1492 Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain on August 3, 1492 to try to find a new route to the Orient. Columbus’ mission was gold and the gospel, to fill up the Spanish coffers, (he was being sponsored by the Spanish monarchy) and convert the eastern people. The Pinta, Niña, and Santa María made their first landfall when they landed on an island in the Bahamas, 71 days after leaving Spain.
1527 John Rut was an English explorer who was sent by King Henry VIII to explore the coast of North America. He landed in Newfoundland on August 3, 1527, and sent a letter back to the king describing his findings. The letter is the first known letter in English to be sent from North America.
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| Christopher Columbus depicted on his ship by Carl von Piloty |
1527 John Rut was an English explorer who was sent by King Henry VIII to explore the coast of North America. He landed in Newfoundland on August 3, 1527, and sent a letter back to the king describing his findings. The letter is the first known letter in English to be sent from North America.
1777 The Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia passed the Flag Resolution in June 1777, adopting the "Stars and Stripes" as the national flag of the United States. The first time an official US flag was flown during battle was on August 3, 1777 at Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) during the Siege of Fort Stanwix.
1778 Milan's Teatro alla Scala, usually known as La Scala, is probably the most famous opera house in the world. The theater opened on August 3, 1778 and the first opera to be performed there was Salieri's Europa riconosciuta. Since 1778, La Scala in Milan has housed hundreds of premieres from some of the world's greatest composers - and it's still going strong today. Verdi's three most famous operas, Nabucco, Otello and Falstaff were all premiered there.
1811 A mountaineering team led by two German brothers, Johann Rudolf and Hieronymus Meyer, became the first to reach the summit of the Jungfrau on August 3, 1811. The Jungfrau is the third highest summit in the Bernese Alps.
1829 Gioachino Rossini's William Tell opera premiered on August 3, 1829. Rossini had high hopes for his work about the legendary Swiss bowman. He considered it his masterpiece from which he could retire but because of its four-hour length and concerns it was glorifying a revolutionary figure, the opera flopped. Today, William Tell is remembered mostly for its famous overture, especially the high-energy galloping finale, known through its use in The Lone Ranger TV and radio shows.
1852 Sporting competition between universities dates back to August 3, 1852, when the Harvard-Yale rowing regatta first took place on Lake Winnepeasaukee, New Hampshire. It is the oldest of American intercollegiate sports. Harvard won this first boat race.
1859 The American Dental Association was founded in Niagara Falls, New York on August 3, 1859 by twenty-six dentists who represented various dental societies in the United States. Today, The American Dental Association has more than 155,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association.
1778 Milan's Teatro alla Scala, usually known as La Scala, is probably the most famous opera house in the world. The theater opened on August 3, 1778 and the first opera to be performed there was Salieri's Europa riconosciuta. Since 1778, La Scala in Milan has housed hundreds of premieres from some of the world's greatest composers - and it's still going strong today. Verdi's three most famous operas, Nabucco, Otello and Falstaff were all premiered there.
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| A nineteenth-century depiction of the Teatro alla Scala |
1811 A mountaineering team led by two German brothers, Johann Rudolf and Hieronymus Meyer, became the first to reach the summit of the Jungfrau on August 3, 1811. The Jungfrau is the third highest summit in the Bernese Alps.
1829 Gioachino Rossini's William Tell opera premiered on August 3, 1829. Rossini had high hopes for his work about the legendary Swiss bowman. He considered it his masterpiece from which he could retire but because of its four-hour length and concerns it was glorifying a revolutionary figure, the opera flopped. Today, William Tell is remembered mostly for its famous overture, especially the high-energy galloping finale, known through its use in The Lone Ranger TV and radio shows.
1852 Sporting competition between universities dates back to August 3, 1852, when the Harvard-Yale rowing regatta first took place on Lake Winnepeasaukee, New Hampshire. It is the oldest of American intercollegiate sports. Harvard won this first boat race.
1859 The American Dental Association was founded in Niagara Falls, New York on August 3, 1859 by twenty-six dentists who represented various dental societies in the United States. Today, The American Dental Association has more than 155,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association.
1867 British Conservative Party politician Stanley Baldwin was born at Lower Park House in Worcestershire, England on August 3, 1867. He served as Prime Minister on three occasions, from May 1923 to January 1924, from November 1924 to June 1929, and from June 1935 to May 1937.
1861 On August 4, 1861, French author Jules Verne's only child, Michel was born. A classic enfant terrible, Michel married an actress over his father's objections, and had two children with his teenage mistress before his divorce from the actress.
1861 On August 4, 1861, French author Jules Verne's only child, Michel was born. A classic enfant terrible, Michel married an actress over his father's objections, and had two children with his teenage mistress before his divorce from the actress.
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| Michel Verne |
1915 Edith Cavell was an English training nurse who ran a clinic and nursing school in Brussels, Belgium. Following the German occupation of Brussels during World War I, Cavell began sheltering British soldiers and funneling them out to the neutral Netherlands. She was arrested on August 3, 1915 after being betrayed by George Gaston Quien, a Frenchman who had defected to the Germans and executed by a German firing squad four months later.
1922 Dwight D. Eisenhower's second son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower, was born on August 3, 1922, in Panama. John served in the United States Army, retired as a brigadier general, became an author and served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium from 1969 to 1971.
1933 Mickey Mouse became an instant hit in November 1928 with the release of Steamboat Willie, the first ever cartoon with synchronized sound. The first piece of Mickey Mouse merchandise was a tablet of paper that featured the mouse, designed for children. One of the earliest Mickey goods to go on sale was the Mickey Mouse wristwatch. Introduced on August 3, 1933, the watch originally retailed at $3.75 and sold at a rate of 2 million annually.
1936 The Olympic Games of 1936 were held in Berlin, Germany, under the auspices of Adolf Hitler's new Nazi regime. It was Hitler's intent to use the games to demonstrate what he believed to be the superiority of the Aryan, or white, race. When African American Jesse Owens won the 100 metre dash on August 3, the first of his four gold medals, he dashed the Nazi leader's hopes of Aryan domination. Hitler stormed out of the stadium rather than present the awards to the black athlete.
1946 Santa Claus Land, the world's first themed amusement park, opened in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States on August 3, 1946. The park offered a Santa, a toy shop, toy displays, a restaurant, and themed children's rides, one of which was The Freedom Train. Santa Claus Land didn't charge admission until 1955 and changed its name to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in 1984.
1958 The US submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater on August 3, 1958. The mission was known as "Operation Sunshine." The USS Nautilus was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine, and its successful voyage under the Arctic ice pack marked a significant milestone in naval history.
1960 European explorers first reached the area where Niger is today in the late 19th century. French military efforts to colonize Niger was intensified in the first two decades of the 20th century after the defeat of Tuareg fighters. By 1922, all resistance to colonial rule was eliminated and Niger became a French colony. Niger officially gained independence from France on August 3, 1960 as part of the decolonization of the French Community.
1967 Creme Puff, the oldest cat ever recorded was born on August 3, 1967. She died 38 years and 3 days later on August 6, 2005. A mixed tabby domestic cat, Creme Puff lived with her owner, Jake Perry, in Austin, Texas. Perry also owned Granpa, who died in 1998, aged 34. Both cats lived off a diet of bacon, eggs, broccoli and coffee.
1977 The Tandy Corporation announced the TRS-80, one of the world's first mass-produced personal computers on August 3, 1977. For US$600, the 8-bit machine boasted a whopping 4K RAM standard memory and an included 64 column video monitor.
1981 At 7 a.m. on August 3, 1981, the the US Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization declared a strike, seeking better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour workweek. Two days later President Ronald Reagan fired the 11,345 striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization en masse for failing to carry out their oath to never strike as employees of the US federal government.
1999 The Wi-Fi Alliance was formed on August 3, 1999 as a trade association to hold the Wi-Fi trademark under which most products are sold. The goal of the Wi-Fi Alliance was to promote the adoption of wireless networking technology and to ensure that products bearing the Wi-Fi trademark were interoperable.
2000 At the age of 49, British politician Gordon Brown married Sarah Macaulay in a private ceremony at his home in North Queensferry, Fife, on August 3, 2000. Brown's first child with his wife Sarah died 10 days after her premature birth in 2001. The couple have since had two children, the second of whom has been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
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| Sarah Brown attending one of her husband's speeches By Andrew "Skuds" Skudder |
2005 On August 3, 2005, astronaut Stephen Robinson became the first human to perform an in-flight repair to the Space Shuttle's exterior. Material sticking out between the heat panels on Discovery had to be removed to avoid burning up on re-entry. He improvised tools, including a saw made with duct tape, and removed it on a spacewalk.
2015 A motorist in San Francisco was nearly killed on August 3, 2015 when a corroded lamp post suddenly toppled and crashed onto his car within inches of his head. The corrosion was caused by dogs and people urinating on it.
2023 The current world leader of The Salvation Army is General Lyndon Buckingham, who was elected by the High Council of The Salvation Army starting August 3, 2023. He is the first person from New Zealand to hold the office.
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