What happened on January 3? There are more than 311 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 January 3
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year 2024. There are 363 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday. This day falls under the 1st week of the year 2024.
On this day in New Bern, North Carolina 28564 sunrise occured at 07:15 AM and sunset occured at 05:09 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Capricorn. The modern birthstone for this month is Garnet while the mystical birthstone is Emerald.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 38 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (February 10, 2024).
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)
January 3: A Day In History
The Perihelion, the point in the year when the Earth is closest to the Sun, occurs around this date.
Historical Events For January 3
- 1431Joan of Arc is handed over to Bishop Pierre Cauchon.
- 1496Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine.
- 1521Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
- 1749Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
- 1749The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark’s oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.
- 1777American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.
- 1782Sylhet District in north-east Bangladesh is established
- 1815Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussia and Russia.
- 1823Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.
- 1848Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of the independent African Liberia.
- 1861American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.
- 1868Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.
- 1870The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.
- 1888The refracting telescope at the Lick Observatory, measuring 91 cm in diameter, is used for the first time. It was the largest telescope in the world at the time.
- 1911A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
- 1919At the Paris Peace Conference, Emir Faisal of Iraq signs an agreement with Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann on the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and an Arab nation in a large part of the Middle East.
- 1925Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
- 1932Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop a revolt by banana workers fired by the United Fruit Company.
- 1933Minnie D. Craig becomes the first female elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first female to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.
- 1938The March of Dimes is established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1944World War II: Top Ace Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington is shot down in his Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero.
- 1945World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Japan.
- 1946Popular Canadian-American jockey George Woolf dies in a freak accident during a race; the annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.
- 1947Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
- 1949The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.
- 1953Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
- 1956A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.
- 1957The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
- 1958The West Indies Federation is formed.
- 1959Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
- 1959Separatists in the Maldives declare the establishment of the United Suvadive Republic.
- 1961Finland’s worst civilian aviation accident takes place when Aero Flight 311 crashes near Kvevlax, resulting in the deaths of all 25 people aboard.
- 1961The SL-1, a government-run reactor near Idaho Falls, Idaho, underwent a core explosion and meltdown, killing three workers.
- 1961The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.
- 1962Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
- 1976The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights comes into effect.
- 1977Apple Computer is incorporated.
- 1990Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces.
- 1993In Moscow, Russia, George Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
- 1994More than seven million people from the former Apartheid Homelands, receive South African citizenship.
- 1996The Motorola StarTAC, the first flip phone and one of the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption, goes on sale.
- 1997China announces it will spend US$27.7 billion to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys.
- 1999Israel detains, and later expels, 14 members of Concerned Christians.
- 1999The Mars Polar Lander is launched.
- 2004Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Egyptian history.
Who Were Born On January 3?
- 106 BCCicero, Roman statesman and philosopher (d. 43 BC)
- 1196Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231)
- 1698Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet (d. 1782)
- 1710Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1796)
- 1719Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian (d. 1773)
- 1722Fredric Hasselquist, Swedish naturalist (d. 1752)
- 1760John Storm, American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1835)
- 1778Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish bishop (d. 1861)
- 1793Lucretia Mott, American women’s rights activist (d. 1880)
- 1802Charles Pelham Villiers, British House of Commons member (d. 1898)
- 1803Douglas William Jerrold, British playwright (d. 1857)
- 1806Henriette Sontag, German soprano (d. 1854)
- 1810Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer (d. 1897)
- 1819Charles Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer Royal for Scotland (d. 1900)
- 1821Dragotin Dežman, Slovenian politician, archeologist and botanist (d. 1889)
- 1831Savitribai Phule, Indian social activist and educator (d. 1897)
- 1836Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese revolutionary (d. 1867)
- 1840Father Damien, Flemish missionary (d. 1889)
- 1855Hubert Bland, British socialist (d. 1914)
- 1856R. C. Lehmann, English writer (d. 1929)
- 1861William Renshaw, British champion tennis player (d. 1904)
- 1862Sir Matthew Nathan, British Governor of Queensland (d. 1939)
- 1865Henry Lytton, British actor and opera singer (d. 1936)
- 1870Henry Handel Richardson, Australian author (d. 1946)
- 1873Ichizo Kobayashi, Japanese businessman (d. 1957)
- 1875Alexandros Diomidis, Greek banker and politician (d. 1950)
- 1876Wilhelm Pieck, East Germany statesman (d. 1960)
- 1879Grace Coolidge, First Lady of the United States (d. 1957)
- 1883Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
- 1884Raoul von Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)
- 1885Harry Elkins Widener, American book collector and victim of the RMS Titanic sinking (d. 1912)
- 1886John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1886Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957)
- 1887August Macke, German painter (d. 1914)
- 1887Helen Parkhurst, American educator (d. 1973)
- 1892J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (d. 1973)
- 1894ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963)
- 1895Borys Lyatoshynsky, Ukrainian composer (d. 1968)
- 1897Marion Davies, American actress (d. 1961)
- 1898Carlos Keller, Chilean fascist politician (d. 1974)
- 1900Donald J. Russell, North American railroad executive (d. 1985)
- 1901Ngô Đình Diệm, South Vietnamese politician (d. 1963)
- 1905Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)
- 1907Ray Milland, British actor (d. 1986)
- 1909Victor Borge, Danish entertainer (d. 2000)
- 1910Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player (d. 2000)
- 1911John Sturges, American director (d. 1982)
- 1912Armand Lohikoski, Finnish director (d. 2005)
- 1912Federico Borrell Garcia, Spanish Republican soldier (d. 1936)
- 1912Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and senator (d. 2002)
- 1915Jack Levine, American painter (d. 2010)
- 1915Mady Rahl, German actress (d. 2009)
- 1916Bernard Greenhouse, American cellist (d. 2011)
- 1916Betty Furness, American actress (d. 1994)
- 1916Maxene Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) (d. 1995)
- 1917Albert Mol, Dutch author, actor and TV personality (d. 2002)
- 1917Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (d. 2004)
- 1917Vernon Walters, American military officer and diplomat (d. 2002)
- 1919Herbie Nichols, jazz composer and pianist (d. 1963)
- 1920Renato Carosone, Italian musician (d. 2001)
- 1920Siegfried Buback, Attorney-General of Germany (d. 1977)
- 1921John Russell, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1922Bill Travers, British actor and director (d. 1994)
- 1922Ronald Smith, British pianist (d. 2004)
- 1923Charles “Bud” Tingwell, Australian actor (d. 2009)
- 1923Hank Stram, American football coach (d. 2005)
- 1924André Franquin, Belgian cartoonist (Gaston Lagaffe) (d. 1997)
- 1924Doug Ellis, British entrepreneur, former owner and now honorary president of Aston Villa F.C.
- 1924Nell Rankin, American singer (d. 2005)
- 1925Jill Balcon, British actress (d. 2009)
- 1926George Martin, British record producer
- 1926W. Michael Blumenthal, American businessman, civil servant, and 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1929Ernst Mahle, Brazilian composer
- 1929Sergio Leone, Italian director (d. 1989)
- 1930Mara Corday, American actress and model
- 1930Marcel Dubé, Quebec playwright
- 1930Robert Loggia, American actor
- 1932Coo Coo Marlin, American race car driver (d. 2005)
- 1932Dabney Coleman, American actor
- 1932Tongolele, American-born Mexican dancer
- 1934Carla Hills, American jurist, civil servant, and 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- 1935Raymond Garneau, French Canadian politician and businessman
- 1936David Vine, British sports commentator (d. 2009)
- 1937Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)
- 1939Bobby Hull, Canadian hockey player
