What happened on December 3? There are more than 258 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About December 3
December 3 is the 338th day of the year 2024. There are 28 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 49th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Springfield, Massachusetts 01104 sunrise will occur at 07:00 AM and sunset will occur at 04:20 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Sagittarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 57 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 27 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For December 3
- 1799War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Wiesloch, Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Sztáray de Nagy-Mihaly defeats the French at Wiesloch.
- 1800War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French General Moreau defeats the Austrian Archduke John near Munich decisively, coupled with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte’s victory at Marengo effectively forcing the Austrians to sign an armistice and ending the war.
- 1818Illinois becomes the 21st U.S. state.
- 1834The Zollverein (German Customs Union) begins the first regular census in Germany.
- 1854Eureka Stockade: In what is claimed by many to be the birth of Australian democracy, more than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences.
- 1901US President Theodore Roosevelt delivers a 20,000-word speech to the House of Representatives asking the Congress to curb the power of trusts “within reasonable limits”.
- 1904The Jovian moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California’s Lick Observatory.
- 1910Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
- 1912Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with Turkey, ending the two-month long First Balkan War.
- 1912First Balkan War: The Naval Battle of Elli takes place.
- 1917After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.
- 1927Putting Pants on Philip, the first Laurel and Hardy film, is released.
- 1944Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army.
- 1959The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.
- 1960The musical Camelot debuted at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway, and would become associated with the Kennedy administration.
- 1964Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest at the UC Regents’ decision to forbid protests on UC property.
- 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).
- 1970October Crisis: In Montreal, Quebec, kidnapped British Trade Commissioner James Cross is released by the Front de libération du Québec terrorist group after being held hostage for 60 days. Police negotiate his release and in return the Canadian government grants five terrorists from the FLQ’s Chenier Cell their request for safe passage to Cuba.
- 1971Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Pakistan launches pre-emptive strike against India and a full scale war begins claiming hundreds of lives.
- 1973Pioneer program: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.
- 1976An assassination attempt is made on Bob Marley. He is shot twice, but plays a concert two days later.
- 1979In Cincinnati, Ohio, 11 fans are suffocated in a crush for seats on the concourse outside Riverfront Coliseum before a Who concert.
- 1982A soil sample is taken from Times Beach, Missouri that will be found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.
- 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 would later die from their injuries) in one of the worst industrial disasters in history.
- 1989Cold War: In a meeting off the coast of Malta, US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev release statements indicating that the cold war between Nato and The Soviet Union may be coming to an end.
- 1990At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Northwest Airlines Flight 1482 collides with Northwest Airlines Flight 299 on the runway, killing 7 passengers and 1 crew member aboard flight 1482.
- 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.
- 1992The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tonnes of crude oil, runs aground in a storm while approaching La Coruña, Spain, and spills much of its cargo.
- 1992UN Security Council Resolution 794 is unanimously passed, approving a coalition of United Nations peacekeepers led by the United States to form UNITAF, with the task of establishing peace and ensuring that humanitarian aid is distributed in Somalia.
- 1997In Ottawa, 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.
- 1999NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
- 1999Six firefighters are killed in the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts.
- 2005XCOR Aerospace makes first manned rocket aircraft delivery of US Mail in Mojave, California.
- 2007Winter storms cause the Chehalis River to flood many cities in Lewis County, Washington, also closing a 20-mile portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars in damages are blamed on the floods.
- 2009A suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, claims the lives of 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government.
Who Were Born On December 3?
