What Happened on August 3
Important Events
- 1492 Christopher Columbus sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain for the "Indies"
- 1596 David Fabricius discovers light variation of Mira (1st variable star)
- 1914 Germany invades Belgium and declares war on France, beginning World War I
- 1934 Adolf Hitler merges the offices of German Chancellor and President, declaring himself "Führer" (leader)
- 1972 U.S. Senate ratifies the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
August 3 in Film & TV
- 1995 CNN en Espanol premieres
August 3 in Music
- 1958 The Billboard Hot 100 is founded
August 3 in Sport
- 1949 Basketball Association of America (BAA) & National Basketball League (NBL) merge to form National Basketball Association (NBA), Maurice Podoloff elected head of new league
- 2017 Brazilian soccer forward Neymar transfers from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record transfer fee of €222 on a 5-year deal
Did You Know?
First known letter sent from North America by John Rut while at St. John's, Newfoundland
On August 3, 1527
Famous Birthdays
Elisha Otis
(1811 - 1861)- Stanley Baldwin
(1867 - 1947) - Martin Sheen
78 Years Old - Martha Stewart
77 Years Old - James Hetfield
55 Years Old - Tom Brady
41 Years Old
Elisha Otis
Stanley Baldwin
Martin Sheen
Martha Stewart
James Hetfield
Tom BradyFamous Weddings
- 1824 Inventor Charles Goodyear (23) weds Clarissa Beecher
- 1932 Austro-Hungarian-American theatre and film director Otto Preminger (26) weds Marion Mill
- 2000 British PM Gordon Brown (49) weds Sarah Jane Macaulay (36) in North Queensferry, Fife
Famous Divorces
- 1979 Professional boxer George Foreman (30) divorces Cynthia Lewis after more than a year of marriage
- 2012 Music legend Stevie Wonder (63) divorces fashion designer Kai Millard Morris due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
- 2015 Singer Gwen Stefani and musician Gavin Rossdale announce their intention to divorce after nearly 13 years of marriage
Richard Arkwright
Joseph Conrad
Colette
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynAugust in History
![The Strange, Mysterious Story of the Balloon Expedition to the North Pole]()
The Strange, Mysterious Story of the Balloon Expedition to the North Pole
The discovery of Swedish engineer S. A. Andrée's tragic, long-lost polar expedition in 1930 led to more questions than answers.
August 5, 1930![A Pill to Cure All Ills]()
A Pill to Cure All Ills
Not well? Take a Beecham’s Pill was often the advice. So popular was it that nobody doubted it’s extravagant claim in the world’s first advertising slogan.
August 6, 1859![Why Mata Hari Was Not the Spy You Thought She Was]()
Why Mata Hari Was Not the Spy You Thought She Was
The controversial life and death of Mata Hari, the glamorous WWI double agent, executed in 1917, has recently been reassessed in the light of new evidence.
August 7, 1876![Ship Of Gold Sails Into Oblivion]()
Ship Of Gold Sails Into Oblivion
A frigate with more than 150 souls on board, as well as nearly three tons of gold, sailed out of Melbourne on this day – never to be seen again.
August 12, 1853
