January 3 in recent years
2009 (Saturday)
2008 (Thursday)
2007 (Wednesday)
2006 (Tuesday)
2005 (Monday)
2004 (Saturday)
2003 (Friday)
2002 (Thursday)
2001 (Wednesday)
2000 (Monday)
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar . There are 362 days remaining until the end of the year (363 in leap years ).
Events [ ]
1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon .
1496 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine.
1521 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem .
1749 - Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants , leading to the establishment of Vermont .
1777 - American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton .
1815 - Austria , Britain , and France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussia and Russia .
1823 - Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico .
1825 - Rensselaer School, the first engineering college in the U.S. is opened in Troy , New York . It is now known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute .
1833 - Britain seizes control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic .
1834 - The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City .
1848 - Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of the independent African Republic of Liberia .
1861 - American Civil War : Delaware votes not to secede from the United States .
1868 - Meiji Restoration in Japan : The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.
1870 - The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.
1871 - Henry W. Bradley patents oleomargarine .
1888 - The 91 cm refracting telescope at Lick Observatory is used for the first time. It was the largest telescope in the world at the time.
1888 - Marvin C. Stone patents the drinking straw .
1899 - The first known use of the word automobile , in an editorial in The New York Times .
1921 - Turkey makes peace with Armenia .
1924 - English explorer Howard Carter discovers the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings , near Luxor , Egypt .
1925 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy .
1932 - Martial law declared in Honduras to stop revolt by banana workers fired by United Fruit .
1933 - Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of a legislative body in the USA.
1938 - The March of Dimes is established by Franklin D. Roosevelt .
1938 - Woman in White is first broadcast on the NBC Red network. The program remains on the radio for the next ten years.
1944 - World War II : Top Ace Major Greg "pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero .
1945 - Admiral Chester W Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima , Okinawa and Japan itself.
1947 - Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
1951 - Dragnet is first broadcast on NBC-TV .
1953 - Frances Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio , become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
1957 - Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch .
1958 - The West Indies Federation is formed.
1959 - Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state .
1961 - The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba .
1961 - The SL-1 , a government-run reactor near Idaho Falls , leaks radiation, killing three workers.
1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro .
1973 - George Steinbrenner buys the New York Yankees from CBS for 3.2 million dollars
1977 - Apple Computer was incorporated.
1983 - CiTV launches on ITV in the UK .
1987 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .
1988 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the longest-serving British Prime Minister in the 20th Century.
1990 - Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces.
1993 - In Moscow , George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
1994 - An Aeroflot Tupolev TU-154 crashes and explodes after takeoff from Irkutsk , Russia , killing 125 people including one on the ground.
1997 - The People's Republic of China announces it will spend $27.7 billion to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow river valleys.
1999 - The Mars Polar Lander launches.
1999 - Israel detains, later to expel, 14 members of Concerned Christians .
2004 - Flight 604 , a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines , an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea , killing all 148 people aboard.
2007 - National Express has its worst ever coach crash just outside Heathrow Airport when it was travelling to Glasgow
Births [ ]
106 BC - Cicero , Roman statesman and philosopher (d. 43 BC )
1196 - Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231 )
1710 - Richard Gridley , American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1796 )
