of Jewish Property forcing Jews to sell real property, businesses, and stocks at below market value as part of Aryanization. - 1944
1944Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army. - 1954
1954Väinö Linna's war novel The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas) is published. - 1959
1959The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. - 1960
1960The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It will become associated with the Kennedy administration. - 1965
1965Soviet Union, Space probe of the Luna program, called Luna 8, is launched, but crashes on the Moon. - 1967
1967At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human (53-year-old Louis Washkansky). - 1971
1971Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches a pre-emptive strike against India and a full-scale war begins. - 1972
1972Spantax Flight 275 crashes during takeoff from Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, killing all 155 people on board. - 1973
1973Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter. - 1979
1979In Cincinnati, 11 fans are suffocated in a crush for seats on the concourse outside Riverfront Coliseum before a Who concert. - 1979
1979Iranian Revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran. - 1982
1982A soil sample is taken from Times Beach, Missouri, that will be found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin. - 1984
1984Bhopal disaster: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills more than 3,800 people outright and injures 150,000–600,000 others (some 6,000 of whom later died from their injuries) in one of the worst industrial disasters in history. - 1989
1989In a meeting off the coast of Malta, U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact may be coming to an end. - 1992
1992The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tonnes of crude oil, runs aground in a storm while approaching A Coruña, Spain, and spills much of its cargo. - 1992
1992A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague. - 1994
1994Taiwan holds its first full local elections; James Soong elected as the first and only directly elected Governor of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian became the first directly elected Mayor of Taipei, Wu Den-yih became the first directly elected Mayor of Kaohsiung. - 1994
1994Sony releases the PlayStation game console in Japan. - 1995
1995Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701 crashes on approach to Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing 71 of the 76 people on board. - 1997
1997In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign the Ottawa Treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty, however. - 1999
1999NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere. - 1999
1999In Worcester, Massachusetts, firefighters responded to a fire at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. facility, which takes the lives of 6 firefighters.
XXI century
- 2005
2005XCOR Aerospace makes the first crewed rocket aircraft delivery of U.S. Mail in Kern County, California. - 2007
2007Winter storms cause the Chehalis River to flood many cities in Lewis County, Washington, and close a 32-kilometre (20 mi) portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars in damages are blamed on the floods. - 2009
2009A suicide bombing at a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, kills 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government. - 2012
2012At least 475 people are killed after Typhoon Bopha makes landfall in the Philippines. - 2014
2014The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches the space explorer Hayabusa2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round trip mission to an asteroid to collect rock samples. - 2022
2022Massive power outage after Moore County substation attack that leaves 45,000 people without power for five days, leading to an FBI probe. - 2023
2023Mount Marapi located in West Sumatra, Indonesia begins a sporadic series of eruptions. 23 people were killed, and 12 were injured. - 2024
2024Martial law is declared in South Korea.
Best known
Born on December 3
Best known
Died on December 3
311AD 311
Calendar year
649Birinus
7th-century Bishop of Dorchester
937Siegfried, Count of Merseburg
Count and Margrave of Merseburg (died 937)
978Pope Abraham of Alexandria
Head of the Coptic Church from 975 to 978
1099Saint Osmund
11th-century Bishop of Salisbury and saint
1154Pope Anastasius IV
Head of the Catholic Church from 1153 to 1154
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Abbo of Auxerre
- Christian feast day: Pope Abraham of Alexandria (Coptic, 6 Koiak))
- Christian feast day: Adrian (Ethernan)
- Christian feast day: Birinus
- Christian feast day: Cassian of Tangier
- Christian feast day: Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen)
- Christian feast day: Francis Xavier
- Christian feast day: Blessed Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim
- Christian feast day: Zephaniah
- Christian feast day: December 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Doctors' Day (Cuba)
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Frequently asked questions
What happened on December 3?
50 documented historical events happened on December 3, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: During the First Mongol invasion of Burma, the fort at Ngasaunggyan was overrun after a two-month siege. On the same day, in another year: War of the Second Coalition: French forces defeated Austrian and Bavarian troops at the Battle of Hohenlinden, eventually resulting in the Austrians signing the Treaty of Lunéville. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on December 3?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on December 3, including John Backus, Ferlin Husky, Bob Rogers (DJ). The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on December 3?
88 people with a Wikipedia article died on December 3, including AD 311, Birinus, Siegfried, Count of Merseburg. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on December 3?
12 observances are celebrated on December 3 around the world: Christian feast day: Abbo of Auxerre, Christian feast day: Pope Abraham of Alexandria (Coptic, 6 Koiak)), Christian feast day: Adrian (Ethernan), Christian feast day: Birinus, Christian feast day: Cassian of Tangier, Christian feast day: Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar