October 3
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October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 89 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 2333 BC - The state of Gojoseon (Modern-day Korea) founded by Dangun Wanggeom during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Yao.
- 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 being hanged, drawn and quartered.
- 1574 - The Siege of Leiden is lifted by the Watergeuzen.
- 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.
- 1795 - General Napoleon Bonaparte first rises to national prominence being named to defend the French National Convention against armed counter-revolutionary rioters threatening the three year old revolutionary government.
- 1849 - American author Edgar Allan Poe is found delirious in a gutter in Baltimore, Maryland under mysterious circumstances; it is the last time he is seen in public before his death.
- 1863 - Thanksgiving Day declared as the fourth Thursday in November by President Abraham Lincoln.
- 1873 - Captain Jack and companions are hanged for their part in the Modoc War.
- 1908 - The Pravda newspaper founded by Leon Trotsky, Adolph Joffe, Matvey Skobelev and other Russian exiles in Vienna.
- 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 independence from Britain.
- 1935 - Italy invades Ethiopia under General de Bono.
- 1942 - Spaceflight: First successful launch of a V-2 /A4-rocket from Test Stand VII at Peenemünde, Germany: the first man-made object to reach space.
- 1952 - United Kingdom successfully tests a nuclear weapon.
- 1953 - Petrobras is founded by the Brazilian government.
- 1955 - Captain Kangaroo debuts on CBS.
- 1955 - The Mickey Mouse Club debuts on ABC.
- 1957 - Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems is ruled not obscene.
- 1962 - Project Mercury: Sigma 7 launched from Cape Canaveral, with Astronaut Wally Schirra aboard for a six-orbit, nine-hour flight.
- 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.
- 1985 - Space Shuttle Atlantis flies its maiden voyage. (STS-51-J)
- 1990 - Re-unification of Germany. The German Democratic Republic ceased to exist and its territory became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. East German citizens became part of the European Community, which later became the European Union. Now celebrated as German Unity Day.
- 1993 - Battle of Mogadishu: In an attempt to capture officials of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's organisation in Mogadishu, Somalia, 18 US Soldiers and about 1,000 Somalis are killed in heavy fighting.
- 1995 - O.J. Simpson found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Births
- 1716 - Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist (d. 1781)
- 1720 - Johann Peter Uz, German poet (d. 1796)
- 1790 - John Ross, Chief of the Cherokee Nation (d. 1866)
- 1792 - Francisco Morazán, Central American statesman
- 1797 - Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1870)
- 1800 - George Bancroft, American historian and Secretary of the Navy (d. 1891)
- 1802 - John Gorrie, American scientist (d. 1855)
- 1804 - Townsend Harris, 1st U.S. Consul to Japan (d. 1878)
- 1804 - Allan Kardec, French founder of Spiritism (d. 1869)
- 1806 - Oliver Cowdery, American religious leader (d. 1850)
- 1828 - Woldemar Bargiel, German composer (d. 1897)
- 1858 - Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (d. 1924)
- 1862 - Johnny Briggs, English cricketer (d. 1902)
- 1863 - Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov, Russian explorer (d. 1935)
- 1869 - Alfred Flatow, German Olympic champion gymnast (d. 1942)
- 1880 - Warner Oland, Swedish-born actor (d. 1938)
- 1882 - A. Y. Jackson, Canadian painter (d. 1974)
- 1885 - Langley Collyer, hoarder (d. 1947)
- 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)
- 1894 - Walter Warlimont, German General WWII (d. 1976)
- 1895 - Giovanni Comisso, Italian writer (d. 1969)
- 1895 - Sergei Aleksandrovich Yesenin, Russian lyrical poet (d. 1925)
- 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)
- 1901 - Jean Grémillon, French film director (d. 1959)
- 1904 - Charles J. Pedersen, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1911 - Michael Hordern, English actor (d. 1995)
- 1915 - Ray Stark, American film producer (d. 2004)
- 1916 - James Herriot, English veterinarian and author (d. 1995)
- 1916 - Shelby Storck, American television producer (d. 1969)
- 1919 - James M. Buchanan, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1922 - Jean Lefebvre, French actor (d. 2004)
- 1923 - Edward Oliver LeBlanc, Dominican politician (d. 2004)
- 1924 - Arkady Vorobyov, Russian weightlifter
- 1924 - Harvey Kurtzman, U.S. cartoonist and founding editor of Mad magazine (d. 1993)
- 1925 - Gore Vidal, American author
- 1928 - Erik Bruhn, Danish dancer and choreographer (d. 1986)
- 1928 - Alvin Toffler, American writer and futurist
- 1929 - Bert Stern, American photographer
- 1931 - Glenn Hall, National Hockey League goaltender
- 1933 - Neale Fraser, Australian tennis player
- 1935 - Charles Duke, American astronaut
- 1936 - Steve Reich, American composer
- 1938 - Eddie Cochran, American singer (d. 1960)