- 1368King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
- 1560Jan Gruter, Dutch critic (d. 1627)
- 1596Nicolò Amati, Italian violin maker (d. 1684)
- 1684Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian historian and writer (d. 1754)
- 1729Antonio Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1783)
- 1755Gilbert Stuart, American painter (d. 1828)
- 1776Johann Spurzheim, German neuroscientist (d. 1832)
- 1800France Prešeren, Slovenian poet (d. 1849)
- 1826George B. McClellan, American Civil War general (d. 1885)
- 1838Cleveland Abbe, American meteorologist (d. 1916)
- 1838Octavia Hill, British housing and open-space activist (d. 1912)
- 1842Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American industrialist (d. 1899)
- 1842Ellen Swallow Richards, American scientist (d. 1911)
- 1842Phoebe Hearst, American socialite (d. 1919)
- 1857Joseph Conrad, Polish-born British writer (d. 1924)
- 1864Herman Heijermans, Dutch writer (d. 1924)
- 1875Max Meldrum, Scottish-born Australian painter (d. 1955)
- 1880Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1883Anton Webern, Austrian composer (d. 1945)
- 1884Rajendra Prasad, first President of India (d. 1963)
- 1884Walther Stampfli, member of the Swiss Federal Council (d. 1965)
- 1886Manne Siegbahn, Nobel laureate (d. 1978)
- 1887Naruhiko, Prince Higashikuni of Japan (d. 1990)
- 1888Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-born Chief Rabbi of Ireland and of Israel (d. 1959)
- 1889Khudiram Bose, Indian Revolutionary (d. 1908)
- 1894Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian politician (d. 1975)
- 1895Anna Freud, Austrian-born British psychoanalyst (d. 1982)
- 1899Ikeda Hayato, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1965)
- 1900Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1967)
- 1900Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountain guide (d. 2004)
- 1908Edward Underdown, English actor (d. 1989)
- 1911Nino Rota, Italian composer (d. 1979)
- 1918Abdul Haris Nasution, Indonesian general (d. 2000)
- 1921Phyllis Curtin, American soprano
- 1922Sven Nykvist, Swedish cinematographer (d. 2006)
- 1923Moyra Fraser, British actress (d. 2009)
- 1923Stjepan Bobek, Yugoslav football player (d. 2010)
- 1924Francisco Sionil José, Filipino novelist, Philippine National Artist for Literature
- 1924John Winter, Australian high jumper (d. 2007)
- 1924Roberto Mières, Argentine racing driver
- 1924Wiel Coerver, Dutch football manager (d. 2011)
- 1925Ferlin Husky, American singer (d. 2011)
- 1925Kim Dae-jung, South Korean President, Nobel laureate (d. 2009)
- 1927Andy Williams, American singer
- 1930Jean-Luc Godard, French film director
- 1931Franz Josef Degenhardt, German author
- 1931Jaye P. Morgan, American singer
- 1932Corry Brokken, Dutch singer
- 1933Paul J. Crutzen, Dutch chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1934Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian revolutionary
- 1934Nicolas Coster, American actor
- 1934Viktor Gorbatko, Soviet cosmonaut
- 1935Eddie Bernice Johnson, American politician
- 1937Binod Bihari Verma, Indian linguist
- 1937Bobby Allison, American race car driver
- 1938Jean-Claude Malépart, Canadian politician (d. 1989)
- 1940Jeffrey R. Holland, American religious leader
- 1942Alice Schwarzer, German journalist
- 1945Paul Nicholas English actor producer
- 1946Joop Zoetemelk, Dutch cyclist
- 1947Patricia Krenwinkel, American murderess
- 1948Ozzy Osbourne, English singer
- 1949Heather Menzies, American actress
- 1949John Akii-Bua, Ugandan athlete (d. 1997)
- 1949Mickey Thomas, American singer (Jefferson Starship)
- 1950Alberto Juantorena, Won gold in both the 400 and 800 meters at the 1976 Summer Olympics
- 1951John and Greg Rice, American twin actors, known as the shortest living twins until November 5, 2005 (at John’s death), at 2 ft. 10 in. tall.
