- 3rd October Organization is also the name of a Marxist terrorist group.
October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in Leap years). There are 89 days remaining in the year.
Events
- 2333 BC - Establishment of the Kingdom of Korea (in the name of Joseon).
- 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's assassins Brutus and Cassius.
- 1283 - Dafydd ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales, becomes the first person executed by drawing and quartering.
- 1574 - Siege of Leiden lifted by the Watergeuzen; foundation of the first Dutch university
- 1712 - The Duke of Montrose issues a warrant for the arrest of Rob Roy MacGregor
- 1739 - The Treaty of Nissa is signed by the Ottoman Empire and Russia at the end of the Russian-Turkish War, 1736-1739.
- 1778 - British Captain James Cook anchors in Alaska.
- 1789 - George Washington proclaims the first Thanksgiving Day.
- 1863 - Thanksgiving Day declared as the last Thursday in November by President Abraham Lincoln.
- 1873 - Captain Jack and companians hanged for their part in the Modoc War
- 1918 - King Boris III of Bulgaria takes the throne
- 1929 - The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia, "Land of the South Slavs".
- 1932 - Iraq gains its independence.
- 1935 - Italy invades Ethiopia under General de Bono (replaced November 11 by Pietro Badoglio).
- 1942 - First successful launch of A4-rocket from Test Stand VII at Peenemünde, Germany: the first man-made object to reach space.
- 1951 - New York Giants beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-4, winning the National League pennant, with Bobby Thomson's "The Shot Heard 'Round the World".
- 1952 - United Kingdom successfully tests a nuclear weapon.
- 1960 - The Andy Griffith Show debuts.
- 1960 - Niger gains its independence from France
- 1962 - At Cape Canaveral the Mercury 8 blasts off with Astronaut Wally Schirra aboard for a nine-hour flight.
- 1964 - Underdog debuts on CBS.
- 1981 - The Hunger Strike by Irish Republican Army prisoners at the Maze jail in Belfast ends after seven months and 10 deaths.
- 1981 - The Communist Party of Namibia is founded at a conference in Angola.
- 1990 - Re-unification of Germany. East Germany ceases to exist.
- 1993 - Battle of Mogadishu: In an attempt to capture officials of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's organization in Mogadishu, Somalia, 18 US Army Rangers and about 2000 Somalis are killed.
- 1995 - O. J. Simpson found not guilty of murder.
- 2004 - The Montreal Expos play their last major league baseball game before the franchise is moved to Washington, D.C.
- 2004 - ABC dramedy/Soap opera, Desperate Housewives premiers.
- 2005 - Annular solar eclipse
- 2005 - President Bush announces his nomination of Harriet Miers to replace retiring Sandra Day O'Connor as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
Births
- 1690 - Robert Barclay, Scottish writer
- 1716 - Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist (d. 1781)
- 1720 - Johann Peter Uz, German poet (d. 1796)
- 1797 - Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1870)
- 1804 - Allan Kardec, French founder of Spiritism (d. 1869)
- 1804 - Townsend Harris, first U.S. Consul to Japan
- 1806 - Oliver Cowdery, American religious leader (d. 1850)
- 1858 - Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (d. 1924)
- 1862 - Johnny Briggs, English cricketer (d. 1902)
- 1863 - Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov, Russian explorer (d. 1935)
- 1873 - Emily Post, American etiquette advisor (d. 1960)
- 1880 - Warner Oland, Swedish-born actor (d. 1938)
- 1885 - Sophie Treadwell, American playwright and journalist (d. 1970)
- 1889 - Carl von Ossietzky, German pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1938)
- 1894 - Elmer Robinson, American politician (d. 1982)
- 1896 - Gerardo Diego, Spanish poet (d. 1987)
- 1897 - Louis Aragon, French writer (d. 1982)
- 1898 - Leo McCarey, American film director (d. 1969)
- 1899 - Gertrude Berg, American actress (d. 1966)
- 1900 - Thomas Wolfe, American author (d. 1938)
