Historical Events on February 3
- 1690: The first paper that’s made and used in the Americas is issued by the Massachusetts Colony on this date.
- 1781: Sint Eustatius – a Caribbean island owned by the Dutch – is seized by British forces during the American Revolutionary War.
- 1787: General Benjamin Lincoln leads militia forces in an effort to put down the last remaining pockets of Shays’ Rebellion in Petersham, Massachusetts.
- 1807: Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty seizes the city of Montevideo away from the Spanish using British forces.
- 1809: The 10thS Congress passes legislation that creates the Territory of Illinois.
- 1870: American males of any race are guaranteed the right to vote in the United States when the 15th Amendment to the U.S Constitution is officially ratified.
- 1913: The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified on this day. This amendment gives the United States Federal Government the power to impose and collect income taxes.
- 1943: A German U-boat sinks the SS Dorchester. Of the over 900 men who are aboard this vessel, only about 230 of them survive the sinking of the ship.
- 1944: United States Army and Marine forces take the Kwajalein Atoll away from the defending Imperial Japanese garrison that’s holding it during World War II.
- 1944: Over a thousand B-17 bombers from the 8th Air Force drop bombs on the city of Berlin in Germany. This raid ends up killing approximately 3,000 people and leaving another 120,000 homeless.
- 1959: A plane crashes near Clear Lake, Iowa killing Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper ( J.P. Richardson) and Ritchie Valens.
Famous Birthdays on February 3
- American physician Elizabeth Blackwell is born in 1821.
- Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti is born in 1857.
- German engineer Hugo Junkers is born in 1859.
- Australian actress Isla Fisher is born in 1976.
- American wrestler Becky Bayless is born in 1982.
- American baseball player Lucas Duda is born in 1986.