- 1939Gene Summers, American musician
- 1939Janice Crosio, Australian politician
- 1939Nikos Alefantos, Greek football manager
- 1939Ruben Reyes, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
- 1941Van Dyke Parks, American musician
- 1942John Marsden, Australian lawyer (d. 2006)
- 1942John Thaw, British actor (d. 2002)
- 1943Jarl Alfredius, Swedish news anchor (d. 2009)
- 1944Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian novelist, biographer
- 1944David Atherton, British conductor
- 1945Stephen Stills, American musician
- 1946Cissy King, American entertainer
- 1946John Paul Jones, British musician (Led Zeppelin)
- 1949Sylvia Likens, American torture victim (d. 1965)
- 1950Victoria Principal, American actress
- 1951Gary Nairn, Australian politician
- 1952Gianfranco Fini, Italian politician
- 1952Jim Ross, American wrestling announcer
- 1953Justin Fleming, Australian playwright and writer
- 1954Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1990)
- 1954Ned Lamont, American businessman and political figure
- 1954Ross the Boss, American guitarist
- 1955Palmolive, British musician (The Slits, The Raincoats)
- 1956Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor and director
- 1956Willy T. Ribbs, American race-car driver
- 1957Bojan Križај, Slovenian skier
- 1958James J. Greco, American businessman
- 1958Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean filmmaker
- 1963Alex Wheatle, British novelist
- 1963Jerome Young, American professional wrestler
- 1963Vic Grimes, American professional wrestler
- 1964Bruce LaBruce, Canadian filmmaker
- 1965Steven A. LaChance, American Author
- 1966Martin Galway, Northern Ireland composer
- 1969Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian bobsledder and luger
- 1969Michael Schumacher, German race car driver
- 1970Christian Duguay, American comic actor
- 1970Mahaya Petrosian, Iranian actress
- 1970Matt Ross, American actor
- 1971Cory Cross, Canadian ice-hockey player
- 1971Sarah Alexander, English actress
- 1972Nichole Nordeman, American singer
- 1972Yoon Chan, South Korean actor
- 1973Dan Harmon, American writer and producer
- 1974Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist
- 1974Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch professional golfer
- 1975Danica McKellar, American actress
- 1975Jason Marsden, American actor
- 1975Thomas Bangalter, French DJ (Daft Punk)
- 1976Alisen Down, Canadian actress
- 1976Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
- 1976Dinara Drukarova, Russian actress
- 1976Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor
- 1977A.J. Burnett, American baseball player
- 1977Lee Bowyer, British footballer
- 1977Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress
- 1977Michelle Stephenson, British singer (Spice Girls)
- 1978Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player
- 1978Dominic Wood, English children’s television presenter
- 1978Kimberley Locke, American singer
- 1978Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model
- 1978Mike York, American ice hockey player
- 1978Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
- 1979Chris Geddes, Canadian volleyball player
- 1979Dina Tersago, Miss Belgium 2001 and TV personality
- 1980Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player
- 1980Bryan Clay, American decathlete
- 1980David Tyree, American football player
- 1981Eli Manning, American football player
- 1981Naresh Iyer, Indian singer
- 1982Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer
- 1983Antti Arst, Estonian footballer
- 1984Billy Mehmet, Irish footballer
- 1985Evan Moore, American football player
- 1985John David Booty, American football player
- 1985Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1986Jacob Timpano, Australian footballer
- 1986Jessica O'Rourke, American footballer
- 1986Lloyd Polite, American R&B singer
- 1987Anchal Joseph Indian/American fashion model
- 1987Leonidas Panagopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1988Rodrigo de la Cadena, Mexican artist and performer
- 1989Alex D. Linz, American actor
- 1989Anya Rozova, Russian/American fashion model
- 1989Julia Nunes, American singer and ukulele player
- 1991Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer
Who Died On January 3?
- 235Pope St. Anterus
- 323Jin Yuandi, Chinese emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 276)
- 1098Walkelin, Norman bishop of Winchester
- 1322King Philip V of France (b. 1293)
- 1437Catherine of Valois, wife of Henry V of England (b. 1401)
- 1543Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer (b. 1499)
- 1571Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505)
- 1641Jeremiah Horrocks, British astronomer (b. 1618)
- 1656Mathieu Molé, French statesman (b. 1584)
- 1670George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, British soldier (b. 1608)
- 1690Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi, Lithuanian rabbi (b. 1615)
- 1701Prince Louis I of Monaco (b. 1642)
- 1743Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect and designer (b. 1657)