- 1951Mike Bantom, American basketball player
- 1951Nicky Stevens, British singer (Brotherhood of Man)
- 1951Ray Candy, American professional wrestler (d. 1994)
- 1951Rick Mears, American race car driver
- 1951Riki Chōshū, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1952Benny Hinn, American televangelist
- 1952Mel Smith, English comedian
- 1953Franz Klammer, Austrian skier
- 1953Lothar Schneider, German footballer
- 1954Grace Andreacchi, American author
- 1955Steven Culp, American actor
- 1955Warren Jeffs, American convicted polygamist
- 1957Valerie Quennessen, French actress (d. 1989)
- 1959Eamonn Holmes, Northern Irish TV presenter
- 1960Daryl Hannah, American actress
- 1960Igor Larionov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1960Julianne Moore, American actress
- 1960Mike Ramsey, American ice hockey player
- 1961Adal Ramones, Mexican television host
- 1963Joe Lally, American musician (Fugazi)
- 1963Terri Schiavo, American right to die figure (d. 2005)
- 1965Andrew Stanton, American animator
- 1965Katarina Witt, German figure skater
- 1965Steve Harris, American actor
- 1966Flemming Povlsen, Danish footballer
- 1966Monic Hendrickx, Dutch actress
- 1968Brendan Fraser, Canadian-American actor
- 1968Montell Jordan, American singer and record producer
- 1969Bill Steer, British guitarist
- 1970Christian Karembeu, French footballer
- 1970Lindsey Hunter, American basketball player
- 1970Lu Parker, American broadcast journalist and former beauty queen
- 1970Paul Byrd, American baseball player
- 1971Frank Sinclair, Jamaican footballer
- 1971Henk Timmer, Dutch football goalkeeper
- 1971Keegan Connor Tracy, Canadian actress
- 1971Ola Rapace, Swedish actor
- 1971Vernon White, American mixed martial artist
- 1972Bucky Lasek, American skateboarder
- 1973Holly Marie Combs, American actress
- 1973MC Frontalot, Damian Hess, American rapper
- 1973Sammy Leung, Hong Kong disc jockey
- 1973Super Crazy, Mexican professional wrestler
- 1974Jason Morris, Canadian pop singer
- 1975Csaba Czébely, Hungarian drummer (Pokolgép)
- 1975Malinda Williams, American actress
- 1975Mickey Avalon, American rapper
- 1976Byron Kelleher, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1976Cornelius Griffin, American football player
- 1976Gary Glover, American baseball player
- 1976Mark Boucher, South African cricketer
- 1976Silvia Fontana, Italian figure skater
- 1976Todd Smith, American vocalist, songwriter and guitarist
- 1977Adam Małysz, Polish ski-jumper
- 1977Chad Durbin, American baseball player
- 1977Troy Evans, American football player
- 1978Bram Tankink, Dutch road bicycle racer
- 1978Daniel Alexandersson, Swedish footballer
- 1978Jiří Bicek, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1978Trina, American rapper
- 1979Daniel Bedingfield, English singer
- 1979Rainbow Sun Francks, Canadian actor
- 1979Rock Cartwright, American football player
- 1979Sean Parker, American Internet technology businessman and entrepreneur
- 1979Tiffany Haddish, American dancer, comedian & actress
- 1980Anna Chlumsky, American actress
- 1980Jenna Dewan, American actress
- 1980Jim Sorgi, American football player
- 1980Laryea Kingston, Ghanaian football player
- 1980Zlata Filipović, Bosnian Author
- 1981Brian Bonsall, American actor
- 1981David Villa, Spanish footballer
- 1981Edwin Valero, Venezuelan boxer (d. 2010)
- 1981Ioannis Amanatidis, Greek footballer
- 1981Tyjuan Hagler, American football player
- 1982Franco Sbaraglini, Argentine-born Italian rugby player
- 1982Jaycee Chan, Hong Kong singer and actor
- 1982Manny Corpas, Panamanian baseball player
- 1982Michael Essien, Ghanaian footballer
- 1983Sherri DuPree, American vocalist
- 1983Stephen Donald, New Zealand rugby player
- 1984Avraam Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1984Hind Laroussi, Dutch singer
- 1985Amanda Seyfried, American actress
- 1985László Cseh, Hungarian swimmer
- 1985Marcus Williams, American basketball player
- 1985Mike Randolph, American footballer
- 1985Robert Swift, American basketball player
- 1985Sıla Şahin, German actress
- 1986Radek Smoleňák, Czech hockey player
- 1987Alicia Sacramone, American gymnast
- 1987Brian Robiskie, American football player
- 1987Michael Angarano, American actor
- 1992Joseph McManners, English actor
- 1994Jake T. Austin, American actor
- 2005Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway
Who Died On December 3?
