January 3 January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 362 days remaining (363 in leap years). Events 1400-1899 1496 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine 1521 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther. 1749 - Benning Wentworth issued the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont. 1777 - Battle of Princeton. American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis. 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 1833 - Britain seizes control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. 1834 - The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City 1840 - One of the Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia's predecessor papers The Port Phillip Herald is founded by George Cavanaugh. 1861 - American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States 1868 - The Japanese Meiji dynasty is restored and the Shogunate is abolished. 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. 1899 - The first known use of the word automobile, in an editorial in the New York Times. 1900-1999 1925 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. 1926 - General Theodorus Pángulos names himself dictator of Greece. 1938 - The March of Dimes is established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 1947 - Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. 1951 - Dragnet airs on television for the first time (NBC). 1957 - Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. 1958 - West Indies Federation 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, Idaho leaks radiation, killing three workers at the installation. The radiation is contained. 1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro. 1966 - First Acid Test at the Fillmore, San Francisco, California. 1973 - Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sells the New York Yankees for $10 million to a 12-person syndicate led by George Steinbrenner. 1987 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 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 Irkhutsk, Russia killing 125 including 1 on the ground 1997 - NBC's Today show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time. 2000-2099 2004 - Flight 604, a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines, an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea, killing all 148 aboard. 2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars. Births 200 BC-AD 1899 106 BC - Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher (d. 43 BC) 1793 - Lucretia Mott, women's rights activist and abolitionist (d. 1880) 1803 - Douglas Jerrold, British dramatic playwright and political satirist (d. 1857) 1829 - Konrad Duden, philologist (d. 1911) 1840 - Father Damien, missionary priest in Hawai'i (d. 1888) 1855 - Hubert Bland, English socialist and co-founder of Fabian Society (d. 1914) 1879 - Grace Coolidge, First Lady of the United States (d. 1957) 1883 - Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967) 1887 - August Macke, painter (d. 1914) 1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien, South African-born writer and philologist (d. 1973) 1897 - Pola Negri, Polish actress (d. 1987) 1897 - Marion Davies, American actress (d. 1961) January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 362 days remaining (363 in leap years). Events 1400-1899 1496 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine 1521 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther. 1749 - Benning Wentworth issued the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont. 1777 - Battle of Princeton. American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis. 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 1833 - Britain seizes control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. 1834 - The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City 1840 - One of the Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia's predecessor papers The Port Phillip Herald is founded by George Cavanaugh. 1861 - American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States 1868 - The Japanese Meiji dynasty is restored and the Shogunate is abolished. 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. 1899 - The first known use of the word automobile, in an editorial in the New York Times. 1900-1999 1925 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. 1926 - General Theodorus Pángulos names himself dictator of Greece. 1938 - The March of Dimes is established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 1947 - Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. 1951 - Dragnet airs on television for the first time (NBC). 1957 - Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. 1958 - West Indies Federation 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, Idaho leaks radiation, killing three workers at the installation. The radiation is contained. 1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro. 1966 - First Acid Test at the Fillmore, San Francisco, California. 1973 - Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sells the New York Yankees for $10 million to a 12-person syndicate led by George Steinbrenner. 1987 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 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 Irkhutsk, Russia killing 125 including 1 on the ground 1997 - NBC's Today show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time. 2000-2099 2004 - Flight 604, a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines, an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea, killing all 148 aboard. 2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars. Births 200 BC-AD 1899 106 BC - Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher (d. 43 BC) 1793 - Lucretia Mott, women's rights activist and abolitionist (d. 1880) 1803 - Douglas Jerrold, British dramatic playwright and political satirist (d. 1857) 1829 - Konrad Duden, philologist (d. 1911) 1840 - Father Damien, missionary priest in Hawai'i (d. 1888) 1855 - Hubert Bland, English socialist and co-founder of Fabian Society (d. 1914) 1879 - Grace Coolidge, First Lady of the United States (d. 1957) 1883 - Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967) 1887 - August Macke, painter (d. 1914) 1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien, South African-born writer and philologist (d. 1973) 1897 - Pola Negri, Polish actress (d. 1987) 1897 - Marion Davies, American actress (d. 1961) 1900-1949 1901 - Ngo Dinh Diem, President of South Vietnam (d. 1963) 1905 - Anna May Wong, actress (d. 1961) 1907 - Ray Milland, actor (d. 1986) 1909 - Victor Borge, entertainer and humorist (d. 2000) 1911 - John Sturges, director 1916 - Betty Furness, American actress, consumer activist (d. 1994) 1920 - Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer (d. 2001) 1924 - Hank Stram, American football coach, broadcaster 1926 - George Martin, "5th Beatle": producer of The Beatles' records 1929 - Sergio Leone, Italian director (d. 1989) 1930 - Robert Loggia, American actor 1932 - Dabney Coleman, American actor 1936 - Georgina Spelvin, pornographic film actress 1939 - Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player 1941 - Van Dyke Parks, American musician, composer 1942 - John Thaw, British actor (d. 2002) 1945 - Stephen Stills, American singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1945 - Victoria Principal, American actress 1946 - John Paul Jones, English bassist from Led Zeppelin 1950-1999 1956 - Mel Gibson, Australian actor and director 1957 - Bojan Kri?aj, Slovenian alpine skier 1960 - Joan Chen, Chinese actress 1966 - Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer 1969 - Michael Schumacher, German Formula One driver 1975 - Danica McKellar, American actress 1976 - Jason Marsden, actor 1981 - Polly Klaas, young victim of crime (d. 1993) 1982 - Eli Manning, American football quarterback 1989 - Alex D. Linz, actor Deaths 1322 - Philip V, king of France (b. 1293) 1543 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, first European to visit California (b. 1499) 1641 - Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer (b. ca. 1619) 1785 - Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706) 1795 - Josiah Wedgwood, English potter (b. 1730) 1875 - Pierre Larousse, French editor and encyclopedist (b. 1817) 1923 - Jaroslav Hasek, Czech novelist (b. 1883) 1933 - Jack Pickford, Canadian actor, Hollywood's first "bad boy" (b. 1896) 1945 - Edgar Cayce, American psychic (b. 1877) 1946 - William Joyce, American Nazi propagandist (executed) (b. 1906) 1950 - Emil Jannings, Swiss actor (b. 1884) 1967 - Jack Ruby, convicted killer of Lee Harvey Oswald (b. 1911) 1979 - Conrad Hilton, American hotelier (b. 1887) 1980 - Joy Adamson, Czech conservationist and author (b. 1910) 1981 - Her Royal Highness Princess Alice of Albany, the last grandchild of Queen Victoria (b. 1883) 1992 - Dame Judith Anderson, Australian actress (b. 1897) 2002 - Freddy Heineken, Dutch CEO of the beer brewery (b. 1923) 2003 - Sid Gillman, American football coach (b. 1911) 2003 - José Maria Gironella, author and poet Holidays and observances Feast day of St Genevieve Roman Empire - Festival in honour of Pax The tenth day of Christmas in Western Christianity   ast:3 de xineru FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. 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