1719 - Francisco José Freire , Portuguese historian (d. 1773 )
1722 - Fredric Hasselquist , Swedish naturalist (d. 1752 )
1760 - John Storm , American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1835 )
1778 - Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski , Polish bishop (d. 1861 )
1793 - Lucretia Mott , American women's rights activist (d. 1880 )
1802 - Charles Pelham Villiers , British House of Commons member (d. 1898 )
1803 - Douglas William Jerrold , British playwright (d. 1857 )
1810 - Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie , French geographer (d. 1897 )
1836 - Sakamoto Ryoma , Japanese revolutionary (d. 1867 )
1840 - Father Damien , Flemish missionary (d. 1889 )
1855 - Hubert Bland , English socialist (d. 1914 )
1865 - Henry Lytton , British actor and opera singer (d. 1936 )
1870 - Henry Handel Richardson , Australian author (d. 1946 )
1876 - Wilhelm Pieck , first President of East Germany (d. 1960 )
1879 - Grace Coolidge , First Lady of the United States (d. 1957 )
1883 - Clement Attlee , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967 )
1886 - Josephine Hull , American actress (d. 1957 )
1887 - August Macke , German painter (d. 1914 )
1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien , British writer (d. 1973 )
1894 - ZaSu Pitts , American actress (d. 1963 )
1895 - Hudson Fysh , Australian aviator and businessman (d. 1974 )
1897 - Marion Davies , American actress (d. 1961 )
1898 - Carlos Keller , Chilean fascist politician (d. 1974 )
1901 - Ngô Đình Diệm , President of South Vietnam (d. 1963 )
1905 - Anna May Wong , American actress (d. 1961 )
1907 - Ray Milland , Welsh actor (d. 1986 )
1909 - Victor Borge , Danish entertainer (d. 2000 )
1910 - Frenchy Bordagaray , American baseball player (d. 2000 )
1911 - John Sturges , American director (d. 1982 )
1912 - Renaude Lapointe , Canadian journalist and senator (d. 2002 )
1912 - Armand Lohikoski , Finnish director (d. 2005 )
1916 - Maxene Andrews , American singer (The Andrews Sisters ) (d. 1995 )
1916 - Betty Furness , American actress (d. 1994 )
1917 - Roger W. Straus, Jr. , American publisher (d. 2004 )
1920 - Renato Carosone , Italian musician (d. 2001 )
1921 - John Russell , American actor (d. 1991 )
1922 - Bill Travers , English actor and director (d. 1994 )
1923 - Hank Stram , American football coach (d. 2005 )
1924 - Doug Ellis , British entrepreneur
1924 - André Franquin , Belgian cartoonist (Gaston Lagaffe ) (d. 1997 )
1924 - Nell Rankin , American singer (d. 2005 )
1926 - George Martin , British producer
1929 - Sergio Leone , Italian director (d. 1989 )
1929 - Ernst Mahle , Brazilian composer
1930 - Marcel Dubé , Quebec playwright
1930 - Robert Loggia , American actor
1932 - Dabney Coleman , American actor
1932 - Coo Coo Marlin , American race car driver (d. 2005 )
1935 - Raymond Garneau , French Canadian politician and businessman
1937 - Seri Wangnaitham , Thai dancer and choreographer (d. 2007 )
1939 - Nikos Alefantos , Greek football manager
1939 - Bobby Hull , Canadian hockey player
1941 - Van Dyke Parks , American musician
1942 - John Thaw , British actor (d. 2002 )
1944 - David Atherton , English conductor
1945 - Stephen Stills , American musician
1946 - John Paul Jones , British musician (Led Zeppelin )
1946 - Cissy King , American entertainer
1949 - Sylvia Likens , American torture victim (d. 1965 )
1950 - Victoria Principal , American actress
1954 - Dean Hart , Canadian wrestler (d. 1990 )
1954 - Ned Lamont , American businessman
1954 - Jim Ross , American wrestling announcer
1955 - Palmolive , English musician (The Slits , The Raincoats )
1956 - Mel Gibson , Australian actor
1956 - Willy T. Ribbs , American race car driver
1957 - Bojan Križај , Slovenian skier
1958 - Shim Hyung-rae , South Korean filmmaker
1959 - Rafael Arráiz Lucca Venezuelan writer
1960 - Sandeep Marwah Founder of Film City, Noida,India
1962 - Francesca Lia Block , American author
1963 - Vic Grimes , American professional wrestler
1963 - Jerome Young , American professional wrestler
1964 - Bruce LaBruce , Canadian film-maker
1966 - Martin Galway , Northern Ireland composer
1969 - Michael Schumacher , German race car driver
1970 - Mahaya Petrosian , Iranian actress
1971 - Cory Cross , Canadian ice hockey player
1972 - Yoon Chan , South Korean actor
1972 - Nichole Nordeman , American singer
1974 - Alessandro Petacchi , Italian cyclist
1975 - Thomas Bangalter , French DJ (Daft Punk )
1975 - Jason Marsden , American actor
1975 - Danica McKellar , American actress
1976 - Angelos Basinas , Greek footballer
1976 - Dinara Drukarova , Russian actress
1976 - Nicholas Gonzalez , American actor
1977 - Lee Bowyer , English footballer