- 1938 - Tereza Kesovija, Croatian singer
- 1940 - Alan O'Day, American singer and songwriter
- 1940 - Jean Ratelle, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1941 - Chubby Checker, American musician
- 1942 - Alan Rachins, American actor
- 1943 - Jeff Bingaman, Democratic U.S. Senator from New Mexico
- 1944 - Pierre Deligne, Belgian mathematician
- 1944 - Roy Horn, Magician
- 1945 - Kay Baxter, American bodybuilder (d. 1988)
- 1946 - Biff Henderson, American television personality
- 1947 - John Perry Barlow, American musician
- 1948 - Michael Medved, American film critic
- 1949 - Lindsey Buckingham, American musician (Fleetwood Mac)
- 1949 - J. P. Dutta, Indian Bollywood fim director
- 1950 - Pamela Hensley, American actress
- 1951 - Bernard Cooper, American writer
- 1951 - Keb' Mo', American singer
- 1951 - Dave Winfield, American baseball player
- 1954 - Dennis Eckersley, American baseball player
- 1954 - Al Sharpton, American minister and activist
- 1954 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, American musician (d. 1990)
- 1956 - Hart Bochner, Canadian film actor/director
- 1957 - Tim Westwood, Pimp My Ride UK presenter and DJ
- 1959 - Fred Couples, American golfer
- 1959 - Greg Proops, American actor and comedian
- 1959 - Jack Wagner, American actor
- 1962 - Tommy Lee, American musician (Mötley Crüe)
- 1963 - Marion Peck, American artist and painter
- 1964 - Clive Owen, British actor
- 1965 - Jan-Ove Waldner, Swedish table tennis player
- 1966 - Darrin Fletcher, Major League Baseball player
- 1966 - Frank Hannon American guitarist Tesla (band)
- 1967 - Rob Liefeld, American comic book writer and artist
- 1968 - Paul Crichton, English footballer
- 1968 - Greg Foster, American basketball player
- 1969 - Gwen Stefani, American singer (No Doubt)
- 1969 - Tetsu, Japanese bassist (L'Arc~en~Ciel)
- 1971 - Wil Cordero, baseball player
- 1971 - Kevin Richardson, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
- 1972 - Garrett Dutton, American musician (G. Love and Special Sauce)
- 1972 - Black Thought, American rapper (The Roots)
- 1973 - Keiko Agena, Japanese-American actress
- 1973 - Neve Campbell, Canadian actress
- 1973 - Angélica Gavaldón, Mexican tennis player
- 1973 - Lena Headey, British actress
- 1974 - Marianne Timmer, Dutch speed skater
- 1974 - Mike Johnson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 - India.Arie, American singer
- 1975 - Talib Kweli, American rapper
- 1975 - Alanna Ubach,American actress
- 1976 - Seann William Scott, American actor
- 1978 - Jake Shears, singer (Scissor Sisters)
- 1978 - Gerald Asamoah, German footballer
- 1978 - Claudio Pizarro, Peruvian footballer
- 1978 - Shannyn Sossamon, American actress
- 1979 - John Hennigan, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Daniel Hollie, American professional wrestler
- 1981 - Zlatan Ibrahimović, Swedish footballer
- 1981 - Andreas Isaksson, Swedish footballer
- 1981 - Matt Murton, American baseball player
- 1981 - Amanda Walsh, Canadian actress
- 1982 - Erik von Detten, American actor
- 1983 - Fred, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 - Hiroki Suzuki, Japanese actor
- 1984 - Yoon Eun Hye, South Korean actress
- 1984 - Ashlee Simpson, American singer
- 1987 - Zuleyka Rivera, Puerto Rican Miss Universe
- 1988 - Tadhg Kelly, American actor
- 1996 - Adair Tishler, American child actress
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, wife 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
- 1690 - Robert Barclay, Scottish writer (b. 1648)
- 1701 - Joseph Williamson, English politician (b. 1633)
- 1801 - Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur, Marshal of France (b. 1724)
- 1833 - François, marquis de Chasseloup-Laubat, French general (b. 1754)
- 1867 - Elias Howe, American sewing machine pioneer (b. 1819)
- 1873 - Captain Jack, Modoc tribal leader
- 1877 - James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (b. 1814)
- 1881 - Orson Pratt, American religious leader (b. 1811)
- 1890 - Joseph Hergenröther, German historian (b. 1824)
- 1891 - Edouard Lucas, French mathematician (b. 1842)
- 1929 - Jeanne Eagels, American actress (b. 1894)
- 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)
- 1969 - Skip James, American blues musician (b. 1902)
- 1986 - Vince DiMaggio, American Baseball Player (b. 1912)
- 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)
- 1993 - Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1958)
- 1993 - Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1960)
- 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)
- 2002 - Robert Krausz, Stock market advisor and investor (b. 1936)
- 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)
- 2006 - Alberto Ramento, Filipina bishop (b. 1937)
- 2006 - John Crank, British mathematician (b. 1913)
- 2006 - Peter Norman, Australian track star (b. 1942)
Holidays and observances
- Germany - Day of German Unity
- Leiden - Siege of Leiden
- South Korea - National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol 개천절)
- French Republican Calendar - Immortelle (Strawflower) Day, twelfth day in the Month of Vendémiaire
- Abd-al-Masih, saint and martyr