- 1779Claude Bourgelat, French veterinary surgeon (b. 1712)
- 1785Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706)
- 1795Josiah Wedgwood, British potter (b. 1730)
- 1813Bennelong, Aborigine interlocutor (b. c.1764)
- 1826Louis Gabriel Suchet, French marshal (b. 1770)
- 1871Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian Saint (b. 1805)
- 1875Pierre Larousse, French editor (b. 1817)
- 1882William Harrison Ainsworth, British novelist (b. 1805)
- 1895James Merritt Ives, American lithographer (b. 1824)
- 1903Alois Hitler, father of Adolf Hitler (b. 1837)
- 1911Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author (b. 1851)
- 1915James Elroy Flecker, British author (b. 1884)
- 1916Grenville M. Dodge, American Major General (b. 1831)
- 1922Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt, German impostor who became famous as The Captain of Köpenick (Der Hauptmann von Köpenick) in 1906 (b. 1849)
- 1923Jaroslav Hašek, Czech novelist (b. 1883)
- 1927Carle David Tolmé Runge, German physicist (b. 1856)
- 1931Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852)
- 1933Jack Pickford, Canadian actor (b. 1896)
- 1933Wilhelm Cuno, German staesman (b. 1876)
- 1943F. M. Cornford, English classical scholar and poet (b. 1874)
- 1943Sir Walter James, Australian politician (b. 1863)
- 1944Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet (b. 1873)
- 1945Edgar Cayce, American psychic (b. 1877)
- 1945Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish writer (b. 1879)
- 1946William Joyce, American propagandist (b. 1906)
- 1950Emil Jannings, Swiss actor (b. 1884)
- 1956Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (b. 1864)
- 1956Dimitrios Vergos, Greek champion in wrestling, weightlifting and shot put (b. 1886)
- 1956Joseph Wirth, German statesman (b. 1876)
- 1959Edwin Muir, Orcadian poet, novelist and translator (b. 1887)
- 1962Hermann Lux, German footballer (b. 1893)
- 1967Jack Ruby, American killer of Lee Harvey Oswald (b. 1911)
- 1967Mary Garden, British singer (b. 1874)
- 1969Howard McNear, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1969Jean Focas, Greek-born astronomer (b. 1909)
- 1969Tzavalas Karousos, Greek actor (b. 1904)
- 1970Gladys Aylward, British missionary (b. 1902)
- 1972Mohan Rakesh, Indian Writer(b.1925)
- 1974Gino Cervi, Italian actor (b. 1901)
- 1979Conrad Hilton, American hotelier (b. 1887)
- 1980George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1915)
- 1980Joy Adamson, Czech conservationist (b. 1910)
- 1980Lucien Buysse, Belgian cyclist (b. 1892)
- 1981Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (b. 1883)
- 1988Joie Chitwood, American racing driver and stuntman (b. 1912)
- 1988Rose Ausländer, German poet (b. 1901)
- 1989Sergei Lvovich Sobolev, Russian mathematician (b. 1909)
- 1990Arthur Gold, American pianist (b. 1917)
- 1992Dame Judith Anderson, Australian actress (b. 1897)
- 1993Johnny Most, American sports announcer (b. 1923)
- 1994Heather Sears, British actress (b. 1935)
- 2002Freddy Heineken, Dutch beer executive (b. 1923)
- 2002Juan García Esquivel, Mexican band leader (b. 1918)
- 2003Sid Gillman, American football coach (b. 1911)
- 2004Des Corcoran, Premier of South Australia (b. 1928)
- 2004Leon Wagner, American baseball player (b. 1934)
- 2005JN Dixit, Indian government official (b. 1936)
- 2005Koo Chen-fu, Chinese negotiator (b. 1917)
- 2005Will Eisner, American comic book artist (b. 1917)
- 2006Bill Skate, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954)
- 2006Steve Rogers, Australian rugby league footballer (b. 1954)
- 2007Earl Reibel, Canadian hockey player (b. 1930)
- 2007Janos Furst, Hungarian orchestral conductor (b. 1935)
- 2007Michael Yeats, Irish barrister, politician and son of W.B. Yeats (b. 1921)
- 2007Sergio Jiménez, Mexican actor (b. 1937)
- 2007Sir Cecil Walker, Northern Irish politician (b. 1924)
- 2007William Verity Jr., American industrialist and 28th Secretary of Commerce (b. 1917)
- 2008Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor (b. 1953)
- 2008Natasha Collins, British actress and television presenter (b. 1976)
- 2008Werner Dollinger, German politician and economist (b. 1918)
- 2008Yo-Sam Choi, South Korean boxer (b. 1972)
- 2009Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (b. 1921)
- 2009Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (b. 1969)
- 2009Pat Hingle, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2009Ulf G. Lindén, Swedish entrepreneur (b. 1937)
- 2010Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean composer (b. 1925)
- 2010Mary Daly, American theologian and feminist scholar (b. 1928)
- 2010Sir Ian Brownlie, British lawyer (b. 1932)
- 2011Fadil Hadžić, Croatian film director (b. 1922)
- 2012Bob Weston, British musician (b. 1947)
- 2012Gatewood Galbraith, American politician (b. 1947)
- 2012Josef Škvorecký, Czech writer and publisher (b. 1924)
- 2012Willi Entenmann, German footballer and footballcoach (b. 1943)
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