- 311Diocletian, Roman emperor (b. 244)
- 1154Pope Anastasius IV
- 1265Odofredus, Italian jurist
- 1533Vasili III, Grand Prince of Moscow (b. 1479)
- 1552Saint Francis Xavier, Jesuit missionary to the East (b. 1506)
- 1610Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general (b. 1548)
- 1706Emilie Juliane of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, German countess and hymn writer (b. 1637)
- 1765Lord John Sackville, British cricketer (b. 1713)
- 1789Claude Joseph Vernet, French painter (b. 1714)
- 1815John Carroll (priest), first Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S. (b. 1735)
- 1845Gregor MacGregor, Scottish con-man (b. 1786)
- 1882Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1811)
- 1888Carl Zeiss, German lens maker (b. 1816)
- 1890Billy Midwinter, Australian cricketer (b. 1851)
- 1892Afanasy Fet, Russian poet (b. 1820)
- 1894Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer (b. 1850)
- 1902Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect (b. 1833)
- 1910Mary Baker Eddy, Founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist (b. 1821)
- 1912Prudente José de Morais Barros, President of Brazil (b. 1841)
- 1919Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French impressionist painter (b. 1841)
- 1928Ezra Meeker, American pioneer and businessman (b. 1830)
- 1934Charles James O'Donnell, Irish politician (b. 1849)
- 1935Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1868)
- 1939Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, daughter of Queen Victoria (b. 1848)
- 1941Pavel Filonov, Russian painter (b. 1883)
- 1949Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress (b. 1876)
- 1955Cow Cow Davenport, American pianist (b. 1894)
- 1967Harry Wismer, American original owner of the New York Jets (b. 1913)
- 1969Mathias Wieman, German actor (b. 1902)
- 1972Bill Johnson, American musician (b. 1872)
- 1973Bea Miles, Australian eccentric and writer (b. 1902)
- 1973Emile Christian, American musician (b. 1895)
- 1979Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player (b. 1905)
- 1980Oswald Mosley, British Fascist (b. 1896)
- 1981Walter Knott, American farmer (b. 1889)
- 1984Vladimir Rokhlin, Soviet mathematician (b. 1919)
- 1989Fernando Martin Espina, Spanish basketball player (b. 1962)
- 1993Lewis Thomas, American physician and essayist (b. 1913)
- 1994Elizabeth Glaser, AIDS activist (b. 1947)
- 1994Michael Dacher, German mountaineer (b. 1933)
- 1995Gerard John Schaefer, American serial killer (b. 1946)
- 1995Jimmy Jewel, English actor (b. 1909)
- 1996Georges Duby, French historian (b. 1919)
- 1998Pierre Hétu, Quebec conductor and pianist (b. 1936)
- 1999Jarl Wahlström, 12th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1918)
- 1999Madeline Kahn, American actress (b. 1942)
- 1999Scatman John, American singer (b. 1942)
- 2000Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet (b. 1917)
- 2000Hoyt Curtin, American songwriter (b. 1922)
- 2002Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (b. 1970)
- 2003David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941)
- 2004Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese mathematician (b. 1911)
- 2004Teo Peter, Romanian rock musician and bass player for Compact (b. 1954)
- 2005Herb Moford, American baseball player (b. 1928)
- 2006Logan Whitehurst, American musician (b. 1977)
- 2007James Kemsley, Australian cartoonist and actor (b. 1948)
- 2008Robert Zajonc, Polish-American social psychologist (b. 1923)
- 2009Richard Todd, British actor (b. 1919)
- 2010Abdumalik Bahori, Tajik poet and fiction writer (b.1927)
- 2011Dev Anand, Indian actor (b. 1923)
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