Historical Events on March 3
- 1776: During the American Revolutionary War, the U.S Marine Corps perform their first amphibious landing at the Battle of Nassau.
- 1779: Near Savannah, Georgia at the Battle of Brier Creek during the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army is routed by British forces.
- 1820: The Missouri Compromise is passed by the United States Congress.
- 1845: Florida enters the United States as the 27thS State.
- 1849: The Minnesota Territory is organized on this date.
- 1857: During the Second Opium War, the U.K and France declare war against China.
- 1859: The Great Slave Auction – the largest pre-Civil War slave auction in the U.S – finishes on this day.
- 1873: The Comstock Law is passed by the United States Congress. This law makes it illegal to seen “lewd or obscene” material through the mail.
- 1913: In Washington, D.C., thousands of women march in suffrage parades.
- 1923: The first issue of Time Magazine is published on this date.
- 1931: The “Star Spangled Banner” is adopted by the U.S as its national anthem.
- 1938: In Saudi Arabia, oil is discovered.
- 1942: More than a hundred people are killed in Western Australia when Imperial Japanese warplanes raid Broome during World War II.
- 1943: Over 170 people are crushed to death as they were trying to get into an air raid shelter at the Bethnal Green Tube Station in London during WWII.
- 1945: American and Filipino forces capture Manila.
- 1991: Amateur video captures the brutal beating of Rodney King by police offices of the Los Angeles Police Department.
- 1997: After over two years of construction, Sky Tower opens in Auckland, New Zealand. It’s the tallest free standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
Famous Birthdays on March 3
- Scottish-American engineer and inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell is born in 1847.
- English conductor Henry Wood is born in 1869.
- Italian businessman and conman, Charles Ponzi is born in 1882.
- American actress Jessica Biel is born in 1982.
- Australian rugby player, Brent Tate is born in 1982.