- 1904 - Charles J. Pedersen, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1916 - James Herriot, English veterinarian and author (d. 1995)
- 1919 - James M. Buchanan, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1923 - Edward Oliver LeBlanc, Dominican politician (d. 2004)
- 1925 - Gore Vidal, American author
- 1928 - Erik Bruhn, Danish dancer and choreographer (d. 1986)
- 1933 - Neale Fraser, Australian tennis player
- 1935 - Charles Duke, astronaut
- 1936 - Steve Reich, American composer
- 1938 - Eddie Cochran, American singer (d. 1960)
- 1941 - Chubby Checker, American musician
- 1947 - John Perry Barlow, American musician
- 1949 - Lindsey Buckingham, American musician
- 1950 - Pamela Hensley, American actress
- 1951 - Keb' Mo', American singer
- 1951 - Dave Winfield, baseball player
- 1954 - Dennis Eckersley, baseball player
- 1954 - Al Sharpton, American minister and politician
- 1954 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, American guitarist (d. 1990)
- 1959 - Fred Couples, American golfer
- 1959 - Jack Wagner, American actor
- 1962 - Tommy Lee, American musician (Mötley Crüe)
- 1965 - Jan-Ove Waldner, Swedish table tennis player
- 1969 - Gwen Stefani, American singer (No Doubt)
- 1973 - Neve Campbell, Canadian actress
- 1976 - Seann William Scott, American actor
- 1981 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedish footballer
- 1981 - Andreas Isaksson, Swedish footballer
- 1984 - Ashlee Simpson, American singer
- 1988 - Simon P Phillips, Graphic Designer
Deaths
- 42 BC - Gaius Cassius Longinus
- 1226 - Saint Francis of Assisi (b. 1181)
- 1283 - David ap Gruffydd, Welsh prince of Gwynedd (executed)
- 1369 - Margarete Maultasch, Countess of Tyrol (b. 1318)
- 1568 - Elizabeth of Valois, queen of Philip II of Spain (b. 1545)
- 1596 - Florent Chrestien, French writer (b. 1541)
- 1611 - Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French military leader (b. 1554)
- 1629 - Giorgi Saakadze, Georgian military leader (b. 1570)
- 1649 - Giovanni Diodati, Swiss protestant clergyman (b. 1576)
- 1653 - Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn, Dutch scholar (b. 1612)
- 1656 - Myles Standish, English-born soldier
- 1701 - Joseph Williamson, English politician (b. 1633)
- 1801 - Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur, Marshal of France (b. 1724)
- 1873 - Captain Jack, Modoc tribal leader
- 1881 - Orson Pratt, American religious leader (b. 1811)
- 1890 - Joseph Hergenröther, German historian (b. 1824)
- 1929 - Jeanne Eagels, American actress (b. 1929)
- 1929 - Gustav Stresemann, Chancellor of Germany, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1878)
- 1931 - Carl Nielsen, Danish composer (b. 1865)
- 1936 - John Heisman, American football coach (b. 1869)
- 1953 - Arnold Bax, English composer (b. 1883)
- 1965 - Zachary Scott, American actor (b. 1914)
- 1967 - Woody Guthrie, American musician (b. 1912)
- 1967 - Malcolm Sargent, English conductor (b. 1895)
- 1987 - Jean Anouilh, French writer (b. 1910)
- 1987 - Kalervo Palsa, Finnish artist (b. 1947)
- 1988 - Franz Josef Strauß, Bavarian politician (b. 1915)
- 1990 - Stefano Casiraghi, husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco (b. 1960)
- 1990 - General Curtis LeMay, U.S. Air Force officer and Vice Presidential candidate (b. 1906)
- 1994 - Dub Taylor, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1998 - Roddy McDowall, English actor (b. 1928)
- 1999 - Akio Morita, Japanese businessman (b. 1921)
- 2000 - Benjamin Orr, American bassist and singer (The Cars) (b. 1947)
- 2002 - Bruce Paltrow, American television and film producer (b. 1943)
- 2003 - Florence Stanley, American actress (b. 1924)
- 2003 - William Steig, American cartoonist and children's author (b. 1907)
- 2004 - John Cerutti, baseball player and announcer (b. 1960)
- 2004 - Janet Leigh, American actress (b. 1927)
- 2005 - Ronnie Barker, English comic actor (b. 1929)
Holidays
- Germany - Day of German Unity
- South Korea - National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol 개천절)
- Rosh Hashanah, 5766 begins at sunset (2005)
External links
October 2 - October 4 - September 3 - November 3 – more historical anniversaries