1977 - A.J. Burnett , American baseball player
1977 - Mayumi Iizuka , Japanese voice actress (seiyū)
1977 - Michelle Stephenson , English singer (The Spice Girls )
1978 - Kimberley Locke , American singer
1978 - Park Sol-mi , South Korean actress
1978 - Dominic Wood , English children's television presenter and magician
1978 - Mike York , American ice hockey player
1979 - Francesco Bellissimo , Italian mangaka
1980 - Rob Arnold , American guitarist (Chimaira )
1980 - Liya Kebede , Ethiopian model
1980 - Angela Ruggiero , American ice hockey player
1980 - David Tyree , American football player
1981 - Eli Manning , American football player
1985 - John David Booty , American football player
1986 - Jacob Timpano , Australian soccer player
1986 - Lloyd Polite , R&B Singer
1989 - Alex D. Linz , American actor
Deaths [ ]
1098 - Walkelin , first Norman bishop of Winchester (b. unknown)
1322 - Philip V, King of France (b. 1293 )
1437 - Catherine of Valois , wife of Henry V of England (b. 1401 )
1543 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo , Portuguese explorer (b. 1499 )
1641 - Jeremiah Horrocks , English astronomer (b. 1618 )
1656 - Mathieu Molé , French statesman (b. 1584 )
1670 - George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle , English soldier (b. 1608 )
1690 - Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi , Lithuanian rabbi (b. 1615 )
1743 - Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena , Italian architect and designer (b. 1657 )
1779 - Claude Bourgelat , French veterinary surgeon (b. 1712 )
1785 - Baldassare Galuppi , Italian composer (b. 1706 )
1795 - Josiah Wedgwood , English potter (b. 1730 )
1826 - Louis Gabriel Suchet , French marshal (b. 1770 )
1875 - Pierre Larousse , French editor (b. 1817 )
1882 - William Harrison Ainsworth , English novelist (b. 1805 )
1903 - Alois Hitler , father of Adolf Hilter (b. 1837 )
1911 - Alexandros Papadiamantis , Greek author (b. 1851 )
1915 - James Elroy Flecker , English author (b. 1884 )
1916 - Grenville M. Dodge , American Civil War Union Army Major General (b. 1831 )
1923 - Jaroslav Hasek , Czech novelist (b. 1883 )
1927 - Carle David Tolmé Runge , German physicist (b. 1856 )
1931 - Joseph Joffre , French general (b. 1852 )
1933 - Wilhelm Cuno , 6th Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Germany) (b. 1876 )
1933 - Jack Pickford , Canadian actor (b. 1896 )
1944 - Jurgis Baltrušaitis , Lithuanian poet (b. 1873 )
1945 - Edgar Cayce , American psychic (b. 1877 )
1945 - Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski , Polish writer (b. 1879 )
1946 - William Joyce , American Nazi propagandist (executed) (b. 1906 )
1950 - Emil Jannings , Swiss actor (b. 1884 )
1956 - Alexander Gretchaninov , Russian composer (b. 1864 )
1956 - Joseph Wirth , 5th Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Germany) (b. 1876 )
1963 - Jack Carson , Canadian actor (b. 1910 )
1967 - Mary Garden , Scottish singer (b. 1874 )
1967 - Jack Ruby , American killer of Lee Harvey Oswald (b. 1911 )
1969 - Jean Focas , Greco-French astronomer (b. 1909 )
1969 - Howard McNear , American actor (b. 1905 )
1974 - Gino Cervi , Italian actor (b. 1901 )
1979 - Conrad Hilton , American hotelier (b. 1887 )
1980 - Joy Adamson , Czech conservationist (b. 1910 )
1980 - Lucien Buysse , Belgian cyclist (b. 1892 )
1981 - Princess Alice of Albany (b. 1883 )
1988 - Rose Ausländer , German poet (b. 1901 )
1989 - Sergei Lvovich Sobolev , Russian mathematician (b. 1909 )
1992 - Dame Judith Anderson , Australian actress (b. 1897 )
1993 - Johnny Most , American sports announcer (b. 1923 )
2002 - Juan García Esquivel , Mexican band leader (b. 1918 )
2002 - Freddy Heineken , Dutch beer executive (b. 1923 )
2003 - Sid Gillman , American football coach (b. 1911 )
2004 - Leon Wagner , American baseball player (b. 1934 )
2005 - Koo Chen-fu , Chinese negotiator (b. 1917 )
2005 - JN Dixit , Indian government official (b. 1936 )
2005 - Will Eisner , American comic book artist (b. 1917 )
2006 - Steve Rogers , Australian rugby league footballer (b. 1954 )
2006 - Bill Skate , Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954 )
2007 - Janos Furst , Hungarian-born orchestral conductor (b. 1935 )
2007 - Earl Reibel , Canadian ice hockey forward Detroit Red Wings (b. 1930 )
2007 - William Verity Jr. , United States Secretary of Commerce 1987 -1989 (b. 1917 )
2007 - Sir Cecil Walker , Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast 1983 –2001 (b. 1924 )
2007 - Michael Yeats , Irish Fianna Fáil senator 1961 –1981 and son of W.B. Yeats (b. 1921 )
Holidays and observances [ ]
External links [ ]
139 Familypedia people were born on January 3
144 Familypedia people died on January 3
91 Familypedia people were first married on January 3