November 3Birthdays & History

On this day: November 3 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 361Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is baptised and declares his cousin Julian rightful successor.Middle EastEurope
2. 1090The Rouen Riot, an attempt by English king William Rufus to take possession of Rouen, the capital city of his brother Robert, duke of Normandy, fails.Europe
3. 1333The River Arno floods causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani.Europe
4. 1468Liège is sacked by the troops of Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy.Europe
5. 1492Peace of Etaples between Henry VII of England and Charles VIII of France.Europe
6. 1493Christopher Columbus first sights the island of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea.Latin America
7. 1534English Parliament passes the first Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the Anglican Church, supplanting the pope and the Roman Catholic Church.Europe
8. 1783The American Continental Army is disbanded.North America
9. 1791The University of Vermont, the oldest university in Vermont, and fifth-oldest in New England, is chartered.North AmericaEurope
10. 1793French playwright, journalist and feminist Olympe de Gouges is guillotined.Europe
11. 1812Napoleon's armies are defeated at the Battle of Vyazma.Europe
12. 1817The Bank of Montreal, Canada's oldest chartered bank, opens in Montreal.North America
13. 1838The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.AsiaEurope
14. 1848A greatly revised Dutch constitution, which transfers much authority from the king to his parliament and ministers, is proclaimed.Europe
15. 1867Giuseppe Garibaldi and his followers are defeated in the Battle of Mentana and fail to end the Pope's Temporal power in Rome (it would be achieved three years later).Europe
16. 1868John Willis Menard (R-LA) becomes the first African American elected to the United States Congress. Because of an electoral challenge, he is never seated.AfricaNorth America
17. 1881The Mapuche uprising of 1881 begins in Chile.Latin America
18. 1898France withdraws its troops from Fashoda (now in Sudan), ending the Fashoda Incident.EuropeAfrica
19. 1903With the encouragement of the United States, Panama separates from Colombia.North AmericaLatin America
20. 1908William Howard Taft is elected the 27th President of the United States.North America
21. 1911Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T.North America
22. 1918The German Revolution of 1918–19 begins when 40,000 sailors take over the port in Kiel.Europe
23. 1920Russian Civil War: The Russian Army retreats to Crimea, after a successful offensive by the Red Army and Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.Europe
24. 1929The Gwangju Student Independence Movement occurred.Asia
25. 1930Getúlio Vargas becomes Head of the Provisional Government in Brazil after a bloodless coup on October 24.Latin America
26. 1932Panagis Tsaldaris becomes the 142nd Prime Minister of Greece.Europe
27. 1935George II of Greece regains his throne through a popular, though possibly fixed, plebiscite.Europe
28. 1936Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected as President of the United States.North America
29. 1942World War II: The Koli Point action begins during the Guadalcanal campaign and ends on November 12.Oceania
30. 1943World War II: Five hundred aircraft of the U.S. 8th Air Force devastate Wilhelmshaven harbor in Germany.North AmericaEurope
31. 1944World War II: Two supreme commanders of the Slovak National Uprising, Generals Ján Golian and Rudolf Viest, are captured, tortured and later executed by German forces.Europe
32. 1946The Constitution of Japan is adopted through Emperor's assent.Asia
33. 1949Chinese Civil War: The Battle of Dengbu Island occurs.Asia
34. 1950Air India Flight 245 crashes into Mont Blanc while on approach to Geneva Airport, killing all 48 people on board.AsiaEurope
35. 1956Suez Crisis: The Khan Yunis killings by the Israel Defense Forces in Egyptian-controlled Gaza result in the deaths of 275 Palestinians.Middle East
36. 1956Hungarian Revolution: A new Hungarian government is formed, in which many members of banned non-Communist parties participate. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich form a counter-government in Moscow as Soviet troops prepare for the final assault.Europe
37. 1957Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter orbit, a dog named Laika.Europe
38. 1960The land that would become the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is established by an Act of Congress after a year-long legal battle that pitted local residents against Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials wishing to turn the Great Swamp into a major regional airport for jet aircraft.North America
39. 1961U Thant is unanimously appointed as the 3rd Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the first non-European individual to occupy the post.Europe
40. 1964Lyndon B. Johnson is elected to a full term as U.S. president, winning 61% of the vote and 44 states, while Washington D.C. residents are able to vote in a presidential election for the first time, casting the majority of their votes for Lyndon Johnson.North America
41. 1967Vietnam War: The Battle of Dak To begins.Asia
42. 1969Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon addresses the nation on television and radio, asking the "silent majority" to join him in solidarity on the Vietnam War effort and to support his policies.AsiaNorth America
43. 1973Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 10 toward Mercury. On March 29, 1974, it becomes the first space probe to reach that planet.North America
44. 1975Four Bangladeshi politicians are killed in the Dhaka Central Jail.Asia
45. 1976Carrie, an American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma, is premiered in 17 theaters in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.North America
46. 1978Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.Europe
47. 1979Greensboro massacre: Five members of the Communist Workers Party are shot dead and seven are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis during a "Death to the Klan" rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.North America
48. 1980A Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crashes at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela, killing four.Latin America
49. 1982The Salang Tunnel fire in Afghanistan kills 150–2000 people.Asia
50. 1986Iran–Contra affair: The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports that the United States has been secretly selling weapons to Iran in order to secure the release of seven American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon.Middle EastNorth America
51. 1986The Compact of Free Association becomes law, granting the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands independence from the United States.OceaniaNorth America
52. 1988Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries attempt to overthrow the Maldivian government. At President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's request, the Indian military suppresses the rebellion within 24 hours.Asia
53. 1992Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton defeats Republican President George H. W. Bush and Independent candidate Ross Perot in the 1992 United States presidential election.North America
54. 1994Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches on STS-66.World
55. 1996Abdullah Çatlı, the leader of the Turkish ultranationalist organization Grey Wolves, dies in the Susurluk car crash, leading to the resignation of Interior Minister Mehmet Ağar (a leader of the True Path Party).Middle East
56. 1997The United States imposes economic sanctions against Sudan in response to its human rights abuses of its own citizens and its material and political assistance to Islamic extremist groups across the Middle East and East Africa.North AmericaAfricaMiddle East
57. 2014One World Trade Center officially opens in New York City, replacing the Twin Towers after they were destroyed during the September 11 attacks.North America
58. 2020The 2020 United States presidential election takes place between Democratic Joe Biden and Republican incumbent President Donald Trump. On November 7, Biden was declared the winner.North America

Source: Wikipedia "November 3" / CC BY-SA 4.0